News from the Region

Libya on the path of transition

Saturday, 03 September 2011 08:16

Ramadan 2011 has ended for a new Libya.
Colonel Gaddafi's regime has fallen, but the dictator himself has not been found. The hunt continues while part of his family - his wife, daughter and two of his sons - were officially welcomed in Algeria "for humanitarian reasons."
Supported by the NATO forces, the insurgents of the CNT (National Transition Council of Libya) managed to enter the capital after launching an offensive Saturday, August 20 and reached the Green Square of Tripoli the next evening: it is on this symbolic site that supporters of the regime gathered in support of the dictator since the beginning of the rebellion.
In Benghazi, the capital of the rebels since February, tens of thousands of people celebrated this victory by invading the streets with shouts of "Bye Bye Curly!" or "God is great!".
But the country is not completely under control and the fighters are now focussing on Sirte, the last great bastion of the pro-Gaddafi movement, 360 kilometers east of the capital, where the former Libyan leader may have found refuge.
According to Colonel Bouhagiar, commander of the anti-Gaddafi forces, about 50,000 people have been killed in the country since the beginning of the uprising, including 15 to 17,000 people from Misrata and Zlitane. The senior official also said that 28,000 prisoners of the regime had been released but that the missing persons were probably dead.
The development of the situation in Libya has given rise to intense diplomatic activity. The position of Algeria is unique : it is the only country in North Africa that has not recognized the CNT. Algiers is particularly concerned about a significant Islamic presence in the National Transition Council.

The EPA officially recognized by the Algerian authorities

Tuesday, 09 August 2011 12:50

For Christians in Algeria the surprise of the summer: the government, through the Ministry of Interior, has officially recognized the EPA, the Protestant Church of Algeria. This information is particularly unexpected as Christians have continued to be under pressure, such as the threat of closure that hung over the churches of the region of Bejaia in Kabylia in the spring.
Founded in 1972, the Protestant Church of Algeria includes thirty Christian communities. In this Muslim country and next to the Catholic Church, it is the voice of believers that rely exclusively on biblical revelation.
The president of the EPA, Mustapha Krim, called announcement of this recognition "good news". Moreover, the Protestant Church of Algeria is now part of the World Evangelical Alliance, and was already a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and of the United Methodist Church.

Moroccans massively approve the constitutional reform proposed by King Mohammed VI

Friday, 05 August 2011 20:08

For Mohammed VI, the referendum of July 1 was a success.

Nearly 73% of registered voters came out and 98% of them approved the proposed constitutional amendment.
The Moroccans have therefore approved the strengthening of the powers of the Prime Minister and parliament without calling into question the rule of their political and religious ruler.
The referendum was a first for King Mohammed VI since coming to power in 1999. The draft constitution had been ordered by the Moroccan king in a speech to the nation on June 17

Freedom of belief, however, has no place in this new Constitution. It sticks to the concept of "free exercise of existing religion" and reaffirms Islam as the state religion. For his part, Mohammed VI retains his authority in religious matters as a "descendant of the Prophet" and "Commander of the Faithful", including the power to issue fatwas.

Two days after the referendum, several thousand people gathered in Casablanca and Rabat to call for deeper reforms. These demonstrators were responding to the call of the "Movement of 20 February" and were joined by the Islamists of the association "Al Adl Wa Ihssan" ("Justice and Charity"), just tolerated by the authorities.
The February 20 movement had called for a boycott of the referendum as had three small leftist parties and trade unions.

Nearly 73% of registered voters came out and 98% of them approved the proposed constitutional amendment.

The Moroccans have therefore approved the strengthening of the powers of the Prime Minister and parliament without calling into question the rule of their political and religious ruler.

The referendum was a first for King Mohammed VI since coming to power in 1999. The draft constitution had been ordered by the Moroccan king in a speech to the nation on June 17

The February 20 movement had called for a boycott of the referendum as had three small leftist parties and trade unions.

Algeria: Christian Relief Kabylie supported by Amnesty International

Thursday, 23 June 2011 11:36

Christians in Kabylia are relieved: the prefect of Bejaia reversed his decision to close seven churches. He also made a commitment to "ensure the protection and continuity of the cultural activities of the Protestant communities of the Wilaya of Bejaia." For Mustapha Krim, president of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA), himself a pastor in Bejaia, this change can only be an answer to prayer, even if the closure notice, served on the church at the end May, was flawed. Thus it had appeared that the decree was addressed to all the communities in the Algerian territory, however a wali can not make decisions at the national level ... Mustapha Krim had also heard a telephone conversation between the representative of the Minister of Religious Affairs and personnel from the Ministry of Internal Affairs who were not aware of what was happening.

Worship services in Bejaia had continued to be organized. They will continue to be, all the more, now that the administrative notification has been canceled.

In a statement released June 3, Amnesty International had expressed concern about the situation that the Algerian government was placing Christians in, contrary to the promises of change and reforms made by President Bouteflika. The organization highlighted the penalty of five years imprisonment imposed on a citizen of Oran - Siaghi Abdelkarim, 29 - for "insulting the Prophet Mohammed", after an unfair trial which leaves one to imagine that his conversion Christianity is the real cause of his prosecution and conviction. Amnesty International also denounced the decision of the prefect of Bejaia ordering the closure of all churches of the wilaya. The organization points out that the Algerian Constitution regards ''freedom of conscience and freedom of opinion'' as inviolable, in addition there are other Algerian laws that protect the right to freedom of religion.

Libya: NATO admits its first military blunder

Thursday, 23 June 2011 11:20

In Libya, nearly three months after the start of their intervention against Gaddafi, NATO forces have officially recognized a military blunder. A strike on the capital, Tripoli, killed 9, including 5 of the same family, and wounded 18.

The NATO attacks are becoming more and more precise against strategic positions of the Gaddafi clan in Tripoli. In Misrata, large coastal town 200 km east of the capital, the fighting is still raging between the "rebels" and forces loyal to the president-dictator. According to international organizations, the instability in the country since February 15 has resulted in the death of 10 to 15,000 people and forced nearly 952,000 people to flee.

On the issue of Libya, Algiers and Paris remain on the same wavelength as confirmed by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs during an official visit to Algeria. Alain Juppé even pleased the Algerians by calling allegations that Algerian mercenaries were fighting alongside Muammar Gaddafi's troops ''unfounded rumors''.

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