[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
Riots in Algeria: Import traders blamed Clashes east of Algiers broke out following a strike against rising taxes and costs imposed by a new finance law.
Remembering Algeria 1992: The first Arab spring that never became a summer Dutch journalist Peter Speetjens examines the significance of the Algerian civil war post-Arab spring.
الجزائر تضع شروطا صارمة على استيراد المصاحف والكتب الدينية Algeria places strict regulations on the importation of religious books.
Algérie : « Le harcèlement de rue n’est pas un compliment » Two young Algerian women have created a music video denouncing the sexual harassment which has continued to plague the streets of Algeria despite the law against it.
Hautes fonctions interdites aux binationaux : comment la bataille Saâdani – Ouyahia a vidé le projet de sa substance Algeria has passed a new law preventing Algerians with other nationalities from a number of governmental functions such as gaining positions of power as ministers, presidents of the parliament, or higher posts in the army.
Pan-African security meet kicks off in Algeria A two-day conference dedicated to the topic of regional security in the context of the Libyan crisis started their discussion by tackling the issue of terrorism.
Libya
The knockout punch to the Libyan political agreement The disintegration of the 2015 Libyan political agreement has compromised the leadership of the country.
US strike rekindles debate over Trump plans for Libya The recent raids conducted against the Islamic State in Libya by the Obama Administration and the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord raises questions about the future of US foreign policy in the country.
Après la Syrie, la Russie a des visées sur la Libye Russia has been getting increasingly involved with the National Libyan Army, hosting general Khalifa Haftar in Moscow twice in the past year, and carrying out several missions in Libya.
En Libye, des livres accusés d’«invasion culturelle» In eastern Libya, national police confiscated a shipment of books on account of “cultural invasion” due to the philosophical and religious subjects they deal with. A video of the ordeal has pushed hundreds of authors and Libyan intellectuals to sign a petition in protest.
Migration: EU rejects proposals for Turkey-style deal for Libya The European commission dismissed the suggestion of offering Libya a refugee deal similar to the agreement with Turkey.
ليبيا: القاهرة تحتضن لقاء بين السراج وحفتر برعاية موسكو Cairo hosts a meeting to bring together Libya’s Haftar (leader of Tobruk based Operation Dignity) and Al-Sarraj (Prime Minister of Tripoli based Government of National Accord) to find a solution to the Libyan political crisis.
Mauritania
لإيجاد حل دائم لمشكلة أمنها الغذائي: موريتانيا توقع اتفاقية تمويل مع الصندوق الدولي للتنمية الزراعية Mauritania signed an agreement with the International Fund for Agricultural Development to find a sustainable solution for its food security problem.
Mauritanie : une vie contre les «chaînes invisibles» The biography of Biram Dah Abeid, a Mauritanian activist who combatted slavery.
Mauritanie: l`opposition lance sa campagne contre les réformes constitutionnelles A Mauritanian opposition group begins a campaign against constitutional reforms.
From Mauritania: A song for breast cancer awareness Mauritanian singer and songwriter Noura Mint Seymali recently released a song promoting breast cancer awareness.
Mauritania aims to boost food production through new UN agency agreement A new agreement between the United Nations and Mauritania aims to assist farmers, reduce national dependence on food imports, and create jobs.
Mauritania, Saudi Arabia ink military agreement The Mauritanian Defense Ministry has announced the signing of a landmark military agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Morocco
Avec MarMOOC, le Maroc met le pied à l`étrier du e-learning Independent French-language news website TelQuel reports on a plan to introduce e-learning into Moroccan universities.
Morocco Said to Ban Sale of Burqas, Citing Security Concerns Aida Alami describes reactions to the recent Burqa ban in Morocco in the New York Times.
Maroc: un millier de migrants tentent d`entrer dans l`enclave espagnole de Ceuta On 1 January, 1100 migrants attempted to cross border fences to reach the Spanish enclave Ceuta.
حملة حقوقية لإلغاء عقوبة الإعدام في المغرب Today, there are ninety-two people sentenced to death in Morocco but the death penalty has not been applied since 1993. Recently, coalitions have formed to abolish the death penalty.
