Kurdish fighters on Tuesday took full control of the border town Tal Abyad, cutting off a vital supply line to the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa. The Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) and allied-Free Syrian Army fighters are now removing booby traps and mines planted by the extremists in the area so that residents can return. Analysts say that if the YPG can hold Tal Abyad and use it to connect Kobani to al-Jazira, the area will be strategically valuable to the US-led anti-ISIS coalition and will empower self-governance structures in predominantly Kurdish northeastern Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that he was troubled by the advance of Kurdish forces in Tal Abyad, fearing that the Kurds will threaten Turkey in the future if groups such as the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) settle into the areas vacated by ISIS. [AP, NYT, 6/16/2015]
EGYPT | LIBYA & THE MAGHREB | SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS | YEMEN & THE GULF | ECONOMICS
Cairo court confirms death sentence on ousted president Morsi
Egypt’s former president Mohamed Morsi was sentenced to death by hanging and handed a life imprisonment sentence after being convicted in two cases on Tuesday. The first case, which sentenced him to death, claimed that Morsi and 129 others were guilty of escaping the Wadi al-Natroun prison during the January 2011 uprising with the help of Hamas and Hezbollah. The second, in which he was sentenced to life in prison, accused Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood members of spying for Hamas. More than eighty others were sentenced to death in absentia. The death sentences were originally issued in May, and according to state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper can still be appealed. The court also ordered the defendants to collectively pay LE250 million in civil compensation for the lawyer who originally filed the lawsuit. The Muslim Brotherhood described the sentences as “null and void” and called for a popular uprising on Friday. Yahya Hamid, a former minister in Morsi’s cabinet and head of international relations for the Brotherhood, said the trial had “fallen below all international standards,” and that “[the] verdict is a nail in the coffin of democracy in Egypt.” Morsi’s court appointed lawyer said he plans to appeal the court rulings. [Ahram Online, AP, Reuters, Aswat Masriya, Mada Masr, The Guardian, Cairo Post , DNE, Egypt Independent, The Guardian, 6/16/2015]
Sinai tribes feel safer, reject further Rafah border evacuations
Prominent Sinai chieftain Sheikh Aref Abu Akr said the army has set up four security checkpoints south of Sheikh Zuweid where militant elements of the Ansar Beit al-Maqdis terrorist organization operate. He said the checkpoints have greatly contributed to the reduction of the organization’s movement. Abu Akr said he is requesting that more checkpoints to be established further south. He added that tribal elders have been promised by security forces that detainees who are not proven to have been involved in terrorist acts will be released before Ramadan. Abu Akr also objected to the evacuation of an additional 500 meters to be added to the already evacuated 1,200 meters along the border with the Gaza Strip. [Egypt Independent, 6/5/2015]
Activists in London, US, Canada plan protests in solidarity with Egyptian prisoners
Activists in London, Ottawa, Montreal and New York, announced plans to stage protests on June 20 and 21 in solidarity with political prisoners in Egypt, the MENA Solidarity Network said in a statement on Tuesday. The statement called for an end to the repression of protests in Egypt, freedom for thousands of political prisoners, fair trials, and an end to abuse, torture and executions. The statement also called for the release of activists Mahienour al-Masry, Shawkan, Abdallah al-Fakharany, Ahmed Douma, Alaa Abdel Fattah, Sanaa Seif. [Egypt Independent , 6/16/2015]
Shafiq party rejects his resignation
The Egyptian Patriotic Movement has rejected the resignation of its leader Ahmed Shafiq, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported. The party’s higher committee met on Monday and discussed the former presidential runner-up resignation where they decided to reject it. The movement’s supreme council said it would form a committee to travel to Abu Dhabi, where the Mubarak-era prime minister has lived for “security reasons” since he lost the presidency to Mohamed Morsi in 2012, to convince him to remain with the party. The council said in a statement that they see Shafiq as a “principle,” not a person, and that he is a true symbol of the party and will remain its head “forever.” Shafiq founded the Egyptian Patriotic Movement in December 2012. [Ahram Online, DNE, 6/16/2015]
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Libya talks continue with drafts from the House of Representatives
The House of Representatives (HoR), meeting in Tobruk on Monday, decided to refer Draft No. 4 to a nineteen-member committee to assess it and make recommendations for amendments. The draft was presented last week to members of the UN-brokered Dialogue process by UN Envoy Bernardino Leon but has proved controversial with many HoR members and their supporters. Dissatisfaction was also expressed over the meeting in Cairo on Sunday between Leon and twenty-six members of the HoR. Five members of the group walked out of the meeting in protest at what they claimed was Leon’s demand that the HoR approves the draft as it stands and discuss problems with it afterwards. [Libya Herald, 6/16/2015]
Veteran militant not confirmed dead in US strike in Libya
