Yemeni military officials say al-Qaida militants have seized control of an important army base in the south following clashes with soldiers. The officials say at least four troops and four militants died in the fighting and that at least fifteen soldiers were taken hostage.
The base is home to Yemen’s 19th Infantry Brigade and is located in the Baihan area in southern Shabwa province. The base in the southern province of Shabwa, housing a brigade of up to 2,000 government soldiers, fell after several hours of heavy clashes, residents and local news sites said. The al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar al-Sharia said on Twitter it had set off a suicide bomb at the gate and imprisoned some of the troops. A tribal source claimed that stolen heavy weapons had been transfered to Marib. [Reuters, AP, Marib Press (Arabic), Aden al-Ghad (Arabic), 2/12/2015]
EGYPT | LIBYA & THE MAGHREB | SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS | YEMEN & THE GULF | ECONOMICS
Sisi blames unrest on ‘civilizational gap’
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has shrugged off the killing of protesters by police and other human rights abuses, telling a German magazine that there is a “civilizational gap” between his country and Germany, where security forces and demonstrators are more “responsible.” In the interview published on the English website of the German magazine Der Spiegel on Monday, Sisi said critics of Egypt’s human rights record narrowly focus on freedom of expression, ignoring that millions of Egyptians want better education, jobs and shelter. When the interviewers pointed to the mass killing of Morsi supporters during a crackdown on two Cairo sit-ins in 2013 , Sisi said if the police didn’t move in to break up the gatherings, civilians would have done so, leading to “ten times” more deaths. [AP, 2/11/2015]
Egypt court releases all Al Jazeera case defendants pending retrial
Two Al Jazeera journalists, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, were released on bail on Thursday by a Cairo criminal court after spending over a year in prison. The court postponed the first session in a retrial of the journalists and a number of other defendants to February 23 and ordered the release of all defendants pending trial. All the defendants were released without paying bail costs except for Fahmy, who was ordered to pay 250,000 Egyptian pounds ($33,000). All defendants also face a travel ban, and lawyers said the judge said all defendants must report to their local police station every day. Fahmy, who had renounced his Egyptian citizenship in a bid to be released, said he was “duped” into giving up his nationality, and held up an Egyptian flag in court. A lawyer on Fahmy’s team who declined to be identified said the court’s decision to release two journalists was an indication that the court is going to acquit them. [Ahram Online, DNE, Reuters, AP, Aswat Masriya, Mada Masr, 2/12/2015]
Army destroys tunnels in Sinai and arrests 107 in Saloum
Army forces destroyed a number of tunnels in Rafah in the restive Sinai Peninsula, arresting four people and confiscating six trucks loaded with cigarette packages. Meanwhile, coastal security arrested two people and seized two trucks and one fishing boat loaded with cannabis. In Saloum, a border guard patrol in northern Egypt arrested 107 people, including ten Sudanese nationals, trying to immigrate illegally. Forces also seized four cars used to smuggle cannabis in Siwa and Hurghada. [Shorouk (Arabic), 2/12/2015]
Dar Al-Ifta warns against rising Islamophobia in West
Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta religious authority warned against the spread of Islamophobia in the West following demonstrations that have swept several European countries raising anti-Islamic slogans, a Wednesday statement by Dar al-Ifta read. Egypt’s Grand Mufti also denounced the killing of three Muslim students at a university in North Carolina, describing the shooting as “a racist and terrorist crime.” Ibrahim Negm, an adviser to the Mufti, told the US National Public Radio, “The killing reveals the ugly face of Islamophobia.” Negm lamented what he called “media silence” over the killing of the three Muslim students. Al-Azhar also condemned the killing of three Muslims who were shot dead on February 10, depicting the senseless act as cowardly and stressing that terrorism has no religion or abode. [DNE, SIS, 2/12/2015]
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Ghadames dialogue seen as positive; Congress delegates accept Geneva decisions
The UN-brokered dialogue between the rival political groups took a significant step forward yesterday with delegates from the continuing General National Congress (GNC) ending their boycott and attending the latest session in Ghadames. Although there were no direct talks between the House of Representatives and GNC delegates, each side spoke separately to UN officials. The positive movement came from the GNC delegates agreeing to the issues approved at the prior rounds of dialogue. The GNC members also agreed to attend the next session, the location of which is undecided, but may be outside of Libya. [Libya Herald, 2/11/2015]
Libyan PM suspends interior minister for criticizing army general; al-Sinki rejects dismissal
Prime Minister of the Tobruk-based government, Abdullah al-Thinni, suspended his interior minister for criticizing General Khalifa Haftar’s forces for attempting to block al-Thinni from visiting Benghazi. Minister of Interior Omar al-Sinki has refused to step aside, asserting that he remains in charge of the ministry and that only the House of Representatives can remove him. The decision by al-Thinni exposes a rift inside the Tobruk-based government and the elected House of Representatives over their authority and alliance with Haftar’s forces. [Reuters, Libya Herald, 2/11/2015]
