The United Nations said that some 1,850 people had been killed and more than 500,000 displaced as a result of the conflict raging in Yemen since late March. The UN has repeatedly stressed that many of those injured and killed do not pass through health facilities, meaning the actual toll could be higher. Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the UN World Food Programme said that the humanitarian pause was not long enough to reach all those in need of food and attention. The pause did allow all six of the planned UNHCR aid-loaded flights to land safely in Sanaa and carry out assessments on the ground. [Khaleej TImes, 5/19/2015]
EGYPT | LIBYA & THE MAGHREB | SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS | YEMEN & THE GULF | ECONOMICS
Muslim Brotherhood vows retaliation against latest execution
Mohamed Montaser, spokesperson for the banned Muslim Brotherhood, urged the Egyptian people to prepare for a heavy retaliation in response to the latest “Arab Sharkas” cell executions. Six alleged convicts from the cell were announced to have been executed Sunday morning. Montaser stressed the need for “retribution,” calling for a revolution that “cuts the heads from the rotten bodies.” He asked the Egyptian people to march in all public squares. Montaser asserted that no statement or condemnation is enough to denounce the executions. The Monday statement came after many Islamist entities expressed their dissatisfaction of Muslim Brotherhood performance and that of the the pro-Mohamed Morsi Anti-Coup Alliance. [DNE, 5/19/2015]
Rights group says state-sponsored sexual violence surged under Sisi
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) released a report on Tuesday documenting a “surge of sexual violence perpetrated by security forces,” since former President Mohamed Morsi’s ouster in July 2013. The report states that women, students, minors, and LGBT people have been specifically targeted through arbitrary arrests that often result in sexual violence at the hands of security forces. It compiles dozens of interviews with survivors of sexual violence, including cases of rape, sexual abuse, and torture by police and soldiers. “The scale of sexual violence occurring during arrests and in detention, the similarities in the methods used and the general impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators point to a cynical political strategy aimed at stifling civil society and silencing all opposition,” said Karim Lahidji, FIDH President. Reuters’ Michael George wrote on Tuesday, that it was not possible to confirm the allegations. Spokesmen for Egypt’s Interior Ministry and military were not available for comment despite several attempts to reach them. [Mada Masr, Reuters, 5/19/2015]
Egypt issues arrest warrant against newspaper chief editor for “false news”
Egypt’s top prosecutor issued an arrest warrant against the chief editor of a newspaper on Monday for “publishing false news which would disturb public security, spread terror among citizens and harm the public interest.” Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat said in a statement published by his office that al-Bayan newspaper published on Monday a “false” news story on its website saying that six prosecutors were assassinated on the Cairo-Suez Road. “The prosecutor general urges media outlets of all forms to adhere to the principles and values in the constitution and the laws when publishing news,” the statement read. Prosecutors in Cairo are currently questioning Editor-in-chief Ibrahim Aref. The Journalists Syndicate has sent a lawyer to represent him. [Ahram Online, 5/18/2015]
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One killed, seven wounded in suicide bombing in eastern Libya
One person was killed and seven were wounded today in a suicide bombing in the eastern Libyan town of Qubbah when a car packed with explosives hit a checkpoint near the small town. Qubbah is under control of the Tobruk-based government. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. In February, militants loyal to the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) claimed responsibility for a car suicide bombing that killed forty-two people in Qubbah, in an apparent retaliation for Egyptian air strikes. [Reuters, 5/19/2015]
Libya rejects EU military action against migrant ships
Libya’s Tobruk-based government has rejected any military operation against ships carrying illegal migrants after European Union nations approved plans for a naval mission starting next month to fight human traffickers. A spokesman for Tobruk said that any military operations must be done with the cooperation of the Libyan authorities and that the use of military force on vessels is inhumane. The spokesman further said that the Tobruk government will not accept any violation of Libyan sovereignty. [AFP, 5/18/2015]
ISIS solidifies foothold in Libya to expand reach
ISIS leaders in Syria have sent money, trainers, and fighters to Libya in increasing numbers, raising new concerns for the United States that the militant group is gaining traction in its attempts to broaden its reach and expand its influence. In recent months, US military officials said that ISIS has solidified its foothold in Libya, providing the group a new staging base to plan attacks in North Africa and across the Mediterranean Sea in Europe. US military officials see few good options to stem ISIS’s growth in Libya; they are reluctant to expand the air strike campaign without reliable ground forces with whom to coordinate. [Wall Street Journal, 5/18/2015]
Tunisians held captive by Libya Dawn militias released
