By Colin Kilkelly

Morocco News Tribune

Marrakech, Morocco|The Tunisian government took the decision to ban the Ansar Sharia conference which the Al Qaeda linked organization had announced would be held today in Kairouan. The decision was taken by the Interior Ministry on Friday 17 May on the basis that the event ,which was billed as attracting 40,000 Salafists was “a threat to security and public order.”

The Enhadda led government has been accused of being soft on Salafists who took to the streets armed with swords and sticks to enforce their version of extreme Islamic dogma by attacking women not wearing the veil, smashing shops selling alcohol and breaking up art exhibitions and music festivals they deemed unislamic. Salafists have waged an extensive campaign to take over mosques throughout Tunisia. They attacked police stations and finally the police shot back when their barracks were attacked in Jendouba.

 Then the American Embassy was attacked by Salafists and Ansar Sharia’s leader went into hiding.

This was a key turning point because Tunisia’s political leaders realised that attacks like this could not go on. Leaders including President Moncef Marzouki and the leader of Ennhada Rachid Ghannouchi both condemned the attack on the US embassy. Then the assassination of left wing Chokri Belaid caused shock waves around the world and forced a change of government under a new Prime Minister Ali Larradeyh ,with independents taking over key ministries rather than Ennhada politicians, although Ennhada remains the leading political party in the National Constituent Assembly.

It was Rachid Ghannouchi who blamed Salafists for the death of a police inspector whose mutilated body was found in May. It was becoming clear that there was a threat to undermine and even take over the state. He announced that the government would ban the Ansar Sharia conference and the Minister of the Interior confirmed that no official request to hold the conference had been received.

 Ennahdha long accused of laxity for tolerating the jihadist factions, has significantly hardened its position since 16 soldiers and police were injured between late April and early May by mines laid by armed groups close to the border with Algeria in the area of Jebel Chaambi. The security forces have been engaging jihadists in the area between Le Klef and Jendouba and despite early official denials

a terrorist training camp was found and there are probably others in the Jebel Chaambi reserve which has many caves where Jihadis can hide.The use of mines is especially worrying and the Jihadis said to be linked to the Okba Ibn Nafaa Katiba are affiliated to AQIM according to Jeune Afrique which reports dissatisfaction amongst the security services with the control and leadership of anti terrorist operations. Police earlier went on strike caught between violent salafist attacks and what they claimed was indecisive government support for the police.

It is now apparent just how dangerous and pervasive these groups of Salafists and Jihadi’s linked to AQIM are. The head of the Salafi jihadist movement Ansar al-Sharia, Abu Iyadh, threatened to wage war on the government led by the Islamist party Ennahdha, which it accuses of conducting a policy contrary to Islam.

 “We are not asking permission from the government to preach the word of God and we warn against any police intervention to prevent the congress from taking place,” spokesman for Ansar Sharia Seifeddine Rais said on Thursday. He was reported to have been arrested later.

 The government on Friday said it was banning Ansar al-Sharia from gathering in Kairouan because it had “shown disdain for state institutions, incited violence against them and poses a threat to public security”.

 Hundreds of supporters of Tunisia’s Ansar al-Sharia clashed with police in Kairouan and on the outskirts of the capital today, Sunday (May 19th), AFP reported.

 More than 11,000 security officers were deployed to the holy city of Kairouan, according to Shems FM.Ansar Sharia , blocked from holding its event in Kairouan called on their followers on its official Facebook page to demonstrate in the Ettadhamen district of Tunis where reports said some 500 salafists clashed with police setting fire to tyres in the road and hurled rocks at police. The police fired tear gas and shots in the air. “During the protests, eleven security personnel were injured, one seriously, and three protesters, including one seriously injured,” the Interior Ministry said, which refers refers to “more than 700 (…) Islamic extremists” equipped with “incendiary mixtures, projectiles and knives.” TAP reported.

 Calm returned to Kairouan about 4pm, no details of arrests of Ansar Sharia have been released as yet.

