Security/Defense
Libya’s
Woes and Rivalries: a Divided Congress, the Militias and
the Federalists
Tension remains high in Libya. Factions with opposing ideologies
and strong men at their top are facing each others with
devastating potential for the future of the country. In
the Sirte region, tension has recently reached its highest
level when troops from two feuding parties faced each other’s
along the Oued Lehmar, which acts as the historical natural
border of Cyrenaica on its western front, separating it
from its rivals linked to Greater Tripoli. On one side were
men from the Libya Shield Force militia of the center of
Doraa. They were acting on behalf of the central government
as enforcers seeking to discipline the Eastern Federalists.
On the other side were the forces of the east, united under
the Federalist Ibrahim Jathran, who has championed the autonomy
movement in Libya...
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Economy
& Politics
Tunisia:
A Stabilizing Political Environment but not the Economy
Tunisia
may be headed toward economic disaster if more money is
not raised. Endless labor strikes have had a paralyzing
effect on many industrial sectors. In mid-March 2014, four
major strikes crippled the economy, starting with the truck
drivers who refused to deliver merchandise to businesses
for two days. That has affected the gasoline distribution
network. The lorry drivers have reached a temporary agreement
with the government, bringing the situation to some level
of normalcy for now. Continue
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Special
Report: A Dangerous Crackdown
on the Berbers
Special
Report
Brutal
Anti-Berber Repression Reignites
The
vast Algerian Saharan desert is not so deserted after all.
It is home of many ethnic groups of Arab, Berber and Sub-Sahara
African origin. Removing the thin layer of territory stretching
east-west along the northern coastal region and one find
himself in a land often referred to as the “Sahara.”
Even regions that are very close to the north tend to be
identified by many Algerians as “southern provinces.”
Laghouat, a province that is less than 300 miles from Algiers
is considered a Saharan territory. So are the M’zab
of Ghardaia, Bechar, and many territories that are not in
the Deep South, but in the center or near the north. Continue
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Special
Report
Algeria:
The Southern Powder Keg
Ethnic
tensions in Ghardaia are yet another indication of a central
government unable to cope with real issues in the regions.
It also highlights the lack of economic and cultural rights
affecting ethnic Amazighs (Berbers) who feel neglected and
under siege. Several deaths among the ethnic Berber Mozabites
of Ghardaia occurred as a result of attacks from a faction
of Arab origin. Killings, lootings, and wholesale destructions
in the hands of young Arab gangs occurred under the watch
of the police, prompting accusations of government complicity
in the acts against the peaceful Mozabites. Even the visits
to the region of Interior Minister Tayeb Belaiz, the heads
of the national police and the paramilitary Gendarmerie
have done nothing to cool tension and to force the young
Arab men to stop their relentless attacks.
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Economy
Morocco:
Growing Social Tension amid Rising Costs of Living
With
the government focused on reducing the weight of subsidies
on the national economy, Moroccan households continue to
struggle with the rising costs of living. So much so that
an unusual consensus has emerged among three competing labor
unions as they now form a common front against the government
and Morocco’s corporate bosses. While the middle class
feels the pain of rising costs, poverty is expected to rise
as well among the millions of Moroccans who remain at the
bottom of the economic ladder. Continue
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Security
With
Prolonged Uncertainty, Oil Companies Adopt Wait-and-See
Approach on Algeria
The
Algerian presidential elections of April 2014 did not signal
the end of the nation’s political instability. If
anything, it now confirms that Algeria will evolve on fragile
grounds and choppy waters as long as Bouteflika and his
men are in power. This is not necessarily that Bouteflika
is a bad man, this is because he is old, ill and manipulable.
The Algerian regime is just of the many concerns facing
foreign oil firms active in that country. The thorny 49%-51%
rule that prevents them from owning a majority stake in
a local project, has been further magnified by security
issues following the terrorist attack of January 2013 against
the gas site of Tiguentourine. For top executives of oil
and gas companies, that’s a lot to handle. Today,
in addition to security and the rigid legal framework of
the oil sector, worries about the political landscape dominated
by an old and sick president seeking a fourth mandate and
a highly corrupt system are a central concern for major
oil firms who remain prudent about their commitment to Algeria.
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