Category: Blog

Tebus and Tuaregs Threaten to Walk out of the Constitution Drafting Assembly

The proceedings of the work of the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) have long been overshadowed by the political deadlock between the GNC in Tripoli and the HoR in Tobruk which has lasted for over a year now against the backdrop...

/ August 19, 2015

Essebsi in the Footsteps of Bourguiba

President Beji Caid Essebsi triggered a debate when he declared, on August 13, that the Islamic veil should be banned in primary schools. The announcement was made on the occasion of the celebration of Tunisia’s national women’s day. According to...

/ August 13, 2015

Tunisia’s Patriot Act

The decision to declare a state of emergency in the aftermath of the Sousse Attack has plunged the country into a manifold debate among political, and civil societies, as well as the state elected and security institutions. While there is...

/ July 13, 2015

The Stalemate Persists

The boycott by the General National Congress of the initialling ceremony of the draft political dialogue agreement was not surprising. In a letter addressed by the Nouri Bousahmin, Speaker of the GNC, to the UNSMIL chief Bernardino Leon, the GNC...

/ July 11, 2015

Freedom Vs Security: A Delicate Balancing Act

The Sousse Massacre has re-prompted the debate on safeguarding freedoms and duty of the state to guarantee security. Rached Ghanouchi called for a national dialogue conference in order to agree a strategy to fight terrorism; but cautioned, “the main guarantee...

/ June 28, 2015

Cautious Hope for an Agreement

On Sunday 28th June, the delegations of the Tripoli GNC and the Tobruk House of Representatives met for the first time face to face at the UN negotiating table in Morocco. Bernardino Leon hand the two parties to the conflict...

/ June 28, 2015

Amnesty instead of Transitional Justice to Boost Economy?

In the midst of the string of strikes, sit in and social unrest Tunisia has been experiencing in the last several weeks, a Tunisian court rejected a decree, passed in 2011 under Mouncef Merzouki, that confiscated the properties and assets...

/ June 10, 2015

Leon’s Political Agreement Draft meets Cautious Hope in Tripoli and Tobruk

A fourth round of Libyan political dialogue took place in Morocco on 8 June under the auspices of UNSMIL. Bernardino Leon presented the National General Congress (GNC, Tripoli) and House of Representatives (HoR, Tobruk) a fourth draft of UNMSIL’s proposed...

/ June 8, 2015