[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on the Maghreb and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Maghreb Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to maghreb@jadaliyya.com by Thursday night of every week.]
Algeria
Algeria ready to host Libya dialogue Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra called for warring Libya militias to meet for a national dialogue and emphasized Algeria’s diplomatic role in supporting United Nations Security Council peace initiatives.
Algérie : l`otage français Hervé Gourdel a été décapité A jihadist group claiming allegiance to the Islamic State kidnapped a French national in the Kabyle region of Algeria on 20 September in retaliation for French airstrikes in Iraq. He was beheaded a few days later.
Une région livrée à l’insécurité El-Watan discusses the relationship between past terrorist activities and the current insecurity that marks Kabyle and the Wilaya of Tizi Ouzou.
Security concerns push Algerian defense budget beyond $10 billion Algeria’s defense budget is the largest in Africa and continues to increase due to the country’s important role in regional security.
Libya
200 migrants feared drowned after boat sinks off Libya coast A small boat holding hundreds of African migrants attempting to reach Europe has capsized off the coast of Tripoli, Libya. Only thirty-six of the 250 individuals aboard were rescued.
Fighting, payment problems disrupt Libya`s food imports Libyans are concerned over rising food prices as conflict between armed militias continue to limit agricultural import routes.
Gunmen slay young journalist in Benghazi, the security chaos continues to pose a grave danger to Libyan news providers Armed gunmen kill Benghazi journalist and activist Tawfiq Faraj Ben Saud on his way home on the evening of 19 September.
Nations Call for End to `Outside Interference` in Libya The European Union, United Nations, and thirteen other countries have demanded a halt to "outside interference" in Libya after Egypt and the United Arab Emirates allegedly coordinated a series of "mystery airstrikes" against Islamic militants.
Mauritania
Mauritania adopts Western weekend to boost prosperity Mauritania moves its weekend to Saturday and Sunday to better coordinate with European investors and businesses.
29,000,000 human beings: IHEU highlights widespread domestic and sexual slavery The United Nations Human Rights Council`s twenty-seventh session featured IHEU representatives that called attention to the slow implementation of anti-slavery legislation in Mauritania.
Morocco
القصر والكيل بمكيالين ما بين صاحبة جائزة عالمية خديجة الرياضي وبطلة مهزلة وطنية رجاء غانمي Morocco’s King honors many Moroccan award winners, except human rights activist and former Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) President Khadija Ryadi.
علي أنوزلا يكتب: عندما يؤلف مغاربة كتبا تنتقد الملكية Ali Anouzla describes the difficulties associated with writing critical texts about the monarchy and challenging the secrecy that surrounds the country’s most influential political elites.
«Le fils de notre ami», résumé critique de 15 ans de règne Moroccan journalist Omar Brousky’s new book on the fifteen year reign of King Mohammed VI has caused controversy in the country. The authorities have revoked his journalist credentials with Agence France-Presse.
Morocco strengthens counter-terrorism law The Moroccan cabinet has approved a new bill criminalizing joining training camps abroad. It also provides a new mechanism for amending the Criminal Procedure Court, “so as to authorize the prosecution and judgment of all Moroccans inside the country or abroad, and any alien within the national territory, for the crime of terrorism committed outside the Kingdom.”
Expulsions « massives et illégales » de migrants subsahariens du Maroc, selon une association Le groupe antiraciste de défense et d’accompagnement des étrangers et migrants (GADEM), a Moroccan human rights association, cited the “illegal deportation” of many sub-Saharan nationals this week as tensions build around the city of Tangier over racist violence.
Torture: Amnesty place le Maroc dans les «pays prioritaires» Amnesty International’s Morocco branch organized a demonstration in front of the Parliament building to protest the country’s systematic use of torture.
Nominees for Sakharov Prize 2014 announced Moroccan rapper, human rights activist and 20 February Movement member Mouad Belghouate (“El Haqed”) has been nominated for the European Parliament’s 2014 Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought.
Tunisia
Les citoyens et leurs ordures : quelle responsabilité? Lilia Blaise investigates the role of citizens in taking responsibility for garbage disposal, the environment, and public space in Tunisia.
Tunisie - Présidentielle: 70 candidatures déposées, plusieurs ne seront pas validées Several dozen candidates have dropped off their applications to take part in Tunisia’s presidential elections. The campaigning begins on 1 November following parliamentary elections.
Tunisian Islamists hire US lobby shop Ennahda has hired US public relations group Burson-Marsteller to help its image before upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.
L’eau : l’autre enjeu de développement pour la Tunisie Urban population growth and industrial and agricultural pressures are weighing heavily on Tunisia’s water sources.
Western Sahara
Africa Beats: Aziza Brahim voices Western Sahara blues Aziza Brahim was born in the Western Sahara and grew up in the Tindouf refugee camps. She has become one of the most well-known voices of Sahrawi resistance.
SADR takes part at parliamentary meetings on AU legal mechanisms The Sahrawi Republic (SADR) is taking part in an African Union regional meeting on ratifying and implementing African Union legal mechanism. It is taking place from 24-26 September in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
Waiting for Disruption: The Western Sahara Stalemate As the fortieth anniversary of the Western Sahara conflict approaches, Jacob Mundy discusses the potential for change in the current status quo.
Sahrawis on hunger strike against torture Seven men in a Laayoune prison were badly beaten and have gone on hunger strike in protest of their treatment.
Most Recent Articles from Jadaliyya’s Maghreb Page
Algeria’s Jewish Past-Present Sarah Abrevaya Stein examines the North African Jewish past and how it is used in Algerian politics today.
حوار مع القيادية اليسارية المغربية نعيمة الكلاف Brahim El Guabli interviews Morocco’s leading leftist activist Naima Al Guallaf.
Djerba, Tunisia: Garbage Disposal, the Environmental Crisis, and the Awakening of Ecoconsciousness Rania Said explains the importance of Djerba’s campaign and strike against the government’s disregard for the problem of garbage disposal on the Tunisian Island.
نفس الكتاب".. جرحٌ تعجز الكتابة عن لَأْمِه" Ayoub El-Mouzain puts the dialogue between Moroccan exchanged between Moroccan writer Abdelkebir Khatibi and French psychoanalyst Jacque Hassoun in the context of Israeli’s most recent aggression against Gaza and the relationship between “people of the book and owners of the land.”
ملف من الأرشيف: محمد شكري A profile of Mohammed Choukri, one of Morocco’s most renowned writers and social critics. His first novel was entitled For Bread Alone. The Tangier native and literary legend died in 2004.
Sahrawi Realities: The Remembrance of Gdeim Izik (Part 2) Samia Errazzouki continues her analysis of the ways in which social mobilization, creation of space, and new modes of resistance intersect within the Sahrawi community after her visit to the Dakhla refugee camp.