Algeria Demands France to Reveal Fate of Missing During Independence War

A soldier and members of the Algerian Republican Guard, guard the remains of 24 Algerians at the Moufdi-Zakaria culture palace in Algiers, Friday, July 3, 2020. (AP)
A soldier and members of the Algerian Republican Guard, guard the remains of 24 Algerians at the Moufdi-Zakaria culture palace in Algiers, Friday, July 3, 2020. (AP)
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Algeria Demands France to Reveal Fate of Missing During Independence War

A soldier and members of the Algerian Republican Guard, guard the remains of 24 Algerians at the Moufdi-Zakaria culture palace in Algiers, Friday, July 3, 2020. (AP)
A soldier and members of the Algerian Republican Guard, guard the remains of 24 Algerians at the Moufdi-Zakaria culture palace in Algiers, Friday, July 3, 2020. (AP)

The authorities prepared a list of more than 2,000 persons who went missing during the Algerian War (1954-1962), and plan to hand it over to the French authorities to uncover their fate.

France returned early this month the skulls of 24 Algerians of the popular resistance.

Algiers had officially asked for the return of the bodies in 2018, as well as requesting the handover of colonial archives.

A leading official at the National Organization of Mujahideen told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Organization has been working on the issue of those reported missing for the past five years in cooperation with the Ministry of Mujahideen.

“We were able to shortlist the names of more than 2,000 people who were executed by the colonial army and police in cities and villages,” he said.

Algerian Minister of Mujahideen Tayeb Zitouni expressed his country’s commitment to settling four issues with France, namely the missing Algerians, the recovery of the remains of Algerian popular resistance martyrs, national archives of the liberation war and compensation for the Algerian victims of French nuclear tests.

"We will continue with the recovery of other remains of the heroes of Algeria, using researchers and scientists specializing in identification,” he said.

Regarding the missing, the Minister confirmed that "a list of more than 2,200 Algerians who disappeared during the national liberation war has been presented to France.”

The list includes, among others, the names of Maurice Audin, Djilali Bounaama, M'hamed Bouguerra and Larbi Tébessi.



Yemen Crisis Meeting Seeks to Curb Impact of Houthi Terror Listing

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief, Rashad al-Alimi, held a virtual meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Committee (Saba News Agency)
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief, Rashad al-Alimi, held a virtual meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Committee (Saba News Agency)
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Yemen Crisis Meeting Seeks to Curb Impact of Houthi Terror Listing

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief, Rashad al-Alimi, held a virtual meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Committee (Saba News Agency)
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief, Rashad al-Alimi, held a virtual meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Committee (Saba News Agency)

Amid escalating military operations by the Iran-aligned Houthis in the Marib, Al-Jawf, and Taiz battlefronts, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) chief, Rashad al-Alimi, held a virtual meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Committee.

The meeting aimed to discuss measures aimed at mitigating humanitarian repercussions following Washington’s designation of the group as a “foreign terrorist organization.”

The US State Department confirmed on Tuesday that the executive order reinstating the Houthis’ terrorist designation—originally issued by former President Donald Trump upon his return to the White House—had come into effect.

Shortly after, the US Treasury imposed financial sanctions on seven senior Houthi figures, including the group’s spokesperson Mohammed Abdul Salam, its ruling council head Mehdi al-Mashat, and Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a cousin of the group’s leader.

State media reported that Alimi held a meeting with the Economic and Humanitarian Crisis Management Committee, led by Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, to discuss economic, monetary, and banking developments, as well as measures to address the US executive order designating the Houthis as a terrorist group.

According to official sources, the meeting focused on government measures to manage the designation, including exemptions and licenses issued to ensure the continued flow of humanitarian aid and mitigate potential humanitarian fallout from the decision, which took effect on Tuesday.

The meeting reaffirmed the Yemeni government’s commitment to working closely with the international community to minimize the impact of the US terrorist designation on citizens, national institutions, and key sectors, particularly the banking industry.

According to the state-run Saba news agency, Alimi was briefed by bin Mubarak, Central Bank Governor Ahmed Ghalib al-Maabqi, Foreign Minister Shaea al-Zindani, and Economic Team Head Hossam al-Sharjabi on the latest economic and living conditions.

They also outlined government efforts to meet essential obligations, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

The briefing, Saba reported, covered key financial and monetary indicators, the efficiency of state institutions in securing public revenue, and measures to sustain essential services across provinces.

Addressing fresh sanctions on the Houthis, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement that Washington had imposed sanctions on seven senior members of the group for their involvement in smuggling weapons into Houthi-controlled areas and negotiating arms supply deals.

One of the sanctioned individuals and his company were also accused of recruiting Yemeni civilians to fight for Russia in Ukraine, generating additional resources to fund the Houthis’ military operations, Bruce added.

For its part, the UN confirmed that its special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, remains committed to continuing his mediation efforts under the mandate of the UN Security Council, working towards a comprehensive and peaceful resolution to the decade-long conflict in the country.

In a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, Grundberg’s spokeswoman Ismini Palla said it was too early to assess the impact of the US decision to impose sanctions on Houthi leaders.

The envoy remains dedicated to his mediation efforts in line with the Security Council's mandate, pushing the dialogue towards a peaceful and inclusive resolution of the conflict in Yemen, she added.

Also speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, US Ambassador to Yemen, Steven Fagin, reaffirmed that under Trump's leadership, the US remains committed to holding the Houthis accountable for their terrorist attacks and working with the international community to weaken their capabilities.