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9 July 2018 NPWJ News Digest on Middle East and North African Democracy
Articles
Crisis in Mali: An ‘International Threat’
by The Trumpet, 09 Jul 2018
Islamic jihadists and militant groups in Mali carried out three attacks in three days from June 30 to July 1. Islamic terrorists are taking over the West African nation, forcing schools to close, imposing Islamic law, and killing hundreds in terrorist attacks and assassinations. The government has lost control over some of its territory. In some areas, there is “very limited state presence,” according to one United Nations official. In other areas, there is “none at all.”
Two soldiers and one civilian were killed on June 29 in an attack on an African military command post. Four Malian soldiers were killed on June 30 when their vehicle ran over a land mine in the Koro region. A car bomb aimed at French soldiers killed four civilians in Gao in northern Mali on July 1, wounding 31 others, including eight French soldiers.
After 20-year military standoff, Ethiopia and Eritrea agree to normalize ties in historic breakthrough
by Paul Schemm, The Washington Post, 08 Jul 2018
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed traveled Sunday to Eritrea, once a bitter adversary, and agreed to normalize ties after an unprecedented summit.
The rapprochement between the two neighbors could have far-reaching consequences for improving the stability of the Horn of Africa, which is home to several conflicts and environmental crises.
As Erdogan prepares for new term, Turkey dismisses more than 18,000 civil servants
by Kareem Fahim, The Washington Post, 08 Jul 2018
Turkey’s government on Sunday issued a decree dismissing more than 18,000 state employees, a day before President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to begin a new five-year term bolstered by vastly enhanced powers.
The latest dismissals significantly expanded a government purge of state institutions that began after a failed coup two years ago. Before Sunday, at least 130,000 people had been fired based on what authorities said were links to terrorist groups. Human rights groups say the purge has also targeted the government’s political opponents and critics and has swept up others as well.
'We will still resist': West Bank village digs in as demolition looms
by CNN, 06 Jul 2018
Khan al-Ahmar, West Bank (CNN) -- A hair-raising dash across a busy highway is one of two ways of reaching the West Bank Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar. The other is to navigate a rugged and barely passable dirt track.
Located between two Israeli settlements, the ramshackle village is home to more than 150 Palestinians Bedouins who raise sheep and goats, but Israel views this community as illegal. A combination of corrugated iron, tarpaulins, shipping pallets and other refuse comprise most homes in this impoverished community that lacks running water and connection to the electrical grid.
UK ministers to fund advertising campaign for Tunisia government
by Middle East Monitor, 02 Jul 2018
The British government is paying advertising agency M&C Saatchi to run a media campaign in Tunisia to promote Tunis’ economic reforms, according to documents seen by the Guardian.
The campaign’s objectives are stated as to “improve public awareness of the government’s role in planning and delivering economic reforms”, after the country witnessed widespread protests at International Monetary Fund (IMF)-backed austerity measures at the end of May.