The energy sector appears to be the only bright spot in the Libyan economy. The sector is experiencing significant...
The Maghreb’s Response to U.S. Tariffs and Rising Chinese Influence
U.S. tariffs have not yet affected consumer spending in the Maghreb, but as the tariffs are sending shockwaves through...
Algeria-France Business Ties Hit by Diplomatic Rift
The ongoing diplomatic tensions between Algeria and France are now affecting economic relations, which had so far...
More from the Maghreb
North Africa Defense: Morocco Gets Surface-to-Air Missiles, Algeria-Mauritania Sign Defense Pact
April 2025 has seen a notable series of military developments across North Africa, where rivalries and competition for...
Algeria–France Diplomatic Crisis Intensifies
By Arezki Daoud: I was in Algeria last week and it was difficult to ignore the escalating diplomatic tension between...
France’s Far-Right Pushes to End 1968 Franco-Algerian Treaty, Escalating Diplomatic Tensions
[Photo: French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau] France’s far-right movement has been escalating diplomatic tensions...
Morocco: Two children killed in floods
Struggling with a debilitating drought, Morocco is now experiencing heavy rainfall resulting in floods that have been...
Franco-Algerian relations set to worsen over planned military maneuvers in Morocco
On 6 March 2025, Algeria summoned French Ambassador Stéphane Romatet to convey its opposition to the planned...
Morocco to pour $3 billion on high-speed trains ahead of World Cup 2030
Morocco is moving full steam ahead with its high-speed train projects ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it will...
Building a Road to Nowhere? Morocco’s Unfinished Push to Mauritania
Morocco road project, Es-Semara road, Morocco Mauritania border, road to nowhere, Sahel connectivity, Morocco Algeria...
Libya Refutes ‘Best Option’ Claim for Gaza Displacement
Libya has been in the news lately in relation to the crisis in Gaza. Reports have been suggesting that Libya may be a...
Tunisia’s Opposition Faces Mounting Legal Pressure
Government actions against opposition figures continue to dominate the political landscape in Tunisia. This week and...
Morocco Busts ‘Lions of the Caliphate’ Terror Cell After Yearlong Probe
The Moroccan security services say the arrested a dozen operatives of an unknown “terrorist group” it named the “Lions...
Algeria Opens First of Five Seawater Desalination Plants to Combat Water Shortages
On Thursday, February 20, 2025, Algeria opened the first of five planned seawater desalination stations, located in...
Tunisia: Opposition Politicians and Journalists Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Terms
Tunisian president Kais Saied continues to crack down on the opposition and has...
As West Retreats, China’s Offensive in Libya Gains Momentum
While France is retreating from Africa and Washington DC is struggling to figure out Trump's "America First" policy,...
EU Report Accuses Tunisia of Migrant Trafficking to Libya
A report, presented to the European Parliament on January 29 by a group of researchers, accuses Tunisia of deporting...
Franco-Algerian Diplomatic Relations in Turmoil
The Franco-Algerian diplomatic relations are going through a turbulent period. The latest signs of discord between...
Tunisia Detains Russians Tourists on Suspicion of Terrorism
Eleven Russians arrested in Tunisia in late 2024 are suspected of terrorism. AFP says authorities claim they possessed...
Mali Keeps Pressuring Algeria, Accusing it of Interference
Mali has accused Algeria of interference and supporting terrorist groups after top Algerian diplomat criticized its...
Morocco is confronting a measles outbreak
Morocco is experiencing a measles outbreak which appears to have caused the death of five people on 3,631 measles...
Tunisia: Stranded Oil Platform off Bizerte: Investigations and Removal Plans Underway
A stranded oil platform off the coast of Bizerte, Tunisia, has prompted investigations and rescue operations involving...
Morocco Reports Blocking Thousands of Migration Attempts in 2024, Suggesting Far Greater Total Numbers
In 2024, Moroccan authorities reported blocking 78,685 irregular migration attempts, according to data from the...
Book: Lafarge Group and the Islamic State
Lafarge’s indictment for financing terrorism reveals corporate entanglements with ISIS to maintain operations in...
Is Morocco Quietly Preparing for Royal Succession?
The issue of succession in government is extremely important in that clear rules of engagement are required for...
