Algeria has officially opened a new rail line that links the remote southwest to the Mediterranean, a move with...
French Law Eases Path to Nuclear Test Compensation for Algerian and Polynesian Victims
France’s National Assembly has unanimously approved a landmark reform that makes it easier for people harmed by its...
Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025) in Morocco: Strong Hosting, Weak Crisis Management
Morocco delivered a technically strong Africa Cup of Nations in 2025. Stadiums were modern, logistics mostly worked,...
More from the Maghreb
Algeria’s repressive courts sentence journalist Abdelkrim Zeghileche to prison on bogus charges
Algiers, Aug 24, 2020 - An Algerian journalist was sentenced Monday to two years in prison, his lawyer told AFP, in...
Libya: Warlord Haftar not on board with ceasefire, wants war to continue
Benghazi, Libya, Aug 24, 2020 - A spokesman for eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar has slammed a ceasefire...
As Algeria-EU trade deal approaches, Algerian officials want new terms
Algiers, Aug 23, 2020 - Days ahead of a final deadline, activation of a long-planned Algeria-EU trade deal risks...
Libyans protest poor living conditions
Tripoli, Aug 23, 2020 - Hundreds of Libyans marched in the capital Tripoli on Sunday evening to protest deteriorating...
Immigration: 22 bodies recovered off the coast of Zwara, Libya
Tripoli, Aug 23, 2020 - The Libyan Red Crescent retrieved the bodies of 22 migrants off the coastal town of Zwara on...
Libya: Another initiative that is likely to flop again
A History of Fruitless Initiatives Tripoli, Aug 21, 2020 - Before Friday's announcement of a ceasefire and elections...
Breaking: Libyan rivals reach agreement on ceasefire and elections
Tripoli, Aug 21, 2020 - Libya's warring rival governments announced in separate statements Friday that they would...
Libya: Red Cross warns of fast spreading Covid-19 cases in Libya
Coronavirus cases have skyrocketed 15-fold in Libya since June, the Red Cross said Thursday, warning this was further...
Morocco: New anti-covid measures in Casablanca and Marrakesh as infections spike
Moroccan authorities Thursday slapped tight controls on movement in Casablanca and Marrakesh, the North African...
Immigration: More migrants die trying to reach Spanish islands
Madrid, Aug 21, 2020 - Five African migrants have died trying to reach Spain's Canary Islands by boat, officials said...
Opec reports members’ conformity to lower production, signals market improvements
Opec ministers stuck to an agreement to lower oil production at a monthly meeting Wednesday, underlining that only...
Morocco: Migrants storm border fence separating Morocco to Spain’s Melilla
Madrid, Aug 20, 2020 - One African man died and eight people were injured when around 300 migrants tried to storm the...
Libya: Nearly 50 people perish in the Med Sea
At least 45 migrants and refugees perished off Libya this week in the deadliest shipwreck there so far this year, the...
Algeria: Birthplace of the Hirak movement, Kherrata experiences first post-confinement rally
We may have missed this story and reported as a minor event, and in fact, no national newspapers reported it, but...
Libya: Turkey and Qatar intensify their involvement in Libya
Qatar and Turkey have signed an accord to send military advisers and instructors for the armed forces of Libya's...
Italy: Overwhelmed by new influx of migrants, Italy calls on Tunisia to help
Tunis, Aug 17, 2020 - Italy has no more room for illegal migrants, its foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said Monday on a...
Libya: Foreign countries ‘continue to massively arm Libya’ says Germany’s top diplomat
Tripoli, Aug 17, 2020 - German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, visiting war-torn Libya's capital Monday, warned of a...
Algeria: Supporters of jailed journalist Drareni launch international appeal
Algiers, Aug 12, 2020 - Supporters of jailed Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni launched an appeal on Wednesday for...
Algeria’s outrageous justice system: jails some, releases others for the same offenses: signs of unstable regime
Algiers, Aug 11, 2020 - Supporters of jailed Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni on Tuesday demanded his release in an...
Libya: Tripoli airport re-opens
Tripoli, Aug 11, 2020 - Flights out of the Libyan capital's only working airport have resumed, after a four-month...
Algeria: With a bankrupt economy and poor governance, Algeria wants to revisit its trade agreement with EU
Algiers, Aug 10, 2020 - Algeria's president has requested the country's trade minister reassess a deal with the...
Algeria: Journalist Drareni and activists Hirak Benlarbi and Hamitouche sentenced to prison by Algerian regime
Algiers, Aug 10, 2020 - Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni received a three-year prison term Monday in a trial rights...
