North Africa and the Sahel

Libya’s first unity government in seven years was sworn in before the parliament in Tobruk on Monday – a step that received positive appraisal from regional and international parties alike. More than 100 parliamentarians and several Arab and foreign ambassadors attended the ceremony. Earlier on the same day, Dbeibah and his cabinet took the oath of office before the High Court in the capital Tripoli before heading to Tobruk. The government will officially start its duties as of today. 

Libya finally has a unified government after a decade of chaos, war and political divisions. On Wednesday (10 March) the Libyan Parliament - the House of Representatives (HoR) - finally approved the proposed cabinet by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. 

Libya’s Parliament, The House of Representatives (HoR), failed on Monday to reach an agreement to approve the newly selected unity government. The meeting was suspended until today and the chamber summoned Prime Minister-elect Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah for consultations. 

In Tunisia, the standoff between the various political forces, and the country's institutions shows no signs of abating. The fragile democracy that emerged after the 2011 "Arab Spring" protests appears increasingly under threat.

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