President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi announced the formation of a new cabinet on Friday, selecting thirty-six ministers in accordance with the terms of the September 21 peace and partnership agreement. However, the General People’s Congress (GPC) party said it would not support a confidence vote for the new government hours after it dismissed Hadi from its leadership. The Houthis also rejected the newly formed cabinet, despite the appointment of six Houthi loyalists, and released a statement saying, “this cabinet is disappointing and did not adhere to the agreed criteria of the peace and national partnership agreement.”
Hadi was removed as secretary-general of the GPC Saturday for allegedly soliciting UN sanctions against former president and GPC member Ali Abdullah Saleh. Sanctions against Saleh, Abdulkhaliq al-Houthi, and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim, were discussed early last week and implemented Friday after deliberations at the UN Security Council. In a letter submitted to Yemen sanctions committee November 1, the United States asked for the sanctions and said Saleh “was behind the attempts to cause chaos throughout Yemen” by using the Houthi group to “not only delegitimize the central government, but also create enough instability to stage a coup.” The three men face an international travel ban and assets freeze
EGYPT | LIBYA & THE MAGHREB | SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS | YEMEN & THE GULF | ECONOMICS
Egypt to review recommendations submitted in UN human rights review
Egypt vowed to study more than 300 recommendations submitted on Friday by around 122 states which have questioned its human rights record during the Arab country’s second Universal Periodic Review. Egypt’s ministry of transitional justice said in a Friday statement that the country received around 314 recommendations. “Around 219 recommendations have already been practically implemented throughout the past three years,” the statement read. Egypt garnered the endorsement of at least 105 countries. The ministry said Egypt will announce its final stance toward the recommendations in March. Minister of Transitional Justice Ibrahim al-Heneidy said the Egyptian delegation managed to prove to the entire world Egypt’s positive attitude in the area of human rights. [DNE, Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya, 11/9/2014]
Fresh statement claims Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis has allied with ISIS
Egypt’s most active militant group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, has sworn allegiance to Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) according to an audio clip posted on its Twitter account. If genuine, the declaration of allegiance would be a boost for ISIS, showing its widening influence in the region alongside its territorial advances in Iraq and Syria. The recording was published early Monday on the group’s Twitter account and on jihadist websites such as al-Battar. The over nine minute long message was read by an unidentified speaker, and called on Egyptians to pledge their allegiances as well. [Ahram Online, DNE, AP, Reuters, Egypt Independent, Mada Masr, The Guardian, 11/10/2014]
Appeal verdict for twenty-three Egyptian activists, including Sanaa Seif, December 28
A verdict on the appeal case of twenty-three defendants charged with violating the protest law will be issued on December 28, a Cairo Misdemeanor Court of Appeals announced on Sunday after the first appeal session. The defendants, including Sanaa Seif, will remain in detention pending the verdict on what has become known as the “presidential palace” case. Sunday’s court session was attended by a number of human rights activists and a delegation from the European Union. Defense lawyer Taher Abul Nasr stated on Sunday that the referral of Sanaa Seif to the prosecution is invalid, as she was never interrogated. He also questioned the pre-trial detention of all the defendants. [Ahram Online, DNE, Aswat Masriya, Mada Masr, 11/9/2014]
Egypt’s political parties mobilize against elections laws
While Egypt’s cabinet is expected Wednesday to endorse a new electoral districts law to pave the way for parliamentary polls, political parties underlined they remain dissatisfied with two government-drafted election laws. Leaders of Egyptian secular opposition parties said they plan to step up efforts aimed at amending the law on the House of Representatives and the law on exercise of political rights. Hossam al-Khouli, assistant secretary-general of the Wafd Party, said that Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab urged leaders of the Egyptian Wafd Alliance to send their objections and proposed amendments of the two laws to the technical committee he formed three weeks ago. Khouli cited Mahlab as saying that once the new electoral districts law is finalized, the technical committee will open a national dialogue on it and other elections laws. [Ahram Online, 11/8/2014]
