Shield & Alert
- Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical Fight
- Mali: Al Qaeda attacks rebel convoy in the Ouagadou forest
- From a Russian Grain Export Onslaught to a Ban on French Cattle: Agricultural Trade Between France and Algeria in Standstill
- Niger and Algeria recall their ambassadors over undocumented migrants
- Senegal: Disgraced President leaves office to find shelter in Marrakesh
- Morocco: Health workers go on strike, demand implementation of reforms
- Algeria: President announces early election, no one knows why
- Algeria: Beware of forgery. New law seeks to reduce fraud and white collar crime
- Morocco: Price of butane gas to increase by 25% in April
- US-Niger relations face uncertainty, with Niamey’s pivot to Russia
Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical Fight
By Arezki Daoud: France is experiencing an unprecedented backlash in the Sahel and in West Africa. Disastrous post-colonial policies forced the people of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to expel French troops and diplomats, reducing Paris' entrenched but...
Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical Fight
By Arezki Daoud: France is experiencing an unprecedented backlash in the Sahel and in West Africa. Disastrous post-colonial policies forced the people of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to expel French troops and diplomats, reducing Paris' entrenched but...
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ANALYSES & MAJOR EVENTS
MAGHREB
From a Russian Grain Export Onslaught to a Ban on French Cattle: Agricultural Trade Between France and Algeria in Standstill
Agricultural trade between France and Algeria is experiencing challenges that are primarily affecting French exporters. From the onslaught of the...
Morocco: Health workers go on strike, demand implementation of reforms
While the healthcare sector is undergoing strikes and tensions between health workers and the government rise, Morocco is experiencing an upsurge in...
Algeria: President announces early election, no one knows why
Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, ordered the holding of an early presidential election on 7 September 2024, instead of the scheduled...
Algeria: Beware of forgery. New law seeks to reduce fraud and white collar crime
(Photo: Magistrates at the Court of Auditors) - Algeria must have some serious problems with official document forgery. Analysts say the practice is...
Morocco: Price of butane gas to increase by 25% in April
(Photo: Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch) Morocco will stop subsidizing butane gas in 2026, but prices will begin to increase next month, April 2024....
Brief: Tunisia: The Lazy Governors
Funny news this week from Tunisia where the Presidency of the Republic announced the dismissal of two governors. They are Mondher Sik-Ali of...
More on the Maghreb
SAHEL
Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical Fight
By Arezki Daoud: France is experiencing an unprecedented backlash in the Sahel and in West Africa. Disastrous post-colonial policies forced the...
Mali: Al Qaeda attacks rebel convoy in the Ouagadou forest
By MondAfrique: A column of armed vehicles from the Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP), the Touareg rebel coalition driven out of Kidal, was...
Niger and Algeria recall their ambassadors over undocumented migrants
The authorities in Niger summoned the Algerian ambassador Bekhadda Mehdi on 2 April, over Algeria’s treatment of undocumented migrants originating...
Senegal: Disgraced President leaves office to find shelter in Marrakesh
By MondAfrique: A short video circulating on social media shows outgoing Senegalese President Macky Sall's departure for Morocco on April 2, the...
US-Niger relations face uncertainty, with Niamey’s pivot to Russia
Audio version: The news: The visit a few days ago of a US government delegation to Niamey, the capital of Niger, did not go down well with the...
Bloody Sunday: The indiscriminate killing of Muslim and Catholic worshipers in Burkina Faso
Sunday, 25 February was a bloody day for religious groups in Burkina Faso. Two attacks against a church and a mosque confirm the utter instability...
More on the Sahel
EGYPT
War in Gaza forces former Middle East foes to seek reconciliation
By Mondafrique: The war in Gaza is forcing feuding States in the Middle East and in the Gulf to seek the path of reconciliations. Faced with...
Egypt: One killed, six arrested in gun battle on Egypt-Israel border
A gunfire broke out near Nitzana, Israel, along the border crossing separating Egypt and Israel. The incident, which involved more than a dozen...