The leader of Ansar al-Sharia, Saif Allah Bin Hussein alias Abu Iyadh is an Afghanistan veteran who fought with Al-Qaeda. Reports from Tunisia and Syria have highlighted the large number of young Tunisians fighting with the Syrian rebels who have also been joined by Al Quaeda linked

organizations. After the Afghan war large numbers of Al Qaeda trained fighters returned to Saudi Arabia and other countries and then began a struggle against governments using terrorist techniques they had learnt in the fighting. The same phenomenon is likely to occur following the Syrian conflict.

Tunisia is not in finding attempts to establish terrorist training camps on its territory. Morocco earlier this week reported the dismantlement of two terrorist groups near Nador in the north which were apparently seeking to set up a base in nearby mountains reported the Ministry of Interior according to MAP.

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By Colin Kilkelly

Morocco News Tribune

Marrakech, Morocco | President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is recovering from what was officially described as a minor stroke in Val De Grace. He is a tough fighter and has survived what was reported as a stomach ulcer operation in 2005, but it may have been cancer. However, this time he is 76 and time may be running out. He has not officially ruled out running for a fourth term although he had earlier said he would step aside.

Of his earlier ministers the “musketeers” Zehouni at the interior ministry has disappeared from view, and Chakib Khelil the former Minister of Energy under attack for corruption at Sonatrach and Hamid Temmar the former Minister of Industry and Privatisation has been sidelined.

Abdelaziz Belkhadem and Ahmed Ouyahia former Prime Ministers are gone . The President has always had close collaborators who went back to his school days in Oujda, Khelil also grew up there, Temmar came from Tlemcen. Boumédienne had his Oujda clan and Bouteflika recieved his military training when he joined the Algerian National People’s army in 1956 at the “Ecole des Cadres” in Dar El Kebdani, in Morocco. He was made commander of Wilya V reporting on border issues with Morocco.

This is important when one comes to consider the conflict over the Sahara issue ,for Bouteflika its personal, he has been closely involved since the early part of his career, as he was as a commander in Mali.

He had a key military role, many see him as a civilian politician at the beck and call of army generals but he was in the early part of his career an army commander and leader of the FLN movement. The comparison of Algeria with Soviet Russia has some similarities, and when the Soviet Union eventually fell its leaders had become aged and frail and they died off.

Meanwhile the social pressure built up. In Algeria now protests over unemployment particularly in the south, seen in the demonstrations in Ouargla and other towns ,highlights the inability of the regime to enforce economic change. It is tied to an oil and gas economy which cannot provide sufficient jobs for Algeria’s young and growing population.

Could this be the moment that the young unemployed rise up and reclaim the Arab revolution from the islamists and the regime ? Only if some of the factions of the Pouvoir agree to let it happen, but it is no easy thing to overthrow a militarised regime like Algeria. At the same time, the generals know that without a political leader of Bouteflika’s stature they may not be able to manage the show.

Abdelmalek Sellal the Prime Minister is making sterling efforts to institute new economic measures for employment but will he be able to achieve results in time to prevent a social explosion? As more protests mount against corruption in the regime and business life, it could perha destabilise the system and Algeria’s awful incompetent bureaucracy.

If the President cannot continue because of his state of health it may open up opportunities for real political change but much would depend on his successor. Perhaps this could be Abdelmalek Sellal. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the system itself is broken. The long term failure to diversify the economy and create employment threatens the stability of the country.

It may be that the President recovers and returns to govern and runs for a fourth term but the serious social disorder amplified recently by Amazigh demonstrations and violent police repression is a gathering storm of discontent amongst the Algerian people which could have wide regional implications.

Tunisia and Libya are unstable , Morocco is by far the most stable, but high unemployment is still a serious factor there as it is all over the Maghreb and the Sahel region. This is the major challenge facing governments.

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By Samira Arabi

Morocco News Tribune

Agadir, Morocco | Algeria sets three conditions for Morocco to re-open the borders between the two countries, which were since 1994 after Morocco accused Algeria of involvement in an attack on a hotel in the Moroccan city of Marrakech, according to a statement by an official Algerian.

The three conditions mentioned in a statement received by the Algerian newspaper El-shorouk Friday evening spoke about an immediate cessation of deliberate smear campaign in Moroccan media which, according to the statement, results in a growing negative sentiment toward Algeria.