Growing tension between Rome and Tunis over illegal immigration
On Monday, 10 August, special flights will be organized to bring back home Tunisian migrants who landed in Italy over...
Algeria: Currency depreciation, inflation, recession, and the pandemic: an economy in turmoil
Algiers, Aug 9, 2020 - [Photo: Algerian retirees queuing to withdraw their pensions during a cash crunch in July 2020]...
Morocco travel sector facing a daunting outlook
The resumption of domestic flights at the end of June in Morocco, followed by a partial reopening of borders on July...
Algeria military establishment continues to undergo leadership purge
On Tuesday, 4 August, Algerian President Tebboune officially dismissed General Abderrahmane Arrar, the head of the...
Libya: Turkish and Italian officials visit Libya’s UN-recognised government
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, whose country is a staunch supporter of Libya's UN-recognised Government of...
Immigration: Influx of migrants gives new momentum to Italy’s far-right movement
Lampedusa, Italy - [Photo: Giorgia Meloni] - Out in the Mediterranean, under a baking sun, fisherman Ezio Billeci...
Algeria: Thousands of hectares of forests in Algeria ravaged by fire
Algeria's president on Sunday ordered an "immediate" investigation into forest fires that have ravaged thousands of...
Libyan journalist Ismail Abuzreiba gets 15 years in prison by illegitimate court linked to warlord Haftar
The UN's mission in Libya has voiced "dismay" at the sentencing of a journalist to 15 years in prison in the country's...
Algeria: Reporters Without Borders calls for Algeria to release journalist Khaled Drareni
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), fellow journalists and rights groups called Thursday for Algerian...
Generalized repression in the Arab world
Repressive Arab regimes are taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to crack down on the opposition, freedom of...
Algeria: President Tebboune fires minister over unreported real estate purchases
North Africa Journal: On 29 July 2020, President Tebboune dismissed the Minister of Labor, Employment and Social...
Europe reinstates restrictions on entry of Algerian travelers over spreading virus
Brussels, July 29, 2020 - The EU is to reimpose travel restrictions on Algeria, diplomats said Wednesday, after a...
Migration: More migrants rescued off the coast of Libya
Lampedusa, Italy, July 29, 2020 - Italy's coast guard said on Wednesday it had rescued nearly 100 migrants on a "half...
Morocco braces for Eid al-Adha in the middle of a pandemic
Skhirat, Morocco, July 29, 2020 - Moroccan farmer Hamid had pinned his hopes on selling his sheep for the Eid al-Adha...
Migration: Dozens die each month on Africa’s migration routes
Thousands of migrants have died after suffering "extreme" abuse while crossing Africa, according to a UN report on...
Libya: More crimes against migrants in Libya
Tripoli, July 28, 2020 - Three Sudanese migrants were killed in a shooting in Libya after the country's coast guard...
Immigration: Dozens of migrants escape quarantine in Sicily
Dozens of migrants escaped quarantine in Sicily Monday, a day after nearly 200 others fled a separate holding facility...
Morocco: Chaotic travel as government announces ban on inter-city traffic
Morocco's roads and transport hubs saw chaotic scenes after authorities announced snap movement restrictions affecting...
More than 143,000 cumulative Covid-19 infections in North Africa, at least 6,000 deaths so far, Egypt worst hit
The cumulative confirmed infections of Covid-19 in the North African countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and...
Migrants currently crossing the Med Sea face imminent danger
Around 100 migrants fleeing war-ravaged Libya have run into difficulty in the Mediterranean and could drown, the UN...
France’s Bernard-Henri Levy unwelcome in Libya
Libya's UN-recognised government has disavowed a visit by French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, a champion of the...
Tunisia: Hichem Mechini tasked to form new government
Hichem Mechichi, who until now has served as Tunisia's interior minister, has been appointed to form the next...
Libya: More evidence of Russian meddling in Libya
Washington, July 24, 2020 - Russia continues to supply a broad range of arms to Libyan rebels including fighter jets,...
Turkey accuses third parties of conspiring in Libya
Turkey accused third parties of carrying out "doomed initiatives" to make ground in Libya's conflict on Wednesday, as...
Moroccan court orders journalist Soulaimane Raissouni to stay in prison
Rabat, July 20, 2020 - A Moroccan court has ordered that the chief editor of Moroccan independent daily Akhbar...
One step closer to war, Egypt assembly gives Sisi permission to intervene in Libya
Egypt's parliament on Monday greenlighted a possible deployment of troops beyond its borders, after President Abdel ...
Libya’s businesses in ruin
Libyan businessman Mahmud al-Sharkassi surveyed the ruins of his factory on the outskirts of war-scarred capital...