Algeria boosts defense budget to tackle cross-border threats
Algeria’s draft Finance Law for the year 2025 earmarks record spending for its military and defense. The Ministry of...
Libya’s fragmented military and competition for its control
While the world is focused on the crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, a power struggle continues to destabilize...
Algeria: Diphtheria and Malaria outbreak in southern border regions claims at least 40 lives
Algeria's southern provinces are experiencing an outbreak of malaria and diphtheria, with the authorities working to...
Algeria: Former head of police in custody for allegedly conspiring with foreign officials
An Algerian military court ordered the provisional detention of a former national police chief, Farid Bencheikh, who...
Morocco: First Mpox case reported in Marrakech, health authorities activate emergency protocols
With dense ties to West Africa, Morocco now has its first Mpox case, identified in the tourism city of Marrakech. This...
Algeria: Despite “winning” reelection, President Tebboune denounces “irregularities”
By MondAfrique: The three candidates in the Algerian presidential election, including President Tebboune, who was...
Libya: As Crises Pile, Libya has no Clear Path to Stability
Libya is back in the news again, and it is not good news. At the center of it all, once again, are the two types of...
Morocco’s Agriculture Facing Headwinds
Morocco's agricultural sector is a major engine of economic activity. It is also the biggest source of employment,...
Business: Morocco’s attraction to Chinese tea makes it its biggest customer
Moroccans love a good cup of tea. Mint tea is their favorite, and it is often prepared by first brewing green tea and...
Libya: The Haftar family seeks to impose dynastic rule on Libya
By Arezki Daoud: If you were born in 1990, you are now 34 years old. This means in 2011 you just turned 21 and unless...
Energy: Algeria’s Oil and Gas Ambitions in Niger Makes Trans-Sahara Pipeline More Likely
Algeria is making progress in convincing Niger and Nigeria to go ahead with the construction of the trans-Saharan gas...
France-Algeria: Emmanuel Macron stuns President Tebboune
Algeria and France are now going through another diplomatic crisis, culminating with the recall of Algeria's...
Morocco: King Mohammed VI gets France’s support on Western Sahara, pardons some jailed journalists and activists
King Mohammed VI is celebrating 25 years on the throne. The event was celebrated nationwide in Morocco, and in a...
Tunisia: Harsh Conditions for Migrants in North Africa as they Seek Path to Italy
Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has been active seeking the participation of North African nations to stop the...
Flurry of Major Infrastructure and Energy Projects in West Maghreb
North Africa is experiencing record temperatures, and yet, despite the debilitating climate, infrastructure projects...
Elections in North Africa: No Excitement Ahead, No Change in Course
It’s a big political year worldwide. Many countries have already experienced or will have elections this year, and...
Drought Disrupts Wheat Sector in Morocco, Uncertainty with French and Russian Supplies
By Arezki Daoud | LinkedIn | An analysis from Bloomberg suggests that Morocco’s wheat harvest this year is likely to...
How to MEGA or ‘Make Europe Great Again’
By Arezki Daoud | LinkedIn | “Make France Great Again” -MFGA- that does not sound as an effective slogan as MAGA. How...
Algeria’s strengthening EU gas market pushes Morocco to look for its own gas
By Olivier Vallée | MondAfrique: Algeria was in the spotlight at the G7 summit in Bari in Italy in mid-June. New...
North Africa Confronted with New Security Concerns
Security issues in North Africa have been in the news recently. There is news coverage in Spain about Morocco stepping...
Tunisia’s weak economic performance compounded by late data releases
Tunisia’s political system is still compromised, but the economy is showing some signs of minimal recovery. However,...
Algeria-Morocco: The Dividing Kaftan
The Kaftan or Caftan, is now source of new tension between Morocco and Algeria. The two countries have been monitoring...
Libya’s Abnormal New Normal
By Arezki Daoud: Since 2011, Libya has been engulfed in a bloody civil war after the death of Muammar Gaddafi. Over...
From a Russian Grain Export Onslaught to a Ban on French Cattle: Agricultural Trade Between France and Algeria in Standstill
Agricultural trade between France and Algeria is experiencing challenges that are primarily affecting French...
Morocco: Health workers go on strike, demand implementation of reforms
While the healthcare sector is undergoing strikes and tensions between health workers and the government rise, Morocco...
