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...
Libya: Haftar troops headed toward Tripoli, fear of more violence coming
Tripoli, April 4, 2019 – Forces led by a controversial Libyan military chief manoeuvred Thursday for a threatened advance towards Tripoli as UN chief Antonio Guterres warned of the growing risk of violence. The self-proclaimed Libyan National Army of Khalifa...Live updates: Crises in Algeria and Libya
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Mali: French military doctor killed in Mopti, soldier wounded
April 2, 2019 – A French military doctor was killed in Mali when his armoured vehicle hit an improvised explosive device during an operation against “armed terrorist groups”, the French presidency and army said Tuesday. France’s army for the...
Algeria: President Bouteflika resigns
The North Africa Journal: The Algerian President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, officially notified the President of the Constitutional Council, his decision to end his term as President of the Republic. More details coming. Meanwhile, the leaking of the news of a secret...
Algeria: Bouteflika backer and businessman Ali Haddad arrested
Algiers, March 31, 2019 – Ali Haddad, one of Algeria’s top businessmen and a backer of ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, was arrested as he tried to cross into Tunisia, an Algerian security source said Sunday. Haddad, who Forbes magazine describes as...
Algeria: New Algerian government cabinet will fail to ease political tension
Photo: New protests in the capital Algiers after announcement of new government cabinet. Algiers, March 31, 2019 – Protest-hit Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Sunday named a new government headed by recently appointed Noureddine Bedoui, a statement...
Algeria: Private jets banned from flying out of Algeria, amid reports of arrest of pro Bouteflika businessman Ali Haddad
Algiers, March 31, 2019 – Algeria, which has been hit by weeks of anti-government protests, on Sunday banned all private aircraft from taking off or landing until the end of the month. In a NOTAM, or notice to airmen, aviation authorities said the ban ...
Algeria: Opposition sees the General’s call for impeachment of president as a ploy to maintain regime
By Arezki Daoud – 26 March 2019: Army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah made a stunning recommendation today (March 26) when he said impeaching the president may be the best option left to keep the country stable. His statement came a day after several operatives of the...
Algeria: Central Bank seeks to appease growing public fear over capital flight as political crisis persists
There has been growing public fear over regime operatives moving money from Algeria to foreign banks. Rumors have been circulating that several businessmen tied to the regime, including the Kouninef brothers, have contracted multi-million dollar loans over the past...
Algeria: Media campaign against financial backers of Bouteflika: the Kouninef brothers
The North Africa Journal – 26 March 2019: The Kouninef brothers have been the focal point of several influential newspapers and have been under attack by social media commentators for their alleged strong ties and support of the Bouteflika regime. The Kouninef...