Libya: Sudan nationals headed to Libya as mercenaries captured at border
Khartoum, July 19, 2020 - Sudanese forces arrested around 160 people on the border with Libya who were en-route to the...
Libya: Some EU countries threaten to impose sections on nations involved in Libyan crisis
Berlin, July 18, 2020 - France, Italy and Germany are "ready to consider" sanctions on foreign powers violating an...
Algeria: Former minister Moussa Benhamadi dies of Covid-19 while in prison
Algiers, July 18, 2020 - A former Algerian cabinet minister detained in a corruption case has died from the COVID-19...
Algeria: The economic cost of the Covid-19 epidemic in Algeria
Algiers, July 18, 2020- Algeria said Saturday that the coronavirus crisis on top of falling oil prices have caused...
Tunisia: Protesters block key pipeline in Tataouine
Tunis, July 17, 2020 - Protesters demanding jobs in Tunisia's marginalised south have blocked a key pipeline carrying...
Tunisia: As government faces political crisis, protesters in the south force entry to oil production site
El-Kamour, Tunisie, July 16, 2020 - Hundreds of protesters on Thursday forced their way into an oil production site in...
Algeria: Auto industry magnate Mahieddine Tahkout sentenced for corruption
Algiers, July 15, 2020 - A former car industry boss who swiftly amassed riches under Algeria's ousted president...
Tunisia’s political crisis: Prime Minister Fakhfakh quits
Tunisia's prime minister quit Wednesday after less than five months in office, threatening fresh political deadlock as...
Algerian police arrest singer for criticizing dilapidated hospital
The Algerian authorities arrested singer Siham Japonia after she was accused of "attacking the symbols of the...
Algeria: Corruption trial ends with more prison years for two former Prime Ministers and several members of Tahkout family
Algiers- The North Africa Journal - 15 July 2020: [Photo: Fall from grace. The photo shows former Prime Minister...
Libya: Illegitimate parliament in Tobruk invites Egypt to intervene militarily inside Libya
Benghazi, Libya, July 14, 2020 - Libya's parliament has passed a motion authorising Egypt to intervene militarily if...
Libya: Haftar’s supporters still insist on a losing strategy, Egypt ups threats of attack
Benghazi, Libya, July 14, 2020 - A war of words was heating up Tuesday in oil-rich and conflict-torn Libya, where two...
Algeria: While cutting his prison sentence by three months, court keeps journalist Djamel Toubal behind bars
Algiers, July 14, 2020 - An Algerian appeals court Tuesday reduced a journalist's jail term to 15 months over Facebook...
Tunisia: Conservative court sends Emna Charki to prison for parody linking the Koran and Covid-19
Tunis, July 14, 2020 - A young Tunisian woman was sentenced to six months in jail by a Tunis court on Tuesday over a...
Portrait: Reflections on Omar Himmi of Toubkal, Morocco, by Yossef Ben-Meir
By Yossef Ben-Meir* : Recently, I had a moment of self-reflection brought about by the passing of someone who made a...
Tunisia: Government of PM Elyes Fakhfakh under pressure as country slides into political and economic chaos
Tunis, July 13, 2020 - Tunisia's Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, the largest in parliament, called Monday for...
Tunisia: More unrest in Southern Tunisia over economic despair
Hundreds of Tunisians demonstrated in the south of the country on Saturday against unemployment and the death of a...
Morocco: Second outbreak of Covid-19 forces shutdown of Tangiers
The city of about a million inhabitants was locked down from Monday at noon local time, with public transport...
New influx of migrants raises concern in Italy
The recent arrivals have sparked protests by locals in some areas, after a few dozen migrants tested positive for the...
Algeria: Sonatrach rep in Lebanon among those charged by judge in tainted fuel scandal
Beirut, July 10, 2020 - A Lebanese investigative judge charged dozens of people including top officials Friday over a...
Libya’s oil production to resume after lifting force majeur
Tripoli, July 10, 2020 - The Libyan National Oil Company announced Friday the resumption of oil production and exports...
Algeria: As virus infections intensify, health sector faces disastrous outcome
Algiers, July 9, 2020 - Algerian doctors and nurses say they have paid a heavy price in the country's coronavirus...
Morocco: Four arrested in Nador on suspicion of terrorism
Rabat, July 7, 2020 - Morocco on Tuesday arrested four alleged members of a "terrorist cell" linked to the Islamic...
Moroccan authorities’ relentless harassment of journalist Omar Radi
Moroccan authorities have arrested a journalist for "public drunkenness and violence", authorities said Monday, days...
Morocco and Algeria report record numbers of Covid-19 cases
Rabat (AFP) - Morocco reported Sunday 698 additional novel coronavirus infections, the highest one-day increase since...
