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Elections in North Africa: No Excitement Ahead, No Change in Course
It’s a big political year worldwide. Many countries have already experienced or will have elections this year, and North Africa is no exception. While serious ideological changes seem to occur in Europe, and uncertainty looms in the US with two aging candidates and...
Drought Disrupts Wheat Sector in Morocco, Uncertainty with French and Russian Supplies
Morocco’s wheat harvest this year is likely to fall below 2.5 million tons due to a debilitating and lasting drought that has affected much of the country. To put it into perspective, during the wet season, output can reach up to 10 million tons, according to Bloomberg. Industry analysts warn that grain production in Morocco this year will drop by 39% compared to the 2023’s harvest of 4.2 million tons.
How to MEGA or ‘Make Europe Great Again’
In the second week of June 2024, far-right parties across the EU made significant gains in the European Parliament elections. In France, the National Rally led by Marine Le Pen secured nearly a third of the votes, forcing President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve the National Assembly and call for snap elections. Far-right gains affected most major European nations, such as Germany and Italy. In contrast, the Green parties suffered significant losses, which as seeing their influence in Germany and other countries wane.
Algeria’s strengthening EU gas market pushes Morocco to look for its own gas
Algeria was in the spotlight at the G7 summit in Bari in Italy in mid-June. New agreements have been signed with President Tebboun. To counter the strengthening Algerian strategy on the European gas market. Morocco is trying to develop its own gas fields.
Algeria-Morocco: The Dividing Kaftan
The Kaftan or Caftan, is now source of new tension between Morocco and Algeria. The two countries have been monitoring each other’s moves to pinpoint and complain about “cultural appropriation” when it comes to food, traditional graphics designs, arts and now robes.
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.
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 from Niger. In return, two days later Algeria also summoned the ambassador of the Republic of Niger in Algiers, Aminou...
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 December date. The surprise announcement, which contradict the Algerian constitution that requires the election to take place...
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 widespread given the heavy bureaucratic nature of the outdated administration and the equally outdated regulatory...
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 2024, marking the beginning of the unofficial election campaign. Assoul is the President of the Union for Change and...
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 influence in the North Africa and Sahel regions through sabre-rattling, despite the two countries boasting the exact same...
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 & Vertrieb GmbH (VNG H&V). The German company is a wholly owned subsidiary of VNG AG. VNG is the first German...
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...
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 pro-autonomy and independence groups based in the north of the country. Long considered essential for stabilizing the...
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 26-people delegation representing various sectors seeking opportunities in Algeria. Among the most noticeable companies...
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 being poisoned with carbon monoxide gas, said a statement from the Civil Protection Directorate. The gas emanated from a...
Algeria: Judicial Supervision of Former Head of RCD Party: Political Pressure or Legal Procedure?
The former president of the opposition party, the Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie (RCD), Mohcine Belabbas, has been under judicial supervision for two years. The investigating judge at the court of Hussein Dey in Algiers finally closed the investigation...
Algeria-Spain: Despite diplomatic disconnect, Algeria-Spain maintain strong energy ties ($)
Algeria fires head of police, arrests 11 Oran Airport security officers
Farid Bencheikh, the head of gigantic police and security agency, the Director General of National Security (DGSN), was fired today and replaced by another officer, Ali Badaoui. Bencheikh had been in office since 15 March 2021. Although the presidency did not specify...
Sahel: Qatar helps dissipate diplomatic tensions between Mali and Algeria
The North Africa Journal - Qatar has demonstrated its diplomatic skills in the Middle East crisis but it has also been quietly active in other regions, such as helping reduce tensions between Mali and Algeria. To recall, the Malian government expressed its anger at...
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