Egypt: Tourists targeted in bombing in Taba

A suicide bomber entered a tourist bus near Taba and the Egypt-Israel border, in Egypt's South Sinai governorate, on 17 February and detonated his explosives. The blast resulted in the deaths of three South Korean tourists and an Egyptian national. A number of other South Korean tourists were also wounded as a result. The attack was later claimed by the Sunni Islamist and al-Qaeda-linked group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM). In a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, the group also stated that 'With God's will we will be watching this treacherous gang of infiltrators and we will target their economic interests in all places in order to paralyse their hands from hurting Muslims'. On 18 February, the group also purportedly threatened to target tourists if they did not leave the country by 20 February.

The attack against an overtly tourist target represents a significant development and may point to a new tactic by non-state armed groups in Egypt, who are agitating for the overthrow of the military-backed interim government.

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Libya's constitution drafting nightmare

Libya's General National Congress voted to extend its mandate in December from its anticipate expiry on 7 February 2014 to December 2014. The vote sparked controversy and opposition from a number of quarters, including fellow GNC parties which argued that the extension was in contravention of the 2011 Constitutional Declaration.

The GNC decision to extend was born out of practicality rather than a desire to remain in office. Attempts to forge a constitution, the primary task of the GNC, has faced numerous obstacles in recent years. Militia-related violence, separatist agitation, tribal and ethnic conflict and a list of failed state-like developments have served to polarize the Libyan polity and delay a decision on the vote. Now, however, there are signs that the impasse may be coming to an end.

Libyans will go to the polls on 20 February to elect representatives to serve in the 60-member Constituent Assembly. This body, which includes 20 representatives from each of the country's three traditional regions (Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fezzan), will have a short period of time to finalise a draft constitution. This will then be used as a basis to hold fresh elections later in 2014, that's the theory at least.

The vote is a positive development but with increasing pressure on the GNC to dissolve, persistent pressure from minority groups to be included in the CA discussions and countless other threats to the state, the constitution creation process will be fraught with challenges. Pressure on specific members of the CA from local groups, specifically separatists, to ensure that local objectives, such as equal share of oil revenue, are enshrined in the new draft, will also complicate the process.