* During ongoing protests in Iraq, Iraqi security forces shot and killed a protestor while injuring at least 13 others during mass protests in Baghdad's Tahrir square. Protestors in Iraq have been gathering in Tahrir Square and near the Green Zone demanding economic and political reform, as well as making calls for the authorities to reveal the perpetrators who have killed and kidnapped protestors and activists since the wave of protests began. Iraqis have been protesting in the Iraqi governorates of Basra and Dhi Qar. After one of the lead activists of the recent protests, Ihab Al-Wazani, was killed earlier this month in the Karbala governorate, sparking more protests demanding his killers be revealed by the government. These recent protests are viewed by many as a continuation of those that began in October of 2019, with many protestors continuing to make the same demands as they have for the past few years. Al-Wazani's assassination sparked a new wave of angry protests all throughout Iraq, resulting in Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi ordering an investigation into the incident. Since the beginning of the protests in 2019, which temporarily died down due to the COVID19 Pandemic, an estimated 565 protestors and security personnel have been killed. The Iraqi government has since formed multiple committees to uncover the killers, but no details have been released thus far. 

* Large youth-led demonstrations spread throughout the streets of Baghdad on Tuesday, May 25 reiterating that the government needs to address the demands of the November 2019 Revolution and holding those responsible for killing activists accountable. The protests in Baghdad were joined by activists from Anbar, Babel, Thi Qar, and Kurdistan Region, among other provinces. It is worth mentioning that the November 2019 Protests called for strict action against corruption, unemployment, and for Iraq’s sovereignty against outside intervening countries.

* Over the past week, Syrians went to the polls to vote in the country's Presidential election. According to Syrian Parliamentary speaker Hmmouda Sabbagh, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad won 95.1% of the vote with a turnout of 78.6%, resulting in him serving in his fourth term in office. Opposition groups in Syria claimed that the vote was a farce, with U.S. and European states stating it was not a free or fair election. The election was held in government controlled regions of Syria, as well as many Syrians in the diaspora participating through Syrian Embassies abroad. Protests against the election were held in the opposition-controlled province of Idlib, with many Syrian exiles also claiming the election was fradulent. Foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy the United Kingdom and the U.S. released a joint statement before voting commenced claiming the election was "illegitimate" and that it would not be "free nor fair."  This was the first Presidential election in Syria since 2014 at the height of the Syrian Civil War.

* For the first time since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, a Syrian delegation arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a public official visit. The visit comes at a time when Syrian and Saudi intelligence agencies are establishing new and growing relationships. This visit follows the most recent in the growing relationship between the two countries in early May when a Saudi delegation led by the head of Saudi intelligence, Khaled Al-Humaidan, visited Damascus, the first meeting of its kind since the start of the Civil War. There are also rumors that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad met with the Saudi delegation and that he has decided to reopen the Saudi embassy in Damascus. Saudi Arabia informed Assad that Riyadh would welcome Syria back into the Arab League and their participation in the next Arab Summit conference taking place in Algeria.  

* On Monday, Oman experienced a wave of rare protests against poor economic conditions in the country. Dozens gathered in the city of Sohar to protest against job losses and the country's poor economic state, reportedly throwing rocks to which the police responded by firing tear gas at them. Oman's economy has been declining for since 2019, although it saw a mild recovery in 2021. After Sultan Haitham bin Tariq took over leadership of the gulf country after the death of longtime leader Sultan Qaboos in January of 2020, he has instituted reforms, including restructuring the government and forcing many long-term ministers who held their seats for decades to retire. Activists believe these reforms have not been extensive enough, however, as unemployment has been an issue in Oman for many years. 

* Dr. Tariq Lisawi wrote an article for Rai Alyoum newspaper titled “From the scene of the migration of Moroccan youth to the "occupied Ceuta": the hungry bellies will not defend a nation that denies its most basic rights.” In this article, Dr. Lisawi indicates that while he condemns the actions of Moroccan youth migrants who swam to Ceuta, he understands what led them to such drastic and dangerous measures and argues that it is entirely the government’s responsibility to address the concerns of these young Moroccans. He even speculates whether the ease with which Moroccan youth were able to go to Ceuta is in fact a government strategy to use as a bargaining chip in its relations with Spain.  

* The Tunisian Youth Impact organization has released their recommendations and suggestions for Tunisia’s decentralization path under its Councils Program. Of these recommendations, Youth Impact believes that the electoral system needs to be amended and strict financial monitoring has to be implemented on public spending. These recommendations were delivered to the Tunisian Parliament. 

* Mustafa Qutbi wrote an article for AfriGate News titled “Why Investing in Moroccan Youth?”Qutbi asserts that Moroccan youth and youth in North Africa as a whole are driven, energetic, enthusiastic, and are able to lead their countries’ development plans from start to finish. However, there are many who refer to youth as “lost, demotivated, and incapable of succeeding”, and for Qutbi, he raises an important question of whether this is an accurate assessment? Or are we completely failing to guide youth and their energies? Qutbi adds that decision makers and society often place youth’s needs, priorities, and aspirations on a collision path with society’s needs, aspirations, and sociopolitical and economic challenges. He argues that prioritizing one over the other will lead to failing to deliver on the other demand. Qutbi concludes by stating that Northern African countries need to view youth as strategic partners in their development strategies and truly engage them into their plans rather than providing the illusion of inclusion.