Sahel: Secretary Blinken visits Niger as US worries about Russia’s expanding influence in the Sahel
By Shaun Tandon: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Niger on Thursday for a rare visit to a country seen as a bastion of support for Western military operations in a region where Russia is making inroads. Blinken is the first US official at this level to...
Tunisia: European Parliament lashes out at Tunisian president over his “authoritarian drift”
The European Parliament on Thursday decried Tunisian President Kais Saied’s “authoritarian drift” and called for the immediate release of a detained prominent journalist. Saied sacked the government and froze parliament in a 2021 power grab before...
Algeria: MSF criticizes Algeria for mistreatment of migrants
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) denounced Thursday the “abandon” of thousands of migrants expelled by Algeria into northern Niger and called on the West African bloc ECOWAS to intervene. Many of those expelled were struggling to find shelter in a region...
Moroccan police announce arrest of three suspected militants
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Sahel: Niger reports major offensive against Boko Haram near border with Nigeria
Jihadist-hit Niger last week killed about 30 members of the Boko Haram group and detained 960 followers, most of them women and children, who had fled neighbouring Nigeria, official sources said. State TV channel Tele Sahel said late Tuesday that on March 7 aerial...
Mali junta cracks down on social media influencers, arrests Rokia Doumbia
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Tunisia arrests spokesman of moderate Islamist party Ennahdha
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Tunisia now has a rubber-stamping parliament
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Morocco’s stance on Israel-Palestinian conflict creates rift between monarchy and opposition party
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Sahel and North Africa Week-in-Review: Mali and Tunisia remain center stage
Welcome to this week-in-review episode, for the period ending 10 March 2023, where we look at some of the key events affecting the geopolitics of North Africa and the Sahel. Your host is Arezki Daoud, principal analyst at MEA Risk LLC and editor of The North Africa...
Mali regime to miss deadline to return to civilian rule, postpones constitutional referendum
Mali’s ruling junta will postpone a constitutional referendum but maintain a previously agreed timeline to return to civilian rule, a government spokesperson said in a statement read to the press Friday. “The transitional government informs national and...
Sahel: Mali ratchets up communications on military offensive against insurgents
The Malian Armed Forces known as FAMA, have been increasing their communications to the media to showcase their alleged wins. Ever since the junta of Assimi Goita took over, there has been a greater emphasis on PR. Earlier this week, FAMA said that 153...
Algeria: Trial of independent journalist Ihasane El-Kadi starts on Sunday
Jailed Algerian journalist Ihsane El Kadi, accused of illegal fundraising, will remain silent during his trial which is due to start on Sunday, his defence team has said. El Kadi, director of the Maghreb Emergent news website and Radio M, was remanded in custody on...Rome and Rabat in talks to extradite thousands of Moroccans jailed in Italy
Italy is asking Morocco to repatriate some 3,500 Moroccan inmates imprisoned in Italian prisons. Among the inmates targeting for deportation, are nearly 2,400 who have already been received court sentences. A meeting between Italian Minister of Justice Carlo Nordi...Morocco applies for $5 bil IMF loan, likely to get the loan
On 6 March 2023, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board met in an informal session to consider a request from Morocco for a two-year loan arrangement under the IMF’s Flexible Credit Line (FCL). The amount under consideration is US$ 5 billion. The...
Algeria: The strange phenomenon of syringe attacks on children worry parents in Algeria
There have been several cases of people attacked by syringe in Algeria. The latest case is that of child injured by a needle attack in the west of the country. The phenomenon of syringe attacks is spreading across the country with the authorities puzzled by the...
Libya: Efforts by UN envoy to organize elections face resistance from the Libyans themselves
By Jihad Dorgham: The new UN envoy to Libya had hoped to usher in long-delayed elections, but his initiative is facing pushback from the eastern-based parliament and a lukewarm reception by its rivals in Tripoli. Senegalese diplomat Abdoulaye Bathily told the UN...
Tunisia: President dissolves elected municipal councils
Tunisian President Kais Saied on Thursday moved to dissolve the country’s elected municipal councils, seen as a key democratic gain after the 2011 revolt that sparked the Arab Spring. Saied sacked the government in a 2021 power grab, and has since scrapped the...
Tunisia: Migrants drown off the coast of Sfax
Fourteen migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have drowned off the coast of the Tunisian city of Sfax, the coastguard said on Thursday. “Coastguard patrols last night intercepted a group whose boat had sunk, rescuing 54 people of various sub-Saharan African...
Libya: With thousands of migrants held in detention centers, Libya continues to violate human rights
Around 5,000 migrants are being held in official detention centres in Libya and they represent just the tip of the iceberg, the International Organization for Migration chief said Wednesday. “It remains very unacceptable in terms of the violation of the rights...
Tunisia: Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine calls media and politicians “traitors”
Unions and rights groups demanded an apology from Tunisia’s interior minister on Wednesday after he lashed out at media and political party “traitors”, as authorities face heavy criticism over a crackdown against the opposition. Speaking during a...
Tunisia: President’s racist speech sparks violence against migrants
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Tunisia: World Bank suspends new lending to Tunisia after President Saied issued racist comments
By Paul Raymond: The World Bank has effectively suspended new lending to cash-strapped Tunisia after President Kais Saied sparked accusations of racism with incendiary comments against sub-Saharan African migrants. Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have faced a wave of...Tunisian regime accuses former head of Truth and Dignity Commission of falsifying report
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Sahel: Red Cross workers kidnapped in central Mali
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At least ten people died and 25 others were injured after their bus fell into a ravine in northeastern Algeria on Friday, civil protection officials said. The bus was travelling from Algiers to Tikjda, a mountain resort popular with tourists, when it fell 150 metres...Tunisia in damage control campaign after president’s remarks on migrants
By Ezzedine Said: Tunisia’s top diplomat sought to “reassure” sub-Saharan African migrants on Monday, in an interview with AFP days after comments by President Kais Saied drew accusations of racism. Last week, Saied called for “urgent...