Kidnappers released the group of 172 Tunisian workers, held captive by members of the Operation Libya Dawn militia, following hours of intense negotiations with the Tunisian authorities. The kidnapping was carried out as a revenge attack against Tunisia for the arrest of Walid al-Qalib, a high-ranking Libya Dawn leader. Tunisian authorities released Qalib and the captives were also released. Shortly thereafter, Tunisia issued another arrest warrant for Qalib on terrorism charges. [Tunisia Live, 5/18/2015]
Tunisian prisons on brink of collapse
Tunisian prisons are on the brink of collapse despite the priority post-revolutionary governments have placed on prison construction. According to data, confirmed by organizations such as the Tunisian League for Human Rights and Human Rights Watch, many of the country’s prisons have an occupancy reaching 200 percent of their maximum capacity. Also adding to the problem, the total number of people jailed while awaiting trial surpasses the number of people who are actually serving their sentence after a trial. Pre-trial detention has instead become so commonplace that many argue its use has been transformed into a routine tool to abuse suspects and exert psychological pressure. [ANSAmed, 5/18/2015]
Tunisia signs cooperation agreements with Italy, France to support development and employment
Tunisia and Italy signed a memorandum of cooperation to support Tunisia’s development efforts. The memorandum provides for recycling the 25 million euro debt to fund development projects, a 50 million euro loan to reinforce the state budget, and a 11 million euro donation to benefit agricultural and social projects. Meanwhile, Tunisia and France signed an agreement to coordinate efforts promoting employment and higher education in Tunisia. [TAP/All Africa, 5/18/2015]
Iraqi Shia militias prepare to assault ISIS in Ramadi
A column of 3,000 Shiite militia fighters arrived at a military base near Ramadi Monday as Baghdad moved to retake the city that fell to ISIS militants. Setting the stage for renewed fighting over the city, ISIS militants advanced in armored vehicles from Ramadi toward the base where the paramilitaries were massing for a counteroffensive, witnesses and a military officer said. Warplanes in the US-led coalition stepped up raids against the jihadists, conducting nineteen strikes near Ramadi over the past seventy-two hours. The United States acknowledged the fall of Ramadi was “a setback” but said its strategy would not change. Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said Monday his country was ready to help confront ISIS in Ramadi and that he was certain the city would be “liberated.” [Reuters, WSJ, 5/19/2015]
Top aide to Iran’s leader meets Syria’s Assad in gesture of support
Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday appearing to underline firm Iranian support for Damascus. Syrian state television reported the meeting between Assad and Velayati’s delegation in a news flash without elaborating. On Monday Rustom Qassemi, head of an Iranian agency tasked with developing bilateral economic relations, visited Assad and said Tehran wanted to shore up Syria economically. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of Iran’s parliamentary national security and foreign policy committee, also reiterated Iranian support for Syria’s government in a visit last week. [Reuters, 5/19/2015]
Syria accuses Jordan of training terrorists
Syria has accused Jordan of training “terrorists” on its soil and urged the UN Security Council to force an end to Amman’s backing of rebel groups. The accusation came in a letter sent Monday by the foreign ministry to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the President of the UN Security Council. The letter criticized the “public and systematic support provided by the kingdom of Jordan to terrorist groups, increasing the suffering of Syria’s citizens because of crimes committed by these groups.” The letter alleges Jordan “provides logistical support to armed terrorist groups, including the Nusra Front.” It also accuses Jordan of having “set up terrorist training camps on its soil as well as operations centers to help these groups and facilitate the infiltration of thousands of terrorists a day [into Syria].” Jordan’s government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani rejected the claims and said Tuesday the charges had “no basis in reality… It is in Jordan’s interest for Syria to be safe, stable, and capable of containing its problems within its own borders,” stressing his country was hosting almost 1.5 million Syrian refugees at a cost of $2.9 billion a year.[AFP, 5/18/2015]
Mother of US journalist missing in Syria pleads for answers
The mother of a US journalist missing in Syria for nearly three years pleaded Tuesday for information about him, saying she believes that he is still alive. Austin Tice disappeared in August 2012 while covering Syria’s civil war. “I am here asking for information and for help to find my son and bring him safely home,” Debra Tice said in Beirut. “We know Austin is not being held by any part of the opposition. Still, after all these 1,009 days, we do not know where he is nor who is holding him.” Director-General of Reporters Without Borders Christophe Deloire urged the US government to have more “periodic direct contacts” with Syrian authorities over Austin Tice. [AP, Washington Post, 5/19/2015]
1,850 killed, over 500,000 displaced in Yemen, according to UN
