North Africa and the Sahel

The  prime minister of Tunisia Hichem El Mechichi has reshuffled his cabinet amid street protests and a growing political crisis.

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to be positive to the idea of withdrawing some troops from Africa’s Sahel region, suggesting that France could “adjust” its operations after successes against militants and the arrival of the joint European backed Takuba force.

Clashes were reported in Western Sahara over the weekend, between the Polisario Front and Moroccan forces near the same border location of El Guerguerat that witnessed tensions last November. The Polisario front says it's ready for dialogue but will continue the armed struggle.

France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States welcomed, in a joint statement, the vote of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) in favour of the selection mechanism for a new interim executive authority, which will guide Libya towards national elections on December 24, 2021.

Libyan delegations at UN-backed talks in Hurghada, Egypt agreed to hold a constitutional referendum later this year. The referendum will be followed by elections which will hopefully pave a path for peace and stability in the war-torn country.

Tunisia's capital, Tunis, witnessed a fourth straight night of street protests, in what doesn't seem to be a short-lived moment of unrest. Youth, in mostly working-class neighbourhoods, clashed with riot police as protestors took to the streets in about 15 locations. There are calls for further protests on social media as more than than 600 had been arrested. 

NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday that NATO is ready to contribute to security building in Libya once conditions allow. On the diplomatic level, UN Secretary-General is reportedly planning to appoint veteran diplomat Jan Kubis as his envoy in Libya nearly a year after the last mediator stepped down. 

The US is planning to open a consulate in Western Sahara. The consulate will be located in Dakhla, a fishing port located in southern Western Sahara, intended to become a “regional maritime hub” serving Africa and the Canary Islands through a large development project launched by Rabat. Last Saturday, the assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, David Schenker, visited Western Sahara. He is considered to be the highest-ranking US diplomat for North Africa and the Middle East. 

ِThe UNOCHA says 10,600 people have been displaced following the attacks on two villages in Niger's Tillaberi region earlier this month. The Tillaberi region has been frequently targeted by terrorist groups based in Mali since 2017, with a state of emergency declared in the area. Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali in the Sahel are at the epicenter of one of the world's fastest-growing displacement and security crises.