Al-Qaeda and other militants in Libya released on Tuesday a list of names of those killed in a US airstrike over the weekend that does not include the raid’s main target, al-Qaeda-linked commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar. US officials initially said they believed they hit their target, but later said assessments were still underway. A Libyan official said tests were needed to identify the dead, who numbered at least seventeen. In the airstrikes on Sunday, two F-15 fighter jets launched multiple 500-pound bombs, a US official said. Authorities say no US personnel were on the ground for the assault. [AP, 6/16/2015]
Italy is asking the EU to process refugee camps in Libya
Italy is to ask the European Union to set up refugee processing camps in Libya. Under the Dublin Convention, refugees must apply for asylum in the first country of entry to Europe, a rule which Italy says is unfair as it struggles to accommodate the huge numbers of migrants arriving on the country’s shores. [Libya Business News, 6/16/2015]
ISIS claims deadly attack on Tunisia police
The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) claimed responsibility for an attack in central Tunisia on Tuesday that killed three policemen and wounded twelve. In a statement posted on Twitter, ISIS said “two soldiers of the caliphate who attacked two military sites with small arms” carried out the attack in the Sidi Bouzid region. [The Daily Star/AFP, 6/16/2015]
Francois Hollande visits Algeria
French President Francois Hollande made a seven-hour visit to Algeria on Monday for talks on security issues, calling the fight against terrorism a “common battle.” Hollande met with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal. The leaders discussed issues related to economic partnerships, security, and terrorism. [AP, 6/16/2015]
Kurdish fighters seize full control of ISIS border stronghold
Kurdish fighters on Tuesday took full control of the border town Tal Abyad, cutting off a vital supply line to the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa. The Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) and allied-Free Syrian Army fighters are now removing booby traps and mines planted by the extremists in the area so that residents can return. Analysts say that if the YPG can hold Tal Abyad and use it to connect Kobani to al-Jazira, the area will be strategically valuable to the US-led anti-ISIS coalition and will empower self-governance structures in predominantly Kurdish northeastern Syria. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that he was troubled by the advance of Kurdish forces in Tal Abyad, fearing that the Kurds will threaten Turkey in the future if groups such as the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) settle into the areas vacated by ISIS. [AP, NYT, 6/16/2015]
Intense rebel shelling of Aleppo kills more than thirty
More than thirty people have been killed in a rebel bombardment of Aleppo. UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura called the shelling an indiscriminate attack on civilians, but said the government should not retaliate by dropping barrel bombs on populated areas in the divided city. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told De Mistura in a meeting in Damascus on Tuesday that the world needs to recognize the threat of terrorism and prevent foreign states from arming insurgents. [Reuters, AP, 6/16/2015]
Iraqi families return to Tikrit several weeks after ISIS defeat
Iraqi officials say families have begun returning to Tikrit, two and a half months after security forces backed by Shia militias drove ISIS out of the northern Sunni city. Saladin province Gov. Raed al-Jabouri said that around 200 families returned yesterday, and more than a thousand families are expected to return Thursday. Thousands of Sunni Arabs have also fled Anbar for Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region in an attempt to escape fighting and sectarian backlash in government-held areas. The fall of Sunni-majority Ramadi to ISIS in Iraq’s Anbar province last month triggered Sunni fear of reprisals by Shia militias. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in televised remarks Monday that “an average of forty suicide [bombers] enter Iraq per month” and that there are now more foreigners fighting alongside ISIS in Iraq than there are Iraqis. [AP, 6/16/2015]
US Congress to hear testimony on Assad’s weaponization of chlorine
The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) will tell the US Congress Wednesday that the Assad regime is systematically weaponizing chlorine to spread fear among civilian populations, defying a recent UN Security Council resolution. SAMS, which runs ninety-five medical facilities inside the country, documented thirty-one separate chlorine attacks from March to June, and claims the attacks were conducted by launching barrel bombs from helicopters and targeting civilian areas. [The Guardian, 6/16/2015]
Hezbollah reports new progress against ISIS along Lebanon border
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television station reported Tuesday that its fighters and the Syrian army have taken control of Ras al-Kosh and Qornet Ras al-Saabeh, two towns in Syria’s Qalamoun province on the Syrian-Lebanese border. The reports claim that several ISIS members were killed in the fighting, an accomplishment following Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s declaration of war against ISIS last week. [Naharnet, 6/16/2015]
Top al-Qaeda official dies in US airstrike
Al-Qaeda has confirmed that the deputy leader of the group, Nasser al-Wuhayshi, has been killed in a US bombing in Yemen. A close associate of Osama bin Laden in the years leading up to the September 11 attacks, al-Wuhayshi (a Yemeni in his late 30s) was named as al-Qaeda’s effective number two in 2013.
