As Algeria ups its defensive capabilities, North Africa braces for an influx of new insurgents
The North Africa Journal – September 7, 2017: Over the past 20 years, the Algerian defense system has been largely built based on countering terrorism and militant groups. While the country’s defense forces also looked at conventional external threats, including the potential for a showdown with the…
Tunisia’s economic challenges: are they insurmountable?
The North Africa Journal – August 24, 2017: While the Tunisian government is drafting the country’s next budget, Fadhel Abdelkefi, its interim Finance Minister, who heads up the ministry of investment and international cooperation resigned (August 18, 2017) due to an ongoing conflict with the Tunisian customs…
The Sahel about to be more militarized, as Russia looks for some action in Niger and Nigeria
The North Africa Journal- August 23, 2017- More trouble ahead for the Sahel region and West Africa. On 22 August, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that it has signed a military cooperation agreement with Nigeria and Niger. The deal not only will allow officers from the Niger and…
Two Sahel nations take different paths to their constitutions: Mauritania changes it, Mali does not
The North Africa Journal- August 21, 2017- Two Sahel countries, Mauritania and Mali, have been preparing to amend their constitutions. But while the Mauritanian President managed to get his referendum, Mali’s President announced that he was giving up the idea. In the first case, the opposition blasted…
Algeria: The oligarchs win, Prime Minister Tebboune fired and replaced by long-time Bouteflika supporter Ouyahia
The North Africa Journal- August 16, 2017- Ahmed Ouyahia, the Chief-of-Staff of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the Secretary-General of the opposition party National Democratic Rally (RND) has replaced Abdelmadjid Tebboune as Prime Minister on 15 August, ending a tumultuous period characterized by a fight between him and…
Industry: Despite establishment of Renault, Hyundai and Volkswagen plants in Algeria, government looking to revisit assembly sector
The North Africa Journal: August 10, 2017: The Algerian automobile market is facing a strange evolution whereby assembly appears to be expanding, while prices of new cars continue to climb. Despite the jobs that have been created, many sources in the industrial sector see the assembly market…
Egypt: MEA Risk reports new spike in deaths in Egypt, as confrontations between security services and insurgent groups escalate
The North Africa Journal – August 10, 2017: For those who occasionally follow news from Egypt, the past two weeks have seen an upsurge of what appears to be good news related to one single topic: how much money the country is attracting. A respectable US media…
Morocco: King seeks to deflate criticism over the unrest in the north, blaming everyone but the monarchy
The North Africa Journal- August 10, 2017: After an easing of tension at the end of July, facilitated by the withdrawal of the riot police from al-Hoceima and Imzouren and a royal pardon that benefited some 40 jailed protesters, social unrest resumed with the first victim of…
Algeria: Feud between Prime Minister and oligarchs exposes Algeria’s central problem: who is in charge?
The North Africa Journal- August 10, 2017: The Algerian political system has been witnessing a new feud in the open between the new Prime Minister and the oligarchs, representing the country’s wealthy business owners. The rise of the oligarchs has coincided with President Bouteflika taking over power…
Libya: The unlikely return of peace with Haftar and Serraj in the driving seat
The North Africa Journal- July 27, 2017: By Arezki Daoud: Two Libyan leaders, UN-backed, Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and the self-promoted Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the man whose stronghold is in the east of the country, met in Paris this week under the watchful eye of new…
China focuses on its military footprint in Africa, setting stage for new rivalry with West
The North Africa Journal – July 13, 2017: While the United States is scaling back its international positions amid a significant reduction in State Department’s budget that will affect international aid, another superpower, China, is working to substantially increase its international engagement. For years China has been…
Egypt: Militants challenge state of emergency, kill 23 soldiers in third attack this week
The North Africa Journal- July 7, 2017: At least 40 insurgents and 23 Egyptian soldiers were killed in a suicide bomb attack and subsequent battle in North Sinai on July 7, 2017. The suicide bomb attack targeted the military, after the bomber rammed his vehicle into a…
Oil exporters facing difficult outlook, watch for rising instability
The North Africa Journal- June 29, 2017 – By Arezki Daoud: The outlook for the oil market, from the perspective of exporters looks grim. This situation will likely exacerbate the security, social and political tensions in various exporting countries that MEA Risk LLC tracks, including the populous…
How Egypt is escalating the war against its own people: the dark road ahead
The North Africa Journal: June 12, 2017: President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi has always argued that the fight against terrorism must be unflinching. No one would argue with that, and many governments around the world are pouring money into the coffers of the Egyptian military to make sure…
Libya: Shifting sands in the militia and insurgency movements
The North Africa Journal – June 12, 2017: Tracking and understanding the various militias and insurgent groups involved in the Libya conflict is no trivial exercise. This is because the situation shifts quickly in reaction to the many events that force continuous changes on the ground. Take…
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Africa: Nigeria halts all oil exploration in Borno as Boko Haram kills researchers and
The North Africa Journal: July 28, 2017: The Nigerian government is cancelling all exploration activity in northeast of the country.…
Mali: At least 30 dead in clashes between Tuareg groups in Kidal
The North Africa Journal- June 13, 2017: Threat tracking and assessment company MEA Risk says at least 30 Tuareg fighters were…
Algeria to require food industry to certify its products Halal
North Africa Journal- May 4, 2017: The Algerian government will require food vendors to certify their product to the Halal standard.…
Relations: Turkey forces Morocco to close schools allegedly tied to the Gulen movement
Morocco has agreed with Ankara’s demand to close the schools affiliated to the Islamist movement controlled by the opposition figure Fethullah…
Instability in North Africa and Sahel claims over 8,500 deaths in 2016. MEA Risk expects 2017 to be another crisis year
Miami, FL – MEA Risk LLC – The North Africa and Sahel zone witnessed a 16.0% increase in the number of…
China to strengthen economic presence in Africa, seeks to widen political influence
January 2017: Last month, China flexed its muscles against Nigeria when the West African country agreed to upgrade the second-tier Taiwanese…
French military presence in Africa unlikely to change post 2017 presidential elections
January 2017: Despite a deadly year of terror in France, partly tied to the country’s involvement in major conflict zones, Paris…
Turkey maintains pressure on Islamic State in and out of its territory
Battling on various fronts, Turkey is also facing an aggressive Islam State, which has been responsible for many terror attacks with…
With Peugeot-Citroen Joining Renault, Oran becomes the Capital of Algeria’s Car Assembly Business
Although the companies have not made a formal announcement yet, the Wali (governor) of Oran in western Algeria says his province…
Tunisia’s Crises
Tunisia is facing a multi-faceted crisis, top of which is the ongoing unemployment protests that highlight the weakening of the Tunisian…
Egypt Jeopardizes Tourism and FDI Recovery with Disruptive Policies
The sustained attacks by IS and other insurgents against tourist targets in Egypt have had a severe dampening effect on the…
IS Looking to Widen North Africa Operations, says MEA Risk
There are a lot of chatters and pronouncements in various places about the Islamic State organization (Daesh) seeking to expand its…
Lack of Coordination and Panic Compromise the African Military Coalition Fighting Boko Haram
Government Troops battling Boko Haram in West, Central Africa and in the Sahel appear poorly equipped and badly trained to deal…
Morocco’s Billions Stashed in Private Swiss Accounts
It is not such a shocking news to learn that Africa’s political and business leaders have long been breaching the trust…
The Libyan Crisis: The Moroccan Negotiations Likely to Lead to Nowhere
The Libyan government based in the east of the country and affiliated to the House of Representatives (HoR) is ready to…
