Morocco: Swine flu outbreak kills nine in MoroccoF

Morocco: Swine flu outbreak kills nine in MoroccoF

Rabat, Feb 2, 2019 (AFP) – An outbreak of swine flu in Morocco has left nine people dead in the past week, the kingdom’s health minister said Saturday. The spread of the H1N1 virus was “normal” for the time of the year, said Anas Doukkali,...
Egypt military claims it killed two insurgents in Western DesertF

Egypt military claims it killed two insurgents in Western DesertF

Cairo, Feb 2, 2019 (AFP) – Egypt’s military said Saturday it had killed eight jihadists in air strikes in the Western Desert, as it leads a major campaign against the Islamic State group. “The air force targeted the terrorist base… the...
Egypt: Al Sisi, President for LifeF

Egypt: Al Sisi, President for LifeF

Cairo, Feb 3, 2019 – Egyptian lawmakers on Sunday tabled proposed constitutional changes that would allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to extend his rule beyond 2022, legislators said. The bill submitted to speaker Ali Abdel Aal calls for several amendments to...
Tunisia: Presidential election takes center stage in TunisiaF

Tunisia: Presidential election takes center stage in TunisiaF

Tunis, Jan 30, 2019 – Election fever is sweeping Tunisia well ahead of parliamentary and presidential polls set for late 2019. President Beji Caid Essebsi has accused Prime Minister Youssef Chahed of seeking power through a secret deal with an Islamist party....
Urban Issues: The stray dogs and wild boars of North African citiesF

Urban Issues: The stray dogs and wild boars of North African citiesF

Opinion by Arezki Daoud – January 29, 2019: There could be as many as 15 million stray dogs roaming the streets of Egypt, and in the past four years, no less than 231 people died from rabies. Egypt does not believe in decentralized governance, which means the...
Niger: Boko Haram attacks Boso, kills fourF

Niger: Boko Haram attacks Boso, kills fourF

Niamey, Jan 29, 2019 – Boko Haram militants have shot dead at least four people in a town in Niger near the border with Nigeria, a local official said Tuesday. Three other people were wounded in the attack on Monday night in Bosso, a town near the Lake Chad...
Algeria: Leader of Islamist MSP party to run in presidential pollF

Algeria: Leader of Islamist MSP party to run in presidential pollF

Algiers, Jan 26, 2019 (AFP) – Algeria’s main Islamist party, the Movement for the Society of Peace, said Saturday it has decided to take part in April’s presidential election. During the night of Friday to Saturday “the consultative council...

Part 1: Tunisia 2019 Election PreviewF

Season 1, Episode 2 Tunisia 2019 Election Preview Tunisia, despite its troubles, is an exciting place. A lot is happening there, somethings are good, others need adjustments.  The country is headed to the poll at the end of this year, in a new test to check if Tunisia...

Part 2: Algeria 2019 Election PreviewF

Season 1, Episode 3 Algeria 2019 Election Preview Algeria’s secretive politics makes very hard to predict what’s next. But what is certain is that its constitution remains work in progress, considering that there is no definite rule on what to do when a...

Part 3: Nigeria elections previewF

Season 1, Episode 4 Nigeria 2019 Election Preview Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country. With a nearly $401 billion economy in 2017, Nigeria surpasses all African countries and is a substantial metric on how Africa is generally doing economically and...

Part 4: Mozambique elections previewF

Season 1, Episode 5 Mozambique 2019 Election Preview Over the past two years, Mozambicans have been negotiating peace and on how to implement democracy in a country that has long been dominated by a single party. The Frelimo party-dominated government appears to have...
Burkina Faso: Jihadists kill two soldiers in Soum provinceF

Burkina Faso: Jihadists kill two soldiers in Soum provinceF

Ouagadougou, Jan 28, 2019 – At least four Burkinabe soldiers were killed Monday when gunmen raided a military base in the north, security sources said, a day after 10 people died in a separate attack in the same region. The pre-dawn attack saw heavily-armed...
Libya: Violence and political deadlock wreck havoc on the populationF

Libya: Violence and political deadlock wreck havoc on the populationF

Al-Gawalesh, Libya, Jan 27, 2019 – “Our town has been looted, homes wrecked and olive trees torched,” Moftah Mohammed said in dismay on returning home to Al-Gawalesh in western Libya after years wandering from place to place. Al-Gawalesh, perched on...
Mali: Two peacekeepers killed by mine in MoptiF

