Batna-Algeria: Bomb found in the street of Batna
Sabha-Libya: 20 hostages freed from IS, eight insurgents killed
Libya in 2019: Podcast
In mid-December 2018, Arezki Daoud and Alessandro Bruno discussed the latest about Libya and what could happen in 2019. This is the audio version of the broadcast hosted on YouTube.Algeria: Arab migrants ‘missing’ after seeking shelter in Algeria, says UN
Geneva, Jan 3, 2019 (AFP) – The UN refugee agency Thursday voiced “concern” for the safety of 100 Arab citizens who went missing after seeking shelter in Algeria and others stranded at the border with Niger. “Some 120 Syrian, Palestinian and...
Egypt wants CBS to drop Sisi interview on Israel cooperation: network
Washington, Jan 4, 2019 (AFP) – Egypt has asked CBS not to air an interview with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in which he discussed cooperation with Israel in the fight against Sinai jihadists, the US network said. The network said on its website Thursday that...
Algeria’s illegal migration problem and “national security.”
Algiers, Jan 4, 2019 (AFP) – Algeria’s interior ministry on Friday defended moves to expel dozens of migrants as a matter of “national security”, after the UN voiced concern over a group who went missing in the desert. The global body’s...
Mali: Ethnic conflicts worsen instability in Mali
Bamako, Jan 4, 2019 (AFP) – Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Friday visited the graves of 37 villagers killed during a New Year’s Day massacre blamed on warring communities that is under investigation by UN rights experts. Residents have...
Algeria’s diplomatic friction with France and Switzerland
The North Africa Journal – November 19, 2018: Algeria is having some diplomatic kerfuffle with France and Switzerland these days. With the French, the feud is about new limitations in issuing Schengen visas to Algerian members of parliament. With the Swiss,...
Morocco: New test of allegiance to Saudi Arabia
The North Africa Journal – November 19, 2018: In an article posted on November 4, 2018, the Washington Post reported the “the government of Morocco recently said it had extradited Prince Turki bin Bandar to Saudi Arabia to comply with an Interpol warrant. But...
Libya: The failed Palermo conference- just another meeting to agree to meet again
The North Africa Journal | Nov 15, 2018: [Photo: Gen. Haftar gets rock star reception] — By organizing the Palermo conference, Italy sought to take the lead over France in proposing new steps to solve the Libyan crisis. The rivalry of France and Italy on the...
Algeria’s other military campaigns
The North Africa Journal – 8 November 2018: MEA Risk LLC says that for the period of 1 to 7 November 2018, there were 53 critical incidents recorded in Algeria, resulting in a single death and 392 arrests. The share of the Criminality category in the week’s...
Tunisia’s Prime Minister seeks greater autonomy from President in leadership tussle
The North Africa Journal – Nov 8, 2018: Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed announced on Monday evening a long-awaited ministerial reshuffle that the President of the Republic did not approve, magnifying the political crisis that has prevented the speedy...
King of Morocco proposes direct talks with Algeria: Unlikely to happen this year
The North Africa Journal – Nov 8, 2018: The fate of the contested Western Sahara territory and a regional leadership context continue to poison relations between Algeria and Morocco, two countries that have substantial similarities and massive interests in...
Morocco: Imprisoned for “insulting the flag”
The North Africa Journal: 18 October 2018 – North African governments appear to have zero tolerance toward criticism. Their leaders say they are committed to the advancement of personal freedoms and free speech, but their actions beg the opposite. Egypt may be...
Algeria: A Parliament in Disarray
The North Africa Journal: 18 October 2018: The Algerian political system has been mired in internal divisions and weak stakeholders, keeping the presidency the only effective political unit in the country. With the opposition virtually non-existent, Algeria is headed...Nigeria: As primaries end, competition between parties to intensify, and violence likely
The North Africa Journal – 14 October 2018 – Security analyst firm MEA Risk LLC says that for the period of 8 to 14 October 2018, there were 41 critical incidents in Nigeria, resulting in at least 124 deaths and 113 arrests. Both the Social/Human and...
Mozambique: Municipal elections end with ruling party dominance
The North Africa Journal: 15 October 2018: MEA Risk reports that the Mozambican Liberation Front (Frelimo) has won Mozambique’s municipal elections in 44 of the country’s 53 municipalities, according to official figures released on 14 October. Elections took place on...
Algeria faces US sanctions for purchasing Russian weaponry
The North Africa Journal – 3 October 2018: The United States could impose sanctions against Algeria for purchasing Russian military equipment. In its effort to punish Moscow for its alleged interference in the 2016 elections and its “unacceptable”...
