Shield & Alert
- While the Sahel Faces Worsening Security Climate, Juntas Leverage Regional Integration to Consolidate Power
- Could Syria Avoid a Repeat of the Libyan Disaster: Opinion by Arezki Daoud
- Burkina Faso: Junta Chief Dismisses Prime Minister, Replaces him with Loyalist ex-Journalist
- Sahel: Inside Chad’s Risky Alliance in Sudan’s Conflict
- Book: Lafarge Group and the Islamic State
- Sahel: Foreign Mining Firms Face Growing Risks as Juntas Assert Control Over Resources
- Is Morocco Quietly Preparing for Royal Succession?
- Algeria boosts defense budget to tackle cross-border threats
- Libya’s fragmented military and competition for its control
- Algeria: Diphtheria and Malaria outbreak in southern border regions claims at least 40 lives
Special Focus:
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 Defense, which oversees the country’s armed forces, will receive more than US$25 billion, an increase of over 10% compared to 2024. The move is...
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 Defense, which oversees the country’s armed forces, will receive more than US$25 billion, an increase of over 10% compared to 2024. The move is...
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ANALYSES & MAJOR EVENTS
MAGHREB
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 the years, it was easy to...
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 exporters. From the onslaught of the...
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 is experiencing an upsurge in...
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, instead of the scheduled...
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 forgery. Analysts say the practice is...
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 increase next month, April 2024....
More on the Maghreb
SAHEL
Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical Fight
By Arezki Daoud: France is experiencing an unprecedented backlash in the Sahel and in West Africa. Disastrous post-colonial policies forced the...
Mali: Al Qaeda attacks rebel convoy in the Ouagadou forest
By MondAfrique: A column of armed vehicles from the Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP), the Touareg rebel coalition driven out of Kidal, was...
Niger and Algeria recall their ambassadors over undocumented migrants
The authorities in Niger summoned the Algerian ambassador Bekhadda Mehdi on 2 April, over Algeria’s treatment of undocumented migrants originating...
Senegal: Disgraced President leaves office to find shelter in Marrakesh
By MondAfrique: A short video circulating on social media shows outgoing Senegalese President Macky Sall's departure for Morocco on April 2, the...
US-Niger relations face uncertainty, with Niamey’s pivot to Russia
Audio version: The news: The visit a few days ago of a US government delegation to Niamey, the capital of Niger, did not go down well with the...
Bloody Sunday: The indiscriminate killing of Muslim and Catholic worshipers in Burkina Faso
Sunday, 25 February was a bloody day for religious groups in Burkina Faso. Two attacks against a church and a mosque confirm the utter instability...
More on the Sahel
EGYPT
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan resume Nile dam talks
Ethiopia said Saturday it had begun a second round of talks with Egypt and Sudan over a controversial mega-dam built by Addis Ababa on the Nile,...
France arrests journalist for reporting on alleged French targeting of civilians in Egypt
France was accused of an "unacceptable" attack on press freedom Tuesday after a journalist was arrested for reporting on leaked documents that...
Egypt: With 2.2 million births in 2022, president Sisi urges lower birth rate
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called Tuesday for measures to slow the birthrate in the Arab world's most populous country, citing China's...
Egypt: Four dead in Cairo building collapse
A building collapse on Wednesday killed four Egyptians from the same family in a Cairo neighbourhood where a similar tragedy occurred earlier this...
Egypt releases political activist Ahmed Douma
Egyptian activist Ahmed Douma, a leading figure in the country's 2011 uprising who has spent the past decade behind bars, walked free from prison...
Egypt: One missing after tug sinks in Suez collision with tanker
A Suez Canal tugboat sank and a crew member was missing after the vessel collided with a Hong Kong-flagged tanker, the authorities in charge of the...
More on Egypt
MORE ANALYSES & MAJOR EVENTS
Mali junta ends Algiers Agreement
The ruling junta in Mali announced, on Thursday 25 January, the "end, with immediate effect", of the Algiers agreement signed in 2015 with the pro-autonomy and independence groups based in the north of the country. Long considered essential for stabilizing the country, the agreement was primarily engineered by Algeria, but with such announcement, the basics elements of peace in the region have...
