By Maïssata Koné-Dubois, Mondafrique: In an explosive report, the German think tank Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik accuses Abu Dhabi of being a major force behind instability across Africa. [Full report here] Until the Sudan war, the United Arab Emirates had...
Tunisian Army Denies Rumors of a Power Grab
By Selim Jaziri, Mondafrique: In a brief statement published on May 21, the Ministry of Defense reaffirmed that the army remains neutral and denounced attempts to involve it in political disputes. The unusual communication has fueled conflicting speculation and raises...
Jabaroot, the Telegram Account That Has the Moroccan State on Edge
By Mondafrique - This is a modest Telegram account with no official newsroom, no headquarters, and no spokesperson. Yet every time "Jabaroot" publishes something, part of Morocco's elite holds its breath. Who is behind Jabaroot? It was under this name that the hacking...
Morocco Steps Up Tangier Crackdown on Undocumented Migrants
Moroccan authorities are tightening their grip on irregular migration in and around the northern city of Tangier, stepping up raids and mass arrests of sub‑Saharan migrants who use the region as a launchpad toward Europe. According to information provided to local...
North African Countries Among World’s Cheapest for Gasoline, Lead Global Rankings
North African countries currently rank among the cheapest places in the world to buy gasoline, according to international price data published in late April 2026. The global average pump price for gasoline stood at around $1.49 per liter, while several North African...
Libya: A drifting Russian gas tanker threatens the Mediterranean
By the Mondafrique: Since March 3, 2026, the Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz, 277 meters long, has been drifting off the Libyan coast. Loaded with 62,000 tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG), 900 tons of diesel, and 450 tons of heavy fuel oil, it poses the risk of...
TOP REGIONAL HEADLINES
Libya Enters 2026 With the Same Political Fragmentation and Sustain Bad Foreign Influence
As Libya approaches 2026, the country remains locked in a prolonged political impasse marked by competing authorities, delayed elections, and sustained foreign involvement. Rival governments and security structures continue to operate in parallel, limiting the ability of Libyan institutions to exercise unified control. Regional and international actors remain deeply embedded in Libya’s political and security environment, shaping outcomes through strategic alliances and informal arrangements. While large-scale conflict has been contained, the absence of a nationally driven political settlement leaves Libya’s sovereignty constrained and its long-term stability uncertain.
MAGHREB
Gulf War Escalates as Energy Markets Reel and Regional Fronts Multiply
The war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States continues to intensify across multiple fronts, raising concerns about energy supply...
Desert Locusts Stir Fresh Worries in North-West Africa
Agricultural authorities in several parts of North and West Africa are maintaining surveillance for desert locust activity following recent reports...
Global Energy Markets Jolt as Iran War Disrupts Gulf Oil Flows
Saudi Arabia has begun cutting oil output as the escalating U.S. and Israeli war against Iran disrupts shipping across the Gulf region, pushing...
MAGHREB PAGE
SAHEL
Desert Locusts Stir Fresh Worries in North-West Africa
Agricultural authorities in several parts of North and West Africa are maintaining surveillance for desert locust activity following recent reports...
Mali Army, Russian Allies Accused of Executing Civilians Near Mauritania Border
Malian troops and their Russian allies are accused of executing refugees and civilians near the Mauritanian border, according to RFI. The French...
Niger: Armed Attacks Target Military Bases in Tahoua
In the early hours of March 9, 2026, armed militants launched coordinated assaults on military facilities in Tahoua, a city in northwestern Niger...
SAHEL PAGE
EGYPT
UAE Regional Influence Under Strain Amid Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Maghreb Frictions
Across several regions, the United Arab Emirates is facing visible diplomatic and political friction with key Arab states. The developments span...
Inside the US Decision to Target Specific Muslim Brotherhood Branches
The United States has designated three Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist organizations, targeting branches in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon...
Egypt’s Red Lines in the Horn of Africa Are Becoming Explicit
By Arezki Daoud: Egypt’s recent posture toward Somalia and Sudan reflects a clear strategic doctrine that is no longer implicit. Cairo is signaling...
EGYPT PAGE
FOCAL POINTS
Entrepreneurship: Producing cheese in Algeria
By Abdellah Cheballahb: Sporting a white cap and apron, Rachid Ibersiene bustles around vats at his dairy in Algeria's Atlas Mountains where he has brought the tradition of artisanal cheesemaking back from Switzerland. "We started with a butane gas bottle and stove,"...
Niger: Sahara salt diggers struggle to maintain centuries-old trade
By Camille Laffont: At the edge of an oasis almost engulfed by the dunes, where the rare caravan still passes, is a desert landscape punctured by holes. The salt pans of Kalala, near Bilma in northeastern Niger, were once an essential stop for traders with their...
