[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
Alger confirme la mort d`un des assassins d`Hervé Gourdel The Algerian army confirmed that they killed “Khaled Abu Suleiman," the leader of the Islamist group Jund al-Khilafa, responsible for the kidnapping and beheading of French citizen Hervé Gourdel in September.
Algeria’s winter of discontent With Algeria’s economy struggling, President Bouteflika’s regime wants Saudi Arabia to stop flooding the oil market so that prices will increase again.
What Do Declining Oil Prices Mean For Algeria? Low oil prices have led to a call for austerity measures, and could also lead to social unrest and the need to include more opposition groups in the government.
Quel gouvernement pour gérer l’austérité ? The Algerian government is taking measures to implement an austerity budget in light of low oil prices and pressures on the country’s hydrocarbon-dependant economy.
بوتفليقةيُقللمن «حدة» انهيارأسعارالنفطعلىموازنةالجزائرPresident Bouteflika is downplaying the effects of the low oil prices on the Algerian economy, and he has tasked the government with studying what steps may be necessary to manage the budget.
UK government in bid to withhold material from In Amenas inquest The British Foreign Office issued a public interest immunity (PII) certificate to withhold certain information in the official inquiry into the 2013 terrorist attack at an Algerian gas plant that killed seven British hostages.
السعداني: عقليةبوتفليقةسليمة: National Liberation Front (FLN) leader reassures Algerians that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s health and mental capabilities are intact after rumours of his visit to another hospital in France.
Libya
2,803 violent deaths recorded in Libya in 2014 Most deaths occured in the eastern city of Benghazi and increased in July as fighting intensified between Islamist militias and the Haftar-led forces
France: Libya rising as terrorist ‘sanctuary’ In a visit to northern Niger French defense minister emphasized the country’s commitment to stopping terrorist movement and weapons smuggling from Libya.
Libya Has Finally Extinguished A Huge Fire That`s Been Burning At An Oil Terminal For Days After a rocket hit Libya’s largest oil port Es Sider the National Oil Corp fire fighters just recently put it out. The rockets came from military groups fighting for control of the oil port.
The Case for a New Federalism in Libya Karim Mezran and Mohamed El-Jarh look at the pro and cons of a federalist state in Libya given the country’s sharp regional cleavages and fears of marginalization in the eastern region.
The attempt to silence Libya’s activist generation Activists have become targets in Libya’s political and military conflict, forcing many to flee the country. Those remaining in the country push for disarmament, peaceful dialogue, and a strong police force to ensure security.
Mauritania
Mauritania: Migrant dreams of Europe Aljazeera English shows how Mauritania, a long-time transit country for sub-Saharan African migrants attempting to reach Northern Africa and eventually Europe, is becoming a destination for migrants as the country tightens its borders.
Condamnation à mort pour apostasie à Nouakchott Journalist Mohamed M’Kheitir was condemned to death for apostasy in Nouadhibou, a first for a Mauritanian court.
Morocco
اللغةالعربيةودرسالسفير Youssef Belal, writing for Al-Massae, discusses the effects of the “new colonialism” in forcing the use of French language in official political, economic, and cultural affairs in Morocco.
France-Maroc : Les journalistes français mis en cause dans les révélations de Chris Coleman réagissent French journalists react to evidence leaked by the hacker, “Chris Coleman,” which claims that the Moroccan government paid them excessive amounts of money to write articles supporting Moroco’s position on the Western Sahara.
Intérieur contre AMDH : Des ONG menacent de porter le dossier devant l’ONU The battle continues between the interior minister and several human rights associations that have pledged to take their case against the government repression internationally to the United Nations.
Le plus long "sit-in écologique" est marocain Dozens of villagers have been camping out for more than three years on a large hill in the High Atlas mountain to protest a mining company that is polluting their region.
"Moroccan Wikileaks" rattles Rabat The Moroccan government is concerned about the hundreds of diplomatic cables released by an anonymous hacker over the past two months. The content of some of those cables includes internal and international communications regarding the Western Sahara and Sahrawi independence.
Morocco`s banning of `Exodus` film causes controversy Morocco, like Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, has banned the film, “Exodus,” because it depicts God as a young child in one of its scenes. Some in Morocco are critical of the decision to ban the film.
Is ban due to politics or to sheep-like behavior? Ahmed Benchemsi, on Radio France Internationale, discusses the decision by Morocco and Egypt to ban the film, “Exodus.”
Morocco hunts for gas deals Morocco is looking to buy liquefied natural gas from Qatar, Russia, or the United States as part of an effort to expand its energy system to include more diverse power sources.