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 Abraham Accords. Almost all the Moroccan media reporting on the topic during 2023, underscored the exponential growth of Morocco-Israel trade, with headlines citing growth rates topping 150%. Until the war in Gaza began, triggering a reversal of fortunes that saw trade...
This Week’s Premium Podcast
Podcast: The Sahel is the Next Big Geopolitical Crisis where Foreign Meddlers are Congregating
Transcript: The Sahel is now clearly the next big event in Africa's geopolitics. After the complete destruction of Libya, the same foreign powers that paid for the killing of a nation are now shifting their attention to the Sahel, establishing the bases of another...
FOCAL POINTS
Morocco: Despite being an agricultural powerhouse, Morocco is experiencing soaring food prices
By Ismail Bellaouali: Soaring inflation in Morocco is driving up living costs and stirring public anger, and as food prices increase the country's export-led agricultural model is coming under fire. On April 8, protesters gathered outside parliament in the capital...
Maghreb competition: The ridiculous debate over who should claim ownership of the Haiek veil
Opinion by Arezki Daoud: Competition between the regimes of Algeria and Morocco has gone mainstream. Now Algerians and Moroccans are battling each other over the silliest things, from who presumably owns specific foods to who should claim ownership of specific arts...
Sahel: The sad plight of children in the Sahel’s conflict zones
By Amaury Hauchard: After fleeing the jihadists who threatened their remote village, Aichata Hassan had no idea that another mighty challenge lay ahead: proving to the authorities that her 12-year-old daughter existed. Like countless other children in Niger, Nadia has...
Construction of a Morocco-Spain tunnel under consideration but challenges abound
By Valentin Bontemps: In limbo for years, plans for a tunnel linking Spain and Morocco have been officially revived by Madrid and Rabat although the dream of an underwater rail link faces multiple obstacles. What is the project? The idea was first raised in 1979 by...
LATEST ISSUE
POLITICAL AFFAIRS
Algeria: Despite “winning” reelection, President Tebboune denounces “irregularities”
By MondAfrique: The three candidates in the Algerian presidential election, including President Tebboune, who was re-elected last Saturday with 94.65% of the vote, have accused the National Independent Election Authority (ANIE) of "irregularities" and "contradictions." They did so in a joint statement, which is unprecedented. ANIE’s president, Mohamed Charfi, clearly overstepped. Against all...
MORE ON POLITICS
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 each other’s moves to...
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 the years, it was easy to...
Senegal at the Center of Another Geopolitical Fight
By Arezki Daoud: France is experiencing an unprecedented backlash in the Sahel and in West Africa. Disastrous post-colonial policies forced the...
Senegal: Disgraced President leaves office to find shelter in Marrakesh
By MondAfrique: A short video circulating on social media shows outgoing Senegalese President Macky Sall's departure for Morocco on April 2, the...
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, instead of the scheduled...
US-Niger relations face uncertainty, with Niamey’s pivot to Russia
Audio version: The news: The visit a few days ago of a US government delegation to Niamey, the capital of Niger, did not go down well with the...
Brief: Tunisia: The Lazy Governors
Funny news this week from Tunisia where the Presidency of the Republic announced the dismissal of two governors. They are Mondher Sik-Ali of...
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 election scheduled in December...
Niger and Mali up their anti-Western positions, lash out at France and US
Backlash against France continues in Niger, with several local media reporting that security and intelligence services in Niamey discovered this...
Senegal’s outgoing president prepares for disgraced exit
By Francis Sahel, Mondafrique: In the absence of any other alternative, Senegalese President Mack Sall announced last Friday his intention 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 are Mondher Sik-Ali of...
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 election scheduled in December...
Niger and Mali up their anti-Western positions, lash out at France and US
Backlash against France continues in Niger, with several local media reporting that security and intelligence services in Niamey discovered this...
Senegal’s outgoing president prepares for disgraced exit
By Francis Sahel, Mondafrique: In the absence of any other alternative, Senegalese President Mack Sall announced last Friday his intention to...