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Arrests made in bombings near UN meeting
Two suspects have been arrested in connection to twin car bombings in the eastern Libyan town of Shahat, where UN Special Representative Bernardino Leon was meeting with Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni, according to a senior Libyan security official. There were no casualties. The blasts had been near the venue of a meeting of top security government officials. Leon and al-Thinni were due to meet in a different building. The two suspects are from the eastern city of Derna, where extremists pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group last month. UNSMIL has said the incident will not impact its work. [AP, Libya Herald, 11/10/2014]
Third oil field shut down within days
An oil field in southwest Libya has been shut down, making it the third oil facility in the country to close within a week. The Feel field shut down due to a power outage after armed men forced the closure of the major El Sharara field in south Libya last Wednesday. The National Oil Corporation has claimed El Sharara is “under control”; however, with the guards having withdrawn from their posts there, one commander said it was difficult to foresee the field reopening. Meanwhile, Libyan state security guards have blocked exports from the Hariga port, located in Tobruk near the Egyptian border. [Reuters, 11/10/2014]
Pro-federalist leader threatens “independence” if Tripoli government recognized
Led by Ibrahim Jadhran, Libyan rebels who have seized oil ports to press for regional autonomy have said they would declare independence in the east if the international community recognized the rival parliament in Tripoli. Jadhran’s group said the Supreme Court ruling – rejecting the constitutionality of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives – was invalid as the judges had not been working independently. Beyond a statement that they are studying the ruling, western diplomats have yet to comment on it, reflecting uncertainty over how to respond. [Reuters, 11/8/2014]
Tripoli administration looks to expand power after Supreme Court decision
Feeling empowered by the recent Supreme Court decision rejecting the constitutionality of the House of Representatives, the Tripoli-based Omar al-Hassi administration is setting its sights on expanding control over all of Libya, according to a spokesman, who referred to Abdullah al-Thinni as “the ex-prime minister.” The spokesman said al-Thinni left Tripoli in a big mess and that the next step would be to hold elections, asserting that it’s time to “forget about the past and build the country in a democratic way.” [Libya Herald, 11/9/2014]
Tunisian authorities crackdown on militant groups on the Algerian border
Following last week’s bus attack that claimed the lives of five Tunisian soldiers in Nubeur, the ministry of defense on Monday announced that authorities were closing in on the suspected militants and had also increased counterterror efforts in preparation for the November 23 presidential elections. Interim Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa also chaired a meeting with security officials focused on increasing operations against suspected militants in Kebili, Oued Ellil and Jendouba. Recent militant attacks have so far been concentrated in Kef governorate where the mountainous terrain and forested landscape provides sufficient protection against detection for militants crossing the border with Algeria. [Asharq al-Awsat, All Africa, 11/10/2014]
US confirms delivery of $2 million in military equipment to Tunisia
Tunisian authorities confirmed the delivery of US military equipment, including $2 million worth of night vision goggles as part of Interim President Mehdi Jomaa’s request for additional military assistance earlier this year. US ambassador to Tunisia Jacob Walles confirmed the delivery in a speech at a military barracks in Aouina where he affirmed the US commitment to supporting Tunisia’s efforts to secure its borders and confront the rising threat of terrorism. [All Africa, 11/7/2014]
Syria’s Assad shifts to consider UN ceasefire plans in Aleppo
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday that the Syrian government would consider a proposal by UN Special Envoy to Syria Steffan De Mistura to implement “incremental free zones” starting in the northern city of Aleppo. The Syrian president noted that the initiative was worth further study but did not indicate whether his government was willing to adopt the proposed ceasefire plans. Since December 2013, regime warplanes have carried out near daily air raids targeting rebel-held districts of what was once Syria’s economic capital, reportedly killing mostly civilians, defying a UN Security Council ban on such strikes. [Naharnet, Reuters, 11/10/2014]
US airstrikes target possible convoy carrying top ISIS leader near Mosul
