Weekly Update 16-22.06.2014
1) MOROCCO
» 16-17.06.2014: Conférence sur la Stabilité dans le Sahel et le Maghreb: rôles des jeunes, des femmes, des aînés
Cette conférence a été organisée par les partenaires suivants: International Peace Institute de New York, Centre4s de Nouakchott, Universite Hassan I du Maroc et AMIE, un Think Tank Marocain.
2) LIBYA
» 16-22.06.2014: The Stalemate Continues
Clashes between Libya’s Shield and Gen. Hafter’s loyalists continued with a bloody confrontation at a Benghazi port and an air strike at the Ansar al-Sharia base in Derna. On Saturday June 22, Hafter issued a 48 hour ultimatum for all Turkish and Qatari citizens in eastern Libya to leave or face arrest by his loyalists. To the south, around eight people were killed in revenge clashes between the Qadadfa tribe and the Awlad Suleiman tribe. Politically, Ali Zeidan, former PM, who fled the country in March returned to Libya early last week through Beida, near Benghazi, but his return was overshadowed by the news of the US snatch operation of Ali Ahmed Bukhatallah, whom Washington accuses of involvement in the killing of Christopher Stevens, its former ambassador to Libya. In Tripoli, preparations are under way to hold parliamentary elections on 25 June, with elections for Libyan abroad having started over the weekend. It is worth mentioning that one third of Libyan (around 2 million) are living abroad with the vast majority (over 1.5 million) in Tunisia.
3) TUNISIA
» 20.06.2014: Ennahdha’s Proposal for Consensus on a Presidential Candidate Stirs Debate
Ennahdha’s proposal for consensus among political actors and social stakeholders to agree a candidate for the presidential post has stirred debate in Tunisia, especially after a calendar was agreed for the elections (legislative on 26 October, and presidential on 26 November). While its partners in the Troika and other political parties such the Republican Party considered the proposal undemocratic, some figures considered it just another manoeuvre on the part of Ghannouchi to weaken Nida Tounes. The latter is going through internal power struggles after the party announced that Beji Caid Essebsi is the party’s candidate for the presidential elections. Ghannouchi’s announcement that Ennahdha would be open to supporting Caid Sebsi if that is the result of a large national consensus caused unease even among Essebsi’s supporters. One opinion piece considered a deal with Ennadhad amounts to a deal with the devil: “C’est pourquoi il faut que BCE (Beji Caid Essebsi) soit clair là-dessus aussi: pactisera-t-il, oui ou non avec le diable Ghannouchi?”
4) EGYPT
» 23.06.2014 : Al-Jazeera journalists sentenced to seven years in prison
Australian Journalist, ex-BBC reporter Peter Greste, and Canadian-Egyptian Bureau Chief Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, have been sentenced to seven years in prison. They were detained on December 29 at the Marriott Hotel in Cairo and had been accused of defaming Egypt and spreading false news that harms the nation’s interests.
The third journalist on trial, Baher Mohamed, was detained a day later and has been sentenced to 10 years in prison by the criminal court. The journalists had been accused of reporting false news and paying 16 suspected Muslim Brotherhood members who were charged with belonging to a terrorist organization. Meanwhile, eleven defendants tried in absentia, including Dutch journalist Rena Netjes, were sentenced to 10 years in prison. Joining the calls of international dignitaries, multiple non-governmental organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, called for the urgent release of all detained journalists.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/06/egypt-finds-al-jazeera-journalists-guilty-201462373539293797.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27972181
» 23.06 2014: Egypt to start preparations for parliamentary elections by 18 July
According to MENA news agency, and state TV, president Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has decided to start preparations for parliamentary elections by July 18. The date of the parliamentary elections has not yet been specified. Egypt has recently ratified a law that allows individual candidates (not political parties) to hold a majority of seats in parliament. The individual candidacy system will include 420 seats out of 540. Parliamentary elections would mark the third step in the roadmap announced by the army last July 3, which included constitutional amendments and the presidential election.