PODCASTS
Podcast: The Sahel is the Next Big Geopolitical Crisis where Foreign Meddlers are Congregating
Transcript: The Sahel is now clearly the next big event in Africa's geopolitics. After the complete destruction of Libya, the same foreign powers that paid for the killing of a nation are now shifting their attention to the Sahel, establishing the bases of another...
COVID-19: The Latest
Tunisian government in crisis amid exploding Covid-19 cases
Tunisia's government stumbled deeper into crisis on Wednesday over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, after premier Hichem Mechichi fired the health minister amid skyrocketing cases in the North African country. Mechichi, whose office had announced Faouzi...
Covid-19: Mauritania reinstates new measures to contain coronavirus
Mauritania, concerned over rising Covid-19 infections, has banned mosque prayers over the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha set for Wednesday in the West African country. Prayers will be confined to the home, the government in the conservative Muslim country said in a...
Covid-19: Algeria is confronting a more virulent third wave
The North Africa Journal - Daily confirmed positive cases in Algeria rose sharply on Wednesday, 7 July, crossing the 500-case mark for the first time in weeks, according to the unreliable statistics of the health ministry. It said 585 new cases have been recorded in...
SECURITY, DEFENSE & TERRORISM
Mali: Wagner and Junta leaders in tough spot with series of embarrassing defeats and decisions to make
(Photo from unconfirmed video showing an insurgent burning the presidential plane in Bamako. The person filming the attack speaks in Peul or Fulani language) By Arezki Daoud: This week’s attacks on the Malian capital of Bamako highlight the junta's difficulty in providing basic security for the country and its inability to degrade terror groups. They also signal further challenges the junta may...
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 Sahara feud has been evolving from...
Russia’s first African military base in a highly unstable nation
By Arezki Daoud: Since Russia started its war on Ukraine, we have been told that Moscow was headed towards disaster. Echoing the views of Western...
Mali junta ends Algiers Agreement
The ruling junta in Mali announced, on Thursday 25 January, the "end, with immediate effect", of the Algiers agreement signed in 2015 with the...
22 Islamist militant suspects arrested in Tunisia ($)
Defense: Morocco orders armored vehicles from Turkey ($)
Russia-Africa: From weapon sales to economic ties
By Arezki Daoud: Has the war in Ukraine deter Russia from engagement in Africa? Certainly not! We know on the security front, a growing number of...
Sahel: Russia to experience boost of its influence in the Sahel
By Arezki Daoud: Russia’s influence in the Sahel is about to expand further with more cooperation deals announced by Niger and Russia during the...
Egypt: One killed, six arrested in gun battle on Egypt-Israel border
A gunfire broke out near Nitzana, Israel, along the border crossing separating Egypt and Israel. The incident, which involved more than a dozen...
Egypt’s economy hit hard by Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea
The US and the UK hitting Houthi targets in Yemen is largely the result of a sense of panic taking place in commercial and business circles. The...
Burkina Faso government says year-end army offensive killed hundreds of “terrorists” ($)
In a year-end offensive carried out by the Burkina Faso military from December 23, 2023 to January 2, 2024 in the East and Center-East regions,...
Sahel: Russia to experience boost of its influence in the Sahel
By Arezki Daoud: Russia’s influence in the Sahel is about to expand further with more cooperation deals announced by Niger and Russia during the...
Egypt: One killed, six arrested in gun battle on Egypt-Israel border
A gunfire broke out near Nitzana, Israel, along the border crossing separating Egypt and Israel. The incident, which involved more than a dozen...
Egypt’s economy hit hard by Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea
The US and the UK hitting Houthi targets in Yemen is largely the result of a sense of panic taking place in commercial and business circles. The...
Burkina Faso government says year-end army offensive killed hundreds of “terrorists” ($)
In a year-end offensive carried out by the Burkina Faso military from December 23, 2023 to January 2, 2024 in the East and Center-East regions,...
SOCIAL, LABOR & THE ENVIRONMENT
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 psychological toll, with many grieving the loss -- or still without news -- of loved ones. Extreme rainfall from hurricane-strength Storm Daniel caused two upstream dams to burst on September 10, sending flood waters that have been likened to a tsunami crashing through the middle of...
