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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...
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...
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...
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...
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 what we see in...
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,...
The Algerian legislative elections: the results
The North Africa Journal - May 7, 2017: The Algerian ministry of interior says voter participation was 38.25% on 4 May, down 6% compared to the 2012 legislative elections. Out of 23,251,503 registered voters, only 8,528,355 of them voted. A number of civil society...
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. The requirement is expected to be gradually rolled out starting June 2017, per a multi-ministerial decree. Authorities are currently...
Uncertainty over Italy’s renewal of key gas deal with Algeria
The North Africa Journal - May 4, 2017: Since the beginning of the year, Italy has been sending mix signals about the renewal of its gas contract with Algeria. The current multi-year deal comes to an end in 2019, which the Italian Minister of Economic Development...
Despite economic hardship, defense spending in North Africa & Sahel on the rise
The North Africa Journal | April 27, 2017: Despite severe economic performances affecting the countries’ revenues, North Africa, including the Sahel, witnessed an increase in military expenditure in 2016, growing 2.2% to US$ 21.264 billion versus 2015. The...
Algeria reinforces troops in southeast border, as crisis deepens in south Libya
The North Africa Journal - April 27, 2017: Although Algeria has been deploying more military assets along its western and southern borders, its biggest concern by far these days remains the potential for incursion of all sorts of militants from Libya. The Algerian...
Algeria braces for voter apathy in May 4 legislative elections, low turnout expected
The North Africa Journal - April 23, 2017 - Campaigning for the legislative elections slated for 4 May 2017 in Algeria is in full swing, and most observers and analysts agree that voter interest is at its lowest. The usual posters that dominated the campaign landscape...
Algeria: Government to propose bill on doctrinal deviation (By MEA Risk)
The minister of religious affairs, Mohammed Aissa, has announced that a draft bill targeting "doctrinal deviation" is in preparation. "It is not a law that targets other religions, which are protected by the Algerian constitution. However, we want to protect Algerians...
Algeria: Ailing President appears on TV, but uncertainty persists
The North Africa Journal - March 22, 2017- Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika reappeared in a brief video broadcast by national television, showing him meeting Maghreb and African affairs minister Abdelkader Messahel to discuss regional affairs. Although the...
Algeria: Major controversy over replacement of Sonatrach CEO
The North Africa Journal - March 20, 2017 - The CEO of the Algerian company Sonatrach is a very powerful man. Undoubtedly he has powers that exceed those of many ministers, and so appointing the right person should be no trivial exercise. Except that when politics...
New activity on the Western Sahara conflict, but no one knows where this is headed
The North Africa Journal - March 6, 2017 - The UN envoy to the Western Sahara Christopher Ross has handed over his resignation to the new UN chief Antonio Guterres. The news came days after Moroccan troops made a symbolic retreat from the contested area of...
Algeria: Massive weapons cache found near Niger border
MEA Risk Alert: March 5, 2017: The Algerian army has discovered, on 4 March, a massive weapons cache near the Nigerien border in In Guezzam. The cache contained six Kalashnikov machine guns, a FMPK heavy machine gun, a RPG-7 rocket launcher, three Simonov...
Algeria: Police foil suicide attack in Constantine
The North Africa Journal: February 27, 2917: A suicide attack targeting a police station in Bab el-Kantara, in the Algerian province of Constantine, was foiled on February 26, 2017. A suicide bomber was seeking to enter the police station, but was prevented to do so...
Labor Unions: Localized and segmented unions in North Africa seek better coordination
The North Africa Journal - Feb 21, 2017: Labor protests have been a major source of the heightened level of social unrest across the region. This past week saw its share of trade union unrest, largely driven by a labor sector that has regulations largely seen as...
Algeria: Tensions deepen among the opposition over legislative elections
Tension between the opposition parties Jil Jadid (New Generation) and the Islamist-leaning Movement for Society and Peace (MSP) have intensified this week after former presidential candidate and Jil Jadid chief Soufiane Djilali, accused the Islamist Abderrazak Makri...
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