US airstrikes destroyed an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) convoy near the Iraqi city of Mosul but US officials said on Saturday it was unclear whether the group’s top commander Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been in any of the ten targeted vehicles. A spokesman from the US Central Command noted that the targeted convoy was carrying several ISIS leaders but did not release the identities or number of ISIS militants killed during the operation. Coalition airstrikes also destroyed several ISIS installations in the city of al-Qaim, in Anbar province, as ISIS militants increased suicide attacks in on Iraqi security forces in Ramadi and Sadr city, a Shia dominated neighborhood in Baghdad. [Asharq al-Awsat, 11/10/2014]
Nusra Front captures Syrian army installations in Deraa, as airstrikes in Aleppo continue
The al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front militant group on Monday seized a key southern city in the southeastern province of Deraa after five days of intensive fighting with government forces. Sources indicated that Nusra Front militants successfully routed government forces in the city of Nawa where they overran a Syrian military headquarters and captured heavy weapons and vehicles. The capture of Nawa and surrounding areas will help the insurgents consolidate control of territory stretching to near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Meanwhile, the Syrian Air Force continued its aerial bombardment campaign on Sunday killing twenty-one people and wounding at least a hundred others in overnight raids over Aleppo. Independent observers noted that at least one child was killed during the barrel bomb attack but officials within the Syrian government stressed that the airstrikes targeted militants belonging to ISIS. [Reuters, 11/10/2014]
President Obama doubles troop commitment in Iraq
US President Barack Obama on Friday approved the deployment of 1,500 additional troops into Iraq, roughly doubling the current number of US military personnel advising Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). US officials also confirmed that the president had approached the Republican led congress for additional funding to train Iraqi security forces, and expand current operations against the radical jihadist militant group. A Pentagon spokesperson endorsed the possible deployment of US advisors into Iraq’s restive Anbar province where at least 6,000 Iraqi forces have been killed and thousands more deserted their posts amid unyielding ISIS offensives. [Asharq al-Awsat, WSJ, 11/7/2014]
Iraqi president to visit Saudi Arabia, amid rising tension over Iran-Iraq coalition
Iraqi President Fouad Masoum is expected to visit Riyadh on Tuesday, raising hopes of a tentative thaw in long-chilly relations between the Arab neighbors. A substantive improvement in ties between Riyadh and Baghdad could help strengthen a regional alliance against the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS or Islamic State) and also smooth wider tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iraq’s ally Iran. Saudi Arabia has long accused Iraq of being too close to Iran, its main regional rival, but the election of Haider al-Abadi to the Prime Minister’s post in August rekindled efforts to normalize relations between Baghdad and Riyadh in recent months. [Reuters, 11/10/2014]
GPC rejects new government, removes Hadi from party leadership
President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi announced the formation of a new cabinet on Friday, selecting thirty-six ministers in accordance with the terms of the September 21 peace and partnership agreement. However, the General People’s Congress (GPC) party said it would not support a confidence vote for the new government hours after it dismissed Hadi from its leadership. The Houthis also rejected the newly formed cabinet, despite the appointment of six Houthi loyalists, and released a statement saying, “this cabinet is disappointing and did not adhere to the agreed criteria of the peace and national partnership agreement.” Hadi was removed as secretary-general of the GPC Saturday for allegedly soliciting UN sanctions against former president and GPC member Ali Abdullah Saleh. Sanctions against Saleh, Abdulkhaliq al-Houthi, and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim, were discussed early last week and implemented Friday after deliberations at the UN Security Council. In a letter submitted to Yemen sanctions committee November 1, the United States asked for the sanctions and said Saleh “was behind the attempts to cause chaos throughout Yemen” by using the Houthi group to “not only delegitimize the central government, but also create enough instability to stage a coup.” The three men face an international travel ban and assets freeze. [Al Jazeera, 11/8/2014]
Al-Qaeda claims it attempted to kill US ambassador
