Libya’s army chief has ordered the deployment of Islamist-led militias to the capital, a day after the storming of the General National Congress (GNC) building by a renegade general’s troops. This development paves the way for a possible showdown between the militias, which hail from Libya’s western and central regions, and the anti-Islamist troops allied with General Khalifa Hifter. Forces loyal to the general said they had planned the storming of the GNC in a campaign to rid the country of Islamist hardliners. They announced the freezing of the GNC, saying that the GNC had no legitimacy and should hand power over to the Constitutional Committee. In the aftermath, gunfire erupted across Tripoli, with rival militias clashing in some of the worst violence since the 2011 revolution. Seven GNC members were detained and later released. Rumors spread about Justice Minister Salah Marghani narrowly surviving an assassination attempt. Marghani condemned the violence and rejected the attackers’ demands. Reports put the number of dead at five and the number of injured at seventy-three. [AP, 5/19/2014]
EGYPT | LIBYA | SYRIA | TUNISIA | YEMEN | RELATED ISSUES
Candidates continue their media offensive in lead up to elections
Presidential candidate Abdel Fattah al-Sisi appeared in his third television interview Sunday evening on Dream and Al-Nahar channels. Sisi expressed his concern about those who say the elections are rigged for his benefit. He acknowledged the unstable economy and its effect on business. When asked if he is out of touch with the youth of the nation, he said that young Egyptians should vote for the candidate they prefer. He also defended his decision to salute deposed president Mohammed Morsi while serving as his defense minister saying it was out of respect for the office of the president. In an interview with Al-Hayat, Hamdeen Sabahi said he does not believe or trust in Sisi’s capacity to end corruption in Egypt. During an interview with Shorouk, Sabbahi stated that a return to Mubarak era policies is not an option and that the people would revolt if Egypt’s next leader followed in Mubarak’s steps. [Mada Masr, 5/19/2014]
Carter Center expresses concern about Egypt’s political transition
The Carter Center released a set of observations and analyses regarding the presidential elections, expressing concern at the political transition in the country and suggesting recommendations, and steps to be taken by the new president. Former United States President Jimmy Carter was quoted as saying, “I am gravely concerned that Egypt’s democratic transition has faltered,” in a report released by the center on Friday. With the elections around the corner, the center said that the “period leading up to the presidential election, the legal framework and the actions of the government have severely limited political freedoms, marginalized opposition groups, and prohibited free and open political participation.” [Aswat Masriya, Ahram Online, DNE, 5/17/2014]
EU to monitor Egypt’s presidential elections
The European Union’s election observation mission (EOM) is able to continue to observe the upcoming presidential elections, said Chief Observer Mario David Monday morning. This comes after the EOM faced some bureaucratic obstacles when it was not granted permission to import essential equipment needed for its staff. Egyptian officials released all of the equipment Sunday afternoon. David said that he does not believe that there was an intention from Egyptian authorities to block the mission’s work, adding that it was a matter of paperwork. The EOM had earlier announced that it would not monitor elections when Egyptian customs agents seized the equipment. [Ahram Online, DNE, 5/19/2014]
Seventeen new wells to join Egypt’s natural gas grid
Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum plans to add seventeen new natural gas wells to its production grid to increase the daily production of gas by nearly one billion cubic feet. According to Minister of Petroleum Sherif Ismail, drilling the wells will start in September and is expected to cost $2.4 billion. Earlier this week, Ismail said that two other natural gas fields will start production in June and August to support the national gas grid. The ministry forecasts total natural gas production to increase 1.7 percent to reach 5.4 billion cubic feet per day in the coming fiscal year 2014/15 compared to the current fiscal year, while consumption is projected to increase 12.5 percent to amount to 5.57 billion cubic feet per day in the same period. [Ahram Online, 5/18/2014]
Army orders Islamist-led militias to capital after storming of GNC
Libya’s army chief has ordered the deployment of Islamist-led militias to the capital, a day after the storming of the General National Congress (GNC) building by a renegade general’s troops. This development paves the way for a possible showdown between the militias, which hail from Libya’s western and central regions, and the anti-Islamist troops allied with General Khalifa Hifter. Forces loyal to the general said they had planned the storming of the GNC in a campaign to rid the country of Islamist hardliners. They announced the freezing of the GNC, saying that the GNC had no legitimacy and should hand power over to the Constitutional Committee. In the aftermath, gunfire erupted across Tripoli, with rival militias clashing in some of the worst violence since the 2011 revolution. Seven GNC members were detained and later released. Rumors spread about Justice Minister Salah Marghani narrowly surviving an assassination attempt. Marghani condemned the violence and rejected the attackers’ demands. Reports put the number of dead at five and the number of injured at seventy-three. [AP, 5/19/2014]
Haftar vows more Benghazi attacks following deadly clashes in eastern Libya
