Libya: The battle for Tripoli rages on, 147 killed
Tripoli, April 15, 2019 – At least 147 people have been killed and 614 wounded in the offensive launched on April 4 by Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar to take the capital Tripoli, the World Health Organization said Monday. The clashes have displaced...
Morocco: Court upholds outrageous prison terms for Hirak leaders
Rabat, April 10, 2019 – Human Rights Watch on Wednesday warned Rabat over what it called the “shocking” Moroccan court of appeal rulings against 42 leaders of a protest movement. “The shocking appeals verdict upholding up to 20-year...
Morocco: Swiss national sentenced to prison for terrorism
Rabat, April 12, 2019 – A Moroccan court has sentenced a Swiss citizen arrested in connection with the murder of two Scandinavian hikers to 10 years in prison on terrorism charges, his lawyer said Friday. Kahlil Idriss said the man, identified only as Nicolas...
Libya: Thousands flee, population stranded inside conflict zone in Tripoli
April 12, 2019 – More than 8,000 people have fled fighting around Libya’s capital, half of whom have been displaced over the last two days, the United Nations said Friday. “Displacements from areas affected by the clashes in an around Tripoli...
Egypt: Teenage suicide bomber kills seven in Egypt
Cairo, April 9, 2019 – A teen suicide bomber killed four members of Egypt’s security forces and three civilians Tuesday in restive North Sinai, the interior ministry said, with the Islamic State group claiming the attack. “The suicide bomber aged...
The Libyan crisis and Rome’s immigration nightmare
Rome, April 11, 2019 – Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned Thursday that the deteriorating situation in Libya could create a humanitarian crisis and increase the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. “Ongoing fighting and a rising number...People Profile: Ahmed Ouyahia, Algerian Politician
Prime minister of Algeria (1995-1998 2004-2006 2008-2012 2017-2019) Ahmed Ouyahia (: أحمد أويحيى, : Aḥmad ʾŪyaḥyā; 2 July 1952) is an Algerian politician who was four times (1995–98, 2004–2006, 2008–2012, 2017–2019). A career diplomat, he also served as Minister...People profile: Mohamed Mediene, Algerian Intelligence
Former head of Algerian intelligence General Mohamed Mediène (: الجنرال محمد مدين), also known as Toufik (توفيق) is an Algerian intelligence officer who formerly served as head of the country's secret services, the (Département du renseignement et de la sécurité,...
With the ousting of Bouteflika and al-Bashir, should others be concerned?
April 11, 2019 – Strongmen in the Middle East and North Africa will be eyeing warily popular protests, fed by frustration with living standards and an elite perceived as corrupt, that helped push veteran Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and now...
Mali: French forces in Mali set up base near Burkina border after major clean up operation
April 10, 2019 – French and Malian troops killed or captured more than 30 extremists and dismantled a jihadist training camp during a major counter-terrorism operation near Mali’s border with Burkina Faso, the French military told AFP on Friday. The...
Libya’s Escalating Civil War: The Oil Dimension
By Rauf Mammadov* and Theodore Karasik** – 10 April 2019: Libya’s civil war intensified this month after General Khalifa Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), which is allied with the eastern government based in Tobruk—the House of Representatives...
Sahel: Mali soldier mistakenly shoots and kills civilian in moment of panic
Bamako, April 9, 2019 – Malian soldiers shot dead at least one villager and injured others after a detonation they mistook for an attack in a region plagued by jihadist violence, residents and a military source said Tuesday. The shooting took place Monday in...
Sahel: Boko Haram targets Niger’s Diffa region in new attacks
Niamey, April 10, 2019 – Several people have been taken hostage and a policeman killed in an attack by Boko Haram militants in a troubled region of southeastern Niger, a senior official told AFP on Wednesday. The jihadists, some of them believed to be wearing...
Algeria: Rejected by the Algerian people, the old guard remains in power
Algiers, April 9, 2019 – By Claire Doyen – Algerian lawmakers appointed a regime stalwart as interim president Tuesday, dismaying protesters seeking sweeping change after the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika who ruled the country for two decades. The...
Libya: Fighting outside Tripoli rages on as UN struggles to find a solution to the crisis
Tripoli, April 10, 2019 – The battle for Libya’s capital intensified as the UN Security Council prepared to meet Wednesday to discuss the crisis gripping the North African country, where armed rivals are locked in a deadly power struggle. The closed-door...
Libya: Thousands flee Libya clashes
Tripoli, April 8, 2019 – Fighting raged around Tripoli and an air strike closed its only functioning airport Monday, as Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar defied international calls to halt his advance on the capital. Thousands were also reported by the United...
Mali: Dozen dead as boat sinks on way to market in Segou
Bamako, April 8, 2019 (AFP) – A boat headed for market laden with merchandise and vendors capsized in the Niger River in Mali, claiming about a dozen lives, authorities said Monday. The victims had been on their way Sunday to a weekly market in Markala, in...
Libya: Flights halted at Tripoli airport as fighting continues, death toll reaches 35
Tripoli, Libya, April 8, 2019 – A warplane carried out an air strike Monday against the Libyan capital’s only functioning airport and halted all flights, aviation authorities said, as fighting raged for control of Tripoli. A security source at Mitiga...
Algeria: Growing unease with the role of the Generals in the Algerian transition
By Arezki Daoud – Tomorrow Friday, 5 April 2019, there will be rain in the morning in Algiers, but it will likely dissipate on time for after Friday prayers, allowing protesters to go back to the streets, to the chagrin of the current government officials....
Mali’s humanitarian problem: too much focus on boots on the ground
April 4, 2019 – Mali is in dire need of humanitarian aid, with more than three million people requiring food and basic assistance even as billions of dollars go to security missions, a UN official bemoaned Thursday. Since January, the United Nations has received...
Algeria: Pressure grows on remaining Bouteflika operatives to resign
Algiers, April 4, 2019 – Algerians are planning mass protests Friday in a key test of whether they can keep up the pressure for sweeping reforms following ailing president Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s resignation. Opponents of the old regime have taken to social...
Libya: UN’s Antonio Guterres in hopeless Libya
Tripoli, April 3, 2019 (AFP) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Libya Wednesday ahead of a conference aimed at paving the way for elections to help end years of chaos in the country. “I have just arrived in Libya, totally...
Libya: The collapse of the social and economic infrastructure in Libya
Zintan, Libya, April 2, 2019 – By Imed Lamloum and Nawas Al-Darraji – Hundreds of blue pipes lay abandoned in Libya’s Zintan, leaving residents struggling to get enough water after the 2011 revolution halted their spot on the world’s largest...