Tunisia: The struggle to identify dead migrants
The identity of dozens of migrants who drowned off Tunisia last month might have been lost without a trace, like...
Libya: Air raids against recaptured Al-Watiya airbase
Tripoli, July 5, 2020 - Libya's UN-recognised government Sunday condemned overnight air raids against a recaptured...
Algeria: Several opposition figures and rights activists released from prison
Editor's note: Also to be released are Samir Benlarbi et Slimane Hamitouche Algiers, July 2, 2020 - Two key figures in...
WHO concerned about state of Covid-19 in MENA region
The World Health Organization warned Wednesday the Middle East faces a "critical threshold" amid a relaxation of...
Algeria: Oligarch Ali Haddad gets 18 years in prison
An Algerian court on Wednesday handed heavy prison sentences to several former allies of ousted president Abdelaziz...
Testimonials: Migrants’ nightmares in Libya
Onboard the Ocean Viking, June 29, 2020 - Libya lies behind and Europe ahead though the mist -- rescued migrants can...
Libya: Haftar’s deadly mines
Mines have killed or wounded more than 100 people, including many civilians, south of Libya's capital following deadly...
Algeria: Two more troops killed in counterinsurgency sweep in Medea
Algiers, June 28, 2020 - Two Algerian soldiers, including an officer, were killed when a bomb exploded during an army...
Libya: Sudan captures alleged mercenaries headed to Libya
Sudan said Sunday it has arrested 122 of its nationals as they headed to neighbouring Libya to fight as "mercenaries",...
Libya: Another mass grave found in Tarhuna
Tripoli, June 29, 2020 - Nine bodies have been found in another mass grave in the Libyan town of Tarhuna after...
Tunisia: Why the Tataouine region struggles with unrest
Tataouine, Tunisia, June 26, 2020 - In the southernmost Tunisian town of Tataouine, being young often means being...
Libya: Reports of foreign mercenaries in Sharara oil field
Russian and other foreign mercenaries have entered a key oil field in southern Libya, the conflict-hit country's...
Algeria virus cases hit daily record
Algiers, June 26, 2020 - Algeria's health ministry said Friday it recorded 240 new COVID-19 cases the day before, the...
Tunisia: Prime Minister predicts just 7% GDP contraction
Tunis, June 25, 2020 - Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh warned Thursday that his country's economy, hit hard by...
How despair and misery fuel North Africa migration
"Here, I don't exist -- I die little by little. My only hope is to leave for Europe." Algiers, June 25, 2020 (By Amal...
Algeria: Sonatrach oil company operating without CFO
Since March 2020, Sonatrach has been operating without a Chief Finance Officer (CFO), despite a presidential decree...
Morocco cracks down on abortion practice
Rabat, June 24, 2020 - Moroccan police said they arrested 11 people Tuesday for "illegal abortions" in the kingdom,...
Tunisia: Activist Tarek Haddad released as government hopes riots in Tataouine subside
Tunis, June 24, 2020 - A protest leader in southern Tunisia was released Wednesday, a lawyer said, four days after his...
Algeria: President chooses status quo, maintains anti-democracy hardliners in bloated cabinet
(Photo: Hardliner Justice Minister Zaghmati maintained in post) Late on Tuesday, the Algerian presidency announced a...
Mixed feelings among Muslims as Saudi Arabia cancels the Hajj pilgrimage
Kuala Lumpur, June 23, 2020 - Muslims expressed disappointment Tuesday at Saudi Arabia's decision to scale back this...
Algeria: Five more people sentenced to prison for protesting
Algiers, June 23, 2020 - Five people were sentenced Tuesday in Algeria to between six months and a year behind bars...
Amnesty says Morocco used NSO’s Pegasus software to spy on journalist Omar Radi
Jerusalem, June 22, 2020 - Amnesty International said Monday that software developed by Israeli security firm NSO...
Algerian regime lost the moral high ground: It is arresting children too in new wave of repression
In an effort to repress civilians, the Algerian police prevented the holding on Friday, 19 June of several rallies...
Algerian regime maintains its attacks on civilians, jails mother of two
Algiers, June 21, 2020 - Algeria sentenced prominent anti-government activist Amira Bouraoui to a year in prison on...
Tunisia: Unrest continues in southern Tunisia
Tataouine, Tunisia, June 22, 2020 - Protesters demanding jobs and the release of an activist in Tunisia's marginalised...
Egypt amplifies instability in Libya with threat to attack
Tripoli, June 21, 2020 - Libya's UN-recognised Government of National Accord on Sunday denounced Egypt's warning of...