At least thirty-one people were killed on Wednesday and dozens wounded in five simultaneous bombings claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) at Shia mosques and offices in Sana’a, medics and witnesses said. The bombings took place as Saudi-led forces conducted more airstrikes against Houthi military bases across Yemen, and delegates attending peace talks in Geneva reported no progress on the second day of a UN-sponsored push for a Ramadan truce. A security official said dozens more were wounded in the attacks on the Hashush Mosque, the Kibsi Mosque, the Al-Qubah al-Khadra Mosque, and the political bureau of the Ansarullah movement of the Houthis. ISIS said in a statement online that it carried out the attacks. “The soldiers of the Islamic State in Yemen, in a wave of military operations as revenge for the Muslims against the Houthi apostates, [detonated] four car bombs near the centers of Houthi apostasy,” the statement said. [AP, Daily Star, 6/17/2015]
EGYPT | LIBYA & THE MAGHREB | SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS | YEMEN & THE GULF | ECONOMICS
EGYPT
Foreign Ministry defends Egypt’s judiciary from foreign criticism over death sentences
Egypt’s foreign affairs ministry on Wednesday said it rejected some countries “offending the Egyptian judiciary,” following mass death sentences on Tuesday against over 100 defendants including ousted President Mohamed Morsi. In a statement, the ministry described some countries’ condemnations of the verdicts as “futile attempts to impose visions and policies that are against the will of the Egyptian people.” This comes one day after Morsi was sentenced to death in a prison escape trial and was sentenced to life in prison for an espionage case. Both domestic and international reactions expressing concern have since poured in. [Ahram Online, Aswat Masriya, SIS, 6/18/2015]
Egyptian security agencies increasingly detaining activists in secret, rights lawyers say
Egyptian security agencies are increasingly detaining activists and students in secret, taking them from homes or the street and holding them without official record of their arrest, as their families scramble to find them, activists and lawyers say. Activists have tracked more than 160 suspected disappearances in police custody during the past two months — a sign of the renewed unchecked power of security agencies. It is a return to past practices under former President Hosni Mubarak, when detainees were held, sometimes for years, without trial under notorious emergency laws. The whereabouts of most remain unknown. Activists and lawyers fear they are abused during interrogation. [AP, 6/18/2015]
Egypt’s opposition criticizes government’s election law amendments
Recent amendments to three laws necessary to pave the way for Egypt’s postponed parliamentary elections have drawn fire from the country’s mainstream political parties. In several public statements, opposition parties have complained that the amendments fall far short of the electoral reforms they had suggested. “The amendments go against most of the legislative reforms proposed by opposition parties, not to mention that they made it quite impossible for any political party to gain a majority in parliament,” said Chairman of the liberal Reform and Development Party Anwar El-Sadat. The amendments, prepared by a government-appointed committee and revised by the State Council’s Department of Legislation and Fatwas, are part of a review of three election laws that determine the workings of the House of Representatives, the Division of Electoral Constituencies, and the Exercise of Political Rights. [Ahram Online, 6/18/2015]
Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis admits senior member killed in Arish in April
A video issued by a militia affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) in Sinai has admitted that one of the group’s senior leaders had been killed in military raids conducted in April in the North Sinai city of Arish. Sinai Province, previously known as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which had pledged allegiance to the ISIS, showed in a video that Abul Qaaqaa al-Muhajir was killed in an army raid. The video includes spoken statements by al-Muhajir, in which he vowed to conduct more attacks against the army and police forces during the coming period. “I tell President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the Armed Forces: your future with us won’t make you like the present, we know you are horrified,” Muhajir said in the video. “I swear if we see our own brothers, the sons of our own mothers, in the army, no one would tear their heads off their bodies but us,” he added. [Egypt Independent, 6/18/2015]
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LIBYA & THE MAGHREB
More pressure on Libya from the United Nations to accept a power-sharing peace deal
The UN Security Council urged all Libyan parties on Wednesday to accept a peace deal that requires the internationally recognized government to share power with its rivals who control the capital. UN envoy Bernardino Leon, leading talks aimed at stemming Libya’s collapse, had hoped to win consensus over the deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which started today. However, Libya’s internationally-recognized parliament dropped out of the talks last week in protest at the plan which would mean sharing power with its rivals. [AP, 6/17/2015]
Human Rights Watch report declares extensive torture and abuse in Libyan prisons
A report by Human Rights Watch states that torture and abuse are rampant in prisons under the control of Libya’s internationally-recognized government and allied forces in the country’s east. The report released Wednesday claims many detainees were tortured to extract confessions, while others didn’t receive medical care or family visits. The report quoted Libyan officials acknowledging that the country’s justice system had collapsed and they promised to investigate the issue. [AP, 6/17/2015]
British ambassador calls on Libyans to accept fourth draft agreement