بلاغ كل الدعم لسكان اولاد اسبيطة ضد مصادرة اراضيهم لنكن في وقفتهم الاحتجاجية يوم الخميس 26/1/2017 A statement by ATTAC Maroc concerning Addoha real estate’s attempt to take the land of the Ouled Sbita tribe people.
Morocco: 66% of Sexual Assault Cases against Women Occur in Public Places A report by the National Observatory of Violence against Women has discovered that the majority of physical and sexual assault cases against Moroccan women take place in public spaces.
Lopsided Struggle for Power in Morocco Moroccan historian Maati Monjib provides a breakdown of the power struggles behind the failure to form a government in Morocco over three months after legislative elections.
Tunisia
Tunisian Salvation Front calls on UAE for financial support, say reports Founder of the Salvation Front Ridha Belhaj seeks support from United Arab Emirates to counter the Ennahda movement.
تونس تشجع موظفي الدولة على ترك الوظيفة The Tunisian government is encouraging public sector workers to seek employment in the private sector.
Grasping for Truth and Dignity in Tunisia A series of hearings held on the anniversary of Mohamed Bouazizi’s death allowed victims of torture, corruption, and extrajudicial killings to tell their stories as a method of recovery.
`Mastermind` of Tunisia Beach and Museum Attacks Named The man responsible for the terrorist attacks in Tunisia, which brutally damaged Tunisia’s tourism industry, has been identified.
La Tunisie, premier pays musulman à avoir aboli l’esclavage, deux ans avant la France A historical piece about the eradication of slavery in Tunisian.
Cap sur la Tunisie pour Harvard et Columbia Prestigious American universities Harvard and Columbia plan to open research centers in Tunisia due to its geographic position, relative stability, and the intellectual culture.
Western Sahara
North Africa’s Next War North Africa and Sahel analyst Hannah Armstrong writes about the escalating conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front.
جنوب إفريقيا تطالب المغرب ب”الانسحاب” من الصحراء South Africa calls for Morocco to withdraw from the Western Sahara.
Western Sahara`s Polisario to test EU court ruling on oil shipment After the European Union excludes exports from the Western Sahara from its free trade deal with Morocco, the Polisario reports an illegal cargo ship to the European Union and French authorities.
Rights group condemns Moroccan expulsion of observers in Western Sahara Human Rights Watch’s 2017 world report denounces the Moroccan regime’s human rights abuses in the Western Sahara.
Maroc-Algérie : Ce que pensait la CIA du conflit du Sahara occidental Documents released by the CIA reveal the agency’s stance on the occupation of the Western Sahara.
Presos saharauis en la Cárcel Negra de El Aaiún inician huelga de hambre Three Sahrawi self determination activists who were arrested for their peaceful activism have gone on hunger strike to protest the injustice of their incarceration.
Recently Published Jadaliyya Articles
لمحة من أحداث الحملة الانتخابية في المغرب: مجلة الوضع مع نبيلة منيب Jadaliyya co-editor Samia Errazzouki provides a glimpse of the Moroccan election campaign trail, featuring a speech from Nabila Mounib, head of the Federation of the Democratic Left and the first woman to lead a major political party in the country.
الذاكرة المجروحة Rachid Yamlouli comments on the Moroccan political experiment, the persistence of the Makhzen, and those who have made a lasting impression on the wounded national memory.
Why History Matters in Post-2011 Morocco Susan Gilson Miller offers a salutary reminder of the importance of historical memory to an understanding of the events unfolding in Morocco after the Arab revolts.
Imider vs. COP22: Understanding Climate Justice from Morocco`s Peripheries In preparation for the COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco polished the most visible parts of the city and lifted its partial ban on social media, attempting to appear environmentally conscious and politically moderate. In reality, it was only hiding its social and environmental crimes in villages such as Imider, three hundred kilometers south of the environmental convention.
Why Is a Moroccan Professor Being Charged with "Endangering State Security?" An interview with history professor and 20 February Movement participant Maati Monjib, subject to a travel ban in August 2015.
The Death of a Nomad The murder of forty-eight year old Sahrawi Shmad Bad July by Moroccan soldiers, a clear violation of the cease-fire, was inadequately addressed by the United Nations.