Africans doing their best to thwart Covid-19 in a tough environment
Lagos, March 20, 2020 (By Max Delany – Photo: Cape Town, Tim Johnson @timalanjohnson) – African countries led by Nigeria and South Africa have ramped up action against the coronavirus after the continent recorded its first fatality. Nigeria said Thursday...Sahel (20 March): Insurgents raid military outpost in Tarkint, kills dozens of Malian soldiers
Egypt: Government shuts down the country
Cairo, March 19, 2020 – Egypt on Thursday ordered the overnight closure of cafes, restaurants, nightclubs and sporting clubs to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus. The decision, issued by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli and carried in the official...Libya: Syrian airline accused of bringing into Libya people infected with coronavirus
Libya [18 March]: Haftar’s LNA forces continue to launch attacks on Tripoli
Libya [18 March]: Increased kidnappings and enforced disappearances in Libya (mobile alert)
WHO does not have good news for Africa, sees “worse” ahead
Ouagadougou, March 18, 2020 (AFP) – Sub-Saharan Africa on Wednesday recorded its first COVID-19 death, a high-ranking politician in Burkina Faso, as the head of the World Health Organisation urged the continent to “prepare for the worst”. ...
Moroccans brace for a period of “hibernation”
Rabat, March 18, 2020 – Morocco on Wednesday urged residents to stay home in an effort to contain the novel coronavirus, as a minister warned the country was in “economic hibernation”. The North African country has reported 49 COVID-19 cases,...
Despite global health crisis, Arab regimes continue to repress
March 18, 2020 – Egyptian police arrested four prominent women dissidents Wednesday after they demanded the release of prisoners for fear of a coronavirus outbreaks in jails, their families said. The four activists and academics — sisters Mona, Laila and...
Sahel and Sub-Sahara’s first coronavirus death
Ouagadougou, March 18, 2020 (By Armel Baily with David Esnault in Abidjan) – Sub-Saharan Africa’s weeks-long reprieve from the fatal impact of the coronavirus came to an end on Wednesday as Burkina Faso announced the death of a 62-year-old woman who had...Sahel | 18 March: First death from coronavirus in Burkina Faso
Middle East countries urged to come clean about their covid19 numbers
Cairo, March 18, 2020 – The World Health Organization urged Middle Eastern governments Wednesday to be more forthcoming with information about new coronavirus infections in order to effectively combat the global pandemic. “We can only control this disease...
Sahel: Niger hits Boko Haram hard, kills dozens of insurgents
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Morocco: Journalist gets prison sentence for criticizing judge in a tweet
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Egypt cracks down on foreign journalists for their reporting on Covid19
Cairo, March 17, 2020 – Egypt revoked the press credentials of a journalist for The Guardian and censured The New York Times Cairo bureau chief on Tuesday over “bad faith” reporting on the country’s coronavirus cases. “The...
Algeria prepares for a pause of the Hirak movement, president bans gatherings
Opposition figures in and outside of Algeria have been issuing statements calling for the halt in the anti-government rallies that have rocked Algeria since 22 February 2019. Most opposition personalities active on social media have joined the call to get the...17 March: Algeria and Tunisia announce mutual agreement to close land borders
Morocco arrests Salafist preacher for publicly opposing anti-coronavirus measures
The Moroccan authorities arrested Salafist Preacher Abou Naim for publicly opposing anti-coronavirus measures enacted by the government of Morocco, including the closure of mosques. The prosecution stated that he “inciting hatred and violence” as a charge against...
Morocco: Second death and 10 more tested positive for Covid-19
A 75-year-old man, who tested positive to Covid-19, died on Tuesday, 17 March in Salé, Morocco, bringing the number of people who have died from the coronavirus in Morocco to two. The first person was an 89-year-old woman who died exactly a week earlier. Also, a new...
Tunisia goes after speculators taking advantage of the pandemic
Tunisia’s law enforcement authorities have upped their campaign to limit the damage of the speculative practices that put public health at risk. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 in Tunisia, authorities seized nearly 100,000 protective masks, almost 150,000 pairs of...
Tunisia brings back loudspeakers to get its message out and fight coronavirus
MEA Risk brief: The municipality of Tunis resuscitated the old means of communicating official statements with loudspeakers. On Tuesday, 17 March 2020, the city’s awareness campaign against used pickup trucks and vans equipped with speakers to ask residents...
Egypt: Hundreds of families north of Cairo quarantined after coronavirus death
Cairo, March 17, 2020 – Egypt has placed over 300 families under quarantine in a Delta village to stem the spread of the new coronavirus after two deaths were recorded this month originating from the area. “We have confined more than 300 families to their...
Egypt: Covid-19 fallout, Hurghada resort and village in the Daqahliya on lockdown
Cairo, March 17, 2020 – Egypt on Tuesday locked down the Red Sea resort of Hurghada where a German tourist died of new coronavirus earlier this month as it battles the spread of the disease. Hurghada is a magnet for tourists, including divers, who come...
Several Muslim countries close mosques, conservatives push back
Several Muslim countries have decided to close their mosques and ban collective prayers to protect their populations from COVID-19. Tunisia issued the mandatory suspension of prayers on 15 March as it closed cafes and banned all cultural, sporting and economic...
Authorities seek to appease population on food supply amid virus containment phase
Just as in many countries, North Africans have been flocking to their neighborhood markets, increasing their shopping in anticipation of a long Covid-19 confinement period. So far, the governments have not been so effecting in communicating their approach. There is...
Sahel: Swedish soldiers headed to Mali in yet another French operation
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Egypt to freeze flight activity, seeks complete closure
Cairo, March 16, 2020 – Egypt said on Monday all flights would be suspended until the end of the month to stem the spread of the coronavirus, in a move expected to hit the key tourism industry. “Flights will be suspended from Thursday until March...
Egypt: Six suspected insurgents killed in Sinai
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Sahel: Mauritania also shuts down
MEA Risk Brief: Several measures have been taken by the public authorities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Mauritania. After the suspension of flights in the middle of the week, the government decided to limit the number of access points to the territory,...Tunisia-16 March: Parliamentary Commission on Security and Defense Commission calls for immediate closure of all borders
Morocco-March 16: Morocco shuts down public places
Morocco-16 March: Government Minister tested positive for Covid-19
Algeria-Mar 16: Medical staff in Boumerdes to strike to protest lack of resources amid pandemic
Libya wants Covid-19 out, closes its borders and airspace
Tripoli, March 15, 2020 – The UN-recognised government in divided and war-torn Libya has said it will close from Monday land borders under its control in the west to keep out the coronavirus. The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) said air links...
Algeria: Travel links between Algeria and Europe suspended
Algiers, March 16, 2020 – Algeria’s Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad announced Monday a suspension of all scheduled travel links with Europe in a bid to forestall the spread of coronavirus. The measure, to take effect from Thursday, will hit all “air...
European tourists find their way back home after getting stranded in Morocco
Rabat, March 15, 2020 – Several special flights departed Morocco Sunday taking thousands of stranded Europeans home as the kingdom announced it was suspending all regular air traffic due to the coronavirus, authorities and airports said. The situation at...