سجن 10 مغاربةجنّدوامقاتلينإلىسوريةوالعراقTen Moroccans were sentenced to prison, for up to five years, for recruiting fighters to join ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
La ruptura entre Rabat y París impulsa la cooperación marroquí con España al más alto nivel French-Moroccan security cooperation has been stalled after a diplomatic incident involved the head of Morocco’s secret service Abdelatif Hamouchi in February 2014. The strained relations has pushed Morocco towards greater security cooperation with Spain.
Tunisia
Ben Ali présent à l’aéroport de Tunis Youssef Boussoumah, a well-known militant of the Palestinian cause, was refused entry into Tunisia on 20 December based on policies from the Ben Ali era that continue to be enforced
Essebsi sworn in as Tunisia`s president New President Beji Caid Essebsi has pledged to represent all Tunisians, and to accomplish the objectives of the 2011 revolution.
Tunisia’s new government won’t include Ennahda A source within Nidaa Tounes party said that the soon-to-be formed government cabinet will not contain any ministers from the Islamist Ennahda party.
Traitement des déchets hospitaliers : Carences, abus et dangers Inkyfada argues that many Tunisians are in daily contact with toxic hospital waste, without measuring the dangers and risks to their health.
Foreign fighters flow to Syria An infographic shows where foreign fighters in Syria are coming from. Roughly 5,000 fighters have entered Syria from the North African countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya.
تونستودعالمرحلةالانتقاليةوتعودللبورقيبية Omar Shabi discusses political events in Tunisia in 2014, including the end of the "transitional phase" and the election of a new president, as well as the role of Islamists in the advancement of democratization.
Tunisie: Reporters Sans Frontières exprime ses "inquiétudes" après la condamnation de Yassine Ayari par un tribunal militaire After the arrest of Tunisian blogger Yassine Ayari on 25 December and his subsequent trial in a military court, Reporters without Borders expressed its concern about the dangers of trying civilians in military courts.
Western Sahara
لقاءخاص: الناشطةالحقوقيةالصحراويةأميناتوحيدرAn extended interview with Sahrawi rights activist Aminatou Haidar in which she discusses, among other things, her hope for Sahrawi independence as well as potential meetings with the United States and the United Nations.
Could war come back to Western Sahara? Some of Algeria’s Sahrawi refugees think so. Some of the refugees think that armed conflict may be the only way to force a referendum on Sahrawi independence, promised by Morocco in 1991.
Discriminación y violencia a los estudiantes saharauis en Agadir More than 150 Saharawi students at the faculty of law and letters in Agadir staged a protest against administrative discrimination they experienced in the Moroccan university.
Sea Change in US-Cuba Relations Makes Waves Deep in DesertThe recent thawing of US-Cuba relations has led some Sahrawis living in refugee camps in the Western Sahara to be hopeful about the possibility of the United States forcing Morocco to hold a referendum on Sahrawi independence.
Deterioration of health of Sahrawi political prisoner The health of Abdelkarim Bushelga, a Sahrawi political prisoner, is worsening due to neglect and punishment from Moroccan police. Bushelga was arrested in July 2014.
Most Recent Articles from Jadaliyya’s Maghreb Page
Memorandum on Equal Citizenship Rights for Libyan Women in the Constitution This is an English translation of a memorandum that was issued by a group of concerned Libyan citizens to the Constitutional Drafting Assembly on 20 August 2014 with respect to the right of Libyan women to pass on citizenship to their children.
Requiem for Tunisia’s Revolution Corinna Mullen and Brahim Rouabah examine the orientalist discourses surrounding reactions to Tunisia’s revolution and its path towards western-sanctioned democracy.
New Texts Out Now: Isabelle Werenfels, Beyond Authoritarian Upgrading: The Re-Emergence of Sufi Orders in Maghrebi Politics Isabelle Werenfels talks to Jadaliyya about the top-down revival of Sufi orders and its relationship to politics in the Maghreb.
Even Morocco’s Friends Know Its Judicial System Is Corrupt and Lacking in Due Process Anna Jacobs analyzes a US federal court decision that rejected a Moroccan ruling, citing systemic corruption, a judicial system influenced by the monarchy, and weak due process.
From Raqqa to Derna: Exceptionalism in Expansionism Evan Fowler explores the western narrative about the fall of Derna to ISIS and puts it in historical context.
The Quest for a Way Out of Tunisia’s Constitutional Quagmire Myriam Guetat studies the political and legal implications of Tunisia’s wave of legislative and executive elections.
Open Letter to the Organizing Committee of the World Forum for Human Rights in Morocco The Rabat branch of the 20 February Movement addresses its concerns about the international committee organizing the World Forum for Human Rights in Morocco. The English, French, and Arabic versions are all included.
Migration, Fisheries, and the Supremacy of European Interests in Mauritania Hassan Ould Moctar elucidates the asymmetries of power that mark negotiations over fishing and migration between Mauritania and the European Union.