[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
خبير: تحليق طائرات الجزائر فوق حدود المغرب يأتي لصرف الأنظار عن أزمتها الاقتصادية Algeria plans to introduce drones as soon as possible to monitor drug smuggling activities across its border with Morocco.
رسميًا.. فولكسفاغن توقع عقد إنشاء مصنع لها في الجزائر German car manufacturer Volkswagen signed a contract establishing a factory in Algeria that will start production on June 2017. It will be built in the industrial zone of Sidi Khatab.
Algeria: Q&A - the Rise of Algeria`s Scientific Capacity Abdel Hafidh Aouragh, director of scientific research and technological development in the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, discusses Algeria’s scientific research capacity which has been continuously growing since 2009.
Prisonniers politiques en Algérie : Lettre aux amis de la justice et de la liberté de par le monde An open letter by the International Committee for the Liberation of Doctor Fekhar and Mozabite Detainees denounces violent crimes against the people of the M’zab.
Chasse aux immigrés noirs en Algérie : les témoignages saisissants d’un Guinéen sur l’origine de leurs déboires A rising number of West and Central African immigrants searched and arrested in Algeria.
Libya
In Libya `there are no winners today` Due to a significant decrease in the exploitation of natural resources, which previously served as Libya’s main source of income, the World Bank warns of a rapidly approaching economic collapse.
Libya: UN voices extreme concern at worsening humanitarian situation in Benghazi Libya Humanitarian Coordinator Ghassan Khalil expresses his concern for the impact of Libya’s armed conflict on civilians.
56 percent of migrants in Libya not heading for Europe: IOM The International Organization for Migration’s most recent Libya Displacement Tracking Matrix Flow Monitoring Analytical report concludes that the majority of migrants in Libya are not heading for Europe.
موسكو: سندعم عملية التسوية السياسية في ليبيا The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow is ready to contribute to the promotion of political process to settle the Libyan crisis.
ليبيا.. متظاهرون بطبرق منعوا كوبلر من الوصول للبرلمان Protesters prevented Martin Kobler, head of the United Nations Special Mission in Libya, from reaching the Tobruk based parliament, one of the two rival governments in the country.
Mauritania
Mauritanie : l’opposition boycotte le référendum en perspective Mauritanian opposition speak against potential reforms on the national constitution.
Baisse à 12,8 pour cent du taux de chômage en Mauritanie (ministre) According to the Ministry of Employment, the Mauritanian unemployment rate has dropped to nearly thirteen percent.
Mauritania: Anti-Slavery Activists Win Partial Court Appeal Three of the anti-slavery activists were freed, the sentences of ten others were reduced, and three are still in prison.
موريتانيا: بعثة من البنك الدولي فى وكالة التضامن Mr. Hamdi Ould Mahjoub, the Director General of the National Agency of Solidarity, led a conference with a World Bank delegation in Nouakchott to address issues of poverty and inclusion.
المعارضة في موريتانيا تجدد رفضها لتعديل الدستور The opposition in Mauritania doubles down on its rejection of the proposed constitutional amendments.
Morocco
Au Maroc, la disparition des écoles publiques accélère la marchandisation de l’éducation Over 200 public Moroccan schools have closed since 2008, students were absorbed into other schools leading to classes of up to seventy children.
What the domestic-violence makeup show tells us about women`s rights in Morocco On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a national Moroccan television channel aired a tutorial demonstrating methods for covering up bruises with makeup.
Is a growing interest in Israel on the rise in Morocco? Morocco strengthens its informal diplomatic ties with Israel, sending a growing number of delegations to the country.
دراسة تكشف كمّ الإجهاض العشوائيّ في المغرب The Moroccan Association for Family Planning prepared a study about unsafe abortions in Morocco. The study found that there are between five and eight cases of unsafe abortion for every 1000 women.
المغرب ينتهج دبلوماسية الاقتصاد لمد نفوذه بأفريقيا Morocco pursues economic diplomacy to expand its influence in Africa.
Tunisia
Tunisia: Journalists Before Military Tribunal Two Tunisian journalists were charged for criticizing the military.
Long-silent victims of Tunisia`s dictatorship speak out Hearings were held to give a voice to those who were tortured or touched by Tunisia’s former regime.
Gorgeous color postcards capture life in 1899 Tunisia A series of recolored Tunisian postcards dating back to 1899.
قطر تعد بمليار دولار مساعدة لدعم اقتصاد تونس Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani pledged 1.25 billion dollars in financial support for Tunisia’s struggling economy.
معركة ضريبية مع المهن الحرة في تونس Anger is growing among certain circles of liberal professions in Tunisia due to new tax regulations.
Western Sahara
The Desert Rock That Feeds the World Phosphate, one of the most important ingredients of synthetic fertilizer, is mainly exported from mines in the Western Sahara to the benefit of the Moroccan government.
Africa`s Last Colony: Morocco`s Monarchy Pursues Neoliberal Policies in Occupied Western Sahara An interview with Hamza Hamouchene, the senior program officer for North Africa and West Asia at the British organization War on Want, on Morocco’s policies in the Western Sahara.
Lesotho reiterates support to Western Sahara, says Mosisili Lesotho`s Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili declared his country’s strong support for the Western Sahara to the press in Algiers.
MARATHON INTERNATIONAL DU SAHARA OCCIDENTAL La 17e édition en février The seventeenth edition of the Western Saharan International Marathon will take place in February.
لعـمامـرة يـدعـو الأفـارقة إلى التضــامن من أجـل تصفيـة الإستعمـار فـي الصحــراء الغـربيـة Algeria`s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ramtane Lamamra, calls for African solidarity in order to rid of what he describes as "colonialism" in the Western Sahara.
Recent Jadaliyya Articles on the Maghreb
Why History Matters in Post-2011 Morocco Susan Gilson Miller analyzes the importance of history, historical programs in national media, and accessibility of national archives following the “Arab Spring.”
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 of 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.
New Texts Out Now: Jonathan Wyrtzen, Making Morocco: Colonial Intervention and the Politics of Identity An interview of Jonathan Wyrtzen, author of Making Morocco: Colonial Intervention and the Politics of Identity.