[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 roundup to maghreb@jadaliyya.com]
Algeria
Voters keep Algeria`s legislative leaders in power The National Liberation Front and the National Rally for Democracy won a majority of parliamentary seats in the recent election, yet only 37% of eligible citizens voted compared with 43% in 2012.
Russia keeping a close eye on Algeria Russia hopes to benefit from the outcome of Algeria’s parliamentary elections.
الجزائر تستدعي السفير المغربي لـ"تحرشات" بدبلوماسية شابة Algeria recalled its ambassador to Morocco in protest of an incident of assault at a UN meeting in the Caribbean.
البطالة والفراغ يحاصران الشباب الجزائري In a recent study conducted by the Algerian Center for Research in Applied Economics and Development, a third of participants between ages 15 and 29 are not attending school and are not in the labor force.
Le documentaire "Alger, la Mecque des révolutionnaires" sera diffusé sur Arte Released in 2017, the documentary “Algiers, Mecca of the Revolutionaries” (1962-1974) highlights the role that Algeria played in liberation movements after independence.
La nouvelle orientation de la recherche scientifique El Watan discusses the enforcement of the December 2015 law, which encourages the privatization of scientific research in Algeria through the creation of research units in companies.
Libya
Attack on Libyan airbase by troops loyal to UN-backed faction kills 141 The UN-backed Government of National Accord and the defence ministry condemned an attack that members of the Third Force militia carried out against soldiers loyal to Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army.
5,000 refugees rescued on route to Italy from Libya About 5,000 refugees bound for Italy were rescued in waters off the coast of Libya. Refugees experienced arbitrary detention, slavery and beatings in Libya.
رئيس أركان الجيش المصري يزور بنغازي شرقي ليبيا للقاء حفتر Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Mahmoud Hijazi, arrived in Benghazi to meet with Khalifa Haftar on the first official visit by a senior Egyptian military official to Libya since the fall of the regime in 2011.
فرنسا بقيادة ماكرون تشير إلى تحول في سياستها تجاه ليبيا France is reviewing its position on the Libyan conflict and called for a united national army that includes military commander Khalifa Haftar to combat militants.
CPI: Fatou Bensouda veut enquêter sur le trafic de migrants en Libye The International Criminal Court is collecting data to determine whether it can launch an investigation into human trafficking in Libya.
Comment les ventes d`armes en ligne alimentent le conflit libyen A report published by Small Arms Survey demonstrates how online trade of light weapons plays a major role in the Libyan conflict.
Mauritania
India assists Mauritania with $65.68 million electrification project Mauritania approved aid for a solar-diesel hybrid rural electrification project and allocated spots for Mauritanians to train in India.
موريتانيا تسعى لإنشاء سوق نقدية مطابقة للشريعة الإسلامية Mauritania considers creating an Islamic monetary market to keep pace with the diversity of available financial products.
موريتانيا: انطلاق برنامج "خطوة" لسنة 2017 The government launched a program to create employment opportunities through partnerships between several companies, banks, and government agencies.
La Mauritanie veut réintégrer la zone de libre-échange de la Cedeao Mauritania signed a partnership agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to liberalize the movement of people and goods between Mauritania and ECOWAS countries.
Esclavage en Mauritanie: "Les autorités sont dans l`hypocrisie et le déni" Mauritanian authorities expelled French journalists and lawyers researching issues of slavery.
Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, ancien président mauritanien, est mort Former President Ely Ould Mohamed Vall died on May 5th, 2017.
Morocco
Women and Water in Morocco: Foggy Prospects A case study of a fog-harvesting project in southwest Morocco examines its effects on women and labor in participating communities.
Why Jordan and Morocco are doubling down on royal rule Sean Yom of Temple University compares authoritarianism in Jordan and Morocco in The Monkey Cage, a political science blog of The Washington Post.
What Morocco`s monarchy should do instead of repressing protesters Mohammed Masbah reacts to the ongoing protests that were triggered by the death of a fishmonger in the Rif region of Morocco last October.