The new British Ambassador to Libya Peter Millett said that there is a real possibility of reaching a Libyan agreement this week, stressing that the international community was ready to provide economic support and security in reaching this agreement. Earlier this week, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) had presented the latest draft agreement on forming a Government of National Accord (GNA). Ambassador Millett called on the Libyan government to “agree on the GNA on the basis of the United Nations draft,” saying “we believe that there is hope and the real possibility of reaching an agreement this week. Libyans have a historic opportunity to end conflict and build a free, democratic, stable and prosperous country, and we urge the parties to seize this opportunity to benefit the whole country.” [Libya Herald, 6/18/2015]
Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace urges all parties to combine efforts
Libyan Women’s Platform for Peace (LWPP), a leading Libyan women’s nongovernmental organization, has expressed its firm conviction that the UN-led political dialogue headed by Bernardino Leon has reached an important stage towards achieving national consensus. LWPP has called on ‘‘all parties to bear their responsibilities and engage positively in finalizing the political agreement while adding their final modifications to ensure the achievement of an inclusive agreement to end the political conflict and to safeguard the unity and security of Libya.” They also stated, ‘‘There is an urgent need to consolidate all efforts of reconciliation in order to reach a national consensus as soon as possible to confront the unprecedented security, political, and economic deterioration.” [Libya Herald, 6/18/2015]
Libya Dawn frees ten kidnapped Tunisian diplomats
Ten Tunisian diplomats who were kidnapped in Tripoli last week have been released, according to reports. Human rights expert in Libyan affairs Mustapha Abdelkebir said Tunisian diplomats detained in Libya for one week were released in the early hours of Thursday morning. Members of the group are currently residing in the Libyan embassy and could be back on Tunisian soil later tonight. This news follows almost a week of tense negotiations between the Tunisian government and Libya Dawn representatives. [Tunisia Live, 6/18/2015]
SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS
House rejects attempt to force troop withdrawal in Iraq and Syria
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday refused to order the withdrawal of US forces deployed to fight Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants in Iraq and Syria. The measure, which was defeated 288 to 139, would have directed that troops be withdrawn within thirty days of passage, or by the end of the year, if Congress fails to authorize the fight against ISIS. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that the United States will fall short of meeting its goal of training 24,000 Iraqi forces to fight ISIS militants by this fall, as training efforts in Iraq and Syria have slowed by a lack of trainees, partially due to the difficulty of ensuring that recruits are not aligned with groups like ISIS. [AP, 6/17/2015]
United States weighs Assad military retrenchment in Syria
The United States and its allies are weighing the possibility that growing military pressure and losses in the north, east, and south may force Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to go on the defensive and focus on protecting Alawite population centers and some minority groups. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey told Congress that his trip to Israel last week focused on discussing scenarios involving President Assad’s departure or his government’s collapse. The Syrian army said Wednesday it had repelled a major rebel offensive in the southern Quneitera province, beating back an insurgent assault on several hilltops and the government-controlled villages of Tel Shaar and Tel Bazaq. [Reuters, 6/17/2015]
Claims of Syrian chlorine bombs counter news of progress on chemical arms
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said Wednesday that almost all of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile has been destroyed, nearly two years after Syria agreed to give up its arsenal. The news came the same day as a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, in which witnesses cited the Syrian government’s use of chlorine in makeshift poison gas bombs dumped on civilians and suspected rebels in the civil war. [NYT, 6/17/2015]
Turkey blocks Syrian refugees seeking to return to Tal Abyad
Turkey on Thursday closed the Akcakale border crossing into Syria, preventing Syrian refugees who had fled Tal Abyad from returning home. Turkish security forces said they were not allowing refugees across because Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia had closed the gate on the other side of the border, a claim that the YPG denied. The border will reportedly not reopen until Monday, preventing many from celebrating the start of Ramadan at home. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres claimed Thursday that Turkey has shouldered a disproportionate burden of the Syrian refugee crisis, having taken in almost two million Syrian refugees as western states stand by. He urged the rest of the world to follow Turkey’s lead and open up borders to refugees fleeing the civil war. [AFP, 6/18/2015]
ISIS claims it shot down Iraqi fighter plane
The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) said Thursday via Twitter that it had shot down an Iraqi fighter plane conducting an air raid north of Ramadi. ISIS fighters Thursday killed a soldier and a policeman in Amiriyat al-Falluja and killed five members of the Iraqi security forces in an attack on the village of al-Mazra’a. [Reuters, 6/18/2015]
YEMEN & THE GULF
ISIS expands into Yemen
At least thirty-one people were killed on Wednesday and dozens wounded in five simultaneous bombings claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) at Shia mosques and offices in Sana’a, medics and witnesses said. The bombings took place as Saudi-led forces conducted more airstrikes against Houthi military bases across Yemen, and delegates attending peace talks in Geneva reported no progress on the second day of a UN-sponsored push for a Ramadan truce. A security official said dozens more were wounded in the attacks on the Hashush Mosque, the Kibsi Mosque, the Al-Qubah al-Khadra Mosque, and the political bureau of the Ansarullah movement of the Houthis. ISIS said in a statement online that it carried out the attacks. “The soldiers of the Islamic State in Yemen, in a wave of military operations as revenge for the Muslims against the Houthi apostates, [detonated] four car bombs near the centers of Houthi apostasy,” the statement said. [AP, Daily Star, 6/17/2015]