Podcast: Egypt 2024 Outlook
Egypt’s economy hit hard by Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea
The US and the UK hitting Houthi targets in Yemen is largely the result of a sense of panic taking place in commercial and business circles. The...
JPMorgan de-lists Egypt from its Emerging Market Bond Index (S)
Egypt: After wishing each other a happy new year, Egyptians see price hikes that will make 2024 not such a happy year
Bread has always been a source of concern for rulers and leaders. When their prices increase, watch out for the public reaction. In history, bread...
More on Egypt
MORE ANALYSES & MAJOR EVENTS
Morocco: Price of butane gas to increase by 25% in April
(Photo: Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch) Morocco will stop subsidizing butane gas in 2026, but prices will begin to increase next month, April 2024. The decision to lift subsidies was announced in October 2023 by billionaire Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, who also happens to be the owner of Akwa Group, a major Moroccan company active in the oil and gas sector. The social and economic...
War in Gaza forces former Middle East foes to seek reconciliation
By Mondafrique: The war in Gaza is forcing feuding States in the Middle East and in the Gulf to seek the path of reconciliations. Faced with President Biden’s inability to impose a red line on Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the four most influential countries in the region – namely Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey – are forced to draw a new geopolitical map to deal with the Gaza...
This Week’s Premium Podcast
Podcast: The Sahel is the Next Big Geopolitical Crisis where Foreign Meddlers are Congregating
Transcript: The Sahel is now clearly the next big event in Africa's geopolitics. After the complete destruction of Libya, the same foreign powers that paid for the killing of a nation are now shifting their attention to the Sahel, establishing the bases of another...
FOCAL POINTS
Sahel: The demise of the ancient city of Timbuktu
When jihadists in Mali announced they would blockade the ancient city of Timbuktu, residents thought it was just another intimidation tactic. But a month and a half later, the tens of thousands of inhabitants remain almost completely cut off from the world with the...
Libya: Ancient Greco-Roman city of Cyrene faces risk of collapse
Floods that killed thousands in the Libyan city of Derna also inundated one of the country's premier ancient sites, threatening its UNESCO-listed monuments with collapse, a recent visitor and a leading archaeologist said. The immediate damage to the monuments of...
Tunisian island of Djerba gets added to UNESCO World Heritage list
UNESCO announced Monday it was adding the Tunisian resort island of Djerba to its list of World Heritage Sites because of its ancient ruins, whitewashed villages, mosques, churches and synagogues. The United Nations cultural organisation took the decision in Saudi...
Libya: What is the storm that destroyed NE Libya? Meet Daniel
The flash flood that has killed thousands of people in Libya this week followed a "medicane", a rare but destructive weather phenomenon that scientists believe will intensify in a warming world. The term is an amalgamation of the words Mediterranean and hurricane....
LATEST ISSUE
POLITICAL AFFAIRS
Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical Fight
By Arezki Daoud: France is experiencing an unprecedented backlash in the Sahel and in West Africa. Disastrous post-colonial policies forced the people of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to expel French troops and diplomats, reducing Paris' entrenched but counterproductive influence in the region. Now, France is also concerned about Senegal, which remains, with Ivory Coast, the last two most...
MORE ON POLITICS
Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical Fight
By Arezki Daoud: France is experiencing an unprecedented backlash in the Sahel and in West Africa. Disastrous post-colonial policies forced the...
Senegal: Disgraced President leaves office to find shelter in Marrakesh
By MondAfrique: A short video circulating on social media shows outgoing Senegalese President Macky Sall's departure for Morocco on April 2, the...
Algeria: President announces early election, no one knows why
Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, ordered the holding of an early presidential election on 7 September 2024, instead of the scheduled...
US-Niger relations face uncertainty, with Niamey’s pivot to Russia
Audio version: The news: The visit a few days ago of a US government delegation to Niamey, the capital of Niger, did not go down well with the...
Brief: Tunisia: The Lazy Governors
Funny news this week from Tunisia where the Presidency of the Republic announced the dismissal of two governors. They are Mondher Sik-Ali of...
