- 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
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 Libya, with protagonists competing for the control of the armed forces. Three factions are now at the center of an ongoing struggle over the fate of the...
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 Libya, with protagonists competing for the control of the armed forces. Three factions are now at the center of an ongoing struggle over the fate of the...
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ANALYSES & MAJOR EVENTS
MAGHREB
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...
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 EU agricultural market is...
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 one another to ascertain their...
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...
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 the manipulation of judicial...
More on the Maghreb
SAHEL
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...
Niger: Two soldiers killed in insurgent attack in Diffa
Mali: Katiba Mecina insurgents raid military camp in Niono, repelled
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...
Africa’s 2024 Elections Off to a Bad Start
By Arezki Daoud: It’s an election year in Africa and it already started badly. The East African island of Comoros in the Indian Ocean opened the...
Sahel: Wagner Group closes in on Mali’s N’Tillit gold mine
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso share a common border. GPS coordinates [14.9143, 0.2424] are where the three countries meet, and this is an area where...
More on the Sahel
EGYPT
Rights group criticizes Saudi legal system over jailing of Egyptian psychiatrist
An Egyptian psychiatrist jailed in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to prison on terrorism charges following an "unfair trial" triggered by a salary...
Egypt: Under intense international pressure, Egypt releases Egyptian-Irish student Patrick Zaki two days after he was sentenced to prison
Egyptian researcher Patrick Zaki and lawyer Mohamed al-Baqer walked out of prison Thursday, relatives said, a day after President Abdel Fattah...
Egypt: Three years in prison and tortured for allegedly spreading “fake news”
The United States called on Egypt Wednesday to release rights researcher Patrick Zaki, a day after he was sentenced to three years' prison for...
Egypt and Turkey seek better ties, appoint envoys after a decade of tension
Egypt and Turkey said Tuesday they had appointed ambassadors to each others' countries for the first time in a decade, in the latest sign of warming...
How Egypt’s road infrastructure investments are ruinous and destructive
Photo by Mostnir Shady Ahmed: In the decade since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi seized power, Egypt has built dozens of motorways that zigzag...
Egypt: India’s Prime Minister visits Egypt
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Sunday on a rare visit during which both sides pledged to...
More on Egypt
Egypt: After wishing each other a happy new year, Egyptians see price hikes that will make 2024 not such a happy year
Immediately after “winning” a third term at the end of December 2023, President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi ordered the “progressive” dismantling of the so-called subsidies. Overnight, as the calendar shifted to 2024, the prices of electricity increased by as much as 26%. As you would expect many other products followed immediately, such as the prices for accessing the Internet up 33%, the price of Cairo metro ticket up by 20%. And that’s just the beginning. In the coming weeks and months, check out the prices of food and basic commodities soaring again, as the Egyptian Pound likely to lose more value.
MORE ANALYSES & MAJOR EVENTS
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...
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 ongoing visit to Moscow of Niger’s Prime Minister and other senior officials. Speaking to Russian media, Niger’s Defense Minister Salifou Mody said joint projects are being finalized during the visit, following months of preparation and negotiation in...
This Week’s Premium Podcast
Podcast: The Sahel Region’s 2024 Outlook
How did 2023 end in the Sahel and what should we expect 2024 to look like? Firstly, Christmas in Africa this year has been gloomy to say the least. There was not much to cheer for. The political, economic, social and security environments in many African nations have been experiencing the worst-case scenario, so much so that 2024 is likely to bring more bad news for millions of people.
FOCAL POINTS
Devastation in Turkey and Syria: Death toll from quakes nears 8,000, figure likely to increase sharply
By Remi Banet with Youssef Karwashan in Aleppo: Rescuers in Turkey and Syria battled bitter cold Tuesday in a race against time to find survivors under buildings flattened by an earthquake that killed more than 7,800 people. The latest toll showed 5,894 people killed...
Security: Escalation of Russia-Ukraine war could transform crisis into global conflict
By Amélie Bottolier-Depois: UN chief Antonio Guterres warned nations Monday that he fears the likelihood of further escalation in the Russia-Ukraine conflict means the world is heading towards a "wider war." The secretary-general laid out his priorities for the year...
Egypt: Archaeologists announce discovery of 1,800-year-old Roman city
Egyptian archaeologists said Tuesday they had discovered an 1,800-year-old "complete residential city from the Roman-era" in the heart of the southern city of Luxor. The city, dating to the second and third centuries, is the "oldest and most important city found on...
Health: World Health Organization concerned about unprecedented number “intersecting health emergencies,” appeals for money
The World Health Organization on Monday appealed for $2.54 billion for its work in 2023 to help millions of people facing health emergencies around the world. The UN health agency said that it was currently responding to an unprecedented number of intersecting health...