The United Nations said that some 1,850 people had been killed and more than 500,000 displaced as a result of the conflict raging in Yemen since late March. The UN has repeatedly stressed that many of those injured and killed do not pass through health facilities, meaning the actual toll could be higher. Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the UN World Food Programme said that the humanitarian pause was not long enough to reach all those in need of food and attention. The pause did allow all six of the planned UNHCR aid-loaded flights to land safely in Sanaa and carry out assessments on the ground. [Khaleej TImes, 5/19/2015]
Yemen conference to be held in Geneva May 28
The UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh said on Monday a UN-sponsored conference on Yemen will be held later this month. The conference is likely to be held on May 28 in Geneva. It will bring representatives from all factions including the Houthi militant group to find a solution to the crisis. The Houthis boycotted a three-day conference on Yemen, which began on Sunday in Riyadh. In April, the UN announced the failure of the transition process, which it had been sponsoring since early 2012. The Geneva conference will also address the catastrophic humanitarian situation as more than half of the Yemeni population are facing lacks of fuels, foods, and medicines. A new ceasefire or an extension of the ceasefire that expired on Sunday night is likely to be announced in Geneva. [Yemen Post, 5/18/2015]
Saudi-led strikes target Houthi depots in Sanaa
Saudi-led airstrikes hit the Yemeni capital of Sana’a on Tuesday, targeting arms depots belonging to Houthis and militias allied to deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The strikes also targeted the palace of the former leader’s son, Ahmad Ali Saleh. The strikes are the first to hit the capital after a five-day ceasefire ended late on Sunday, although military operations resumed earlier on Monday in northern Saada province and in the southern city of Aden. The truce ended despite appeals by the UN and aid groups for extra time to allow badly needed humanitarian supplies into the poorest country in the Middle East.[Al-Arabiya, 5/19/2015]
Kuwait top court upholds opposition leader’s jail term
Kuwait’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld a two-year jail sentence against prominent opposition leader Mussallam al-Barrak for insulting the emir. His group, the Popular Action Movement (PAM), announced the news on its Twitter account, adding that the former lawmaker, who had been out on bail, will now have to serve the full sentence. The fifty-eight-year-old is the most senior and the most popular opposition member to be jailed in an unprecedented government crackdown on dissent. The Supreme Court verdict is final and cannot be challenged. [AFP, 5/18/2015]
Libya’s state oil firm opens books to buyers to soothe payment fears
Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) has opened its books to international oil firms and is meeting regularly with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) to keep them on board with the current payment system for Libya’s oil exports. NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanallah said he and Central Bank Governor Saddek al-Kaber met with Libya’s major oil buyers to reassure them that none of the payments were going to fuel hostilities between rival factions in Libya or being misused. Sanallah added that the NOC does not think the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) should cut production at its meeting next month, but that the NOC cares solely about ramping up Libya’s production and regaining its market share. [Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Libya Monitor (subscription), 5/19/2015]
British Petroleum agrees to cut spending on Iraq’s Rumaila field after oil price drop
British Petroleum (BP) has cut its development budget for Iraq’s Rumaila oilfield by $1 billion this year after the Iraqi government warned that a slump in crude oil prices and its battle against the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) was making it difficult to pay oil companies. BP has agreed with Baghdad to reduce its 2015 spending on the country’s largest oilfield to $2.5 billion, from the initially planned $3.5 billion. Oil companies have proposed millions of dollars in budget cuts, a senior Iraqi oil ministry official said in March, after the government asked companies to revise development plans and consider postponing new projects. [Reuters, 5/18/2015]
IMF calls for Middle East fuel subsidy reductions
Middle East governments will spend up to $300 billion subsidising fuel costs this year, according to new calculations by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). That amount is equivalent to almost a third of all government revenue in the region. Large-scale energy subsidies make little economic sense, according to the IMF, as producers are increasingly strapped for cash after a significant decline in oil prices. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), steps have been taken to reduce energy subsidies, but the IMF has called for subsidies to be phased out completely. In Saudi Arabia, the IMF estimates that reserves will last only for the next six years at current spending rates. [The National, 5/18/2015]
Egypt targets $6 billion to $8 billion in foreign direct investment for 2014/2015
Egypt’s Minister of Investment Ashraf Salman said he expects foreign direct investment (FDI) in Egypt to reach between $6 billion and $8 billion for the fiscal year 2014/2015. In January, Salman had said that Egypt would aim for $10 billion in FDI. He said that “tough times” are behind the lowered expectations of FDI. In the first half of 2014/2015, FDI amounted to $2.7 billion. Salman added that Egypt’s investment law is expected to be imposed within a month. [DNE, 5/18/2015]