[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 Tuesday night of every week]
Algeria
Remembering Algeria`s Black October A historical glance at the Algerian revolution which led to the creation of its constitution in 1989.
المغرب يفند ادعاء الجزائر كونها "مراقبا" في نزاع الصحراء Morocco refutes Algeria`s claim to be an observer in the Western Sahara conflict.
Rencontre avec Maya Zouggar, une Algérienne à la tête d’Emirates Algérie Algerian online daily, Tout sur l’Algerie, interviews Maya Zouggar, the country manager of Emirates Airlines, on relations between Algeria and the United Arab Emirates.
Pour préserver les énergies fossiles, l’Algérie fait des renouvelables une priorité nationale The Algerian government creates a plan prioritizing the use of renewable sources.
Selon une enquête réalisée par la LADDH : Un tiers des Algériens vivent au-dessous du seuil de pauvreté Research by the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights indicates an alarming amount of escalating poverty in the country, most probably caused by the fall in oil prices.
Who is running Algeria? Power struggle leads to rumours President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been ousted and secretly replaced by his brother in a ‘soft coup’ After President Bouteflika meets exclusively with the members of a clique led by his brother for longer than a year, speculations about a “soft coup” grow.
First internet addiction rehab clinic opens in Algeria Al Jazeera reports that internet usage has attracted the attention of the Algerian government, which recently sponsored an internet addiction treatment program at the Bachir Mentouri clinic outside of Algiers.
Libya
In Coastal Libya, Islamic State Prepared to Build a Nation The notebook of an Islamic State fighter left behind in Sirte offers rare insights into the group’s recruit system and bureaucracy.
Libyan Experts Forum for Development Cooperation clarifies its role and make up A recently formed non-profit organization released an announcement stating its function as a think tank for supporting decision making by Libyan authorities.
Activists propose new legislator to end political deadlock in Libya Members of several civil society institutions suggest the formation of a nation assembly to address political, security, and administrative issue and to bring stability to the country.
Libye : Tripoli s’oppose à la proposition de l’UE d’installer des camps de migrants sur son sol In an attempt to limit illegal migration to Europe from the shores of Libya, the European Union suggests the creation of a refugee camp in Libya.
En Libye, tentative de coup d’Etat contre le chef du gouvernement d’union nationale Following the Rixos coup, Fayez al-Sarraj arrests coup leaders and goes about his typical duties as head of the Presidency Council, but with heightened security.
السراج يتهم المجتمع الدولي بالتقصير تجاه ليبيا Head of the Presidential Council, Fayez al-Sarraj, affirmed the legitimacy of the Government of National Accord at a meeting of the General Assembly, and accused the international community of neglecting the situation in Libya, describing international support to his country as timid in light of recent events.
Mauritania
Opposition blasts hint of third term for Mauritania leader Constitutional changes, including a lift on the current term limit for president, will be put to a referendum despite opposition from political parties.
Mauritanie: une manifestation anti-esclavagiste interdite à Nouakchott The Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA-Mauritanie) was prohibited from protesting the government’s repression of anti-slavery activists in Nouakchott.
Mauritanie : l`opposition est contre un 3e mandat présidentiel Mohamed Lemine Ould Cheikh’s announcement of a possible revision to the constitutional limit of two presidential terms is met with opposition.
The iron trains of Mauritania A photo essay of Mauritania’s iron trains, among the longest in the world, that travel between Zouerat and Nouadhibou.
الإفراج عن سجين في غوانتانامو ونقله إلى موريتانيا Guantanamo detainee, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, was released to Mauritania after being held for fourteen years, bringing the number of detainees down to sixty.
لجنة أممية تزور موريتانيا الأسبوع القادم The Mauritanian National Preventive Mechanism met on 17 October in Nouakchott to prepare for the upcoming visit of the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture.
Morocco
Morocco`s Ambitious Renewable Energy Program Morocco makes gains in the renewable energy sector, with the goal of producing forty percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
Resilient Anchors in the Southern Mediterranean Morocco’s central role in cooperation on security and migration complicates the European Union’s positions on Western Sahara.
