North Africa and the Sahel

The political process in Libya risks being thrown into turmoil amid reports of bribery during the selection of an interim prime minister in a UN-sponsored process.

The European Court of Justice will start considering the Western Sahara issue in a case brought by the Polisario Front challenging fishery and agriculture agreements between the European Union and Morocco that allow Rabat to export agricultural products and fish from the disputed territory. 

Rivalry between the national institutions in Tunisia threatens the basis of this rare but fragile democratic state in North Africa. Some parties have called for street protests in support of one side or the other.

Despite the deployment of the G5 force with the backing of France, the Sahel region continues to suffer from regular jihadist attacks. Although France and its allies participated in the G5 summit last week, they appeared to be pursuing diverging courses of action for combating threats from insurgents. 

Libya's newly appointed prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, confirmed on Saturday that he has started work on forming a new government of national unity. The new prime minister said in his selection he will prioritise efficiency, whilst taking into account the need to include members from across Libya's diverse the political spectrum

The conflict between the Polisario Front, fighting for the independence of Western Sahara, and Morocco, in recent days spilled over to the media with both sides accusing each other of spreading fake news and manipulating the views of local communities.

A number of young people are continuing to demonstrate against unjust living conditions in Tunisia. Earlier protests were met with strong police resistance leading to several arrests and injuries. Ten years after the revolution, Tunisia faces mistrust and political stagnation.

The European Commission has published its long-awaited strategy for taking forward its relationship with its southern neighbours. It proposes "a new, ambitious and innovative Agenda for the Mediterranean, drawing for the first time on the full EU toolbox and the ground-breaking opportunities of the twin green and digital transitions, in order to relaunch our cooperation and realise the untapped potential of our shared region".