General Khalifa Haftar appeared determined to pursue his campaign of ridding the country of Islamists after saying late on Saturday that his withdrawal from Benghazi the day before was so his forces could regroup before attacking again. At least seventy-nine people were killed and 141 others wounded in fierce clashes in eastern Libya between armed groups loyal to Haftar and Islamist militias. Libya’s government accused the “outlaw” retired general of trying to carry out a coup. Haftar, who lead ground forces in the 2011 uprising, has been using government aircraft in an unauthorized campaign against Islamists, vowing to fight until Benghazi is “purged of terrorists.” The army announced a no-fly zone over the port city and suburbs. Concerned about security ramifications from the violence in Benghazi, Tunisian authorities decided to send 5,000 troops to the border with Libya to strengthen military units there. [Al Jazeera, AFP, 5/18/2014]
Outgoing Tripoli local council head says it is time to take a stand against militias
Sadat Elbadri, the outgoing head of the Tripoli Local Council, has said, “It is time to take a stand to get the militias out of Tripoli.” He added that the capital is suffering due to a “security void.” Many businesses and embassies are operating as Tripoli gets back to work after experiencing some of the worst violence since the revolution. Earlier, residents of Tripoli went to the polls on Saturday to elect four new municipal councils that will take over administrative responsibilities in the city. Dozens of polling stations were operating throughout the greater capital area. One voter expressed hope that the municipal councils will serve the city in a transparent manner. Results from the election are expected this week. [Libya Herald, 5/17/2014]
Syria war toll over 162,000
At least 162,000 people have been killed in Syria’s three year-old conflict, a monitoring group said on Monday, and thousands more POWs are missing. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said losses among government fighters were higher than those among pro-rebel groups, and estimated that at least 54,000 civilians had been killed. It estimated 62,800 deaths among the army, pro-Assad militia, Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, and other foreign Shia gunmen. That compared with 42,700 rebel deaths, including fighters from al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front, other Islamist brigades, and soldiers who defected from Assad’s army. [Daily Star, 5/19/2014]
Chief of air defense forces killed in combat; Major regime offensive in south
The chief of Syria’s air defense forces, General Hussein Isaac, has been killed in a key battleground near Damascus. He is one of the few top-ranking officers whose deaths have been announced, in what analysts described as an “important psychological blow” to the regime. The general had been fighting at Mleiha, a key battleground southeast of the capital. Mleiha has been under siege for more than a year, and under near-constant bombardment for more than a month. Further to the south, the army pressed a counteroffensive against rebels on Saturday, firing a surface-to-surface missile and carrying out numerous air strikes in the area. The violence comes a day after the army launched a massive bid to reclaim strategic positions in the west of Deraa province seized by rebels in recent weeks. [Al Jazeera, 5/18/2014]
Defense minister for opposition resigns
The minister of defense for Syria’s opposition government has resigned following disagreements with the body’s head, highlighting divisions among President Bashar al-Assad’s opponents. Saudi-backed dissident Asaad Mustafa was appointed to his post in November as part of a plan by the opposition National Coalition to administer rebel-held areas of the war-torn country. Mustafa served as minister of agriculture under Assad’s father, Hafez al-Assad, but defected after the uprising turned into war. A rebel source close to Mustafa said he resigned on Sunday night to protest a lack of funds for his fighters from Coalition head Ahmed Jarba. But a source in the Coalition said Mustafa left after Jarba refused to appoint him as provisional prime minister, a post currently held by Ahmed Tumeh, a moderate Islamist. [Daily Star, 5/19/2014]
CIA intervenes to block large shipment of Ukranian weapons to Syrian rebels
Details emerged Sunday about an aborted plan in summer 2013 to provide 70,000 Russian-made assault rifles and twenty-one million rounds of ammunition to the Free Syrian Army, a major infusion that backers say could have dramatically altered battlefield dynamics. The prospective deal for the Ukrainian weapons was to be spearheaded by a former Pentagon official and bankrolled by a member of the Saudi royal family, before the CIA intervened to quash the transaction. [WSJ: 5/18/2014]
Wage negotiations in private sector to start Monday in Tunisia
Three framework agreements regarding wage negotiations in the private sector, production and productivity, and purchasing power and prices respectively were signed on Saturday. Negotiations on wages in the private sector for 2014 are expected to follow the signing of the agreements, begin on Monday, and be completed by the end of May. These talks are expected to benefit approximately two million workers. [All Africa, 5/17/2014]
Tunisia to send 5,000 extra troops to Libyan border
Tunisia’s National Council for Security, in an emergency meeting held in Tunis following the clashes that took place in Benghazi on Friday, has decided to take a series of “proactive measures” to boost security in anticipation of possible consequences from the situation in Libya. Tunisia will send 5,000 troops to strengthen military units already stationed near the Libyan border. [Libya Herald, 5/18/2014]
Ben Ali security chief gets reduced sentence