الباعة المتجولون "يستعمرون" الشوارع أمام أعين سلطات فاس A description of the conditions facing street vendors in Fes and the government’s ongoing projects to ‘organize’ the informal sector.
الدولة استثمرت حوالي 25 مليار درهم بالحسيمة في ظرف 12 سنة The governor of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima said that about 25 million dirhams were invested in development projects in Al-Hoceima province over the last 12 years.
Gazoduc Maroc-Nigeria: l`avenir de l`Afrique de l`Ouest ou chimère? Rabat entered into negotiations on May 15th with Abuja over a gas pipeline mega-project.
Tunisia
إحصائيات النمو والبطالة: المؤشرات الخادعة Yassine Nabli challenges statistics on growth and unemployment in Tunisia, pointing out deceptive indicators.
نقاش حول مناهضة العنف ضد المرأة في تونس The draft law on the elimination of violence against women, which was approved by the Council of Ministers in July 2016, is still being discussed by the Parliament’s Committee of Rights and Freedoms.
Thousands protest Tunisia`s corruption amnesty bill The proposed bill that gives amnesty to businessmen accused of corruption contradicts the spirit of the 2011 revolution that overthrew Ben Ali.
Tunisia faces toxic landfill disaster - and no one is stopping the rot Borj Chakir landfill has become a symbol of Tunisia’s waste crisis as funding has dried up following a decision to centralize waste management.
La transition bloquée: corruption et régionalisme en Tunisie Corruption and clientelism threaten the democratic transition in Tunisia. International Crisis Group advocates for a national economic dialogue between elites and emerging entrepreneurs.
En Tunisie, le théâtre comme une bataille “Peurs” (April 2017), a theatrical production about Tunisia’s post-revolutionary society.
Western Sahara
Life in Africa’s Last Colony Carne Ross, founder of a nonprofit diplomatic group that advises the Polisario Front, and Anthony Jean, a photojournalist who photographed the Gdeim Izik protests, describe the ongoing struggle for freedom in the Western Sahara.
Morocco phosphate ship held in Panama over Western Sahara challenge Panama authorities have detained a Moroccan phosphate shipment from the disputed territory of Western Sahara after the Polisario claimed the cargo had been transported illegally.
رئيس الجمهورية يشيد بالموقف الثابت للاتحاد الافريقي تجاه القضية الصحراوية The president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic commends the African Union’s unwavering position regarding the Sahrawi issue.
يوم مميز في الصحراء الغربية May 20th marked the 44th anniversary of the start of the Polisario’s armed struggle against Spanish colonial forces in 1973.
Sahara occidental, encore d’incertains marchandages Reda Zaireg offers a comprehensive analysis of the April 28th, 2017 UN resolution’s implications.
France-Législatives: La candidate Leila Aïchi paie au prix fort son soutien au Polisario The French-Algerian candidate Leila Aichi, who was criticized by the French-Moroccan community for supporting Polisario, will not run in the upcoming legislative elections.
Recent Articles on Jadaliyya
هنا تونس… قطار الثورة خرج عن السكة Tunisian journalist Mabrouka Kathir assesses the situation in Tunisia since the revolution, commenting in particular on the threat of corruption and the lack of cultural mobility.
Between the World and Algeria: International Histories of the Algerian War of Independence Arthur Asseraf engages in scholarly debates about Algeria’s historiography and explores new research perspectives that connect Algeria’s history to regional and international contexts.
New Texts Out Now: Henri Lauzière, The Making of Salafism: Islamic Reform in the Twentieth Century Jadaliyya interviews Henri Lauzière about his new book that traces transformations within the history of Salafism and grapples with the different narratives that have emerged overtime. The connecting thread of the book is Moroccan scholar Taqi al-Din al-hilali (1894-1987), whose intellectual journey brought him into contact with other “Salafi” scholars and activists.
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, highlighting 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 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 uprisings.