Shield and Alert: Maghreb Bound

Algeria’s National People’s Assembly unanimously approved legislation designating French colonization as a crime and establishing legal grounds for reparations. The law lists imprescriptible crimes including nuclear testing, extrajudicial executions, torture, and resource exploitation. While symbolically significant, experts note the law has no international legal standing to compel France, though it marks a definitive shift in the bilateral memory relationship.

Algeria has already crossed into “absolute” water scarcity, with each resident effectively living on a fraction of the internationally accepted minimum. As officials lean ever harder on fossil aquifers and desalination plants, experts warn that the country is trading tomorrow’s security for today’s short‑term fixes.

Morocco’s 2025 crime data point to a security landscape shaped by steady overall crime levels, a continued decline in violent offenses, and a record-high case clearance rate, even as challenges persist in areas such as drug trafficking, cybercrime, and road safety.

Thousands gathered in central Tunis to mark the December 17 anniversary of the uprising’s start, using the occasion to express support for the president and advance a political narrative centered on sovereignty, rejection of foreign influence, and loyalty to a leader rather than parties or institutions.