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…
North Africans boost security measures to prevent cheating in baccalaureate exam
The North Africa Journal: June 9, 2017: If you ask any high school student in the Maghreb to list their biggest concerns, the baccalaureate exam (currently underway) is likely going to be rated very high, if not as the number one source of stress. The baccalaureate (bac)…
Italy’s dangerous bet that Libya would help contain migration flows
The North Africa Journal: June 9, 2017: Italy is naturally troubled by the massive inflow of migrants from Africa and other regions via Libya. Since January 2017, over 50,000 migrants ended up on the Italian shores, a figure that is a stunning 45% increase from the same…
Morocco risk outlook: difficult path to reconciliation in el-Hoceima, but it is not too late
The North Africa Journal: June 9, 2017: In a note to its clients, MEA Risk predicts that the Moroccan government is likely to find a reasonable way out of the crisis, in an effort to avoid the sort of outburst witnessed recently in Tunisia’s Tataouine Province. Despite…
Morocco: Massive show of force as authorities confront public anger in Hoceima
The North Africa Journal – May 30, 2017: There have been intense clashes between demonstrators and the Moroccan security forces in the northern city of al-Hoceima over the weekend and into early this week. Tension escalated after the police arrested nearly two dozen people, who are being…
Fresh violence in Egypt, 28 civilians and four security personnel killed in two days
The North Africa Journal- May 26, 2017: Using automatic weapons, attackers opened fire on two buses traveling to the Saint Samuel Monastery in Minya, killing 28 Christian worshipers and wounding dozens. The attackers fled the scene. The buses were targeted by masked men who came in three…
Egypt’s tough balancing act: The contradictory task of ensuring social peace while delivering economic growth
The North Africa Journal – May 24, 2017 – Egyptian households are bracing of an extremely costly Ramadan season. Ramadan will start at the end of May, and will last a month, in a period that promises to see another spike in food prices unless government controls…
Explosive social unrest across the Maghreb region
The North Africa Journal – May 24, 2017 – The Maghreb countries of North Africa are facing an unprecedented level of social and labor unrest. The Ramadan season, slated to start at the end of this month, will likely be quiet on the social front. But…
Egypt: From military-insurgents confrontation, Sinai conflict shifts to civil war
The North Africa Journal – May 17, 2017: The crisis in the Sinai Peninsula is now spreading both geographically and in terms of its scope. Analysts at MEA Risk LLC say that while the conflict has been concentrating on the northeast corner of the region, specifically focusing…
Tunisia: Military called to protect industrial assets amid rising social unrest
The North Africa Journal | May 11, 2017: For the first time in the country’s history, the Tunisian government has asked the army to protect oil and gas sites and other key infrastructures. Advisory firm MEA Risk LLC says the country’s president, Beji Caid Essebsi argued with…
Algerian elections: A vote of no confidence for an emperor without clothes
The North Africa Journal- May 11, 2017: In a short story published in 1837, Danish author Hans Christian Andersen wrote about two cloth makers who offered the emperor a new kind of royal robe they say was invisible to those who were unfit for their positions, stupid,…
MEA Risk Maps: May 2017 critical incidents and Libya’s oil infrastructure
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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…
Can the Chad Reach and Maintain Regional Leadership?
The country of Chad does not want to be called “the Dead Heart of Africa” anymore. Although it is one of…
