Month: February 2017

Number of Tunisian IS-Affiliated Terrorists in Libya in Sharp Decline, AFRICOM

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The US Defense Department’s military section for Africa, AFRICOM has told Associated Press (AP) that the number of Tunisian terrorists affiliated to the Islamic State group in Libya has fallen from 5,000 fighters to a few hundreds. According to a 2015 UN report, Tunisia was the largest terrorist supplier, as over 5,000 Tunisians had left the country since 2011 to join terrorist groups in hotbed conflict zones, namely Syria, Iraq and Libya. The Stuttgart-based US-Africa command enabled Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) to flash IS militants out of Sirte,…

Merkel’s trip to Algeria called off due to president’s illness

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Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to Algiers was called off on Monday because President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was “temporarily unavailable” due to “acute bronchitis”, his office said. “Algerian and German authorities have today mutually agreed to postpone the official visit” of Merkel, the presidency said in a statement. Merkel, who last week hosted Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, is hoping for partnerships with Maghreb countries and Egypt to prevent a new wave of migrants making the dangerous sea crossing to the EU. Algeria is a key actor in seeking to stabilize neighbouring…

Tunis Declaration for comprehensive political settlement in Libya

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Following a meeting of Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt’s foreign ministers held on February 19 and 20, 2017 to reach a comprehensive political settlement in Libya, the Tunis Declaration supports the inter- Libyan consensual proposals for implementing the Skhirat Agreement concluded on December 17, 2015. According to the text of the Declaration adopted on Monday, these proposals provide for the introduction of amendments and improvements to the Skhirat agreement to ensure their implementation. The signatories of this Declaration reaffirm the commitment to pursue reconciliation efforts, as part of an Inter-Libyan Dialogue,…

Talk of Terror Listing for Muslim Brotherhood Alarms Some Arab Allies

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In Morocco, it would tip a delicate political balance. In Jordan, it could prevent American diplomats from meeting with opposition leaders. In Tunisia, it could make criminals of a political party seen as a model of democracy after the Arab Spring. Of all the initiatives of the Trump administration that have set the Arab world on edge, none has as much potential to disrupt the internal politics of American partners in the region as the proposal to criminalize the Muslim Brotherhood, the pre-eminent Islamist movement with millions of followers. “The impact…

Stolen Guercino Altarpiece Worth $6 Million Found in Morocco

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A collector notified police after illicit dealers attempted to sell him the painting in Casablanca. A painting that was stolen from a church in Modena in 2014 is now on its way back home, after a savvy collector in Casablanca recognized the work. The Art Newspaper reports that three men have been arrested after attempting to sell the 1639 altarpiece Madonna with the Saints John the Evangelist and Gregory the Wonderworker, belonging to the Church of San Vincenzo. The Italian and Moroccan governments are now negotiating the return of the…

Merkel’s visit to Algeria aims at strengthening economic cooperation

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s official visit on Monday to Algiers constitutes an opportunity to assess the Algerian-German economic relations and to reinforce the partnership avenues for a strong relation economically. This second visit of Merkel following that paid in 2008 will be notably marked by the holding of the 6th session of the Algerian-German Joint Committee and the Business Forum between the two countries’ operators. It also follows the visit Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal has paid to Berlin in January 2016, during which the two parties had identified about thirty…

A 27-Year-Old Just Became The First Woman To Visit Every Country On Earth

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I travel the world, reporting on inspiring people and places. In July 2015, Cassie De Pecol flew to the sovereign nation of Palau. But this wasn’t just any vacation. The 27-year-old from Connecticut was embarking on the journey of a lifetime: to be the fastest person and first documented woman to travel to every single one of the world’s 196 sovereign nations and break a Guinness World Record. In February 2017, this brave adventurer achieved her goal, making the voyage in 18 months and 26 days. She broke the previous record and also became the first woman to visit every country on earth.…

Libya crisis: Tunisian, Algerian and Egyptian FMs meet in Tunis

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Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui met with his Algerian and Egyptian counterparts, Messrs. Abdelkader Messahel and Sameh Shoukry, respectively, on Sunday in Tunis. The meeting is part of following up the initiative of President Beji Caïd Essebsi to reach a comprehensive political resolution of the crisis in Libya. Speaking to reporters after the one-hour meeting, Jhinaoui merely indicated that he would inform the Head of State of the outcome of the meeting before disclosing its results. Libya’s neighbouring countries are having a marathon of meetings to overcome the crisis that has…

First signs of revival in number of European visitors to Tunisia, especially French and Britons (January 2017)

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Some 231,336 tourist entries were recorded in January 2017, up 10.5% compared to the same month in 2016, as the early signs of a recovery in the number of European tourists to Tunisia, in particular French and Britons emerge, according to the latest statistics of the Tunisian National Tourist Office (ONTT). The configuration of the tourist market remains unchanged, with 58.4% of tourists arriving during the month of January 2017 being Maghreb, numbering 182,514 people (+ 7.9% compared with 2016). Algerians accounted for 97.778 entries, followed by Libyans with 80,696…

Tunisian orphans are living in ‘tragic’ conditions in Libya’s jails

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Human rights campaigns have called on authorities to rescue 13 Tunisian children who have been living in terrible conditions in Libyan prisons after their parents were killed fighting amongst terrorist groups in the country. In a statement to Al-Quds Al-Arabi, the President of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, Mustafa Abdul Kabir, said: “There are 13 children aged between two and eight years old living with their mothers in tragic situations in Libyan prisons, after their fathers died fighting with Takfiri groups who have been eliminated during the American strikes in the cities of Sabratha…