Maghreb News

2013-03-15 Libya on Thursday (March 14th) arrested a suspect wanted in connection with the deadly September 11th attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya Herald reported.

Faraj Al-Chalabi recently returned from Pakistan. The 46-year-old, who was linked to the Libyan Islamist Fighting Group (LIFG) and al-Qaeda, had been wanted in Libya since the 1994 Sirte slayings of two Germans.

Rabat hosts Sahel security summit

2013-03-15 Government ministers from Sahel countries gathered in Rabat for a conference on regional security and border controls, MAP reported on Thursday (March 14th). INTERPOL representatives are also attending the 3-day event, organised in co-operation with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre.

The conference reportedly aims to strengthen intelligence exchanges, in order to prevent the destabilisation of the region.

Benghazi Coptic church torched

2013-03-15 A Benghazi Coptic church on Thursday (March 14th) suffered the second attack in a fortnight, Libya Herald reported. The assailants forced priests out of the church before setting it on fire.

Following the government’s condemnation of the first attack on February 28th, guards were to have been dispatched to protect the church.

2013-03-15 Hundreds of Tunisians on Thursday (March 14th) attended the funeral of a young street vendor whose self-immolation this week in Tunis stunned the nation.

Adel Khazri, who supported his family by selling contraband cigarettes, was laid to rest in the northwestern town of Souk Jemaa. The 27-year-old torched himself Tuesday on Habib Bourguiba Avenue to protest unemployment.

2013-03-15 The UN Security Council on Thursday (March 14th) extended the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) for another year and eased sanctions on non-lethal military equipment, Libya Herald reported.

The UNSC resolution, however, noted that the smuggling of arms from Libya had a “negative impact on regional and international peace and security”.