Weekly Update 04-10.11.2014
1) MOROCCO
» 10.11.2014: Can Al-Adala Wa Tanmiya Party hold on in Government?
The so-called “Arab Spring” events had a significant impact on the political scene in Morocco, where the “Al-Adala Wa Tanmiya” Party (Justice and Development) which has an Islamic background, came to power in the legislative elections that took place after these events. However, this Party is currently facing a challenging situation to be able to maintain its position. The challenge lies in the difficult economic situation that Morocco is facing, where the Al-Adala Wa Tanmiya Party has taken bold decisions that serve the State and the treasury, and refresh the national economy in the medium term, but the effects of these decisions impact poorer parts of society which form an important element for the survival of any political Party.
http://www.alaraby.co.uk/opinion/dcdf3f30-2fa1-4fd8-b4d9-161dedb09603
2) LIBYA
» 5-9.11.2014: The Supreme Court resets the Counter
Against all expectations, the constitutional section of Libya’s supreme court ruled in favor of the appeal against the legality of paragraph 11 in Article 30 in the 7th Amendment to the Constitutional Declaration. The paragraph in question, known as the February Committee proposals clause, constituted the basis of the third transition period in Libya, following which the House of Representatives (HoR) was elected on 25 June. The supreme court based its decision on Article 36: the 7th amendment, passed by 121 votes, did not achieve the required two-thirds of the members of the General National Congress (134 out of 200). Thus, while parties to the conflict were concerned with the legitimacy of the HoR (holding of its sessions in Tobruk instead of Tripoli and the lack of an orderly transfer of powers from the GNC to the elected HoR) the supreme court addressed an earlier appeal that targeted the legal foundation on which the 25 June parliamentary elections were organized. This means that the GNC in Tripoli again embodies constitutional legitimacy, while awaiting the drafting of a constitution by the end of the year, to be submitted to referendum thereafter. The Tobruk-based parliament and Thenni government would find it difficult to question the court’s impartiality, since they praised it when it ruled in favor of Thenni’s appeal against the election of Ahmed Maetig as PM, five months ago. The same argument (Article 36) was used then, and Maetig, together with the GNC, submitted to the court’s ruling. Besides, the Tobruk camp was engaged until the last minute in the legal proceedings that ended with Thursday’s decision that took everyone by surprise. The court’s ruling is final and no appeal is possible. There are not many options for the way forward in Libya: either go for early elections and aim to finish drafting a constitution before the end of the year; or expect a worsening of the conflict.
http://www.constitutionnet.org/ar/vl/item/libya-7th-amendment-constitutional-declaration (Unofficial UN translation)
http://www.constitutionnet.org/files/7th_amendment_to_constitutional_declaration.pdf (Arabic Original document)
http://www.constitutionnet.org/files/interim_constitution-3_aug_2011_arabic_signed.pdf
Constitutional Court’s ruling in favour of Abdallah Thenni’s appeal against Dr. Matetig’s election by GNC as PM, in late April. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnYhhMCjTJY
Dr. Ahmed Maetig’s acceptance of the Constitutional Court’s ruling against his election PM in early June http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkDbv3L31Ig
3) TUNISIA
» 8.11.2014: Two Weeks before Elections Ennahdha Maintains the Suspense
Late on Saturday night, 8 November, Ennahdha’s consultative council announced its call on its members to vote massively in favor of those whom they deem fit to serve the national interests of Tunisia, in the upcoming 23 November presidential elections. Thus, Ennhadha has decided to assume officially a neutral position vis-à-vis the 25 candidates. Observers have decoded the decision in different ways. Some saw in it a tacit support to Mouncif Merzouki, while others read in it a sign of rapprochement with Begi Caid Esebssi. A large section of the Ennahdha’s base, especially the youth, seems to be in favor of Merzouki. However, supporters of the latter criticize the movement’s leadership for not supporting Merzouki publically, as a symbol of the 2011 revolution, in order to bar the road figures from the former Ben Ali regime.