Podcast: Latest big geopolitical issues affecting North Africa as of 10 June 2023
This podcast focuses on the latest key issues affecting North Africa as of 10 June 2023. NAJ's Editor, Arezki Daoud, shares his views on events in Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia.
POLITICAL AFFAIRS
Morocco Allegations Reignite Spain’s Pegasus Debate
New reporting has revived scrutiny of the 2021 Pegasus intrusion targeting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s phone, focusing on the Ceuta visit as a potential operational opening and renewing debate over attribution, accountability, and Spain’s wider relationship with Morocco, including questions raised by Morocco’s growing security ties with Israel.
MORE ON POLITICS
Egypt Names New Defense Minister in Reshuffle Amid Regional Strain
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi approved a cabinet reshuffle this week that brought in a new defense minister and changed a range of...
Morocco Allegations Reignite Spain’s Pegasus Debate
Spanish media commentary on the Pegasus episode involving Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez intensified this week (February 12, 2026), after a detailed...
Egypt and Turkey Test Pragmatic Rapprochement After Years of Estrangement
After more than a decade of strained relations, Egypt and Turkey are moving toward a pragmatic re-engagement shaped less by reconciliation than by...
Egypt Deepens Defense-Industrial Engagement With China
Egypt is expanding its defense-industrial partnerships with China, with recent developments pointing to a growing emphasis on localized production,...
Tunisia Appeals Court Extends Rached Ghannouchi’s Prison Term by 20 Years
A court of appeals in Tunis has sharply increased the prison sentence handed to Rached Ghannouchi, the 84-year-old leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda...
With Saif al-Islam Killed, Gaddafi Dynasty’s Political Ambitions All But Collapse
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, one of the most prominent sons of Libya’s former ruler Muammar Gaddafi and long viewed as his political heir, has been killed...
Morocco Reassures Public on King Mohammed VI’s Mechanical Lumbosciatica
Morocco’s Royal Palace has confirmed that King Mohammed VI is undergoing treatment for a mechanical lower‑back condition but emphasized that his...
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 nuclear tests in Polynesia and...
Sudan Conflict: Egypt’s Military Escalation After the Fall of El‑Fasher
Egypt appears to have shifted from diplomatic broker to covert combatant in Sudan’s war, in what may be the center of a widening regional proxy...
UAE Regional Influence Under Strain Amid Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Maghreb Frictions
Across several regions, the United Arab Emirates is facing visible diplomatic and political friction with key Arab states. The developments span...
Sudan Conflict: Egypt’s Military Escalation After the Fall of El‑Fasher
Egypt appears to have shifted from diplomatic broker to covert combatant in Sudan’s war, in what may be the center of a widening regional proxy...
UAE Regional Influence Under Strain Amid Sudan, Libya, Yemen, and Maghreb Frictions
Across several regions, the United Arab Emirates is facing visible diplomatic and political friction with key Arab states. The developments span...
Inside the US Decision to Target Specific Muslim Brotherhood Branches
The United States has designated three Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist organizations, targeting branches in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon...
Egypt’s Red Lines in the Horn of Africa Are Becoming Explicit
By Arezki Daoud: Egypt’s recent posture toward Somalia and Sudan reflects a clear strategic doctrine that is no longer implicit. Cairo is signaling...
PODCASTS
Pressure mounts in Algeria amid calls for resumption of Hirak | 18 June 2020
COVID-19: The Latest
Egypt inks deal with Chinese Covid vaccine maker to manufacture a billion doses per year
Egypt said Wednesday it plans to manufacture one billion doses a year of China's Sinovac vaccine, claiming it would become the Middle East and Africa's "biggest vaccine producer". Under the deal with the Chinese pharmaceutical company, a factory in Cairo will produce...
Covid-19 in the Maghreb: More restrictions in Morocco, peak infection in Tunisia and panic in Algeria
Coronavirus: Latest global developments Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: - China outbreak – Millions of people are confined to their homes in China as the country tries to contain its largest outbreak in months with mass testing and travel...
Algeria: Delta variant is driving Covid cases to new records, but fear is accelerating vaccinations
And in the Mideast too The World Health Organization said Thursday the Delta variant has led to a "surge" in coronavirus outbreaks triggering a "fourth wave" in the Eastern Mediterranean region, where vaccination rates remain low. The global health body said the...
