Shield and Alert: Maghreb Bound

Tunisian Women’s Rights Group Warns Early Retirement Proposal Could Undermine Female Labor Participation$

A proposed law allowing women in Tunisia’s private sector to retire voluntarily at age 50 has drawn sharp criticism from a leading women’s rights organization. Advocates argue that the measure could undermine female labor participation, limit career advancement, and strain the country’s already fragile social security system.

Morocco Allegations Reignite Spain’s Pegasus Debate$

New reporting has revived scrutiny of the 2021 Pegasus intrusion targeting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s phone, focusing on the Ceuta visit as a potential operational opening and renewing debate over attribution, accountability, and Spain’s wider relationship with Morocco, including questions raised by Morocco’s growing security ties with Israel.

Southern Libya Boils Over: Three Haftar Soldiers Killed in Border Raid Near Niger$

Three soldiers loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar were killed and several others captured in coordinated attacks on border posts near Niger, underscoring how southern Libya has become a key fault line in the country’s fractured security landscape. Fighters claiming to represent “revolutionaries of the South” say they are targeting Haftar’s forces over dire living conditions and alleged resource plunder, as cross-border armed groups test the limits of state control from Al-Tum to the Salvador Pass.

Tunisia Appeals Court Extends Rached Ghannouchi’s Prison Term by 20 Years$

Rached Ghannouchi, the 84-year-old leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda party, has had his prison sentence increased to 20 years in a case known as “Conspiracy 2,” pushing his cumulative jail time from multiple convictions to more than four decades. His defense team says he will not seek a final appeal, denouncing the charges as politically driven and warning that the ruling deepens Tunisia’s crackdown on organized opposition.