[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
5 Multi-Millionaires From Algeria You Should Know With a population of forty million people, Algeria possesses one billionaire and five multi-millionaire entrepreneurs in varying sectors: Abdelmadjid Kerrar (Pharmaceuticals), Ali Haddad (Construction), Mohamed Laid Benamor (Food Manufacturing), Abderrahmane Benhamadi (Manufacturing), and Djilali Mehri (Beverages, Hotels).
« Mouwatana », une initiative pour « faire hâter le départ du régime » en Algérie After an open letter calling on President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to withhold his candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections, Algerians launch an initiative dubbed “Mouwatana” criticizing Bouteflika’s candidacy.
Caliphate in Retreat Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) lost control of its stronghold and several key members through either capture or killing by Algerian security forces, marking a decline in AQIM’s capacity and the failing effectiveness of its ideology.
الفايسبوك" لمحاكمة البرامج الرمضانية وسلطة الضبط الغائب الاكبر" Algerians turn to social media in reaction to this year’s Ramadan television shows.
L’Algérie, un pays peu attractif pour les investisseurs étrangers Algeria sees a twenty-six percent drop in foreign direct investment.
توتر بين الجزائر والاتحاد الأوربي بسبب الفيديو المسيئ للرئيس بوتفليقة Diplomatic tension rose between Algeria and the European Union over a controversial video by journalist Laila Haddad from Brussels where she criticized President Bouteflika’s ability to rule based on his ailing health,
Libya
UN Concerned by increasing humanitarian crisis in Derna and calls on all parties to respect human rights and conventions In its 30 May report on the city of Derna, under siege by the Libyan National Army (LNA) since July 2017, the United Nations (UN) reiterated humanitarian actors’ call for the respect of international humanitarian law and to allow food, medical assistance, and other necessities to reach locals in the city.
Libye : premières sanctions de l’ONU contre des trafiquants de migrants The United Nations Security Council sanctions six human traffickers active in Libya, a first for the international organization.
Libya's Presidential Council, Central Bank agree on economic reforms Attempting to end fuel price instability and boost the country’s currency, officials from Libya’s Presidential Council and the Central Bank agreed on economic reforms to reduce fuel subsidies and restart regular grants to families of seventy-three dollars per child.
Libya elections 2018: the missing ingredient Tarek Megerisi argues that rushing Libyans to vote may be counter-productive in terms of fostering national unity, despite a number of international actors such as the French pushing for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held by the end of 2018.
هذه أهم خلاصات مؤتمر باريس حول أزمة ليبيا The Paris Conference on the Libyan Crisis, featuring French President Emmanuel Macron and the four main actors in the Libyan conflict, focused on organizing free and fair parliamentary and presidential elections by the end of the year and getting assurances from Libyan actors that they would respect the results.
Élections le 10 décembre en Libye : une date, de l’optimisme et encore beaucoup de questions Despite a statement announcing elections for 10 December later this year, many questions loom about the process and actors’ commitments.
قوات الجيش تعلن السيطرة على 75% من درنة After almost a year of siege, the Libyan National Army (LNA) announced that it controlled approximately seventy percent of the city of Derna, continuing the reported mission of expelling terrorism from the city.
Mauritania
Mauritania: Food Insecurity - Emergency Plan of Action This report details the food and nutrition insecurity crisis in Mauritania, with 350,600 people in severe food insecurity as of March 2018 caused by declines in pastoral and agricultural production due to rainfall deficit.
Mali : 16 blessées dans une march de l’opposition Sixteen people were injured following clashes during a protest organized by the opposition group “Coalition pour l’Alternance et le Changement.”
موريتانيا تودّع دبلوماسية الكرسي الفارغ An op-ed critically examines Mauritania’s foreign policy and its diplomatic position in the global stage.
Corridor to the future? Mauritania's nomadic herders seek safe passage through drought Facing starving and dehydrated herds, many of Mauritania’s nomadic herders opt to cross tens of miles of arid land and sell parts of their herds, but a new project run by a team of charities, researchers, and local authorities strives to create new safe pastoralist corridors for travel.
ديمي منت آبه... واحة أغنيات في صحراء موريتانيا A tribute to Mauritanian singer Dimi Mint Abba seven years after her death.
Mauritanie: Les subsahariens se sentent discriminés au sujet de la carte de séjour A number of sub-Saharan African migrants express their grievances in facing discrimination when applying for residency in Mauritania.
Morocco
Morocco consumer boycott has big business in its sights A consumer boycott launched on 20 April has called for the rejection of three companies representing Morocco’s main milk, water and petrol brands, with popular backing for the boycott promoted by Facebook pages with millions of users.
« Akhannouch dégage », le slogan qui révèle une guerre larvée entre le PAM et le RNI While King Mohammed VI was visiting Tangier, locals chanted slogans against Aziz Akhannouch, close friend of the king, minister of agriculture and fisheries, head of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), and head of the Afriquia gas company, which is facing a boycott call.
Morocco to send medical team to Gaza King Mohammed VI announced the decision to send a medical team to the Gaza Strip to provide treatment to victims of the “Great March of Return.”