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 facing a dangerous water outlook....
Egypt: After wishing each other a happy new year, Egyptians see price hikes that will make 2024 not such a happy year
Bread has always been a source of concern for rulers and leaders. When their prices increase, watch out for the public reaction. In history, bread...
Sahel: Kidnapped in Libya in 2017, South African medic released this week in Mali
A South African paramedic who had been held by jihadists in Mali for over six years has been released, security and humanitarian sources told AFP on...
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 out repairs on the UNESCO World...
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 rights activists, citing...
Egypt: Italy sets new trial for Egyptians accused of student’s murder
A court in Italy on Monday set a February date for a new trial in absentia of four Egyptian security officers accused of murdering an Italian...
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 stretchered onto a plane to Abu...
Niger: UN resumes humanitarian flights in Niger
The United Nations said it resumed humanitarian flights in Niger on Wednesday, suspended after a July coup in the country where more than four...
Turkey welcomes Palestinian cancer patients after they entered Egypt
More than two dozen Palestinian cancer patients, who had crossed from Gaza into Egypt, arrived in Turkey for treatment in the early hours of...
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 eastern authorities with the...
Egypt: Italy sets new trial for Egyptians accused of student’s murder
A court in Italy on Monday set a February date for a new trial in absentia of four Egyptian security officers accused of murdering an Italian...
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 stretchered onto a plane to Abu...
Niger: UN resumes humanitarian flights in Niger
The United Nations said it resumed humanitarian flights in Niger on Wednesday, suspended after a July coup in the country where more than four...
Turkey welcomes Palestinian cancer patients after they entered Egypt
More than two dozen Palestinian cancer patients, who had crossed from Gaza into Egypt, arrived in Turkey for treatment in the early hours of...
BUSINESS & THE ECONOMY
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 then soaking mint leaves in it and adding sugar. Where does the green tea come from? China. This year, Morocco has become China's biggest destination of tea, with the kingdom's importers spending more than $123 million on the green stuff during the first seven months of 2024,...
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 focused on foreign-operated...
Economy: China’s commitment to Africa is being tested by its stance on the continent’s crippling debt
By MondAfrique: As a whole, Africa has seen its debt increase five-fold over the past twenty years, to reach $700 billion. And Chinese lenders...
Germany to get Algerian gas for first time
Germany is to get Algerian gas with the signing on 8 February of a contract tying gas producer Sonatrach to Leipzig-based gas trader VNG Handel...
Trade: Israel-Morocco trade takes a hit amid extreme instability in the Middle East
Last year, Morocco and Israel have had a strong run on their bilateral trade, as the two countries put into effect the Abraham Accords. Almost all...
Energy: US oil companies explore opportunities in Algeria but no deal yet after months of talks
Junior executives of Oxy and Chevron, affiliated with the US-Algerian Business Council (USABC) traveled to Algiers on 21 January 2024 as part of a...
Russia-Africa: From weapon sales to economic ties
By Arezki Daoud: Has the war in Ukraine deter Russia from engagement in Africa? Certainly not! We know on the security front, a growing number of...
Algeria-Spain: Despite diplomatic disconnect, Algeria-Spain maintain strong energy ties ($)
Egypt’s economy hit hard by Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea
The US and the UK hitting Houthi targets in Yemen is largely the result of a sense of panic taking place in commercial and business circles. The...
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 market prices surged over the...
JPMorgan de-lists Egypt from its Emerging Market Bond Index (S)
Russia-Africa: From weapon sales to economic ties
By Arezki Daoud: Has the war in Ukraine deter Russia from engagement in Africa? Certainly not! We know on the security front, a growing number of...
Algeria-Spain: Despite diplomatic disconnect, Algeria-Spain maintain strong energy ties ($)
Egypt’s economy hit hard by Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea
The US and the UK hitting Houthi targets in Yemen is largely the result of a sense of panic taking place in commercial and business circles. The...
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 market prices surged over the...
