Menas Associates Blog
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Iran’s changing trade patterns
There is no doubt that external sanctions have altered Iran’s trade patterns because it has been forced to address three sanctions-related challenges: Secure sources of imports in light of the hesitation of the traditional sources of imported goods to work with...
Re-unifying Libya’s Petroleum Facilities Guard
September’s ending of the nine-month long blockade of the country oil sector infrastructure by Khalifa Haftar’s self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), and the National Oil Corporation’s (NOC) subsequent lifting of force majeure, has seen oil production rebound...
Might Algeria trigger a new regional war in the Western Sahara?
The question of whether Algeria might trigger a war in the Western Sahara sounds far-fetched, and we believe it is. However, under the current prevailing circumstances in Algeria, the question should not be dismissed quite so lightly. Several of our Algerian...
Government’s alleged double standards raise constitutional questions
There are increasing signs of emerging unease in Nigeria’s oil producing Niger Delta region which could impact production and peace. On 14 November the traditional Nembe Kingdom chiefs from Bayelsa State’s Nembe Local Government Area (LGA) demanded the revocation of...
The aftermath of the #EndSARS protests
At least 20 of Nigeria’s 36 states have established judicial panels of inquiry into police brutality following a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari to do so. The Lagos State panel is attracting the most attention because of its mandate to look into the alleged...
Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) generates cautious optimism
The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) was launched last week with virtual talks in preparation for the start of in-person negotiations in Tunis on 9 November. Its objectives are a final political settlement to the current conflict covering issues such as:...
Tebboune’s health crisis revises uncertainty about the succession
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was evacuated to specialist hospital in Germany on 28 October having been in an Algerian military hospital for perhaps as long as ten days after contracted COVID-19. Aged 75 — and as a heavy smoker and reputed drinker with underlying...
The UAE to open a consulate in Western Sahara
Morocco chalked up another diplomatic success this month when, on 27 October, the UAE announced it was planning to open a general consulate in Laayoune. This was confirmed during an October call between King Mohamed VI and Abu Dhabi’s de facto leader, Crown Prince...
Will Iran’s next president be a former IRGC commander?
In recent months, Iran observers have been asserting that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander will be elected president in 2021. Several former commanders are lining up to run. In addition to those who have run before — such as Ali Shamkhani, Mohsen...
President Buhari extends Niger Delta amnesty stipends
Oil sector infrastructure in the Niger Delta is likely to remain safe for another year because President Buhari has extended the stipends paid to former militants for another year. On 9 October he read the 2021 Budget on the floor of the National Assembly and...