LATEST ISSUE
POLITICAL AFFAIRS
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 power struggles we are witnessing. On the one hand, there is a permanent conflict between Libya's rival governments, and on the other hand, there is an intense competition for influence involving foreign powers, who sponsor one rival government against the other. With the world...
MORE ON POLITICS
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...
War in Gaza forces former Middle East foes to seek reconciliation
By Mondafrique: The war in Gaza is forcing feuding States in the Middle East and in the Gulf to seek the path of reconciliations. Faced with...
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 one another to ascertain their...
Africa’s 2024 Elections Off to a Bad Start
By Arezki Daoud: It’s an election year in Africa and it already started badly. The East African island of Comoros in the Indian Ocean opened the...
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 the manipulation of judicial...
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 on a new dimension. While...
War in Gaza forces former Middle East foes to seek reconciliation
By Mondafrique: The war in Gaza is forcing feuding States in the Middle East and in the Gulf to seek the path of reconciliations. Faced with...
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 one another to ascertain their...
Africa’s 2024 Elections Off to a Bad Start
By Arezki Daoud: It’s an election year in Africa and it already started badly. The East African island of Comoros in the Indian Ocean opened the...
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 the manipulation of judicial...
COVID-19: The Latest
Covid-19: Official says Tunisia’s health system has collapsed
Tunisia virus situation catastrophic: health ministry Tunisia's health system has "collapsed" under the weight of the Covid-19 pandemic, the health ministry spokeswoman said on Thursday, describing the virus's affect on the country as "catastrophic". On Tuesday alone,...
Morocco accelerates Covid vaccination campaign, targets prison population
Morocco has vaccinated nearly 4,000 inmates as part of a campaign launched in March to inoculate the incarcerated population against coronavirus, the kingdom's prison authority said Wednesday. The aim of the campaign, started several weeks after the national...
Covid-19: Tunisia PM warns of risk of collapse of health facilities, announces new restrictions
Coronavirus: Latest global developments Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: India's rocketing records India reports a record new Covid-19 daily death toll of over 4,000 and more than 400,000 new cases as the country grapples with the world's...
SECURITY, DEFENSE & TERRORISM
Mali: The Failing Campaign of Wagner in Mali Presages Trouble for the Junta in Bamako
There have been more chatter and speculations about the activities of Russia’s mercenaries, formerly known as the Wagner Group, now reportedly called the Afrika Corps in the Sahel. It is unclear if the name "Afrika Corps" is official, but if so, it certainly confirms that the Russian outfit's primary focus is indeed on Africa, likely as an arm of Moscow’s Africa policy. For the purpose of this...
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: Mali acquires lethal drones from Turkey
On January 4, 2024, the Malian military acquired six Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones. The military authorities say the drones will be used to “surveil...
Four Mauritanian gold miners were killed last weekend near Gleibat El Foula ($)
Morocco-Mauritania relations: Tensions after killing by drone of Mauritanian civilians
The Moroccan media said the Mauritanian authorities have abruptly increase by 171% the customs duties applied to Moroccan goods entering Mauritania...
Tunisia neutralizes human smugglers
The Tunisian police reported on January 7, 2024 the dismantling of an alleged human trafficking network in the Sfax region. Authorities say the gang...
Sahel: Burkina Faso ratchets up war effort with new army units and taxes for voluntary militia
The North Africa Journal - The new year began in earnest in Burkina Faso, with fresh efforts from the government to create new units and tackle...
Sahel: Mali acquires lethal drones from Turkey
On January 4, 2024, the Malian military acquired six Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones. The military authorities say the drones will be used to “surveil...
Four Mauritanian gold miners were killed last weekend near Gleibat El Foula ($)
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 Moroccan goods entering Mauritania...
Tunisia neutralizes human smugglers
The Tunisian police reported on January 7, 2024 the dismantling of an alleged human trafficking network in the Sfax region. Authorities say the gang...
SOCIAL, LABOR & THE ENVIRONMENT
Sahel: The demise of the ancient city of Timbuktu
When jihadists in Mali announced they would blockade the ancient city of Timbuktu, residents thought it was just another intimidation tactic. But a month and a half later, the tens of thousands of inhabitants remain almost completely cut off from the world with the agonising scenario having become a reality. Half a dozen witnesses have described to AFP a life of scarcity and fear, as shells have...
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. The black unmanned aircraft,...
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...
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 September 8. While the...
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 Israel's war with Hamas. Tens...
Egypt opens Rafah Border, to allow safe passage to foreign nationals
Egypt will help evacuate "about 7,000" foreigners and dual nationals from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, the foreign ministry said, with officials...
Third aid convoy enters Gaza via Egypt border crossing
An aid convoy entered the besieged Gaza Strip on Monday via the Rafah border crossing, AFP correspondents on the Egyptian and Palestinian sides...