أبوعوض: أمريكا تتدخل في المغرب بورقة إدماج السلفية Political analyst Abdullah Abu Awad warned of the United States’ involvement in Morocco, using the Salafist card, at the seminar organized by the Hespress Center for Media Studies.
Attijariwafa Bank : vers le déploiement du modèle de banque universelle en Egypte L’Economiste reports that the Attijariwafa Bank completed the purchase of one hundred percent of the shares of Barclays Egypt.
البوليساريو تصعد وتقول إن الحرب باتت وشيكة مع المغرب The Polisario Front has threatened to pursue any moving targets that violate the boundary delimited by MINURSO, warning that war is imminent with Morocco.
Islamist PJD party wins new mandate in Moroccan elections The Party of Justice and Development (PJD) won the country’s legislative elections, securing 125 of the 395 seats in the Chamber of Representatives.
Tunisia
Without jobs, Tunisia`s shining revolution begins to dim Protesters from Kasserine, a town which was especially involved in the 2011 “Arab Spring,” camp out around the Ministry of Employment in Tunis for a month, demanding jobs.
Tunisia: 25 years on, no sign of justice for Faysal Baraket’s death under torture The ongoing investigation of Faysal Baraket’s death has not led to a conviction, three years after it began in 2009.
A Year Ago Tunisia Won the Nobel Peace Prize. But the Country Is Far From Peaceful Discontent continues to brew in Gafsa and Kasserine amid mounting economic and security challenges.
Vers une plus grande coopération économique et commerciale entre la Tunisie et l`Algérie The Tunisian Prime minister announced the cancellation of exit taxes on Algerian vehicles in an effort to promote good relations between the two countries.
Women in Tunisia fighting to preserve their rights by becoming skilled politicians As it works toward improving its economy and putting an end to domestic terrorism, the Tunisian government disregards women’s issues. NGO “Aswat Anissa” takes steps to change this by creating a political academy to train future female politicians.
موازنة تونس تتوقع مضاعفة القروض الأجنبية Tunisia’s budget expects 2.78 billion US dollars in foreign lending in 2017, nearly double current borrowing, in order to help cover a narrowing deficit.
Western Sahara
Maroc: 13ème Fisahara - Le pays invitée à se soumettre à la légitimité internationale At the thirteenth annual Fisahara film festival, participants discuss life under occupation and call for international pressure on the Moroccan government.
UN peacekeeping chief to visit Western Sahara Herve Ladsous plans to hold a talk in Rabat as well as a visit to Laayoune and Tindouf with the goal of alleviating political friction.
Lifosa lied about having stopped controversial imports Lithuanian company takes in a shipment of phosphate from the Western Sahara despite publically announcing that they would no longer do so.
World Women March initiative for solidarity with Saharawi women In Mozambique, women representing forty countries gather to march in solidarity with Sahrawi women, and hold meetings discussing several pertinent issues.
Sahara occidental occupé par le Maroc : Gdeim Izik, une symbolique forte Hama Selama discusses the importance of the national day of the kheïma, a commemoration of the day in which the first tent was pitched in Gdeim Izik.
Aziza Brahim: The Sahrawi songbird beating drums for freedom After moving to Cuba at the age of eleven to continue her studies on scholarship, Brahim returned to Hamada to pursue music. Today, she delivers her message of political resistance through song to international audiences.
Recent Jadaliyya Articles
New Texts Out Now: Jonathan Wyrtzen, Making Morocco: Colonial Intervention and the Politics of Identity An interview of Jonathan Wyrtzen, writer of Making Morocco: Colonial Intervention and the Politics of Identity.
التراجيديا التي تحاصر مجالنا البصري Ahmed Jaride discusses the inspirations and themes of his abstract art.
الحركة النسائية في المغرب: مقابلة لبرنامج الوضع Naima Benouakram discusses the feminist movement in Morocco in an interview by Fateh Azzam.
The Western Sahara and Football: A Path toward Self-Determination? Aubrey Bloomfield and Sean Jacobs discuss the value of football in the Sahrawi struggle for independence.