With a $10 million price on his head offered by US authorities, Wuhayshi was also leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and his death potentially weakens the group, widely seen as the militant network’s strongest branch. Al-Wuhayshi led the group as it plotted foiled bomb attacks against international airliners and claimed responsibility for the deadly shooting at the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, calling it punishment for insulting the Prophet Mohammed. Wuhayshi is the sixth major AQAP leader killed in suspected US strikes this year. [Reuters, AP, 6/16/2015]
Houthi officials arrive in Geneva, refuse participation in talks with Yemeni government
Houthi rebels landed in Geneva on Tuesday after failing to arrive for the peace negotiations’ opening remarks on Monday morning. Shortly after arriving, a spokesman for the Houthi delegation announced that they would not be talking with members of President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi’s exiled government, saying that the government lacked “legitimacy.” The Houthis, with Iranian support, added that they wanted talks instead with Saudi Arabia, which has been leading an aerial campaign against the rebels since March 26. The Yemeni government delegation continues to reinforce its stance on the implementation of UN Resolution 2216. Yemeni Foreign Minister Reyad Yassin Abdullah said to reporters that before a ceasefire could be considered, the Houthis would have to release thousands of prisoners and withdraw from strongholds in Taiz and Aden. [Daily Star, Reuters, 6/16/2015]
UN High Commissioner for human rights expresses concern over rights violations in the Gulf
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein highlighted the urgent need for a ceasefire in Yemen to ease the plight of civilians facing what aid agencies have warned is a “catastrophic” humanitarian situation. In his opening remarks to the 29th session of the Human Rights Council, al-Hussein said that his office had received reports that “indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks are being used on densely populated areas.” The blockade on imports of fuel, food, and medicine, which the Saudi-led coalition has maintained in a bid to cut off arms supplies to rebel forces, “should be lifted immediately” he said. In addition, al-Hussein spoke of poor prisoner treatment in Bahrain and repression in other Gulf states. [NY Times, 6/15/2015]
Egypt enters into initial deal for projects worth $10 billion with China
Egyptian Trade Minister Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour has signed an initial framework agreement with representatives from the Chinese trade ministry for fifteen projects worth about $10 billion. Financing agreements for the projects will be signed between late June and September, the ministry said. The projects will focus mainly on the electricity and transport sectors, but will also include direct Chinese investment in other projects. The minister added that the Export-Import Bank of China would provide financing for six transport projects, including building a new railroad and developing several existing ones. [Reuters, 6/16/2015]
Iraq in talks with international banks to ease fiscal deficit
Iraq’s Minister of Finance Hoshyar Zebari met with representatives from several global banks, including JP Morgan, Citibank, and Deutsche Bank in a second day of negotiations in Istanbul focusing on covering Iraq’s 2015 budget deficit. A delegation including representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s advisor for economic affairs answered questions from the banks’ representatives on Iraq’s economy. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has already reached an agreement to loan Iraq $833 million to help support the country’s public financing. [Shafaq News, 6/16/2015]
Qatar’s secretive sovereign fund to restructure, say sources
Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), one of the world’s most aggressive sovereign wealth funds, will set asset allocation targets for the first time and restructure internal decisionmaking, sources say, in response to a drop in oil prices that has narrowed available funds as competition for assets grows. Sources working in Qatar or for foreign institutions that work with the QIA said the review process is currently ongoing. The QIA is estimated to have $304 billion of assets. The review could see tens of billions of dollars flow into new geographies; however, the funds are likely to flow into sectors where QIA has a strong track record, such as financial services, real estate, and consumer goods. [Reuters, 6/15/2015]
NOC Chairman says Libya’s oil production at 432,000 bpd
Libya is producing 432,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil, National Oil Corporation (NOC) Chairman Mustafa Sanallah said today. Around 350,000 bpd is exported, Sanallah told the National Oil Companies Congress. He added that Libya is aiming to increase output by 200,000 bpd, in large part by resuming exports from the field operated by Waha Oil Co. Sanallah said the NOC is close to a deal with local factions that would enable it to reopen the El Sharara and El Feel oilfields. An NOC spokesman also said efforts are underway to reopen the Zueitina, Zawiya, and Mellitah ports. Sanallah’s comments come as the NOC said over the weekend that Libya’s oil production is at 500,000 bpd. [Reuters, 6/16/2015]