[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
Air Algérie : Création de 4 nouvelles filiales CEO of Air Algérie Mohamed Boultif announces that the airline is in the process of acquiring four subsidiaries in the catering, transportation, and handling sectors.
Stranger Still: Kamel Daoud and Algeria, caught between Islamist fervor and cultural flowering Adam Shatz profiles Algerian writer Kamel Daoud in The New York Times against the backdrop of Algeria’s contemporary political history.
Caf set to vote for Afcon 2017 hosts The Confederation of African Football will be considering Algeria among two other countries for the 2017 African Cup of Nations.
Privatisation des plages : « une sanction pour les familles » Nouria Yamina Zerhouni, Algeria’s Minister of Tourism, announces that coastal cities, starting with Oran, will begin renting beaches to private investors. The announcement has sparked widespread condemnation.
Algeria: diplomacy and regional security Francis Ghilès writes for openDemocracy about Algeria’s growing foreign policy role in the region, namely in Libya and Mali.
طروحات معقولة لخروج الجزائر من الأزمة Rachid Sekak offers propositions for pulling Algeria out of the economic crisis it faces following the drop in oil prices.
Global weapons trade targets Africa as imports to Algeria and Morocco soar The Guardian covers the rise of the weapons trade, with imports to African government’s increasing by forty-five percent. The primary arms supplier to African governments is Russia.
Les femmes se mobilisent Women in the Kabyle village of Ihitoussène mobilize to become more involved with daily village life.
An Algerian Rebuke to “The Stranger” Elisabeth Zerofsky reviews Kamel Daoud’s novel, Meursault, Counter Investigation, in light of its inclusion in the Prix Goncourt shortlist.
Suppression de l’autorisation pour le commerce de gros des boissons alcoolisées : la gêne de Benyounes Algerian Minister of Commerce Amara Benyounes remains mum following the announcement of ending business authorization requests for wholesale alcohol.
Libya
Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Deadly Suicide Bombing in Libya Six people were killed and twenty-one injured near Misrata following a suicide attack the Libyan branch of the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for.
Video Shows Young Egyptian In Libya Becoming A Suicide Bomber A video of a young Egyptian man documents a suicide bomb attack he allegedly carried out in the name of the Libyan branch of the Islamic State, pointing to a growing trend of young Egyptian men joining the ranks of the Islamic State in Libya.
518 violent deaths registered in Libya in 1st quarter of 2015 The Libya Herald covers a report produced by the Libya Body Count that has registered 518 deaths in Libya from the beginning of the year to March, with highest count documented in Benghazi.
“No organized army in Libya” Video circulating on social media shows Libya’s United Nations representatives admitting that there is no organized army in Libya.
One of Libya’s Rival Governments Moves to Control Oil Revenue Divisions in Libya escalate following contested claims over revenue generated from the National Oil Company. The country’s prime minister, Abdullah al-Thinni, instructed the company to divert its revenues to its bank account in the United Arab Emirates.
Benghazi activists want constitutional guarantees for "Supreme Council for Women" Images circulating on social media show women demonstrating on the streets in Benghazi calling for legal support for the “Supreme Council for Women.”
Perfect Pair Brownbook Magazine highlights the history behind the production of belga slippers traditionally worn on the occasion of weddings.
Mauritania
At Home in Nouakchott A profile of Mauritnian pop stars Noura Mint Seymali and Jeiche Ould Chighaly as they return home in Nouakchott from a tour.
Unions end strike at Mauritania state iron miner Workers with Mauritania`s state iron ore mining company SNIM end their strike following four days of negotiations, which include workers receiving three months of salary for returning to work.
What`s Up Africa: Satirist on slavery in Mauritania Ikenna Azuike satirically addresses the question of slavery in Mauritania.
Rights Groups Call for Release of Mauritanian Blogger A number of human rights groups call for the release of Mauritanian blogger Mohamed Mkhaïtir who has been sentenced to death on charges of apostasy, making him the first person in Mauritania to be sentenced for such a charge.
Mauritanie: la grève du secteur minier paralyse le pays Prior to negotiations that ended the miners’ strike, Radio France Internationale covers the FNDU’s demonstration in support of the miner workers’ two-month strike.
Morocco
Au Maroc, l’avant-projet de réforme du code pénal n’emballe pas vraiment Controversy and contention surrounds the proposed reforms to Morocco’s penal code.
Edito. Le Maroc va-t-en-guerre Telquel’s Abdellah Tourabi pens an editorial that historically contextualizes Morocco’s military exploits in light of its involvement in the Saudi Arabian-led coalition carrying attacks in Yemen.
Morocco: Journalist Gets Prison Term in Adultery Case Moroccan journalist Hicham Mansouri faces prison following charges of adultery, a case that activists have highlighted as being political in nature.
Political stability in Morocco cannot silence the murmurs of discontent Despite the facade of stability in Morocco, the state’s repression of activists and human rights organizations indicates the ongoing presence of dissent.