Algeria: Opposition leader Zoubida Assoul announces presidential bid
Algerian opposition and pro-democracy lawyer Zoubida Assoul has announced that she will run for the presidential election scheduled in December...
Niger and Mali up their anti-Western positions, lash out at France and US
Backlash against France continues in Niger, with several local media reporting that security and intelligence services in Niamey discovered this...
Senegal’s outgoing president prepares for disgraced exit
By Francis Sahel, Mondafrique: In the absence of any other alternative, Senegalese President Mack Sall announced last Friday his intention to...
War in Gaza forces former Middle East foes to seek reconciliation
By Mondafrique: The war in Gaza is forcing feuding States in the Middle East and in the Gulf to seek the path of reconciliations. Faced with...
Algeria-Morocco Competition for Regional Influence Shifts to Economic Affairs
Opinion By Arezki Daoud: Up until now, enemy brothers, Algeria and Morocco have been trying to impress and disrupt one another to ascertain their...
Africa’s 2024 Elections Off to a Bad Start
By Arezki Daoud: It’s an election year in Africa and it already started badly. The East African island of Comoros in the Indian Ocean opened the...
Tunisia’s Slide Toward Autocracy: The Erosion of Democratic Institutions
By Arezki Daoud | Photo: Abir Moussi: Tunisia has been experiencing a fast moving drift towards autocracy, marked by the manipulation of judicial...
Growing pressure on Algeria and UAE to break ties: Can their leaders bypass pressure groups
A diplomatic crisis between Algeria and the United Arab Emirates has been brewing for some time, and it has now taken on a new dimension. While...
Senegal President Suspends Presidential Election, Pushes Country into Chaos
By Nicolas Beau | MondAfrique: The specter of an unprecedented political crisis looms over Senegal with President Macky Sall’s decision to suspend...
PODCASTS
Podcast: The Sahel is the Next Big Geopolitical Crisis where Foreign Meddlers are Congregating
Transcript: The Sahel is now clearly the next big event in Africa's geopolitics. After the complete destruction of Libya, the same foreign powers that paid for the killing of a nation are now shifting their attention to the Sahel, establishing the bases of another...
COVID-19: The Latest
Podcast: Sahel and North Africa week in review 7 Jan 2023
Greetings to our second episode of Week in Review and a quick summary of what we are tracking in the Sahel and in North Africa. Today is Saturday, the 7th of January 2023. This past week was somewhat subdued in the region largely due to the year-end holiday season and...
Covid-19: Ban on entry into Morocco for travelers from China takes effect on 3 January
Morocco said Saturday it will ban entry to all travellers from China, where cases of Covid-19 have exploded. Other nations, including France, Britain and Morocco's cross-strait neighbour Spain, have said they will require negative Covid tests for all travellers from...
Covid-19: First case of Omicron in Tunisia comes from Turkey
Tunisia recorded its first confirmed case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in a Congolese man who arrived from Istanbul, the health minister said Friday. Ali Mrabet said the 23-year-old man tested positive and all fellow travellers on his flight from Turkey...
SECURITY, DEFENSE & TERRORISM
Mali: Al Qaeda attacks rebel convoy in the Ouagadou forest
By MondAfrique: A column of armed vehicles from the Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP), the Touareg rebel coalition driven out of Kidal, was attacked by fighters from the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) on Friday in the Ouagadou forest, while that it was heading south, Mondafrique learned from corroborating sources. Around 30 men died in the confrontation on the Jihadists side and...
Mali: Al Qaeda attacks rebel convoy in the Ouagadou forest
By MondAfrique: A column of armed vehicles from the Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP), the Touareg rebel coalition driven out of Kidal, was...
US-Niger relations face uncertainty, with Niamey’s pivot to Russia
Audio version: The news: The visit a few days ago of a US government delegation to Niamey, the capital of Niger, did not go down well with the...
Bloody Sunday: The indiscriminate killing of Muslim and Catholic worshipers in Burkina Faso
Sunday, 25 February was a bloody day for religious groups in Burkina Faso. Two attacks against a church and a mosque confirm the utter instability...