The head of presidential security under Ben Ali walked free on Saturday after a controversial appeal ruling cut his jail sentence from twenty years to three. Many Tunisian MPs called for retrial with some calling it a major shock. Seriati had been in jail ever since Ben Ali fled into exile in Saudi Arabia in January 2011 following the first of that year’s Arab Spring uprisings. He was convicted of murder in July 2012 over the deaths of dozens of protesters in greater Tunis during the uprising. The conviction was overturned on appeal last month and replaced with the lesser charge of failing to come to the assistance of people in danger, and his jail sentence reduced accordingly. [Gulf News, 5/17/2014]
Ibb clashes between Houthis and tribesmen leave two dead
Two Yemenis were killed and five others injured in renewed clashes on Saturday between Shiite Houthi militants and tribesmen in the central province of Ibb, a security source said. The violence broke out when Houthi militants bombed houses of loyalists of a Yemeni tribal leader in the province’s Ar-Radmah district, sources said. Violence erupts occasionally in Ibb due to tribesmen’s fears that the Houthis are planning to control some areas in the district. In Amran province, clashes also broke out between Houthis and tribesmen on Friday, though mediation efforts on behalf of the governor appear to have successfully halted the violence. [World Bulletin, 5/19/2014]
Interior ministry says attacks on electricity, oil to be treated as terrorism
Attacks on oil pipelines, electricity towers, and blocking roads used to distribute oil derivatives are acts that will now all be treated as terrorist crimes, the interior ministry announced on Sunday. The statement comes as the central government’s conflict with tribes in Marib and Hadramawt have escalated in recent weeks, and tribes have targeted energy infrastructure resulting in chronic power outages throughout the country. The presidential fact-finding commission found that a Marib tribal sheikh killed last week along with his entourage in fact had no connection to terrorists, despite initial reports to the contrary. On Saturday, aggrieved tribesmen set up tents around Safer oil field, demanding that those responsible for the sheikh’s death be turned over, or they will block access to the field. [Al-Masdar (Arabic), 5/18/2014]
Southern leader appears in al-Bayda to call for support for Hadi
Muhammad Ali al-Saqqaf, a prominent figure in the Southern Herak movement, is calling for the other Herak activists to support President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi. He cautioned other Herak activists to deal wisely with Hadi, given that the political climate in Sana’a—particularly the tense relationship between the General People’s Congress and Joint Meeting Parties—leaves uncertain who may emerge as president and their position on the South. Saqqaf, however, also made it clear that supporting Hadi does not mean giving up on the demand for the restoration of an independent South. [Al-Masdar (Arabic), 5/19/2014]
Yemen hopes to seal IMF deal soon
Yemen hopes a loan deal from the IMF will allow it to start cutting costly energy subsidies that sap expenditure and are exploited by smugglers, but are relied on by the poorest in the country. The deal will be sealed this month, the finance minister said. The impoverished nation has been holding technical talks with International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials for several months and is expecting to hold detailed negotiations in Jordan this week. According to the finance minister, Yemen was seeking “substantially more” than the $560mn over three years that the IMF has proposed. In related news, Sana’a held its first microfinance and job fair, hoping to target youths specifically. [Reuters, 5/19/2014]
Jordan terrorism amendments threaten rights
The amendments, which would replace four articles in Jordan’s 2006 Anti-Terrorism Law, broaden the definition of terrorism to include such acts as “disturbing [Jordan’s] relations with a foreign state.” That offense is already in Jordan’s penal code and is regularly used to punish peaceful criticism of foreign countries or their rulers. The amendments would also stiffen penalties. The proposed amendments remove the requirement of a connection to an act of violence, instead including a definition that references acts that “sow discord” or “disturb public order.” [HRW, 5/18/2014]
State of Law wins big in Iraq, but political competitors seek to oust Maliki
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s electoral bloc won the most seats in Iraq’s parliamentary polls, results released on Monday showed, but he fell short of an overall majority. Maliki’s State of Law alliance won ninety-two out of 328 parliamentary seats, in the results released by the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), far ahead of the second highest figure. Maliki’s closest competitors were the Sadrist Ahrar Bloc with twenty-eight seats, and the Muwatin Coalition, another Shia majority party, with twenty-nine. The IHEC in its press conference this morning also announced that the votes from three-hundred polling stations will be disqualified due to irregularities. Despite Maliki’s large victory, it is not big enough to achieve the 165 seats necessary to form a government, and he has few allies. Despite broad disagreements among his competitors—Shia, Sunni, and Kurds—they all agree that the country would be better off without his leadership. [AFP, AP, 5/19/2014]
Algeria court sentences youths after Bouteflika demo
Two youths, one a Tunisian, were given six-month suspended sentences on Sunday for protesting against a fourth presidential mandate for Algeria’s Abdelaziz Bouteflika, their lawyers said. The pair, who have consistently protested their innocence, were found guilty by the Algiers court of joining an unarmed gathering, but would be freed after spending more than a month in custody. The prosecution had asked for a one-year prison term for each defendant. The two defendants claim they were only passing by on April 16 when the Barakat Movement organized a demonstration ahead of the presidential election. [AFP, 5/18/2014]