» 22.06.2014: US unlocks military aid to Egypt, backing President Sisi
The US has revealed it has released $575m (£338m) in military aid to Egypt that had been frozen since the ousting of President Mohammed Morsi last year. The news came as Secretary of State John Kerry visited Cairo just two weeks after former army chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was sworn in as president.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27961933
» 21.06.2014: Court confirms Egypt Muslim Brotherhood death sentences
According to Al Arabiya TV, quoting a lawyer involved in the case, an Egyptian court confirmed on Saturday death sentences against the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and 196 of his supporters (183 according to the BBC). The verdict was delivered by a court in the town of Minya, south of Cairo. The defendants were accused of involvement in the murder and attempted murder of policemen in Minya province on 14 August 2013.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27952321
5) YEMEN
» 22.06.2014 : Yemen agrees Ceasefire with Houthi Rebels
Yemen’s defence ministry and Shia rebels have agreed on a ceasefire, according to a Reuters report quoting the country’s official 26 September newspaper. The agreement comes after rebels advanced on villages just 40km northwest of the capital Sanaa. The ceasefire envisions reshuffling military and civilian leaders in areas affected by the fighting, compensating supporters of Houthis killed in the fighting and an investigation into the violence.
6) MAURITANIA
» 21.06.2014: Ould Abdelaziz re-elected President with 81% of Votes Cast
Causing no surprises, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared that Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz was elected president for a second term with 81% of votes cast Saturday in a turnout of 56%. Biram Dah Ebeid came second with 8% of votes, while Lalla Meryem Mint Moulaye ldriss, the first female candidate to stand in presidential elections in Mauritanian history, came last in fifth position with 0.49%. The majority of opposition political parties boycotted the elections and ran a tough boycott campaign.
http://ani.mr/?menuLink=9bf31c7ff062936a96d3c8bd1f8f2ff3&idNews=25019
7) MALI
» 16.06.2014: Around 20 Tuareg Detainees Flee from Prison in Bamako
Around 20 detainees managed to escape from the central prison in Bamako last Monday, following an exchange of fire that left two dead inside the prison. It is reported that Mohamed Ali Ag Wassouden, a Tuareg who was detained for his involvement in the kidnapping of two French men (Philippe Verdon who died in 2013 and Serge Lazarevic still in AQMI’s custody) was the mastermind behind this escape. Around half of those who fled the prison were re-captured later in the day. Talking to a Mauritanian independent news agency, Mohamed Ag Al Housseini, a figure of the MNLA, told Sahara Media in Kidal, that his movement believed that the investigation would reveal that the whole event was perpetrated in complicity with officials in Bamako. Al Housseini thought that those who escaped were MUJO Salafis whom the MNLA had captured and given to French forces who in turned them to Bamako. Al Housseini believed Bamako aimed to release those MUJO detainees in order for them to liquidate the leadership of the MNLA.
http://www.saharamedias.net
http://www.jeuneafrique.com/Article/ARTJAWEB20140617174558/mali-securite-terrorisme-bamako-mali-mali-deux-morts-et-dix-detenus-en-liberte-apres-une-evasion-a-bamako.html
8) CHAD
» 11.06.2014 : Ouvertures de corridors sécurisés entre Tchad, Nigeria et Cameroun.
La fermeture de la frontière avec le Nigeria depuis plus d’un an pour des raisons de sécurité (la menace de Boko Haram) a tué économiquement la région du Lac. Le Président tchadien a déclaré, le 11 juin, que deux corridors sécurisés sur le Lac Tcahd destinés aux échanges commerciaux entre Tchad avec le Nigéria et le Cameroun vont être mis en place.
9) NIGER
» 22.06.2014 : Bonnes Nouvelles économiques au Niger.
Le président tunisien, Moncef Marzouki a visité, dimanche 22 juin, le Niger à la tête d’une importante délégation composée de 92 chefs d’entreprise. Le principe d’une ouverture d’une ligne aérienne Tunis – Agadez – Niamey est déjà acquis. Le président Tunisien a exprimé le vœu de son pays de rejoindre l’espace monétaire de l’Afrique de l’Ouest et la potentielle suppression de visa pour les nigérien.
De son côté, l’Union européenne (UE) a annoncé le versement d’une aide financière de 596 millions d’euros pour le Niger couvrant la période 2014-2020. L’aide accordée au Niger servira à financer les secteurs des politiques sociales, de la sécurité et de la gouvernance, de la sécurité alimentaire et des infrastructures.
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