War in Gaza forces former Middle East foes to seek reconciliation
By Mondafrique: The war in Gaza is forcing feuding States in the Middle East and in the Gulf to seek the path of reconciliations. Faced with...
Western Sahara: Escalating Tensions Between Morocco and the SPLA
The North Africa Journal: With global attention focused on the Middle East and the Ukrainian crises, the Western Sahara feud has been evolving from...
Russia’s first African military base in a highly unstable nation
By Arezki Daoud: Since Russia started its war on Ukraine, we have been told that Moscow was headed towards disaster. Echoing the views of Western...
Mali junta ends Algiers Agreement
The ruling junta in Mali announced, on Thursday 25 January, the "end, with immediate effect", of the Algiers agreement signed in 2015 with the...
22 Islamist militant suspects arrested in Tunisia ($)
Defense: Morocco orders armored vehicles from Turkey ($)
Russia-Africa: From weapon sales to economic ties
By Arezki Daoud: Has the war in Ukraine deter Russia from engagement in Africa? Certainly not! We know on the security front, a growing number of...
Sahel: Russia to experience boost of its influence in the Sahel
By Arezki Daoud: Russia’s influence in the Sahel is about to expand further with more cooperation deals announced by Niger and Russia during the...
Egypt: One killed, six arrested in gun battle on Egypt-Israel border
A gunfire broke out near Nitzana, Israel, along the border crossing separating Egypt and Israel. The incident, which involved more than a dozen...
Egypt’s economy hit hard by Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea
The US and the UK hitting Houthi targets in Yemen is largely the result of a sense of panic taking place in commercial and business circles. The...
Burkina Faso government says year-end army offensive killed hundreds of “terrorists” ($)
In a year-end offensive carried out by the Burkina Faso military from December 23, 2023 to January 2, 2024 in the East and Center-East regions,...
SOCIAL, LABOR & THE ENVIRONMENT
Drought is pushing North African economies to the brink and to social unrest
Drought is wreaking havoc on North Africa’s water supply and on its agriculture. All countries in the region are facing a dangerous water outlook. For example, cash-strapped Tunisia is expected to import almost all its cereal needs. During his visit to Tunis at the end of December and taking advantage of a weakened country, Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov said his country was “ready” to...
Niger and Algeria recall their ambassadors over undocumented migrants
The authorities in Niger summoned the Algerian ambassador Bekhadda Mehdi on 2 April, over Algeria’s treatment of undocumented migrants originating...
Morocco: Health workers go on strike, demand implementation of reforms
While the healthcare sector is undergoing strikes and tensions between health workers and the government rise, Morocco is experiencing an upsurge in...
Morocco: Price of butane gas to increase by 25% in April
(Photo: Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch) Morocco will stop subsidizing butane gas in 2026, but prices will begin to increase next month, April 2024....
Sahel: Wagner Group and Mali army engaging in mass murder and forced displacement of northern populations
The Wagner Group is wracking havoc in northern Mali, with actions that hint on ongoing efforts to depopulate the region. Human rights abuses against...
Moroccan authorities destroy homes without warning or relocation offers ($)
In a series of surprise operations, coastal communities in Morocco have been experiencing the forceful destruction of homes and structures by...
Algeria: Six members of the same family die of carbon monoxide in MSila
Six members of the same family died on Sunday, 14 January 2024, at their home in the municipality of Ain El Melh in the wilaya of M'Sila, after...
Mauritania: Christian group released from detention, expelled from Mauritania
Media sources report that 15 Christians leaders and their families who were arrested by Mauritania at the end of November 2023, were released on 18...
Tunisia: Journalist Zied El-Heni released from jail, gets six-month suspended sentence
Tunisian journalist El-Heni was released from prison on Wednesday, 10 January 2024, but he was given a six-month suspended sentence. He was arrested...
Libya: Protesters force closure of El Sharara oil field over local economics
The North Africa Journal - Protestors seeking social and economic development for the Fezzan region, located in the southwestern Libya, forced the...