Mali: Two peacekeepers killed by mine in MoptiF

Bamako, Jan 25, 2019 – Two UN peacekeepers from Sri Lanka died and six wounded in central Mali Friday when their vehicle hit a mine, the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) announced. “This morning… a vehicle in a MINUSMA logistics convoy hit a mine near...
Maghreb: Cold and snow claim lives in central and eastern MaghrebF

Maghreb: Cold and snow claim lives in central and eastern MaghrebF

The North Africa Journal – 26 January 2019: A cold snap and floods killed two in Tunisia and two others in Algeria. Affected regions include Tunisia’s Kef, Jendouba, Siliana and Kasserine, and Algeria’s Annaba, El Tarf, Tizi Ouzou and Tipaza. Details...
Morocco: Swine flu outbreak kills nine in MoroccoF

Morocco: Man fears for safety after arrested wearing a dressF

Rabat, Jan 25, 2019 (AFP) – Chafik Lafrid’s life has become a nightmare since footage of his arrest in Marrakesh on New Year’s Eve, wearing a dress and a wig, went viral on social media. Homosexuality is illegal in Morocco, and the 33-year-old, who...
Algeria: Courts review cases of jailed journalistsF

Algeria: Courts review cases of jailed journalistsF

The North Africa Journal – 28 January 2019: Algerian courts have ordered the release of two journalists who were obviously arrested for the wrong reasons.  Adlene Mellah was arrested on 9 December for taking part to a rally in support of a jailed singer. Mellah...
Algeria: TV producer Youcef Goucem dies after setting himself ablazeF

Algeria: TV producer Youcef Goucem dies after setting himself ablazeF

Algiers, Jan 24, 2019 (AFP) – An Algerian television producer died from severe burns Thursday more than two weeks after setting himself on fire over unpaid wages, his son told AFP. Youcef Goucem, 61, doused himself in flammable liquid and lit it in the offices...
Algeria’s presidential election: and now the big circusF

Algeria’s presidential election: and now the big circusF

The North Africa Journal – January 24, 2019: President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has convened the electoral committee last week, hence ruling out the postponement of the presidential election of 18 April 2019. Members of the opposition had tried to push a...

Profile: Algeria’s Ahmed Gaid SalahF

Algerian military officer (1940–2019) Ahmed Gaid Salah (: أحمد قايد صالح; 13 January 1940 – 23 December 2019) was an Algerian military officer and chief of staff of the from 2004 to 2019. In 2004, he was appointed by then-President to the position of of the army. On...

Profile: Algeria’s Ali BenflisF

Algerian politician (born 1944) Ali Benflis (: على بن فليس; born 8 September 1944) is an Algerian politician who was from 2000 to 2004. In 2003, he became the general secretary of the party. Benflis was a candidate in the 2004 presidential election, but the poll...
Libya: More migrant deaths off the coast of LibyaF

Libya: More migrant deaths off the coast of LibyaF

Tripoli, Jan 22, 2019 – Two migrants have died and nearly 500 have been rescued in the past three days off the coast of Libya during perilous attempts to cross the Mediterranean to towards Europe, the Libyan navy said Tuesday. Spokesman General Ayoub Kacem told...
Libya: UN still looking for more conferences that produce nothingF

Libya: UN still looking for more conferences that produce nothingF

Commentary by Arezki Daoud: The United Nations and its envoy, Mr. Ghassan Salame have an interesting take on peacemaking and country building. They have been sponsoring conference after conference, none of which produced any positive outcome. And they are it again....

COUNTRY PROFILEF

Country in West Africa Burkina Faso is a in . It is bordered by to the northwest, to the northeast, to the southeast, and to the south, and to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,878 sq mi). In 2024, the country had an estimated population of...
Libya: AP photographer Mohamed Ben Khalifa killed in Tripoli clashF

Libya: AP photographer Mohamed Ben Khalifa killed in Tripoli clashF

Tripoli, Jan 19, 2019 (AFP) – A Libyan photographer who worked for Associated Press news agency was killed Saturday south of Libya’s capital Tripoli where he was covering militia clashes, a medical source and family said. Mohamed Ben Khalifa was killed by...
Algeria: Unknown retired general Ali Ghediri to run for presidentF

Algeria: Unknown retired general Ali Ghediri to run for presidentF

Algiers, Jan 19, 2019 – A retired Algerian general on Saturday became the first candidate to announce a run for president in April elections, as ailing incumbent Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s intentions remain unknown. Ali Ghediri, a former defence ministry...