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 a strike on a Gaza Strip...
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...
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 September 8. While the...
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 Israel's war with Hamas. Tens...
Egypt opens Rafah Border, to allow safe passage to foreign nationals
Egypt will help evacuate "about 7,000" foreigners and dual nationals from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, the foreign ministry said, with officials...
BUSINESS & THE ECONOMY
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 pipeline. Two events emerged recently that created uncertainty and risk for this project. The shift from the Mohamed Bezzoum regime to the military junta in Niger could have worsened relations between Niger and Algeria in the same way it happened between Algeria and Mali. Mali’s...
Morocco-Israel trade figures collapsing
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...
Tunisia: Phosphate company signals recovery after a three-year decline (S)
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 southwestern Libya, forced 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 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...
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. The black unmanned aircraft,...
JPMorgan de-lists Egypt from its Emerging Market Bond Index (S)
Tunisia: Phosphate company signals recovery after a three-year decline (S)
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 southwestern Libya, forced 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 facing a dangerous water outlook....
INTERNATIONAL
Senegal braces for Jihadist spillover from the Sahel
Senegal's President Macky Sall said Tuesday that his native country and neighbouring West African states must "prepare to do battle" to stop jihadist expansion beyond the Sahel. In an interview broadcast that day by French radio RFI, the president also urged a more combative role for United Nations peacekeepers in Mali, and ruled out dialogue with jihadists. Sall's comments come amid growing...
NIGERIA
Denmark’s navy patrol unit sinks pirate ship off Nigeria, kills four
A Danish naval patrol killed four pirates in an exchange of fire in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Nigeria, Denmark's armed forces said on...
Nigeria: Buhari’s ruling party APC defeated in Anambra state election
A former central bank governor won a key election in southeast Nigeria, results showed on Wednesday, beating President Muhammadu Buhari's ruling APC...
Nigeria: Dozens killed in building collapse in Lagos
By Camille Malplat and Joel Olatinde Agoi The death toll from the collapse of a high-rise building in an upscale area of Nigeria's commercial...
Lagos, Nigeria: High-rise building collapses in Lagos, people trapped
A high-rise building under construction collapsed in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos on Monday, burying people inside, construction workers and...
Nigerian army claims it killed Jihadist chief Al-Barnawi: Profile
By Emmanuel Anule: The leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) jihadist group, Abu Musab al-Barnawi, is dead, Nigeria's top...
TURKEY
Turkey cuts taxes on basic foods, Fitch downgrades Turkey to ‘B+’ amid spiraling inflation
Fitch downgrades Turkey to 'B+' Fitch Ratings on Friday downgraded Turkey's debt from BB- to B+ with a negative outlook, citing high inflation and a...
Spy story: Israeli businessman saved by Turkish spies
Turkish spies thwarted a plot orchestrated by Iran to kill an Israeli-Turkish businessman based in Istanbul, a pro-government daily reported Friday....
Turkey: Former Turkish Olympic swimmer in trouble for tweeting about Erdogan’s Covid infection
Turkish prosecutors on Monday issued an arrest warrant for a former Olympic swimmer over tweets appearing to express relief that President Recep...
Turkey: Erdogan accuses West of making Ukraine crisis ‘worse’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the West of making the Russia-Ukraine crisis "worse" and slammed US President Joe Biden's stance, in...
Turkish President Erdogan tests positive for Covid-19
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday he had tested positive for Covid-19 but was not experiencing severe symptoms. "After...
MOZAMBIQUE
Mozambique’s insurgency intensifies, likely to get worse
Jihadists in northern Mozambique have stepped up an insurgency aimed at carving out a caliphate in the gas-rich province of Cabo Delgado. The...
Mozambique: Reports of French oil firm Total temporarily suspending work in Cabo Delgado amid violent clashes
Mozambican soldiers on Thursday repelled Islamist militants that attacked and occupied a northern village in their closest raid yet to a giant gas...
Mozambique: Gas industry fears more instability in Mozambique after new attack in Cabo Delgado
Islamist militants have attacked and occupied a northern Mozambican village in their closest raid yet to a giant gas project, military sources told...
Mozambique: Insurgents kill 25 soldiers in Muidumbe
Islamist militants in Mozambique killed two dozen soldiers in an ambush attack, military sources told AFP, a significant show of force against the...
Southern African leaders seek to coordinate security posture
Leaders from southern African countries met for urgent security talks on Friday and agreed on a "regional response" to the Islamist insurgency...
DISCOVERY NORTH AFRICA: VIDEOS
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, October 15 that aimed at showcasing how strong Egypt's cops are. From the moment Sisi showed up, like a Pharaoh from 5,000 years...
Video: Mutiny in Mali
Bamako, Aug 18, 2020 (AFP) - Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar...