A grenade attack followed by a suicide bombing struck a coffee shop Saturday night in the pro-Assad neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, killing at least seven people and wounding more than thirty.
The al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front, claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter. However, the Lebanese Interior Minister Nihad Mashnouq claims that the Lebanese army has identified the attackers as ISIS militants. He further stressed that “we are totally convinced that ISIS has a plan to enter Lebanon. We will resist them, first, through national unity and, second, through security resistance via the cooperation of the country’s security service and military.” He also added that the government was coordinating with the Shia group Hezbollah in order to ease sectarian tensions that might arise following the attack. [Asharq al-Awsat, 1/12/2015, al-Arabiya, Reuters, 1/11/2015]
EGYPT | LIBYA & THE MAGHREB | SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS | YEMEN & THE GULF | ECONOMICS
Court acquits twenty-six men in ‘gay bathhouse’ case, prosecution to appeal
Twenty-six Egyptian men were found innocent of debauchery after being arrested for allegedly holding gay orgies in a Cairo bath house as forensic authority was unable to determine whether or not the defendants were involved in “homosexual acts.” However, the Azbakeya Prosecution decided on Monday to appeal the verdict. A challenge to the verdict will not affect the release of the acquitted men from custody. [Ahram Online, DNE, Egypt Independent, Aswat Masriya, Reuters, AP, 1/12/2015]
Egypt’s political parties invited to meet with Sisi on Monday
Egypt’s presidency has extended an invitation to political parties to meet with Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Monday, the first meeting with the president since he took office. The chairmen of several political parties said Sunday that Sisi’s presidential office contacted them by phone, asking them to attend a meeting. Sources said the invitation was extended to most political parties, including those who have been vocal in criticizing Sisi since he came to office. While parties differed on the objective of the meeting, topics of discussion are said to include the upcoming parliamentary elections, and Egypt’s fight against terrorism. [Ahram Online, 1/11/2015]
Militants abduct police officer in Rafah
Unidentified gunmen kidnapped on Sunday a police officer in North Sinai’s Rafah, security sources said. According to state-run, Al-Ahram, the officer, Omar al-Dessouky, was on a bus when alleged members from Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis stopped the bus, pretending to be part of a security checkpoint. The officer was taken from the bus to an undisclosed location. According to a security source, another officer was on the bus but managed to avoid capture by the militants by concealing his identity. The Egypt-Gaza border was set to be open from Tuesday to Thursday in both directions, however, the border will remain closed until authorities determine the whereabouts of the abducted police officer. [Ahram Online, Egypt Independent, Aswat Masriya, DNE, 1/11/2015]
Several deaths in Friday pro-Morsi protests
At least three people were killed in clashes between supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and security forces on Friday. The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhood’s outlawed political wing, confirmed the death of three protesters. Two of the deaths occurred in Giza and the third in the Matariya district in north Cairo. A male teenager was killed in clashes in Al-Haram Street in Giza, but officials could not identify whether the 18 year-old was a Morsi supporter participating in the protest or not. The Muslim Brotherhood had launched calls for protests ahead of January 25, marking the fourth anniversary of the 2011 revolution. [DNE, 1/10/2015]
For more in-depth Egypt news, please visit EgyptSource
Libya’s factions agree to new talks in Geneva next week
UN Special Representative Bernardino Leon announced a new round of talks to be held in Geneva this week between Libya’s competing factions. It remains unclear who will participate in the negotiations due to rival demands, however the meeting would address the formation of a unity government, drafting a new constitution, and ending hostilities. The governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States released a joint statement welcoming the step toward a peaceful resolution to Libya’s crisis. Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, also said Italy would be willing to participate in a UN peacekeeping effort in Libya. [Reuters, Libya Herald, 1/11/2015]
Warning of jihadist threat, Libyan PM pleads for help; PM in Zintan for military operations talks
Internationally recognized Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni asked the international community to cooperate and help Libya eliminate the extremist threats in his country. He specified that he wanted the UN Security Council arms embargo lifted in order to gain international assistance in defeating extremist groups. Al-Thinni was also in Zintan with his interior minister and acting defense minister for meetings with local military and political officials. They discussed the military’s needs and requirements for the area, as well as plans for taking Tripoli. [AFP, Libya Herald, 1/12/2015]
Sudan denies its planes entered Libyan airspace
Sudan denies that its planes entered Libyan airspace in efforts to supply Islamic fighting groups with munitions. Deputy President of Sudan’s Parliament Samia Mohamed reiterated that the country’s planes “have not and are not posing a threat to Libya because Libya is a neighboring state with long term brotherly ties.” This statement was in response to a threat by the Libyan Air Force that any Sudanese planes over Libya would be shot down due to fear of accusations that Sudan was supplying arms to Operation Libya Dawn. [Libya Herald, 1/11/2015]
Ennahda seeks consensus and neutrality; Nidaa Tounes leader responds negatively
The Shura Council of the Ennahda movement has decided to allow participation in the new Tunisian government for the purpose of national unity. Ennahda emphasized a need for neutrality in the sovereign ministries so as to avoid partisan bickering. Meanwhile, Nidaa Tounes leader Abdelaziz Kotti responded negatively, saying that Tunisia needed to prosecute those responsible for the security errors during Ennahda’s time in power. He also said that Ennahda brought political Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood into Tunisia and for that they cannot be part of the next stage in government. [L’Economiste Maghrebin (French), 1/12/2015]
Tunisian interim PM and labor union discuss pay increases in public sector and civil service
Interim Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa and Secretary-General of the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) Houcine Abassi met to discuss pay increases for the public sector and civil service. No information was given on the closed door meeting, but it is believed to have focused on the upcoming wage negotiations between the government and the UGTT. [TAP, 1/11/2015]
US-led coalition launch airstrikes against Islamic State; US airstrike in Syria may have killed fifty civilians
American-led forces launched airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Syria and Iraq, the US military said on Sunday. At least nine of the airstrikes hit near the town of Kobani hitting ISIS units, buildings, and fighting positions. Another strike hit an ISIS position near Albu Kamal, close to Iraq. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports on Monday that twenty strikes in eastern and northeastern Syria hit ISIS controlled oilfields and ISIS positions. In other events, a coalition airstrike killed at least fifty civilians late last month when it targeted a headquarter of ISIS in northern Syria, according to eyewitnesses and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. [SOHR, Reuters, The Guardian, 1/12/2015]
Suicide attack in pro-Assad neighborhood in north Lebanon kills at least seven
A grenade attack followed by a suicide bombing struck a coffee shop Saturday night in the pro-Assad neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, killing at least seven people and wounding more than thirty. The al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front, claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter. However, the Lebanese Interior Minister Nihad Mashnouq claims that the Lebanese army has identified the attackers as ISIS militants. He further stressed that “we are totally convinced that ISIS has a plan to enter Lebanon. We will resist them, first, through national unity and, second, through security resistance via the cooperation of the country’s security service and military.” He also added that the government was coordinating with the Shia group Hezbollah in order to ease sectarian tensions that might arise following the attack. [Asharq al-Awsat, 1/12/2015, al-Arabiya, Reuters, 1/11/2015]
ISIS kills twenty-four Kurds in surprise attack in Iraq
ISIS militants killed at least twenty-four members of the Kurdish security forces in a surprise attack in northern Iraq on Saturday. Clashes between Kurdish forces and ISIS militants continued on Sunday near the town of Gwer, twenty-five miles from Kurdish stronghold of Erbil. Gwer is likely to be a launch-pad for any future attempt by Iraqi and Kurdish forces to retake Mosul. [Reuters, 1/11/2015]
France says 1,400 have joined Islamist groups in Syria and Iraq
Some 1,400 people living in France have either joined the jihadist cause in Syria and Iraq or are planning to do so, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Monday. The latest government figures were a big jump from mid-December, when 1,200 people were said to have left or are seeking to leave to battle alongside Islamists. The statement comes as Danish police announce that they have seen a decline throughout 2014 in its citizens joining groups in Syria and Iraq. [Naharnet, 1/12/2015]
Former leader of the Syrian National Coalition decline Moscow talks
Moaz al-Khatib, a key Syrian opposition official and former leader of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), said on Friday that he has declined an invitation to take part in a Russian-led bid for new talks to end the conflict. He said that “the necessary conditions” for a dialogue have not yet been met but does not reject future talks if conditions are met. Khatib’s statement comes four days after the newly elected head of SNC, Khaled Khoja, said the main opposition grouping had ruled out taking part in the talks. [Daily Mail, 1/9/2015]
Thousands protest in Yemen against President, Shiite rebels
Demonstrations held on Saturday in Yemen’s capital were the first of their kind demanding President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi step down since he took over the presidency in 2012. Many in the streets chanted slogans accusing Hadi of mismanaging the country to the point where state institutions collapsed and militants could take over. They have named their protest the “rejection” movement. The demonstrators also denounced last week’s attack on a police academy in Sanaa. [AP, 1/11/2015]
HRW urges probe into Yemen separatist killing
Human Rights Watch on Sunday urged the Yemeni government to “credibly” investigate the killing of a prominent southern separatist while he was being arrested during a protest. Khaled al-Junaidi, a well-known figure in the Southern Movement, was shot in the chest when security forces opened fire while trying to arrest him on December 15. Although authorities established a committee to investigate the killing, no arrests have been made. It is feared that a lack of action by the government will fuel anti-government resentment and send a message that the security forces are beyond the reach of law. The Southern Movement has been staging a regular sit-in in central Aden since mid-October to demand secession. [AFP, HRW, 1/11/2015]
Saudi blogger flogged in public for “insulting” Islam
Saudi blogger Raef Badawi was flogged in public on Friday near a mosque in Jeddah, receiving fifty lashes for “insulting Islam,” witnesses said. In September, a Saudi court upheld a sentence of ten years in prison and 1,000 lashes for Badawi, and he is expected to have twenty weekly whipping sessions until his punishment is complete. Badawi is the co-founder of the Saudi Liberal Network along with women’s rights campaigner Suad al-Shammari, who was arrested last October and also accused of “insulting Islam.” [AFP, Al Jazeera, 1/9/2015]
Paris attackers cite revenge for Awlaki’s death as reason for massacre
Despite being killed in a drone strike five years ago, Anwar Awlaki’s legacy is still inspiring recruits. In an audio recording later broadcast by BFMTV channel in France, Chérif Kouachi stated that Awlaki helped finance the attack on Charlie Hebdo. An eyewitness to the killings heard the brothers yell to passers-by at the shooting scene to “tell the media that this is al Qaeda in Yemen.” They reportedly told the driver of a car they hijacked that their attack was in revenge for Awlaki’s death. [NYT, CNN, 1/10/2015]
Islamic cleric gets life in plot to kidnap tourists in Yemen
An Egyptian-born cleric who turned a London mosque into a training ground for extremist Islamists was sent to prison for life on Friday by a judge who cited his lack of remorse for “barbaric” acts that included aiding kidnappers who killed four tourists in Yemen in 1998 and sending two men to the United States to open a terrorist training camp in Oregon. [AP, 1/9/2015]
Foreign investment in Egypt will reach about $2 billion in second quarter
According to Egyptian investment minister, foreign investment in Egypt will reach about $2 billion in the second quarter of the fiscal year, up from $1.8 billion dollars in the previous quarter. Egypt is preparing a new unified investment law and holding an investment conference in the resort city of Sharm al-Sheikh in mid-March, hoping to secure domestic and foreign investment of $10-12 billion. [Reuters, 1/11/2015]
Yemen’s foreign exchange reserves reach $4.6 billion
According to an official report, Yemen’s foreign exchange reserves recorded nearly $ 4.6 billion by the end of November 2014. A report issued by the Central Bank of Yemen showed that the bank had covered the importation bill of oil derivatives and basic foodstuffs during the same month with more than $279 million. Overall, the total budget of the Bank recorded a decline of 64 billion riyals by the end of November, bringing the budget balance to nearly 2.1 trillion riyals. [SABA, 1/11/2015]
Algeria to invest $70 billion in shale gas over twenty years
Algeria’s energy giant Sonatrach plans to invest at least $70 billion over the next twenty years to exploit shale gas in the southern desert. The firm intends to press ahead with its plans despite huge public opposition in the In Salah area of the central Sahara where successful test drilling was announced last month. Sonatrach hopes to produce some 20 billion cubic meters of shale gas per year from 200 drill sites. [Arab news, 1/12/2015]
Libya’s Tobruk government admits to having no access to CBL funds
The Libyan internationally recognized government based in Tobruk says it is still funding itself using a LD250 million bank loan, as it has been unable to access funds from the Central Bank of Libya (CBL). In September, the House of Representatives voted to replace CBL governor Saddeq Elkaber with his deputy Ali Elherbi in an effort to get more control over the body, but the move seems to have had little effect. In December Tobruk had first announced that it was using a bank loan issued by the National Commercial Bank. [Libya Monitor, 1/12/2015]
Tunisia to issue $750 million of bonds in January
According to the central bank governor, Tunisia will issue $1.75 billion of dollar-denominated bonds and Islamic sukuks in 2015 as it seeks funds to revive economic growth. He earlier told reporters the dollar-denominated issue would be for 10-year bonds. Discussions with the market over the issue would start on January 15. The government said late last year that to finance its 2015 budget, Tunisia would need 8 billion dinars ($4.2 billion), of which 5 billion dinars would come from foreign sources. [Reuters, 1/12/2015]