Secondly, showing true intentions on the part of morocco to come up with an effective mechanism to fight the smuggling of drugs into Algeria.

The statement added that the third condition is Morocco’s recognition of Algeria’s firm and unwavering position on the issue of “Western Sahara”, which Algeria claims it is that the UN that should settle this sort of issue.

It is worth mentioning that Algerian Interior Minister Daho Ould Kabila described recentlythe issue of reopening the border with Morocco as “a major political issue”.

It is to note that the borders between Morocco and Algeria have been closed since 1994 after Morocco accused its Eastern neighboring country of involvement in the terrorist attack on Atlas Asni Hotel in the Moroccan city of Marrakech the same year.

Recently, Morocco’s Interior minister Mohand Laensar said during the 15th conference of 5+5 group interior ministers that “We (Morocco and Algeria) are united by matters related to geography, history and the fight against colonialism” according to Moroccan News Agency.

“There is a will to foster ties with Algeria despite the dispute over the Sahara. There is a difference between opening the Moroccan-Algerian borders and settling the Sahara issue, the minister added.

Last month, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a communique, in which the ministry reiterates its willingness to open a new page in the relationship between the two neighboring countries.

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By Mohammed Amine Qasserras

Morocco News Tribune

Rabat, Morocco| Tunisia authorities released on Saturday the photos of five people wanted for the assassination of secular opposition politician Chokri Belaid in February and appealed for help in arresting them.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the ministry published photos of main suspect Kamel Gathgathi, 39 and four other Ahmed Rouissi, 46, Salmane Marakchi, 30, Marouane Ben Haj Salah, 33, and Ezzedine Abdelaoui, 38.

The Interior Ministry called for “all citizens to contribute to the search for all suspect involved in the assassination of the martyr Shokri Belaid.”

It is believed that Belaid’s assassinator was a member of a radical Islamist Salafist group, Prime Minister Ali Larayedh said recently with no details.

Many voices accused Ennahda the ruling Islamist party involvement in the murder of Belaid including Belaid’s brother

Belaid was known for his harsh criticsism of the ruling Islamist party Ennahda.

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By Mourad Anouar

Morocco News Tribune

Oklahoma, U.S.A| Algerian Interior Minister Daho Ould Kabila described the issue of reopening the border with Morocco as “a major political issue”.

The Algerian newspaper “El-Shorouk” quoted Saturday Ould Kablia as saying “the issue of re-opening the borders with Morocco initially calls for tackling a number of other issues,” which the official failed to enumerate.

It is to note that the borders between Morocco and Algeria have been closed since 1994 after Morocco accused its Eastern neighboring country of involvement in the terrorist attack on Atlas Asni Hotel in the Moroccan city of Marrakech the same year.

When acceding to the throne in 1999, Morocco’s King Muhammad VI began trying to elevate the tension between the two countries in 2004, when he let Algerian citizens visit the kingdom without a visa.

Algeria’s president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, returned the favor the next year but refused to reopen the border, despite King Muhammad’s plea in 2008 and the urging of the United States and the European Union.

Recently, Morocco’s Interior minister Mohand Laensar said during the 15th conference of 5+5 group interior ministers that “We (Morocco and Algeria) are united by matters related to geography, history and the fight against colonialism” according to Moroccan News Agency.

“There is a will to foster ties with Algeria despite the dispute over the Sahara. There is a difference between opening the Moroccan-Algerian borders and settling the Sahara issue, the minister added.

Last month, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a communique, in which the ministry reiterates its willingness to open a new page in the relationship between the two neighboring countries.