Misrata Central Hospital suspends surgery; Teachers strike in Mizdah over salaries
The main hospital in Misrata has announced that shortages of medical supplies have forced it to suspend surgery at the medical center. The hospital said that it will only perform emergency surgeries and that the shortage in medical supplies and devices made non-urgent surgery impossible at present. Hospitals in Benghazi and Sirte have also expressed concern over a lack of medical supplies. Teachers in Mizdah have also begun a strike over delayed salary payment. The teachers said that they have not been paid for five months and will not resume work until they receive their salaries. A lack of funding and salary delays have made strikes frequent in Libya. [Libya Monitor (subscription), 2/12/2015]
Alleged terrorist leader killed in Tunisia
Tunisian security forces killed Saber Mtiri, one of their top targets and a man listed on Tunisia’s most-wanted list, according to a statement by the ministry of interior. Mtiri was killed in a firefight during a raid by a counterterrorism force, which conducted the operation after receiving information on his whereabouts. Mitri was a prominent figure among militants in el Kef and was involved in several attacks on security forces. [Tunisia Live, 2/11/2015]
Bad weather slows government attack south of Damascus
Activists say rapid advances by Syrian government forces backed by Hezbollah fighters south of Damascus have slowed due to a snowstorm hitting the region, making it difficult for vehicles to move. Syrian state TV said the offensive was continuing Thursday, adding that the Syrian army has seized strategic hills and villages from rebels in Deir Makir and attacked rebel positions in Rif Quneitra and northwest Deraa province. In the north, Kurdish units backed by rebel fighters have extended their line of control fifteen to twenty-five miles into the eastern, southeastern, and southwestern countryside in Aleppo province, and have gained control of at least 156 villages. [AP, 2/12/2015]
Obama confident ISIS will lose
President Barack Obama expressed confidence in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) as he asks Congress to authorize military force against the organization. “Our coalition is on the offensive. ISIL is on the defensive, and ISIL is going to lose.” (Full text of the White House request.) Obama warned against dragging the United States into another prolonged ground war and called on lawmakers to show a unified front. The president added that the draft authorization did not change the mission’s core objective to “degrade and destroy” ISIS. [BBC, The Daily Star, 2/12/2015]
Iraq refuses US ground forces after Obama Special Forces announcement
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafaari said Thursday that Baghdad has not requested foreign ground forces to battle ISIS. The Iraqi minister said ground forces were not part of his government’s plan, stressing that “we have established a set of guidelines [for the international coalition],” to provide air support for Iraqi forces, training, and intelligence. In other news, relations between Iraq and its Gulf neighbors, which have been frosty since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait 1990, have begun to normalize according to Iraqi President Fuad Masoum. President Masoum said that a “unified Gulf vision” on rapprochement with Baghdad was now “beginning to take shape.” [Al-Akhbar English, 2/12/2015]
UN Security Council seeks to choke off ISIS funds
The UN Security Council is set on Thursday to adopt a resolution aimed at choking off millions of dollars in earnings from oil sales, antiquities trafficking, and ransom payments to ISIS. Russia drafted the first outline of the measure, which reaffirms the council’s resolve to confront the threat posed by terrorist organizations. The measure urges all 193 countries of the UN to take “appropriate steps” to prevent the trade in cultural property from Iraq and Syria. It also reminds governments worldwide that they must “prevent terrorists from benefiting from ransom payments for from political concessions” to secure the release of hostages. [AFP, 2/12/2015]
ISIS claims interview with French attacker’s wife
ISIS’s online French-language magazine Dar al-Islam has published what it says is an interview with the widow of the French gunman who attacked a kosher supermarket and a police officer in Paris last month, killing five people before he died in a raid by security forces. The text interviews in French and English did not directly name Hayat Boumeddiene nor show images of her. In the stilted responses laced with references to the Quran, she called on women to be patient and make life easier for their men. Boumeddiene is believed to have traveled to Turkey and then crossed into ISIS controlled territory in Syria around the same time as the attacks were unfolding in Paris. [AP, 2/12/2015]
Yemen on brink of civil war says UN envoy
The United Nations’ special envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has warned that the country is on the brink of civil war and accused all sides of contributing to the political and economic turmoil. Benomar said in an interview with television channels Al Arabiya and al-Hadath late on Wednesday that Yemen’s economy was facing imminent collapse and called for more dialogue to reach a peaceful settlement. “They are all party to what has happened so far, they have all made mistakes and follies and sometimes groups resorted to violence to realize political aims,” the envoy said. [Reuters, Marib Press (Arabic), Al-Masdar (Arabic), 2/12/2015]