Al-Qaeda forces in Yemen attempted to assassinate US ambassador Matthew Tueller using roadside bombs, according to a statement released on the group’s Twitter page. Two roadside bombs were discovered outside Abdrabo Mansour Hadi’s house shortly before the American ambassador’s departure from a nearly hour-long visit with the president. According to the group, the bombs were allegedly detected “minutes before their detonation.” [Al Arabiya, AFP 11/8/2014]
Weekend clashes between Houthis, al-Qaeda, tribesmen in Rida leave “dozens” dead
Two attacks by al-Qaeda against the Houthis near Bayda province’s Rida killed dozens, according to militant and tribal sources. In the first attack Saturday, a militant rammed an explosives-laden car into a medical center used serving as a Houthi barracks in the Manaseh region. In another attack, al-Qaeda militants opened fire on a school occupied by the Houthis in the Jarrah valley. Meanwhile, clashes with local fighters in Rida from Sunday into Monday left four tribesmen and as many as thirty Houthis dead, according to tribal sources. Houthi militants launched an attack on a tribal stronghold just outside the town with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, meeting fierce resistance from local fighters. [AFP, Aden al-Ghad (Arabic), 11/10/2014]
Kidnapped water sanitation worker released after year-long captivity in Yemen
The UN said Saturday that a water sanitation worker who had been captured by unidentified armed men was released after a year-long detention. James Massaquoi, who worked for the UN Children’s Fund, was captured on October 6, 2013. “Colleagues at the United Nations are delighted that James Massaquoi, who was abducted in Yemen in October 2013, has today been released and is safe and well,” said a UN statement released Saturday. The UN also thanked the Yemeni government and tribal leaders for assisting in negotiations for Massaquoi’s release. [Reuters, 11/9/2014]
Oman hosts nuclear talks a deadline approaches
The Sultanate of Oman hosted the latest round of Iran’s nuclear talks Sunday as the November 24 deadline to reach an agreement looms. It remains unclear whether or not the deadline will be met, but representatives from the United States, EU, and Iran gathered for an unscheduled meeting in Muscat to try and salvage a deal. Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah said, “We were able to agree on the big issues and we expect to get a solution to some of the pending issues. They are still talking. They are still talking seriously on a number of issues and I hope they will reach an agreement.” He added that the talks were the result of five years’ effort on the part of Oman to bridge the gap between Iran and the west. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saturday called a deal “within reach.” [BBC, Times of Oman, 11/9/2014]
Thirty-three suspects arrested in Saudi terror attack investigation
Saudi Arabia’s security spokesman for the ministry of the interior said Sunday that thirty-three people were arrested for suspected involvement in last week’s terror attack that left five dead and nine wounded. The shooting, which took place in the al-Ahsa region of the kingdom’s Eastern Province, has led to a security crackdown in six cities. Three suspected militants and two security officers were killed last Tuesday in Buraidah in a gun battle allegedly linked to the shooting investigation. Saudi authorities say the attack was planned by a Saudi citizen who had fought in Iraq and Syria and returned to the kingdom to execute his plan. [Al Arabiya, 11/9/2014]
Egypt received $10.6 billion from Gulf last year
According to the Egyptian finance minister, Egypt received $10.6 billion in aid from Gulf states in the last year. This marks the first time that the Egyptian authorities have put a total figure to the amount in aid, petroleum products and grants received from the Gulf region. [World Bulletin, Zawya, 11/9/2014]
Economic vision of Tunisian government is a good roadmap
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) the economic vision set out by the Tunisian government in September during the “Invest in Tunisia, Start-up Democracy” conference is a “good roadmap.” The plan has found strong support by international donors, political parties, and meets the standards of the reform program backed by the IMF. [TAP, 11/9/2014]
Iraqi oil ministry denies it set budget oil price at $90
The Iraqi Minister of Oil denied a previously reported comment in which it supposedly had identified the price for a barrel of crude oil at $90 within the 2015 budget. The ministry also asserted that it had identified a loss of 27 percent of the expected crude oil revenues in the current year. [Zawya, 11/8/2014]
Jordan rejects IMF imposed taxes
According to Jordanian finance minister, the ministry has rejected the proposed increase in sales and other taxes proposed by the IMF. The ministry has reportedly presented a package of alternative measures in order to increase revenues and control spending. [Zawya, 11/9/2014]