http://nawaat.org/portail/2014/11/09/7-novembre-2014-ennahdha-entre-en-politique/
4) YEMEN
» 03.11.2014: Rencontre à Bruxelles pour la Réconciliation Nationale
Du 1er au 3 novembre, le Réseau Global pour les Droits et le Développement et le Centre National pour les Droits de l’Homme et le Développement Démocratique au Yémen a tenu une réunion qui a abouti à la Déclaration de Bruxelles pour la Réconciliation Nationale Yéménite. Des représentants de tous les partis, y compris d’Ansar Allah, parti représentant les Houthis, du Congrès Général du Peuple, parti de l’ancien président Saleh et de Islah, parti des Frères musulmans ont participé à cette réunion. Le représentant du parti socialiste a quitté la réunion avant sa conclusion afin de montrer son désaccord sur le refus des partis à inclure dans le rapport final les principes de responsabilité adoptés par la justice transitionnelle. Le parti a souligné qu’il était nécessaire de faire précéder une phase de justice transitionnelle à la phase de réconciliation nationale, si l’on voulait respecter les droits des victimes des conflits.
http://gnrd.net/seemore.php?id=1088
http://yemen-press.com/news37301.html
5) MAURITANIA
» 5-9.11.2014: Slavery and Social Cohesion set the Agenda
The Forces de Libération Africaines de Mauritanie (FLAM), which speaks on behalf of Mauritanian blacks, held its first congress in Nouakchott in late August 2014 after years in exile. It has changed its name to the Progressive Forces for Change and filed, last week, its application to set up a political party. The movement, which is banned in Mauritania and was not allowed to hold its first conference in a public venue, has doubled its activities in a context where the issue of former slaves (Haratines) and Black African Mauritanians has been gaining prominence in the domestic affairs of the country. Last week another anti-slavery movement, IRA, launch a protest march of black farmers that is expected to reach Nouakchott on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the ministry of Islamic Affairs organized a workshop on ways to combat the consequences of past slavery practices and promote social cohesion in Mauritania.
http://ani.mr/?q=node/1196
http://ani.mr/?q=node/1221
6) SAHEL
Chad :
» 07.11.2014 : Chad’s ambiguous role in Central African Republic disclosed by the UN
The UN Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic released a final report on 1 November, pointing out the ambiguous role played by the government of Chad with the Séléka. The Panel of Experts had been established pursuant to Security Council resolution 2127 (2013). Among other issues of concern, the report mentions arbitrary arrests of Central African civilians by Chadian authorities and the participation of Chadian soldiers in attacks against Central African villages. Even more disturbing, it seems that the assault rifle Gali, which is manufactured in Israel, was found by French soldiers from the Sangaris operation among the weapons of the Séléka. The weapon is alleged to be part of a batch of weapons of this type sold in 2008 by Israel to the Chadian government. Other similar weapons have apparently been found in other regions of Central Africa.
http://www.tchadactuel.com/?p=11430
Niger :
» 06.11.2014: The “Declaration of Niamey” calls for increased UN support
Troop-contributing countries to MINUSMA met in Niamey, Niger, last Wednesday. Faced with increasing attacks from Islamist armed groups, the UN Peacekeeping Operation in Mali has suffered from the loss of 33 soldiers. Therefore the meeting was aiming at discussing means of strengthening MINUSMA. The insufficient number of soldiers, the lack of adequate weapons and military equipment were some of the difficulties of MINUSMA highlighted during the debate. In addition to the consolidation of MINUSMA, it was also suggested to have a rapid reaction force with more mobile and robust capacities. The outcomes of the meeting have been released through the “Declaration of Niamey”.
Mali :
» 06.11 MNLA loses support with the resignation of Compaore
While the resignation and flight into exile of former Burkina Faso’s long-time ruler Blaise Compaore was welcomed by Niger and Mali, it was devastating news for the MNLA, which has lost a rear base. According to local newspapers, members of the MNLA were forced to flee the country after the deterioration of the situation and the identification of their residence by Malian people. It is alleged that some of them left for Niger while others might be hiding in refugee camps in Burkina Faso.
Nigeria :
» 10.11.2014 : Violence escalation in northern Nigeria
In Nigeria, violence has increased dramatically after the declaration by the Nigerian government of an agreement for a cease-fire reached with the group Boko Haram two weeks ago, under negotiation efforts to release more than two hundred girls abducted by the group last April. In fact, the latest violent acts occurred yesterday, 10 November, where a school in the northeast of Nigeria was bombarded, leaving at least 47 students dead and 79 injured. There is speculation that the reason behind these recent acts of violence is to confirm the denial of the existence of a cease-fire agreement with the Nigerian government.
http://www.aljazeera.net/news/international/2014/11/10/
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