SECURITY, DEFENSE & TERRORISM
Mali: After Kidal, The War Comes to Bamako
Mali’s military government lost Kidal to a joint FLA-JNIM offensive on April 26, 2026, after Russian Africa Corps personnel and Malian troops withdrew under rebel escort. The fall of the city, retaken by Bamako with Russian support in November 2023, exposes the limits of the junta’s sovereignty narrative and raises serious questions about the durability of Mali’s security model.
Algeria and Niger Restore Ties, Signaling a Shift in Sahel Diplomacy
After nearly a year of tensions, Algeria and Niger have formally reset their relationship. On February 12, 2026, both governments announced the...
Nigeria: More than 160 people killed in Muslim communities in Kwara State
Nigeria’s Woro massacre in early February 2026 was a large‑scale attack on two mainly Muslim farming communities that left Muslim and Christian...
Niger: Roadside Bomb Kills Civilians Near Baroua in Diffa Region
An improvised explosive device struck a mixed transport vehicle near Baroua in Niger’s Diffa region at around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 10,...
Morocco Allegations Reignite Spain’s Pegasus Debate
Spanish media commentary on the Pegasus episode involving Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez intensified this week (February 12, 2026), after a detailed...
Egypt and Turkey Test Pragmatic Rapprochement After Years of Estrangement
After more than a decade of strained relations, Egypt and Turkey are moving toward a pragmatic re-engagement shaped less by reconciliation than by...
Egypt Deepens Defense-Industrial Engagement With China
Egypt is expanding its defense-industrial partnerships with China, with recent developments pointing to a growing emphasis on localized production,...
Southern Libya Boils Over: Three Haftar Soldiers Killed in Border Raid Near Niger
Three Libyan soldiers aligned with eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar were killed and several others captured in coordinated attacks on military...
Sudan Conflict: Egypt’s Military Escalation After the Fall of El‑Fasher
Egypt appears to have shifted from diplomatic broker to covert combatant in Sudan’s war, in what may be the center of a widening regional proxy...
Niger Airport Attack Deepens Sahel’s Security and Diplomatic Strains
An overnight assault on Niger’s main international airport has prompted a partial drawdown of U.S. diplomatic staff from Niamey and renewed scrutiny...
Defense: Mauritania and Spain Use Naval Exercises to Bolster Atlantic Maritime Security
Mauritanian and Spanish naval forces have conducted joint exercises off the coast of Nouadhibou, underscoring a growing security partnership in a...
Niger Airport Attack Deepens Sahel’s Security and Diplomatic Strains
An overnight assault on Niger’s main international airport has prompted a partial drawdown of U.S. diplomatic staff from Niamey and renewed scrutiny...
Defense: Mauritania and Spain Use Naval Exercises to Bolster Atlantic Maritime Security
Mauritanian and Spanish naval forces have conducted joint exercises off the coast of Nouadhibou, underscoring a growing security partnership in a...
Egypt’s Red Lines in the Horn of Africa Are Becoming Explicit
By Arezki Daoud: Egypt’s recent posture toward Somalia and Sudan reflects a clear strategic doctrine that is no longer implicit. Cairo is signaling...
Egypt Moves to Shore Up Somalia as Regional Alignments Shift in the Horn of Africa
Cairo has significantly intensified its military involvement in Somalia, driven by mounting anxieties over regional power dynamics in the Horn of...
SOCIAL, LABOR & THE ENVIRONMENT
Migration: 17 Migrants, Mostly Egyptians, Lost at Sea on the Road to Greece
Fourteen Egyptians where among 17 confirmed dead migrants after their boat capsized in rough seas south of Crete, highlighting once again the lethal risks of the Mediterranean route from North Africa to Greece.
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, and the tournament ran without...
Climate: Severe Winter Rains Shut Down Schools in Northern Morocco This Week
Classes have been suspended across Ksar El Kébir from Monday, February 2 through Saturday, February 7, 2026, after heavy rainfall caused flooding...
Europe’s New Migration Rules Shift Pressure South to North Africa
The European Union’s revised migration framework, set to take effect in mid-2026, is already reshaping how migration is managed across the...
Algeria: Supply Disruptions and Rising Food Prices Amid Transport Strike
A nationwide strike by freight transport operators that began last Thursday is increasingly affecting daily life in Algeria. The work stoppage has...
Irregular Migration to Spain Falls Sharply in 2025 With Decline in Atlantic Crossings
After reaching a historic high in 2024, irregular migration to Spain fell sharply in 2025. Official data show a decline of more than 40% compared...
U.S. Immigration Policy and the Changing Landscape of Africa-U.S. Travel
As the United States prepares to implement a new round of immigration and visa policy changes in 2026, the effects are being felt across Africa and...
