Egypt and Turkey Test Pragmatic Rapprochement After Years of EstrangementF

Egypt and Turkey are cautiously rebuilding relations after years of estrangement, driven by shifting regional dynamics and converging state interests. Recent defense-industrial cooperation and renewed diplomatic engagement point to a pragmatic recalibration rather than full political reconciliation, as both countries test whether managed coordination can replace prolonged rivalry.

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Sudan Conflict: Egypt’s Military Escalation After the Fall of El‑Fasher$

Egypt appears to have shifted from diplomatic broker to covert combatant in Sudan’s war, with new evidence pointing to drone and air strikes launched from a secret base in the Western Desert. Satellite imagery, flight logs and investigations indicate that Egypt has established a covert airbase at the East Oweinat agricultural project, roughly 65 kilometers from the Sudanese border, to launch strikes against Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targets deep inside Sudan. The operations mark Egypt’s evolution from cautious mediator to active, if deniable, belligerent on the side of Sudan’s Armed Forces, as the conflict becomes the focal point of widening regional proxy rivalries involving the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.

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Business News & Analyses

Agriculture: Drought‑Hit 2025 Season Leaves Morocco More Dependent on Cereal Imports, According to FAO$

Morocco ended 2025 with a below‑average cereal harvest and higher food inflation, leaving the country more dependent on grain imports going into the 2025/26 marketing year, according to a new country brief from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The report notes that while late‑season rains improved conditions for the winter crop now in the ground, cumulative rainfall during the 2025 growing season was more than 60% below normal in key cereal‑producing areas, sharply curbing yields and forcing authorities to extend subsidy measures and step up import plans to secure supplies.

Algeria’s 2,000‑Kilometer Mining Corridor: Rail, Iron Ore, and the Road to the Mediterranean$

Algeria’s new rail link between Béchar and the giant Gara Djebilet iron ore deposit in Tindouf is designed as far more than a transport upgrade. By tying the remote southwest directly into Oran and other Mediterranean ports, the single‑track, heavy‑freight line is meant to anchor a 2,000‑kilometer economic corridor that can move millions of tons of iron ore and processed steel products while opening up one of the country’s most isolated regions to passengers, jobs, and investment.

Algeria Expands Core Infrastructure Investment Across Core Sectors$

Algeria is scaling up investment in core infrastructure as part of a long-term strategy spanning transport, water security, energy, and mining. Backed by multi-billion-dollar allocations in the 2026 state budget, the program targets roads, railways, ports, airports, and large-scale hydraulic projects, alongside major mining developments linked to new logistics corridors.
Authorities frame the effort as both an economic and social priority, aimed at improving service reliability, supporting industrial growth, and reducing regional disparities, particularly in remote southern areas. Several projects rank among the largest of their kind in Africa and reflect a continued reliance on state-led development to address structural challenges

Morocco’s Lawyers Push Back Against Proposed Changes to Bar Governance$

A proposed law governing Morocco’s legal profession has triggered protests and a nationwide strike, as lawyers accuse the Justice Ministry of sidelining consultations and expanding executive oversight. The dispute suggests broader tensions over professional independence, regulatory authority, and the future of Morocco’s legal market.

Burkina Faso: Deep Supply Weaknesses in Ouagadougou Amid Seasonal Butane Shortages$

Each year between December and January, Ouagadougou faces a renewed shortage of butane gas just as household demand peaks. The recurring tension on supply, linked to limited stocks, uneven distribution and a shortage of empty cylinders for refilling, is forcing many families to fall back on charcoal and firewood, with financial, health and environmental consequences.

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Cyclone Harry’s Hidden Toll: NGOs Fear Up to 1,000 Migrants Lost at Sea$

Up to 1,000 migrants may have vanished in the Central Mediterranean during Cyclone Harry, far more than the 380 people officially listed as missing by maritime authorities, according to humanitarian groups working on the Tunisia–Libya route. The Italian NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans says testimonies from coastal communities around Sfax and from migrants’ families suggest dozens of boats sailed into the storm and never returned, turning what was reported as a series of shipwrecks into what advocates describe as a “hidden catastrophe” at sea.

Morocco Reassures Public on King Mohammed VI’s Mechanical Lumbosciatica$

Morocco’s Royal Palace has confirmed that King Mohammed VI is being treated for mechanical lumbosciatica, a lower‑back condition linked to muscle contracture, but has stressed that his situation is not considered serious. Doctors have prescribed medication and rest to ease the pain, and official statements have emphasized continuity of state affairs while reassuring the public that the 61‑year‑old monarch’s health problem is localized and manageable.

Agriculture: Drought‑Hit 2025 Season Leaves Morocco More Dependent on Cereal Imports, According to FAO$

Morocco ended 2025 with a below‑average cereal harvest and higher food inflation, leaving the country more dependent on grain imports going into the 2025/26 marketing year, according to a new country brief from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The report notes that while late‑season rains improved conditions for the winter crop now in the ground, cumulative rainfall during the 2025 growing season was more than 60% below normal in key cereal‑producing areas, sharply curbing yields and forcing authorities to extend subsidy measures and step up import plans to secure supplies.

French Prosecutors Target Ex-Algerian Minister in Corruption Case Tied to Sonatrach and the ICJ$

French prosecutors are investigating former Algerian justice minister and ex-International Court of Justice president Mohammed Bedjaoui over alleged tax fraud, money laundering, and unexplained wealth running into the millions. The case reaches from a controversial ICJ ruling in a Qatar–Bahrain maritime dispute to high-end property deals in France and corruption scandals around Algeria’s Sonatrach, raising broader questions about how international justice, energy contracts, and opaque financial networks can intersect.

Algeria’s 2,000‑Kilometer Mining Corridor: Rail, Iron Ore, and the Road to the Mediterranean$

Algeria’s 2,000‑Kilometer Mining Corridor: Rail, Iron Ore, and the Road to the Mediterranean$

Algeria’s new rail link between Béchar and the giant Gara Djebilet iron ore deposit in Tindouf is designed as far more than a transport upgrade. By tying the remote southwest directly into Oran and other Mediterranean ports, the single‑track, heavy‑freight line is meant to anchor a 2,000‑kilometer economic corridor that can move millions of tons of iron ore and processed steel products while opening up one of the country’s most isolated regions to passengers, jobs, and investment.

French Law Eases Path to Nuclear Test Compensation for Algerian and Polynesian Victims$

France’s National Assembly has unanimously approved a reform that makes it easier for people exposed to French nuclear tests in Algeria and Polynesia to obtain compensation, replacing an onerous case‑by‑case causality test with a presumption of exposure for those who were present in designated test zones and later developed recognized radiation‑linked illnesses.

MORE ANALYSES & MAJOR EVENTS

UAE Regional Influence Under Strain Amid Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Maghreb Frictions$

Across Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and the Maghreb, the United Arab Emirates is encountering rising diplomatic friction as regional powers push back against policies seen as destabilizing or misaligned with their security interests. The UAE is facing growing tensions involving Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria, while sustained scrutiny over Sudan and Yemen is reshaping perceptions of Emirati influence.

Inside the US Decision to Target Specific Muslim Brotherhood Branches$

The United States’ decision to designate Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon as terrorist organizations marks a significant shift in policy, but not the sweeping ban many had anticipated. Rather than targeting the movement as a whole, Washington adopted a selective approach grounded in specific allegations of operational ties to violence, particularly involving Hamas and cross-border militant activity

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SECURITY, DEFENSE & TERRORISM

Egypt and Turkey Test Pragmatic Rapprochement After Years of EstrangementF

Egypt and Turkey are cautiously rebuilding relations after years of estrangement, driven by shifting regional dynamics and converging state interests. Recent defense-industrial cooperation and renewed diplomatic engagement point to a pragmatic recalibration rather than full political reconciliation, as both countries test whether managed coordination can replace prolonged rivalry.

SOCIAL, LABOR & THE ENVIRONMENT

Tunisia: Leading Labor Union in Turmoil$

The possible resignation of Noureddine Tabboubi, the general secretary of the UGTT (Tunisian General Labor Union), is the culmination of a deep...

Tunisia: Leading Labor Union in Turmoil$

The possible resignation of Noureddine Tabboubi, the general secretary of the UGTT (Tunisian General Labor Union), is the culmination of a deep...

BUSINESS & THE ECONOMY

Algeria’s 2,000‑Kilometer Mining Corridor: Rail, Iron Ore, and the Road to the Mediterranean$

Algeria’s new rail link between Béchar and the giant Gara Djebilet iron ore deposit in Tindouf is designed as far more than a transport upgrade. By tying the remote southwest directly into Oran and other Mediterranean ports, the single‑track, heavy‑freight line is meant to anchor a 2,000‑kilometer economic corridor that can move millions of tons of iron ore and processed steel products while opening up one of the country’s most isolated regions to passengers, jobs, and investment.