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By Samira Arabi

Morocco News Tribune

Agadir, Morocco |Algeria confirmed Wednesday that it will not change its position on the issue of “Western Sahara”, stressing that respecting the decisions of the United Nations and allowing the “Sahrawi people” to the right of self-determination is the only solution for this issue, saidAmar Belani, the spokesman of Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This latest statement came as response to another statement made by Morocco’s Delegate-Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Youssef Amrani, from Argentina, calling Algeria to “change its position on the Western Sahara issue,

The spokesperson of Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amar Bilani said “there is no doubt that some of the voices and the parties want to take advantage of the instability in the Sahel region in order to achieve some ends and spread false claims,”

Bilani added that the statements made by Minister Delegate for Foreign Affairs of Morocco reflects “the political maneuvering on the part of Morocco to ignore the international law, stressing that the regional context requires a true participation in searching for a political solution accepted by all parties and consistent with UN Security Council resolutions,”

Spokesperson added that the Moroccan stance in this matter, by dictating “preconditions”, “remains categorically rejected,”

Bilani called on Morocco to be “more flexible in dealing with this issue” and urged the Moroccan officials “to change its rigid and unrealistic position to thwart the referendum on self-determination and try to impose the acceptance of the autonomy plan as envisioned by the kingdom.

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By Mohamed Hikal

Morocco News Tribune

Taroudant, Morocco | The widely read Algerian newspaper ‘Ashorouk Alyawmi’ considered Hollande’s visit to Morocco as ‘uncovering how rediculous what France called a friendship with Algerians’.

This description was published in an article published by the paper under the title of ‘Hollande backstabbing Algeria in Morocco’.

‘The Moroccan along with the French press hailed the outcomes of the visit as very positive. However, it seemed so evident that the pro-Algerian approach that Hollande used to adopt vis-a-vis some serious issues turned out to be only a ‘play’ exposing the conspiracy and showing a political hypocrisy,’ said the newspaper whis considered very close to the Algerian regime.

Ashorouk pointed also to how the French president praised the Moroccan autonomy proposal in the western Sahara.

The newspaper described this as a present to the Moroccan king and pinpinted to how upset the Algerian leaders felt about this.

Ashorouk called this a ‘treachery’since Hollande hadn’t tackled this issue during his visit to Algeria with the same frankness, support and detail as he did in Morocco.

‘The past unites us and the present brings us together,’ said Hollande in his visit to Morocco.

He also confirmed that his visit to Morocco conveyed a message that France trusts Morocco and that the two countries knew how to knit that strong and rare friendship and partnership.

Despite his moving and touhing speeches in Algeria and in spite of the popular reception distinguished by the ‘Sassi Kiss’ as they call it, experts confirmed that Hollande was such an ‘actor’ when he succeeded in providing empty promises for Algerians while he made sure he signed real trade, economic and political treaties with Morocco.

This, according to Ashorouk, shows that France is always the same when dealing with its ex-colonies.

Economic experts confirmed that the nature of treaties that Hollande signed in Morocco compared to the promises he gave in Algeria reflected that the kingdom stays France’s first economic partner as the Algerian Ashorouk.concluded.

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By Mohamed Hikal

Morocco News Tribune

Taroudant, Morocco| Polisario front secretary general, Mohamed Abdelaziz, sent Morocco’s kingMohamed the VI an open letter, in which the separatist group official denounced what he called ‘the assault perpetrated by law enforcement forces against Sahraoui women’ who were trying to demonstrate while Ross was on mission in Layioune last March the 23rd.

The letter condemned also an assault against Sahraoui women in Boujdour(south of Morocco) while they were demonstrating against the Gdim Izik trial verdicts on February the 18th.

‘What happened was a response to direct official orders. Highly ranked officials were on the scene. Women were stripped, beaten, harassed and threatened with rape in public,’ said the Polisario official.
‘It’s a sign of recklessness, irresponsibility and immorality that runs counter to Islam teachings,’ he added in his letter that was fully published by the front’s Sahraoui News Agency.

‘It’s a discreditable and heinous act that would distort the image of Morocco and Moroccans,’ he said.

Abdelaziz emphasized inhumanity and cruelty of women assault on March the 23rd, Considering women as the symbol of pride and honour in the Sahraoui culture.

‘He who targets women with all the pride and honour they stand for, means to enlarge and widen the hatred gap and rub salt into the wound, the official said.

In his lengthy letter, the Polisario leader held Morocco’s ‘responsible for what’s going on in the Sahara’ and demanded that assaults against sahraoui people should be stopped.

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