Europe in search of partners in North Africa to block illegal immigration
The North Africa Journal – September 20, 2018: There appears to be an uptick in entry of foreign migrants into Europe over the past months. Although there has been a sizeable decrease of global entries since 2015, the European Coast Guard agency Frontex noticed...
Algeria: Military reshuffle confirms uncertainty ahead of elections
The North Africa Journal -By Hakim Briki – August 23, 2018: President Bouteflika has ordered an important military reshuffle, which might redefine the role of the armed forces in Algerian politic. Major Generals Habib Chentouf and Said El Bey, respectively the...
Algeria: Movement against reelection of Bouteflika makes waves after police disrupt first protest
The North Africa Journal – August 16, 2018 – By Hakim Briki: Mouwatana, a movement created in June 2018 to dissuade President Bouteflika from running for reelection, has denounced the “early presidential campaign” launched by majority parties....
Libya: Critical Incidents Map for July 2018. Libya risk remains highly elevated
The North Africa Journal – August 8, 2018: For the period of 1 July to 7 August 2018, there were 64 critical incidents affecting Libya’s stability rating, according to risk and tracking firm MEA Risk. Those incidents resulted in at least 18 deaths and 1,004...
Nigeria: Difficult time for ruling APC party and President Buhari, more violence ahead likely
The North Africa Journal – August 7, 2018: Last week, Mohammed Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South in the Nigerian Senate and a member of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), insisted that his party still maintained the majority position in...
Morocco: Central Danone and PJD minister first victims of an unusual boycott
The North Africa Journal – June 8, 2018: For several weeks now, a call to boycott three major brands in the Moroccan market is beginning to hurt the targeted businesses and has made its first collateral damage in government. Morocco’s social networks have been...
Algerian government outraged after journalist broadcasts anti-Bouteflika video from EU HQ
The North Africa Journal – June 8, 2018: Algerian journalist Layla Haddad Lefevre, who used to be the correspondent of the Algerian public broadcasting network in Brussels, appeared in a video shot at the EU headquarters denouncing the President Abdelaziz...
Presentation: The sources of instability in the Sahel
The North Africa Journal – June 5, 2018: This is a presentation made by MEA Risk Analyst and North Africa Journal Editor Arezki Daoud on understanding the sources of instability in the Sahel. The presentation focuses broadly on the root causes affecting...
Restive southeast Tunisia struggles with economic despair
The North Africa Journal – May 31, 2018: Economic Brief: A parliamentary report released this week in Tunisia caught our attention because it addressed, in an honest way, the major issues facing the restive southeastern Tunisia, and by extension many other...
Libya: Nothing new achieved in yet another Paris conference on Libya
By Arezki Daoud, MEA Risk Lead Analyst – May 31, 2018: The headlines in some of the world’s media read as if something new happened in Paris this week. One of them says “Libyan factions agree to December 10 elections at Paris talks,” suggesting to the reader...
Violence escalates in the Sahel, surge of communal conflicts
The North Africa Journal – May 31, 2018: Violence in Mali continues to escalate, making dozens of deaths, including among Tuareg and Fulani civilians caught in a conflict that has no solution in sight. Security tracking firm MEA Risk LLC says over the past...
Algeria: More insurgents surrender as military renews call for amnesty, says MEA Risk
The North Africa Journal: May 17, 2018: MEA Risk LLC reports that four more Islamic insurgents surrendered to the army in the province of Tamanrasset in Algeria this week in a series of surrenders boosted by the military call for amnesty for those willing to give up...
Mozambique: Back to uncertainty as opposition leader dies before conclusion of peace talks, says MEA Risk
The North Africa Journal: May 16, 2018: MEA Risk LLC said news and political life in Mozambique over the past fortnight have been largely dominated by the unexpected death of Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama on 3 May 2018. Dhlakama, one of the two top players in the...
Africa: Instability persists in Nigeria
The North Africa Journal – May 14, 2018: MEA Risk LLC said that for the period of 7 to 13 May 2018, there were 53 critical incidents in Nigeria, resulting in 134 deaths and 215 arrests. Incidents related to the Human & Social category and the Criminality category...
Africawide: Nigeria struggles with its twin conflict of herdsmen and Boko Haram
MEA Risk LLC – May 2, 2018: In its weekly threat assessment report, sister company MEA Risk pains a grim picture of the security situation in Nigeria. MEA Risk says for the period of 23 to 29 April 2018, there were 46 critical incidents in Nigeria, resulting in...