Longing for Jewish-Muslim co-existence in Morocco A review of Kamal Hachkar’s film “Echoes From the Mellah,” which documents the history of Jewish life in Morocco.
Traquenards et calomnies contre les dissidents au Maroc: Sexe, drogue, argent, et vidéo Moroccan historian Maâti Monjib covers the state’s tactics of silencing dissidents through trumped criminal charges surrounding issues of morality.
Their Eyes on Me: Stories of surveillance in Morocco Privacy International covers the stories of several Moroccan activists and journalists who have experienced state surveillance.
Tunisia
Les médias en Tunisie entre État, société et « transition insolite » Larbi Chouikha covers the past fifty years of Tunisia’s media sector in light of an ongoing transition following the 2011 uprising.
المنتدى الاجتماعي العالمي 2015: حين يغيب النضال ضدّ الرأسمالية The 2015 World Social Forum hosted in Tunisia has grown as a contested space for activists in light of recent years, indicating a growing ideological shift.
Imed Alibi Brownbook Magazine features the work of Tunisian musician Imed Alibi.
Rania : 20 ans sans famille et sans domicile Nawaat’s Henda Chennaoui highlights the plight of single women in Tunisia
اقرا المقال الأصلي باللغة العربية Khawla al Achi covers the aftermath of the Bardo attack and its lingering impact.
Les jeunes des quartiers populaires face à la police en Tunisie Youth living in the working class neighborhoods of Douar Hicher and Ettadhamen face ongoing marginalization, as this nine-month study documents.
Tunisia to revive Syria ties to track jihadists In light of the flux of Tunisian jihadists returning home, the Tunisian government is set to re-establish ties with Syria after the countries cut ties in 2011.
Tunisia’s Political Elite and Mainstream Media on Bardo Vanessa Szakal covers the international media and government responses to the Bardo attack.
Thousands march against terrorism in Tunisia Following the Bardo attack, twelve thousand people marched in Tunis denouncing the attack, garnering the public support of the country’s influential Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT).
Western Sahara
Western Sahara activist: Our resources are being stolen in broad daylight Sultana Khaya, head of the Saharawi Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Natural Resources, delivers a keynote at the first International Conference on Natural Resources and Western Sahara in Melbourne.
Douste-Blazy At Crans-Montana Forum in W. Sahara Got Award As UN Official? Controversy surrounds the attendance of United Nations adviser, Philippe Douste-Blazy, at the Crans-Montana Forum in Dakhla, Western Sahara, which was held under “the patronage of His Majesty Mohammed VI.”
The nomadic women of a Sahara Desert refugee camp who stay strong despite the daily struggles of life Video report highlights the daily life of Sahrawi women living in refugee camps outside of Tindouf, Algeria.
Russia shows interest in Western Sahara Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov receives a high-level Polisario Front delegation, indicating a growing shift in the international community’s interest in the Western Saharan conflict.
Most recent articles from Jadaliyya’s Maghreb Page
New Texts Out Now: Andrea Khalil, Gender, Women, and the Arab Spring Jadaliyya speaks to Andrea Khalil’s recently published edited volume that examines women and gender in the context of the “Arab Spring.”
A New Secularism? Mayanthi L. Fernando responds to Muriam Haleh Davis’ article on the history of French secularism.
Illicit Sex in Ottoman and French Algeria: An Interview with Aurelie Perrier Sam Dolbee interviews recent PhD graduate Aurelie Perrier around the question of “what did sex actually mean in nineteenth-century Algeria?”
The Economy of Mental Health: Inequalities in Access to Care in Morocco Jadaliyya cross-published this piece by Charlotte Hajer from Farzyat/Inégalités on the issues that surround average Moroccans’ access to mental health care.
The Stages of Peaceful Resistance in the Occupied Western Sahara Sahrawi blogger Khalil Asmar outlines the historical stages of resistance in the Western Sahara.
Those Who Want To Build, Those Who Want To Fight: The World Social Forum with a North African Twist Cihan Tugal writes a reflection from the World Social Forum in Tunisia after attending several panels at the event.
The Vagaries of Laïcité Naomi Davidson argues that Muriam Haleh Davis’ essay highlights the importance of “understanding the vagaries of laïcité as it has been invoked and interpreted by different historical actors in France, rather than accepting it as a static object to be defended as some would defend the republic itself.”
Corporatization: Are Public Services still Public? Jadaliyya examines the increasing privatization of public services and cites the example of STEG, the Tunisian public company for gas and electricity.
New Texts Out Now: Mayanthi L. Fernando, The Republic Unsettled: Muslim French and the Contradictions of Secularism Jadaliyya interviews author Mayanthi L. Fernando about her latest text, which looks at how the French context shapes and reshapes Islamic traditions.
More on Laïcité in Historical Context Joan W. Scott reviews Muriam Haleh Davis’ piece on the French reaction to the Charlie Hebdo massacre and praises her positioning of French secularism in historical context.