INTERNATIONAL
Mozambique: Setback for Mozambique as insurgents take control of Palma near Tanzania and oil sites
Islamist militants have seized control of the northern Mozambique town of Palma, near a huge gas project involving French oil major Total and other international energy companies, security sources said on Saturday. In their closest attack to the gas project in the three-year insurgency, the militants attacked the town in the northern province of Cabo Delgado on Wednesday, forcing nearly 200...
NIGERIA
Gunmen kill three police in restive southeast Nigeria
Suspected separatists in southeast Nigeria have killed three policemen and wounded two others, police on Friday. Gunmen on Thursday stormed a police...
Nigeria: State of Kano getting more conservative, unleashes religious police
Religious police in northern Nigeria's city of Kano have destroyed nearly four million bottles of beer, on grounds that sale and consumption of...
Nigeria forces refugees to return to the war zone
By Louise Dewast Usman Mohamed's hometown of Baga on the shores of Lake Chad was once overrun by jihadists, forcing him to flee, like millions of...
Nigeria: Three bodies recovered after last week’s fire on oil vessel
The operator of a Nigerian oil vessel that exploded and sank last week said on Monday three bodies had now been recovered, three found alive while...
Nigeria says oil ship fire extinguished
A blaze caused by an explosion on an oil ship that sparked fears of an environmental disaster off southern Nigeria has been brought under control,...
TURKEY
Turkey to use rubles to pay for some of the gas imported from Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday Turkey would pay for a quarter of its Russian natural gas imports in rubles under a new set of deals...
Turkey raids Syrian army outpost in northern Syria
Turkish raids in northern Syria on Sunday struck outposts operated by the Syrian army and Kurdish-led forces, killing three, a Britain-based war...
Turkey: Anti-LGBTQ rally held in Istanbul
Hundreds of people attended an anti-LGBTQ rally Sunday in Istanbul, answering a call from dozens of conservative associations, an AFP photographer...
Turkish president Erdogan announces prisoner swap between Russia and Turkey
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to swap 200 prisoners in one of the largest exchanges of the seven-month war, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan...
Turkey: Two road accidents in Turkey claim dozens of lives
At least 34 people were killed and dozens injured in two separate road accidents Saturday, each in places where collisions had taken place shortly...
MOZAMBIQUE
Daviz Simango, head of Mozambique’s second largest opposition party and mayor of Beira dies at 57
The leader of Mozambique's second largest opposition party and a top mayor who fought climate change in his low-lying coastal city Beira, Daviz...
Mozambique: Shipbuilding company says it donated to Mozambique’s president election campaign
A firm at the centre of a $2-billion loan scandal that plunged Mozambique into its worst financial crisis says it donated to President Filipe...
Mozambique: Quarter million people affected by Cyclone Eloise
A tropical cyclone that pummeled central Mozambique last weekend has impacted 250,000 people, a sharp increase over initial estimates, a UN official...
Mozambique battered by violent cyclone
A tropical cyclone that hit central Mozambique on the weekend has displaced thousands of people and caused severe flooding in an area battered by...
Mozambique: Army chief dismissed after French oil company Total evacuates thousands of staff
Mozambique's President Filipe Nyusi has replaced the army's top generals after intensifying jihadist attacks threatened a major natural gas plant in...
DISCOVERY NORTH AFRICA: VIDEOS
Video: Europe’s growing energy crisis
The Rio-Antirio bridge in Greece, one of the longest of its kind in the world, has turned off its eye-catching decorative lights as the country scrambles to save energy with winter looming. Government buildings including the Greek parliament and mayor's office in Athens have also gone dark, as too have motorways across swathes of Belgium as energy prices in Europe soar.
Video: Europe’s growing energy crisis
The Rio-Antirio bridge in Greece, one of the longest of its kind in the world, has turned off its eye-catching decorative lights as the country scrambles to save energy with winter looming. Government buildings including the Greek parliament and mayor's office in...
Egypt: After giving the world an unparalleled civilization, Egypt now offers us a grotesque and cartoonish depiction of its power
When you think that Egypt has reached the bottom of the surreal, hold your breath for a minute and see what happens next. Even North Korea's Kim Jong Un could not have gone so low. To please Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian police academy put up a show on Thursday,...
Video: Mutiny in Mali
Bamako, Aug 18, 2020 (AFP) - Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar...