Drought is pushing North African economies to the brink and to social unrest
Drought is wreaking havoc on North Africa’s water supply and on its agriculture. All countries in the region are facing a dangerous water outlook....
Drought is pushing North African economies to the brink and to social unrest
Drought is wreaking havoc on North Africa’s water supply and on its agriculture. All countries in the region are facing a dangerous water outlook....
Egypt: After wishing each other a happy new year, Egyptians see price hikes that will make 2024 not such a happy year
Bread has always been a source of concern for rulers and leaders. When their prices increase, watch out for the public reaction. In history, bread...
Sahel: Kidnapped in Libya in 2017, South African medic released this week in Mali
A South African paramedic who had been held by jihadists in Mali for over six years has been released, security and humanitarian sources told AFP on...
Tunisia: Three workers assigned to historic World Heritage wall in Kairouan killed after wall collapsed
A section of the historic walls around the Old City of Kairouan collapsed on Saturday, killing three masons carrying out repairs on the UNESCO World...
BUSINESS & THE ECONOMY
From a Russian Grain Export Onslaught to a Ban on French Cattle: Agricultural Trade Between France and Algeria in Standstill
Agricultural trade between France and Algeria is experiencing challenges that are primarily affecting French exporters. From the onslaught of the Russian grain exports to Algeria, essentially displacing French exporters, to Algeria banning French cattle due to EHDV disease, not all is well between Algeria and France in the agricultural trade sector. The most affected parties in this situation are French producers and exporters, who are looking for new initiatives to fight back.
Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical Fight
By Arezki Daoud: France is experiencing an unprecedented backlash in the Sahel and in West Africa. Disastrous post-colonial policies forced the...
From a Russian Grain Export Onslaught to a Ban on French Cattle: Agricultural Trade Between France and Algeria in Standstill
Agricultural trade between France and Algeria is experiencing challenges that are primarily affecting French exporters. From the onslaught of the...
Algeria: Beware of forgery. New law seeks to reduce fraud and white collar crime
(Photo: Magistrates at the Court of Auditors) - Algeria must have some serious problems with official document forgery. Analysts say the practice is...
Morocco: Price of butane gas to increase by 25% in April
(Photo: Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch) Morocco will stop subsidizing butane gas in 2026, but prices will begin to increase next month, April 2024....
Agriculture: Spanish farmers say Moroccan strawberries carry virus, as Morocco surpasses Spain as tomato supplier to EU
Agriculture is the theater of another kind of war where there are winners and losers. Worth billions of dollars, the EU agricultural market is...
Morocco: Consumers to pay more for Netflix, Airbnb and other online services courtesy 2024 state budget
Morocco is overhauling its taxation system to generate more revenue from online services, in particular the ones focused on foreign-operated...
Economy: China’s commitment to Africa is being tested by its stance on the continent’s crippling debt
By MondAfrique: As a whole, Africa has seen its debt increase five-fold over the past twenty years, to reach $700 billion. And Chinese lenders...
Germany to get Algerian gas for first time
Germany is to get Algerian gas with the signing on 8 February of a contract tying gas producer Sonatrach to Leipzig-based gas trader VNG Handel...
Trade: Israel-Morocco trade takes a hit amid extreme instability in the Middle East
Last year, Morocco and Israel have had a strong run on their bilateral trade, as the two countries put into effect the Abraham Accords. Almost all...
Energy: US oil companies explore opportunities in Algeria but no deal yet after months of talks
Junior executives of Oxy and Chevron, affiliated with the US-Algerian Business Council (USABC) traveled to Algiers on 21 January 2024 as part of a...
Energy: US oil companies explore opportunities in Algeria but no deal yet after months of talks
Junior executives of Oxy and Chevron, affiliated with the US-Algerian Business Council (USABC) traveled to Algiers on 21 January 2024 as part of a...
Morocco-Israel trade figures collapsing
Russia-Africa: From weapon sales to economic ties
By Arezki Daoud: Has the war in Ukraine deter Russia from engagement in Africa? Certainly not! We know on the security front, a growing number of...
Algeria-Spain: Despite diplomatic disconnect, Algeria-Spain maintain strong energy ties ($)
INTERNATIONAL
Nigerian army drone hits village in Kaduna State, kills civilians
By Aminu Abubakar with Laurie Churchman in Abuja: An army drone strike accidentally hit a village in northwestern Nigeria killing dozens of civilians celebrating a Muslim festival, local authorities, the military and residents said on Monday. Nigeria's armed forces often rely on air strikes in their battle against so-called bandit militias in the northwest and northeast of the country where...
NIGERIA
Nigerian army drone hits village in Kaduna State, kills civilians
By Aminu Abubakar with Laurie Churchman in Abuja: An army drone strike accidentally hit a village in northwestern Nigeria killing dozens of...
Nigeria: Two dead after fire sweeps though displaced camp of Muna Alamdari in Borno
At least two children died when fire swept through an informal camp for displaced people in northeast Nigeria, destroying more than a thousand...
Nigeria’s election runner-up, Atiku Abubakar, files appeal over election challenge
The runner-up in Nigeria's presidential election in February on Tuesday filed an appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling rejecting a...
Sahel: Boko Haram strikes in Konduga, Nigeria, killing 13
Suspected Boko Haram jihadists have killed 13 people including three soldiers in two separate attacks in northeast Nigeria, local militias told AFP...
Nigeria: Adamawa state imposes curfew to curtail looting
Authorities in Nigeria's northeastern Adamawa state on Sunday imposed a statewide round-the-clock curfew to stop widespread looting of food stores...
TURKEY
Turkey’s inflation ticks up to 62%
Turkey's annual inflation rate ticked up slightly in November, the state statistics agency said on Monday, showing further signs of levelling off...
Turkey’s opposition fractures ahead of March polls
By Dmitry Zaks: Turkey's main opposition party lost a crucial ally Monday in its bid to form a united front against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's...
Turkish leader issues strong rebuke of Israel as death toll in Gaza rises
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called Israel a "terror state", stepping up his condemnation of the spiralling civilian toll of...
Turkey welcomes Palestinian cancer patients after they entered Egypt
More than two dozen Palestinian cancer patients, who had crossed from Gaza into Egypt, arrived in Turkey for treatment in the early hours of...
Ukraine circumvents Russia’s blockade, ships grains via NATO countries
The first grain ship to sail from Ukraine since Russia reimposed its Black Sea blockade in July reached Istanbul on Thursday, marine traffic...
MOZAMBIQUE
Russia-Africa: From weapon sales to economic ties
By Arezki Daoud: Has the war in Ukraine deter Russia from engagement in Africa? Certainly not! We know on the security front, a growing number of...
Africa: Mozambique, Tanzania pen deals to fight terrorism
Leaders of Mozambique and Tanzania said on Wednesday they had signed defence and security deals aimed at fighting terrorism and crime along their...
Mozambique calls on energy giants to resume gas works
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday called on energy giants to resume work on gas projects in the country's restive north, which has been...
Mozambique: IMF team approves additional funds for Mozambique
The IMF on Monday said it was satisfied with fiscal progress Mozambique, ranked among the world's poorest countries, has made and paved the way for...
Mozambique: Finance minister blames predecessor in debt scandal
Mozambican Finance Minister Adriano Maleiane told a court Friday that his predecessor had covered up $2 billion in debts that plunged the nation...
DISCOVERY NORTH AFRICA: VIDEOS
Video: Morocco quake, aftermath
Morocco earthquake: How residents are coping with the earthquake (video)
Morocco earthquake: How residents are coping with the earthquake
Podcast: South Africa today: achievements and challenges
In this podcast, Arezki Daoud of MEA Risk and of The North Africa Journal, reports on his thoughts on South Africa, after a 10-day visit in April 2023. Audio only podcast: Youtube video presentation:
Moroccan nomads’ way of life threatened by climate change
By France 24: In the blistering desert of Morocco, the country's last Berber nomads, the Amazigh, say their ancient lifestyle is under threat as climate change brings ever more intense droughts.