Houthi militants destroy house of top government official
Houthi fighters in central Yemen on Wednesday blew up the home of senior politician Abdel-Aziz Jubari while he was attending peace talks in Geneva as a member of the Hadi delegation. Residents of Dhamar city said the Houthis, who had taken over Jubari’s house in April, destroyed the building early in the morning. Yemeni websites published pictures of its collapsed ceiling on top of a pile of rubble. Jubari said he was shocked when he heard the news, saying, “this is regrettable that people’s manners and behaviors can reach this point.” [Daily Star, Reuters, 6/17/2015]
Geneva peace talks at a stalemate
Talks on a possible truce in the war in Yemen have made “no progress” because the Iranian-backed Houthi delegation has not come to the United Nations in Geneva where the talks are being held, Yemen’s Foreign Minister Reyad Yassin Abdulla said Wednesday. “Today we were supposed to have something positive. They are just sitting in their hotel making all kind of rumors,” he told reporters. Last-minute demands by the Houthi movement could threaten to derail negotiations, with the Houthi delegation now demanding to meet in the same room as opposed to the agreed upon proximity-talks format. The Yemeni government delegation is also concerned about the size of the Houthi group, which far exceeds the traditional makeup of seven members and three advisers. [Reuters, Asharq al-Awsat, 6/17/2015]
UAE aid money to Gaza gives boost to former Fatah leader
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has given $12 million in aid to Palestinian war victims in Gaza, the latest in a string of aid packages encouraged by former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan. Dahlan headed the Palestinian security services in Gaza before it was overrun by Hamas militants in 2007. The aid money exposes a longstanding opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood on behalf of the UAE. Dahlan relocated to Abu Dhabi shortly after the Hamas takeover of Gaza, where he advocates strongly for aid to the affected people of Gaza while simultaneously bolstering his political position. [AP, 6/17/2015]
Bahrain seizes explosives destined for use in Saudi Arabia
Bahrain said on Thursday it had seized explosives and bomb making materials planned for use in Bahrain and neighboring Saudi Arabia. Police Chief Major-General Tariq al-Hasan said the techniques used in the manufacture of the explosives bore “clear similarities” to methods used by what it called proxy groups of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC). Bahrain has reported a growing number of attacks using homemade explosives, some of them deadly, in the past two years. Al-Hasan further expressed concern over the use of Bahrain’s borders, saying, “the fact that these sophisticated bomb-making materials were destined for Saudi Arabia [is] a sign that extremists are increasingly using Bahrain’s borders as a launch pad for terrorists seeking to carry out attacks elsewhere in the region.” [Reuters, 6/18/2015]
ECONOMICS
Saudi Arabia to discuss broad oil cooperation agreement with Russia
The oil ministers of Russia and Saudi Arabia plan to discuss a broad cooperation agreement today at an economic forum in St. Petersburg. One source said the agreement to be discussed between Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi would not be about joint oil production or export strategy. Russia has stepped up contacts with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) after oil prices plunged last year, but it has dismissed any suggestion it might cut output to prop up prices. A spokeswoman for Russia’s energy ministry confirmed the meeting but declined to comment on the agenda. [Reuters, 6/18/2015]
Iraq’s oil exports hit record high so far in June
Iraq’s oil exports have averaged 3.20 million barrels per day (bpd) so far in June, setting shipments on course for a record high. Exports from Iraq’s southern terminals averaged 3.00 million barrels per day (bpd) in the first fifteen days of June, up from 2.69 million bpd in all of May. Shipments jumped after Iraq’s decision to split its crude oil stream into two grades to resolve quality issues. Some companies working at Iraqi oilfields have increased production following the move. Iraq is targeting a further increase in exports in 2015 to 3.3 million bpd, a level Iraqi officials say is within reach. [Reuters, 6/17/2015]
Is Egypt ready to take IMF pledges?
Egypt’s on-off talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) may be back on again, as investors say IMF loans offer a stronger platform for reviving the economy than the Gulf money currently keeping it afloat. Even with signs of a recovery in tourism and investment, the gap between Egypt’s foreign currency receipts and needs may reach $15 billion a year by 2017, says Jason Tuvey, a London-based analyst at Capital Economics. While support from Gulf Arab countries is “keeping strains in its balance of payments contained,” it is “not a long-term solution,” he says. However, from the government’s point of view, there are drawbacks to IMF funding. [Bloomberg, 6/18/2015]
Tunisian campaign questions management of oil, resource wealth
A campaign with the slogan “Where is the oil?” has spread among Tunisian Facebook and Twitter users. The campaign claims that Tunisians are being cheated out of much of the wealth generated by the country’s oil and gas fields due to mismanagement and corruption. The campaign began building momentum on social networking sites last month. It is not clear who launched the campaign, but the rallying cry has tapped into a widespread sense of malaise. Many hard-pressed Tunisians are wondering why living standards still appear to be sliding, and fear that the cronyism and corruption that permeated the business world under former President Zine El Abedine Ben Ali is continuing. [The National, 6/18/2015]