دفاع الحكومة عن "سنطرال" يشعل الخلاف بين العثماني وشبيبة حزبه Divisions emerge within the leading Party of Justice and Development (PJD) after Prime Minister Saaeddine El-Othmani’s government defense Centrale-Danone, one of the companies facing a boycott call. Members of the PJD youth branch accuse the government of protecting companies over consumers.
La boulette du PJD au sujet de la démission de Daoudi Facing backlash after images circulated showing government minister Lahcen Daoudi participating in a demonstration of workers from Centrale-Danone, which is facing a boycott call, Daoudi resigns from his cabinet position.
مراكش.. ايقاف ١٢٢٠ شخصا مبحوثا عنه من أجل ضلوعهم في جنايات وجنح مختلفة منذ بداية شهر رمضان During the first two thirds of the month of Ramadan in Marrakesh, security forces arrested over 1,220 people on various charges such as wearing improper clothing, drug offenses, and suspicious carrying of weapons.
Tunisia
Dozens drown after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia coast At least forty-seven migrants died and sixty-eight others were rescued after a migrant boat sank off Tunisia’s southern coast, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
UE-Tunisie : Les politiques migratoires, leurs visas et nos morts A critical examination of migration policies between Tunisia and the European Union following countless of deaths in off the Tunisian coast.
التطبيع الاقتصادي بين تونس وإسرائيل: خيانة دولة A deeper look into Tunisian-Israeli relations, including economic and diplomatic ties.
Tunisia Truth Commission Brings One Court Case in Four Years After four years of working to provide justice for victims of the decades-long Ben Ali dictatorship, the Truth and Dignity Commission only brought one case to court and held a single hearing by the expiration of its mandate on 31 May.
Lutte pour les droits LGBT: une dynamique enrayée par les conflits stratégiques An overview on the struggle for LGBT rights in Tunisia.
مسلسل "تاج الحاضرة":عندما يتلاش التاريخ امام زحف الدراما The Tunisian TV program “Taj al-Hadara” aims to balance the facts and history of the events from which it draws inspiration, mainly the formation of modern Tunisia in the middle of the nineteenth century, with the need for entertainment and drama sometimes losing accuracy in favor of narrative and dramatic cliches.
Western Sahara
European Parliament to stand against any decision contrary to international legality During a Western Sahara-focused conference in Milan, Italy, Vice President of the European Parliament Fabio Massimo Castaldo issued a statement opposing illegal foreign exploitation of natural resources in Western Sahara.
Le Maroc et la question du Sahara occidental Academic scholar Khadija Mohsen-Finan participates in a radio program on recent developments of the Western Saharan conflict.
The Not-So-Great Wall of The Western Sahara A 2,700-kilometer wall, built by Morocco in the 1980s, separates the eighty percent of the Western Sahara filled with valuable resources and controlled by Morocco from the Polisario Front-controlled desert region in the East.
الصحراء الغربية ..توتر مستمر وحلول متعسرة Although events and escalating tensions around Western Sahara have recently slowed, the Moroccan foreign ministry continues to accuse the Polisario Front of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, the Polisario Front continues to organize events to commemorate the forty-fifth anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict, indicating continued struggles to come.
Au Sahara occidental, le Front Polisario fête ses 45 ans dans un climat de tension The Polisario Front commemorates forty-five years since its established amid mounting tensions.
Latest from Jadaliyya
Revue de presse sur les élections municipales en TunisieAn overview of French media coverage in Tunisia’s recent municipal election.
Muriam Haleh Davis and Thomas Serres, eds. North Africa and the Making of Europe: Governance, Institutions and Culture (New Texts Out Now) An interview with editors of North Africa and the Making of Europe elaborates on how “marginal” areas such as North Africa have had a significant impact on the development of Europe.
No Love Lost and Love Gained: On the Morocco-Iran Rift Morocco’s decision to sever ties with Iran and accusations of Iranian support for the Polisario Front comes after decades of tensions with Iran since its 1979 Revolution, but the recent changes stem more from an attempt to solidify the relationship with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United States than it does spite for Iran.
Samia Henni, Architecture of Counterrevolution: The French Army in Northern Algeria (New Texts Out Now) An interview with Samia Henni on her latest book that examines the often neglected aspects of France’s efforts to maintain Algeria under French rule during the Algerian War of Independence.
The Life Span of Alternative Media: Cases of Lake and Mamfakinch in Morocco Journalists and activists in Morocco helped to launch a new wave of alternative online media before, during, and after the 2011 Arab Spring; two alternative media in particular, Lakome and Mamfakinch demonstrate in their life cycles trends of interaction between alternative media, politics, and economic powers.
Jeffrey R. Halverson and Nathaniel Greenberg, Islamists of the Maghreb (New Texts Out Now) Jeffry Halverson and Nathaniel Greenberg discuss their book, Islamists of the Maghreb, in light of the central role that Maghreb countries played in the Arab Spring.
زحف الثورة المضادة Seven years after the Arab Spring began in Tunisia, issues of revolution and counterrevolution persist, as does the urban-rural divide.