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Libyan Dialogue to Resume in Morocco’s Bouznika on Tuesday

Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita (C) chairs a meeting of representatives of Libya's rival administrations in the coastal town of Bouznika, south of Rabat, on Sept. 6, 2020. (AFP)
Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita (C) chairs a meeting of representatives of Libya's rival administrations in the coastal town of Bouznika, south of Rabat, on Sept. 6, 2020. (AFP)
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Libyan Dialogue to Resume in Morocco’s Bouznika on Tuesday

Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita (C) chairs a meeting of representatives of Libya's rival administrations in the coastal town of Bouznika, south of Rabat, on Sept. 6, 2020. (AFP)
Moroccan FM Nasser Bourita (C) chairs a meeting of representatives of Libya's rival administrations in the coastal town of Bouznika, south of Rabat, on Sept. 6, 2020. (AFP)

Rival Libyan factions will resume on Tuesday their dialogue in an attempt to resolve their country’s crisis.

The second round of talks between the High Council of State and east-based parliament will resume at the Moroccan resort town of Bouznika.

Informed sources in Rabat told Asharq Al-Awsat that the talks were supposed to be held on Sunday but were pushed to Tuesday due to disputes over the agenda.

The talks will be held amid reports of differences among Moroccan officials over how to handle the file. Moroccan sources dismissed the claims as “foreign meddling aimed at scuttling Rabat’s role in resolving the Libyan crisis.”

They stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that all Moroccan state institutions were in agreement on how to approach the crisis.

Magnus Norell, Adjunct Scholar at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington, had recently spoken of the “silent role” played by Moroccan intelligence over the years in combating terrorism and preventing human and drug trafficking to Europe. This experience can help in reaching an agreement between the rival Libyan parties.

The Libyan conflict cannot be separated from its regional environment, he explained.

Meanwhile, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Tuesday’s talks will seek to reach an agreement on uniting Libyan eastern and western state institutions. This will be followed by the formation of a government of experts and the restructuring of the Presidential Council. The talks will culminate in the signing of an agreement over the first rounds of talks at Bouznika that concluded earlier this month.

Many observers believe that Government of National Accord (GNA) chief, Fayez al-Sarraj’s decision to step down from his post in October will help the Morocco negotiations.

Separately, Egyptian and Libyan sources said that Egypt hosted, UN-sponsored preliminary talks between the Libyan National Army and GNA.

The meeting at the resort town of Hurghada was aimed at paving the way for the resumption of the Geneva dialogue between the warring parties as part of the 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission. The talks will also tackle the security and military arrangements for the strategic city of Sirte.

Despite the optimism of Egyptian authorities that a breakthrough can be achieved, Libyan sources accused Turkey of attempting to undermine the negotiations by pressuring the GNA to commit to its demand for the military to pull out of Sirte and al-Jufra and transform them into arms-free zones.

The LNA, meanwhile, refuses the participation of GNA forces in securing the “oil crescent” region.

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Arab World

Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
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Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)

The Houthi militia has recently released several individuals it had abducted for celebrating Yemen’s September Revolution. However, over the past few days, it has detained hundreds of residents in its stronghold of Saada, accusing them of espionage.

The campaign coincides with the airing of alleged confessions from a purported spy cell and the abduction of a former employee of the US Embassy in Yemen.

Local sources in Saada province, approximately 242 kilometers north of Sanaa, report that the Houthis have launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting civilians. These individuals have been taken from their homes, workplaces, and businesses under allegations of collaborating with Western nations and Israel. Families of those detained have been warned to remain silent and refrain from discussing the arrests with the media or on social media platforms.

According to the sources, more than 300 individuals, including dozens of women, have been abducted across various districts in Saada. The arrests have also targeted relatives and associates of Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who hails from the region.

The sources suggest that the Houthis are detaining women as hostages to pressure their relatives, who may either be out of the militia’s reach or living outside Houthi-controlled areas. They also appear to be using the women to coerce confessions from male relatives. Last month, the Houthis accused Hamid Mujalli, Othman Mujalli’s brother, of engaging in espionage for Arab and Western nations for nearly two decades.

In a separate incident, the Houthis abducted a former employee of the US Embassy in Sanaa from his home on Monday without providing any explanation for their actions.

Release of Detainees

The Houthis recently released Sheikh Amin Rajeh, a tribal leader from Ibb province, after detaining him for four months. Several other individuals were also freed, none of whom had been formally charged during their detention. Rajeh, a member of the General People’s Congress Party, was one of many political activists, students, workers, and public employees abducted in September for celebrating Yemen’s September 26, 1962, revolution.

One of the released individuals, a shop owner, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was unaware of the reason for his detention. He had been abducted in November, two months after the Houthis initiated a crackdown on those commemorating the revolution.

Alleged Spy Cell

Houthi-controlled media recently broadcast confessions from what they claimed was a newly uncovered spy cell. The group linked the cell to its broader narrative of “promised conquest and sacred jihad” against the West and Israel.

According to Houthi security officials, the alleged spy cell was working to compile a “target database,” monitor sites linked to missile forces and drones, and track specific military and security locations. They also claimed the cell had been observing the residences and movements of Houthi leaders.

In response, the Houthis issued warnings to residents, forbidding them from discussing or sharing information about militia-controlled sites, facilities, or the whereabouts of their leaders.

The Houthis’ actions reflect mounting concerns over potential strikes targeting their senior leadership, similar to the recent attacks on Hezbollah figures in Lebanon. Those fears come amid ongoing tensions with Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, following the Houthis’ assaults on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and missile attacks on Israel.