Algeria: President announces early election, no one knows why
Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, ordered the holding of an early presidential election on 7 September 2024,...
Algeria: Beware of forgery. New law seeks to reduce fraud and white collar crime
(Photo: Magistrates at the Court of Auditors) - Algeria must have some serious problems with official document...
Morocco: Price of butane gas to increase by 25% in April
(Photo: Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch) Morocco will stop subsidizing butane gas in 2026, but prices will begin to...
Brief: Tunisia: The Lazy Governors
Funny news this week from Tunisia where the Presidency of the Republic announced the dismissal of two governors. They...
Algeria: Opposition leader Zoubida Assoul announces presidential bid
Algerian opposition and pro-democracy lawyer Zoubida Assoul has announced that she will run for the presidential...
Agriculture: Spanish farmers say Moroccan strawberries carry virus, as Morocco surpasses Spain as tomato supplier to EU
Agriculture is the theater of another kind of war where there are winners and losers. Worth billions of dollars, the...
Algeria-Morocco Competition for Regional Influence Shifts to Economic Affairs
Opinion By Arezki Daoud: Up until now, enemy brothers, Algeria and Morocco have been trying to impress and disrupt...
Morocco: Consumers to pay more for Netflix, Airbnb and other online services courtesy 2024 state budget
Morocco is overhauling its taxation system to generate more revenue from online services, in particular the ones...
Tunisia’s Slide Toward Autocracy: The Erosion of Democratic Institutions
By Arezki Daoud | Photo: Abir Moussi: Tunisia has been experiencing a fast moving drift towards autocracy, marked by...
Germany to get Algerian gas for first time
Germany is to get Algerian gas with the signing on 8 February of a contract tying gas producer Sonatrach to...
Western Sahara: Escalating Tensions Between Morocco and the SPLA
The North Africa Journal: With global attention focused on the Middle East and the Ukrainian crises, the Western...
Profile: The Controversial Legacy of Saddam Haftar: A Portrait of Corruption and Abuse
By Arezki Daoud: Khalifa Haftar, the powerful figure dominating eastern Libya, has orchestrated a regime where his...
Growing pressure on Algeria and UAE to break ties: Can their leaders bypass pressure groups
A diplomatic crisis between Algeria and the United Arab Emirates has been brewing for some time, and it has now taken...
Trade: Israel-Morocco trade takes a hit amid extreme instability in the Middle East
Last year, Morocco and Israel have had a strong run on their bilateral trade, as the two countries put into effect the...
Moroccan authorities destroy homes without warning or relocation offers ($)
In a series of surprise operations, coastal communities in Morocco have been experiencing the forceful destruction of...
Energy: US oil companies explore opportunities in Algeria but no deal yet after months of talks
Junior executives of Oxy and Chevron, affiliated with the US-Algerian Business Council (USABC) traveled to Algiers on...
Morocco’s water woes deepen as rationing takes hold
By The North Africa Journal: The entire sub-region of North Africa is the hardest hit by a drought that is causing...
22 Islamist militant suspects arrested in Tunisia ($)
Morocco-Israel trade figures collapsing
Defense: Morocco orders armored vehicles from Turkey ($)
Algeria: Six members of the same family die of carbon monoxide in MSila
Six members of the same family died on Sunday, 14 January 2024, at their home in the municipality of Ain El Melh in...
Algeria: Judicial Supervision of Former Head of RCD Party: Political Pressure or Legal Procedure?
The former president of the opposition party, the Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie (RCD), Mohcine...
Algeria-Spain: Despite diplomatic disconnect, Algeria-Spain maintain strong energy ties ($)
Mauritania: Sudden customs tax increase at border with Morocco jolts food markets in Mauritania
Households and consumers in Mauritania are experiencing spikes in food prices. A the Nouakchott fruit and vegetable...
Tunisia: Journalist Zied El-Heni released from jail, gets six-month suspended sentence
Tunisian journalist El-Heni was released from prison on Wednesday, 10 January 2024, but he was given a six-month...
Four Mauritanian gold miners were killed last weekend near Gleibat El Foula ($)
Tunisia: Phosphate company signals recovery after a three-year decline (S)
Morocco-Mauritania relations: Tensions after killing by drone of Mauritanian civilians
The Moroccan media said the Mauritanian authorities have abruptly increase by 171% the customs duties applied to...