GCC will not take military steps in Yemen, says Gulf official
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has no plans to take military steps to safeguard its interests in neighboring Yemen following the Houthi takeover of power, a senior Gulf official said. The oil-rich organization strongly condemned what it described as a “blatant coup” by the Houthi rebels against the legitimate government of outgoing President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi, warning that it undermined the peaceful transition of power and showed a disregard toward national stability. The official said that coordination among the six Gulf member states was underway to formulate a firm stance towards the situation in Yemen short of military intervention, to be announced on the sidelines of the GCC meeting of foreign ministers, scheduled to take place next Saturday. [Asharq al-Awsat, Marib Press (Arabic), 2/12/2015]
US defense personnel still in Yemen
While briefing members of the news media on Wednesday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the US continues to coordinate national security efforts with officials in Yemen, despite the decision to relocate embassy staff and operations there. The Marine Corps also clarified earlier Pentagon comments, saying that marines had destroyed their personal weapons at the airport in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Wednesday, before leaving the country and did not hand them over to anyone. “To be clear: No Marine handed a weapon to a Houthi, or had one taken from him,” the statement said. Yemenis in the capital Sana’a and the central city of Taiz held the largest protests yet against a Houthi takeover on Wednesday after the United States, Britain and France shut their embassies over security fears. [Reuters, AP, 2/12/2015]
Al-Qaeda fighters seize Yemen army base
Yemeni military officials say al-Qaida militants have seized control of an important army base in the south following clashes with soldiers. The officials say at least four troops and four militants died in the fighting and that at least fifteen soldiers were taken hostage. The base is home to Yemen’s 19th Infantry Brigade and is located in the Baihan area in southern Shabwa province. The base in the southern province of Shabwa, housing a brigade of up to 2,000 government soldiers, fell after several hours of heavy clashes, residents and local news sites said. The al-Qaeda-affiliated Ansar al-Sharia said on Twitter it had set off a suicide bomb at the gate and imprisoned some of the troops. A tribal source claimed that stolen heavy weapons had been transfered to Marib. [Reuters, AP, Marib Press (Arabic), Aden al-Ghad (Arabic), 2/12/2015]
Bahrain puts off rights activist’s appeal hearing to March 4
Bahrain has postponed until March 4 a hearing by Nabeel Rajab, a democracy campaigner, on his appeal against a conviction for publicly insulting two state institutions, according to his Twitter account. “My next appeal hearing will be on March 4,” tweeted Rajab, who is free on bail. The hearing had been set for Wednesday. He added that the court had refused to lift a travel ban on him. Rajab’s lawyer Mohammad al-Jishi confirmed the postponement. [Gulf News, 2/11/2015]
Tunisia turns to tough economic agenda; World Bank grants Tunisia $100 Million to support MSMEs
Just two days after confidently promising economic reforms to match Tunisia’s transition to democracy, new Prime Minister Habib Essid was forced to say he would roll back a new tax after police shot dead a man protesting it. The latest protests show that Essid’s economic task list, which includes reforms, development, and job growth, will not be easy. To help this effort the World Bank has offered a $100 million loan in support to a government project for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME). These aims focused at MSMEs are expected to boost hiring and growth. [Reuters, All Africa, 2/11/2015]
Algeria increases initiatives to address drop in oil prices
In the face of the persistent rejection of some OPEC’s members to hold an urgent meeting devoted to the recovery in oil prices, Algeria started an initiative aimed at organizing consultations with the OPEC and non-OPEC members to reach a consensus for the control of oil prices. The concerned countries are Nigeria, Gabon, Angola, Congo and Equatorial Guinea. [AllAfrica, 2/11/2015]
Iraq’s oil exports dip by 14 percent in January
According to Iraq’s Oil Ministry, crude exports averaged 2.535 million barrels a day in January, a decrease of nearly 14 percent from the previous month, depriving the nation of badly needed cash for ongoing military operations against extremists and reconstruction efforts. The minister blamed the bad weather that struck the area of the country’s southern facilities on the Persian Gulf for more than two weeks for the exports’ dip. Iraq’s 2015 budget is based on an expected oil price of $56 per barrel, with a daily export capacity of 3.3 million. [AP, 2/12/2015]
Jordan deliberations on draft state budget law expected to start next week
The Lower House Financial Committee has concluded its report on the budget bill and will present it to the Lower House Permanent Bureau to include the law on next week’s agenda. The House is expected to reject the government’s assumption related to preparing the draft state budget law on an average global oil price of $100 per barrel. The government has estimated a budget deficit of JD 688 million after foreign grants compared with JD 911 million forecast on the 2014 balance sheet. [The Jordan Times, 2/11/2015]