Tunis Appeals Court Upholds Prison Sentence Against Opposition Leader Abir Moussi
A Tunis appeals court has upheld a two-year prison sentence against opposition figure Abir Moussi, confirming an earlier ruling linked to charges...
Environment: Algeria’s Race Against a Looming Water Collapse
Algeria is heading toward an acute water crisis, and the clock is ticking much faster than most policymakers admit. The country has already crossed...
Algeria to Introduce Digital Passport Renewal for Citizens Living Abroad
Algerian authorities are preparing to roll out an online passport renewal system for citizens living overseas, with implementation expected before...
Migration: 17 Migrants, Mostly Egyptians, Lost at Sea on the Road to Greece
Fourteen Egyptians have been confirmed dead after an irregular migrant boat capsized on the way to Greece, the latest in a long line of disasters on...
Environment: Algeria’s Race Against a Looming Water Collapse
Algeria is heading toward an acute water crisis, and the clock is ticking much faster than most policymakers admit. The country has already crossed...
Algeria to Introduce Digital Passport Renewal for Citizens Living Abroad
Algerian authorities are preparing to roll out an online passport renewal system for citizens living overseas, with implementation expected before...
Migration: 17 Migrants, Mostly Egyptians, Lost at Sea on the Road to Greece
Fourteen Egyptians have been confirmed dead after an irregular migrant boat capsized on the way to Greece, the latest in a long line of disasters on...
Mauritania Arrests Anti‑Corruption Figure Mohamed Ould Gadda
Mauritanian authorities have arrested former senator Mohamed Ould Gadda, now heading the anti‑corruption NGO “Transparence Totale,” in a move that...
BUSINESS & THE ECONOMY
Global Energy Markets Jolt as Iran War Disrupts Gulf Oil Flows
Oil prices surged toward $119 per barrel as the conflict involving Iran disrupted tanker traffic through the Persian Gulf, forcing several Gulf producers to reduce output and pushing governments to consider emergency energy measures. Saudi Arabia joined Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE in cutting production as shipments stalled and storage capacity tightened. With hundreds of tankers idling near the Strait of Hormuz and major shipping insurers suspending coverage, the crisis is rapidly evolving from a regional military conflict into a global energy shock.
Algeria Expands Core Infrastructure Investment Across Core Sectors
Algeria is continuing a broad, state-led investment drive focused on basic infrastructure, spanning roads, railways, water systems, energy, mining,...
Morocco’s Lawyers Push Back Against Proposed Changes to Bar Governance
A standoff is emerging between Morocco’s legal profession and the Ministry of Justice over a draft law governing the organization of lawyers,...
Burkina Faso: Deep Supply Weaknesses in Ouagadougou Amid Seasonal Butane Shortages
Gas shortages in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, have become a recurring issue at the end of each year. The problem now appears regularly...
Air Algérie Expands Long-Haul Capacity With Second A330-900neo
Algeria's airline carrier, Air Algérie, has taken delivery of its second Airbus A330-900neo as part of an ongoing fleet renewal program focused on...
Morocco: Financial Authorities Probe Distressed Property Transactions, Money Laundering Concerns Grow
Financial intelligence authorities in Morocco have placed parts of the real estate sector under heightened scrutiny following alerts submitted by...
Algeria: Fuel Price Increase Triggers Brief Transport Disruption, Services Resume
Algeria entered 2026 with a moderate adjustment in domestic fuel prices, a move authorities say is necessary to secure national supply and sustain...
Tunisian Equity Market Posts Record Gains in 2025
Despite the unsettling political realities of Tunisia, the country's equity market closed 2025 with one of its strongest performances in decades,...
Algeria: Rail, Water, and Transport Drive 2026 Infrastructure Spending
Algeria’s 2026 finance law, officially published in the government gazette on Wednesday and entered into force on January 1, outlines a budget...
North Africa Tests the Limits of Ride-Hailing as Uber Returns Under Tight Control
Morocco is once again testing the boundaries of app-based urban transport, reopening a politically sensitive debate about mobility, labor...
Tunisia Shows Measured Economic Stabilization After Years of Strain
After several years of economic strain, Tunisia showed signs of gradual stabilization over the past 24 months. While the country continues to face...
Egypt Anchors Its Energy Strategy With Long-Term Israeli Gas as Israel Weighs the Trade-Offs
Israel has approved a long-term natural gas export agreement that will channel roughly 131 billion cubic meters of gas from the offshore Leviathan...
Aviation: Ryanair Picks Rabat as New Low-Cost Aviation Hub
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost airline by passenger volume, plans to establish a new operational base at Rabat–Salé Airport starting in April...

