[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
En Algérie, le régime est à bout de souffle Algerian police protested in front of the Presidential Palace for twenty-four hours last week calling for an end to “hogra, or humiliation. This unprecedented demonstration comes at a time when many are questioning who is running the country as President Bouteflika has not been seen in public since 21 September.
Dispatches: Algeria’s ‘Disappeared’ Algerian families suffered many losses during the 1990 civil war. Human Rights Watch documents the continuation of protests organized by the families of the “disappeared,” who have been holding regular demonstration in Algiers for over fifteen years.
Bouteflika’s Possible Successors Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck of the Carnegie Middle East Center posits that all of Bouteflika’s potential successors will be products of the system and the transition in executive authority will leave very little room for reform.
L’ANP verrouille la frontière algéro-libyenne The Algerian army has deployed all measures available, including some of the most advanced military technology, to secure the border with Libya amidst threats of radical militias attempting to enter Algeria.
Libya
Benghazi de nouveau en proie à de violents combats General Khalifa Haftar led a military assault on Benghazi to retake control of Libya’s second largest city from Islamist militias.
Civil society struggles for greater role in Libya`s transition While civil society mobilization was nonexistent under Muammar Gaddafi, it has developed and become a force for change since the 2011 revolution in spite of security threats and political instability.
Libya PM says united forces aim to retake capital Internationally recognized Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani stated that military forces had united and been placed under army command to try and take back Tripoli and Benghazi from Islamist militia groups.
Libya: The war nobody can win Current developments in Libya can be understood as rival groups attempting to gather as many resources as possible to strengthen their negotiating position in future peace talks.
Libya: The Lesser of Two Evils Mohamed Eljarh of the Atlantic Council argues that many Libyans have more confidence in Haftar’s military solution than in the United Nation’s sanctioned peace talks when it comes to defeating radical terrorist groups.
Mauritania
The Global Slavery Index: Mauritania Up to twenty percent of Mauritania’s population is still enslaved despite laws forbidding the practice.
Mauritanian musician Noura Mint Seymali wants to modernise the sounds she grew up with Noura Mint Seymali performed internationally for the first time at the UK Sahara Soul concert and she intends to keep sharing Moorish music with the world.
Mauritania Uncovers Isis Cell Security forces arrested four men in the town of Zouerate for alleged jihadist activities and making contact with Islamic State (ISIL).
Morocco
Affaire CDG-CGI, encore une histoire de gouvernance! Imane Azmi argues that the financial problems of Morocco’s public institutions, such as the CDG and CGI, are a product of poor governance practices.
وكالة المغرب العربي للأنباء تحذف 20% من الترجمة الفرنسية من الخطاب الملكي بما فيها الحديث “النبوي” المزعوم The Maghreb Arab Press Agency deleted twenty percent of King Mohammed’s speech in the French translation, including the alleged fake hadith that the King cited.
Single Mothers Face Judgment In The Streets Of Morocco AJ+ gives some insight into the marginalization that single mothers face in Morocco through this short documentary.
Moroccan rapper charged over videos and `distorting` national anthem Another Moroccan rapper finds himself in trouble with the law for challenging dominant narratives of power. The young rapper from Casablanca, Othman A (“Mr. Crazy”), is currently in juvenile court for “distorting the words of the national anthem, immorality and encouraging drug use.”
علي أنوزلا يكتب: دبلوماسية الريع المغربية Ali Anouzla analyzes the system of patronage and rents in Moroccan diplomacy arguing that proximity to the palace is an integral objective in the system.
L’ultralibéralisme économique : cette facette méconnue du PJD Omar El Hyani addresses the ultraliberal economic platform espoused by Morocco’s Islamist party, analyzing their positions and rhetoric on education, health, and infrastructure.
Chabat et Lebbar en arrivent aux mains au Parlement Hamid Chabat of the Istiqlal party and Aziz Lebbar of the Party of Authenticity and Modernity (PAM) physically fought each other at the opening session of Morocco’s Parliament.
Tunisia
Législatives 2014 : Ceux qui y vont et ceux qui décrochent Inkyfada dives into the motivations behind those of the candidates running for seats in Tunisia’s legislature.
Stories of torture in police stations or inside the walls of jails are abundant In spite of Ben Ali’s infamous 2011 departure, systematic human rights violations continue to stain the image of Tunisia’s prisons and police stations.
Tunisian Confidence in Democracy Wanes According to Pew Research polling Tunisians have lost confidence in democracy since the 2011 revolution. Support for the Islamist party Ennahda has also significantly declined.
Tunisians prepare for momentous parliamentary elections Seventy-five percent of Tunisians have registered to vote in the upcoming legislative elections.
Western Sahara
Western Sahara/Algeria: Refugees Face Curbs on Rights Human Rights Watch published its most extensive report on the Polisario run Sahrawi camps in Algeria’s Tindouf province. In general, refugees have the freedom to move in and outside the camps but face restrictions on freedom of expression and some other rights.
Algeria Welcomes With `Satisfaction` Adoption of UN Resolution On Decolonization in Western Sahara The UN General Assembly`s Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee) adopted a resolution on the Western Sahara, allegedly showing their commitment to the decolonization process even though a conflict resolution seems nowhere in sight.
Demonstration against Kosmos Energy in occupied Western Sahara Sahrawi women protested against Kosmos Energy oil exploration last week in Laayoune due to its blatant violation of international law.
Most Recent Articles from Jadaliyya’s Maghreb Page
New Texts Out Now: Edmund Burke III, The Ethnographic State: France and the Invention of Moroccan Islam Edmund Burke III speaks to Jadaliyya about his recently released text, which examines the role colonial French ethnography had on shaping knowledge production on Morocco.
« Hamel dégage ! » : Les policiers algériens et les fissures de l`ordre Thomas Serres examines the impending collapse of the Algerian system through the lens of the unprecedented police protests that took place last week in Algiers.
إشكالية المجتمع المدني في المغرب Rachid Yamlouli considers the practical and theoretical causes for Morocco’s civil society problematic.
رحلتي إلى الراب والسياسة والسجن Moroccan rapper and human rights activist El-Haqed, or the “enraged one,” discusses his journey to rap, politics, and prison after his release.
Civil Society Call for the Protection of Libya`s Democratic Transition Various groups from Libyan civil society gathered together to demand a greater commitment to the country’s democratic transition and to emphasize the right of all Libyans to live in freedom and peace.
New Texts Out Now: Andrea Khalil, Crowds and Politics in North Africa: Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya Andrea Khalil discusses her new book with Jadaliyya, which examines the theoretical conceptions of crowds and politics in Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya during the period between 2011-2012.
Morocco`s Mawazine Festival: Exposing Class Tensions and Social Unrest The international music festival in Morocco highlights the problems with the country’s narrative of exceptionalism and the increasing gap between Morocco’s international image and the socioeconomic troubles that its residents face.