Algeria fires head of police, arrests 11 Oran Airport security officers
Farid Bencheikh, the head of gigantic police and security agency, the Director General of National Security (DGSN),...
Tunisia neutralizes human smugglers
The Tunisian police reported on January 7, 2024 the dismantling of an alleged human trafficking network in the Sfax...
Libya: Protesters force closure of El Sharara oil field over local economics
The North Africa Journal - Protestors seeking social and economic development for the Fezzan region, located in the...
Drought is pushing North African economies to the brink and to social unrest
Drought is wreaking havoc on North Africa’s water supply and on its agriculture. All countries in the region are...
Libya: The king is dead, long live the king
Opinion by Arezki Daoud: Pardon me if I am not convinced that Libya's eastern leaders have any interest in the rule...
Franco-Moroccan relations likely to remain strained as ties between Paris and Algiers strengthen
There has been noticeable strain in relations between France and Morocco, with the ties between the two being once...
Morocco: Belgian investigators in Morocco in probe over alleged bribery case
Several Moroccan officials have been questioned as part of a high-profile investigation into alleged bribery by the...
Tunisia: Three workers assigned to historic World Heritage wall in Kairouan killed after wall collapsed
A section of the historic walls around the Old City of Kairouan collapsed on Saturday, killing three masons carrying...
UN rapporteur on human rights pressures Algeria to release jailed activists
The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights defenders on Tuesday urged Algeria to release all jailed human...
Libya releases four Hamas members held since 2016
Libyan authorities on Friday released four members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas who were arrested in 2016...
North Africa’s use of drones in the agricultural sector
By Aymen Jamli: A drone buzzed back and forth above rows of verdant orange trees planted near Nabeul, eastern Tunisia....
Middle East: Wounded children from war-torn Gaza airlifted to UAE
By Mumen KhatibB and Giuseppe Cacace: Clutching a blown-up surgical glove as a makeshift toy, a Palestinian child is...
Morocco: Managem denies hazardous levels of arsenic at Bou Azzer cobalt mine
Moroccan mining company Managem, controlled by Morocco's royal family, has refuted allegations linking its mining...
Algeria: Year before election, president picks new prime minister
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune dismissed his prime minister on Saturday, replacing him with a seasoned...
Libya: Companies flock to Benghazi for reconstruction projects
More than 260 Libyan and international companies on Wednesday attended a forum in Benghazi organised by the country's...
In the Media: Morocco: After the quake, water!
France24 says a rare geological phenomenon has occurred in Morocco's Atlas Mountains following a large earthquake on...
In the Media: Pressure grows on Moroccan leaders over conflict in the Middle East
US World & News Report discusses the public pressure and protests in Morocco and other Arab nations in response to...
Tunisia: Prison escape rattles President Saied
Tunisia's president said Wednesday that the escape of five prisoners convicted of "terrorism" was a well-planned...
Anger in the Arab world over strike on a Gaza hospital
In Libya: Several hundred people protested in Tripoli and other Libyan cities late Tuesday over the deadly strike on a...
Tunisia’s economy minister sacked amid unprecedented financial crisis
Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked the economy minister on Tuesday and appointed the finance minister to the role on...
Tunisia: Strike on Gaza hospital ignites protest in Tunis
Thousands of angry protesters gathered outside the French embassy in Tunisia on Tuesday, also denouncing the US, after...
Tunisia: Rally in Tunis to free jailed opposition leader Abir Moussi
Hundreds of supporters of Abir Moussi, a prominent opponent of the Tunisian president, gathered on Sunday in the...
Morocco: Appeals court reduced prison sentence to rights activist Saida El Alami, but conviction remains
A Moroccan appeals court on Wednesday reduced to eight months the sentence for a human rights activist convicted of...
Libya: Revisiting Derna a month after the floods: mental trauma and thousands still missing
By Rim Taher: Nearly a month after floods hit Derna in eastern Libya, survivors are struggling to overcome the...
Algeria fires CEO of energy giant Sonatrach
Corruption and Politics: By Arezki Daoud: Oil company Sonatrach is once again going through turmoil. This week, CEO...