The North Africa Journal

05/23/2024

Tunisia’s political system is still compromised, but the economy is showing some signs of minimal recovery. However, one area that is contributing to the inability of decision makers to react to changes and challenges in the economy is the time it takes for economic data to be released....

Tunisia’s political system is still compromised, but the economy is showing some signs of minimal recovery. However, one area that is contributing to the inability of decision makers to react to changes and challenges in the economy is the time it takes for economic data to be released.

05/23/2024

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 pinpoint and complain about “cultural appropriation” when it comes to food, traditional graphics designs, arts and now robes. Morocco has been the most vocal in this competition for culture and the Kaftan in on its radar screen. Wikipedia says the origins of the Kaftan are unknow but “it is believed to have first appeared in ancient Mesopotamia. Wikipedia adds that “originating in Asia, it has been worn by a number of cultures around the world for thousands of years,” including in Russia....

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 pinpoint and complain about “cultural appropriation” when it comes to food, traditional graphics designs, arts and now robes.

05/14/2024

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 identify the problem: too many foreign regional players and global powers meddling in Libya’s affairs, explicitly or implicitly seeking to impose their vision on what Libya ought to be through local proxies. These foreign meddlers had no shortage of proxies within Libya....

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 identify the problem: too many foreign regional player…

05/14/2024

The departure of the French and American troops from Niger created an opportunity for the Russians to replace them. The Russians’ objective is to clearly counter the west and reduce its influence in the Sahel, West Africa and elsewhere on the African continent. The French have naturally been the first to experience trouble with the Sahel. Their exit from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger was greeted with anger in Paris against Moscow, which is seen as the real architect of the French withdrawal from the Sahel....

The departure of the French and American troops from Niger created an opportunity for the Russians to replace them. The Russians’ objective is to clearly counter the west and reduce its influence i…

04/08/2024

By Arezki Daoud: France is experiencing an unprecedented backlash in the Sahel and in West Africa. Disastrous post-colonial policies forced the people of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to expel French troops and diplomats, reducing Paris' entrenched but counterproductive influence in the region. Now, France is also concerned about Senegal, which remains, with Ivory Coast, the last two most reliable allies of Paris in West Africa....

By Arezki Daoud: France is experiencing an unprecedented backlash in the Sahel and in West Africa. Disastrous post-colonial policies forced the people of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to expel Fren…

04/06/2024

By MondAfrique: A column of armed vehicles from the Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP), the Touareg rebel coalition driven out of Kidal, was attacked by fighters from the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) on Friday in the Ouagadou forest, while that it was heading south, Mondafrique learned from corroborating sources. Around 30 men died in the confrontation on the Jihadists side and 18 on the CSP side....

By MondAfrique: A column of armed vehicles from the Permanent Strategic Framework (CSP), the Touareg rebel coalition driven out of Kidal, was attacked by fighters from the Support Group for Islam …

04/06/2024

Agricultural trade between France and Algeria is experiencing challenges that are primarily affecting French exporters. From the onslaught of the Russian grain exports to Algeria, essentially displacing French exporters, to Algeria banning French cattle due to EHDV disease, not all is well between Algeria and France in the agricultural trade sector. The most affected parties in this situation are French producers and exporters, who are looking for new initiatives to fight back.

Agricultural trade between France and Algeria is experiencing challenges that are primarily affecting French exporters. From the onslaught of the Russian grain exports to Algeria, essentially displ…

04/06/2024

The authorities in Niger summoned the Algerian ambassador Bekhadda Mehdi on 2 April, over Algeria’s treatment of undocumented migrants originating from Niger. In return, two days later Algeria also summoned the ambassador of the Republic of Niger in Algiers, Aminou Malam Manzo. Niger alleges that the Algerian security services have intensified their immigration enforcement measures by increasing their deportation of migrants into the territory of Niger. The Algerian government was quick to react, considering that statements made by the Nigerien authorities are “unfounded”.

The authorities in Niger summoned the Algerian ambassador Bekhadda Mehdi on 2 April, over Algeria’s treatment of undocumented migrants originating from Niger. In return, two days later Algeria als…

04/06/2024

By MondAfrique: A short video circulating on social media shows outgoing Senegalese President Macky Sall's departure for Morocco on April 2, the day of the inauguration of his rival Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Morocco officially welcomed the former President of Senegal who did not wish to remain in his country for another day after he left office. He lives with his family in an opulent villa he owns 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 day of the inauguration of his rival Bassirou…

04/03/2024

The health system reform in Morocco is facing roadblocks. Health workers are striking this week with their unions insisting that the government failed to implement the provisions of two agreements the two parties reached and signed into a reform contract in late December and on 26 January 2024. The agreements were about improving the working conditions of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other health professionals, including salary and bonus upgrades....

The health system reform in Morocco is facing roadblocks. Health workers are striking this week with their unions insisting that the government failed to implement the provisions of two agreements …

03/22/2024

Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, ordered the holding of an early presidential election on 7 September 2024, instead of the scheduled December date. The surprise announcement was made after a meeting of the country’s most senior government, military and security chiefs, as well as the heads of the legislative and judicial branches. In its decision and subsequent communiques, the Presidency does not provide any reason for this decision or whether the president will seek a second term....

Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, ordered the holding of an early presidential election on 7 September 2024, instead of the scheduled December date. The surprise announcement was made after…

03/19/2024

(Photo: Magistrates at the Court of Auditors) - Algeria must have some serious problems with official document forgery. Analysts say the practice is widespread given the heavy bureaucratic nature of the outdated administration and an outdated regulatory framework. On 26 February 2024, Algeria sought to play catch up, promulgating a new law that goes the other ways, that is now it has some of the harshest punishments for forgery....

(Photo: Magistrates at the Court of Auditors) – Algeria must have some serious problems with official document forgery. Analysts say the practice is widespread given the heavy bureaucratic na…

03/19/2024

(Photo: Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch) Morocco will stop subsidizing butane gas in 2026, but prices will begin to increase next month, April 2024. The decision to lift subsidies was announced in October 2023 by billionaire Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, who also happens to be the owner of Akwa Group, a major Moroccan company active in the oil and gas sector....

(Photo: Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch) Morocco will stop subsidizing butane gas in 2026, but prices will begin to increase next month, April 2024. The decision to lift subsidies was announced in …

03/18/2024

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 ruling junta there. Clearly as the junta is paving the way for the Russian military to enter Niger and expand their presence in the Sahel, the Americans are starting to lose patience and they may have shown their frustration in this latest interaction with the Junta. ...

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 ruling junta there. Clearly as the junta is paving the way for the R…

03/16/2024

Funny news this week from Tunisia where the Presidency of the Republic announced the dismissal of two governors. They are Mondher Sik-Ali of Monastir, on the central coast of the country and Abdelfattah Chakchouk of neighboring Mahdia. The decision to oust the two officials came after a meeting at the presidential palace in Tunis, involving the Minister of the Interior and the heads of National Security and the National Guards. The resulting statement from the presidency indicates that the two men “remained in their offices without making any work or official visits.”

Funny news this week from Tunisia where the Presidency of the Republic announced the dismissal of two governors. They are Mondher Sik-Ali of Monastir, on the central coast of the country and Abdelf…

03/16/2024

Algerian opposition and pro-democracy lawyer Zoubida Assoul has announced that she will run for the presidential election scheduled in December 2024, marking the beginning of the unofficial election campaign. Assoul is the President of the Union for Change and Progress (UCP). She made the announcement at a press briefing on Friday, 1 March at her party’s headquarters in Algiers. Assoul spoke at the end of a regular session of the UCP’s National Council, which discussed the country’s political, socio-economic, security, and geopolitical situation....

Algerian opposition and pro-democracy lawyer Zoubida Assoul has announced that she will run for the presidential election scheduled in December 2024, marking the beginning of the unofficial electio…

03/16/2024

Agriculture is the theater of another kind of war where there are winners and losers. Worth billions of dollars, the EU agricultural market is seeing intensifying competition, with local farmers sometime resorting to violence to destroy competing produce coming from other countries, even from within the EU. European farmers have also been putting intense pressure on their governments and legislators to erect more protective barriers, while EU nations are bound by trade deals. ...

Agriculture is the theater of another kind of war where there are winners and losers. Worth billions of dollars, the EU agricultural market is seeing intensifying competition, with local farmers so…

02/27/2024

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 of the northern and eastern regions of the country. In Essakane-village, in the northeastern Burkina Faso, a terrorist attack on a Catholic church during a regular Sunday service claimed the lives of 15 worshipers, according to an obituary press release from the diocese of Dori in the Sahel province....

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 of the northern and eastern regions of the country…

02/26/2024

Backlash against France continues in Niger, with several local media reporting that security and intelligence services in Niamey discovered this past week "a significant arsenal of war weapons" in a villa and in the premises of the European Union civilian crisis management mission in Mali known as Eucap Sahel. The images, aired on the public television channel RTN on February 22, show what appears to be caches of war-grade weapons in a villa in the Francophonie extension, Tchangarey district, previously occupied by French military instructors, and at the headquarters of the EUCAP SAHEL mission....

Backlash against France continues in Niger, with several local media reporting that security and intelligence services in Niamey discovered this past week “a significant arsenal of war weapon…

02/22/2024

’s outgoing president prepares for disgraced exit:

By Francis Sahel | Mondafrique: In the absence of any other alternative, President Mack Sall announced last Friday his intention to comply with the Constitutional Council’s decision to hold the presidential election and leave power by April 2. The Council’s ruling should put an end to Macky Sall’s desire to extend his mandate: it could even lead to the defeat of the presidential camp. As the popular proverb says: “to pull too much on the rope, it ends up breaking.” More than a setback, the Constitutional Council’s ruling is a stinging defeat for the Senegalese president. In effect, in a single ruling, constitutional judges demolished Macky Sall’s ambition to remain in power, well beyond April 2, 2024, which marks the legal end of his term. Continue reading here:

By Francis Sahel, Mondafrique: In the absence of any other alternative, Senegalese President Mack Sall announced last Friday his intention to comply with the Constitutional Council’s decision to h…

02/22/2024

Niger: Two soldiers killed in insurgent attack in Diffa

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02/22/2024

Mali: Katiba Mecina insurgents raid military camp in Niono, repelled

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02/22/2024

By Francis Sahel, Mondafrique: In the absence of any other alternative, Senegalese President Mack Sall announced last Friday his intention to comply with the Constitutional Council’s decision to hold the presidential election and leave power by April 2. The Council’s ruling should put an end to Macky Sall’s desire to extend his mandate: it could even lead to the defeat of the presidential camp....

By Francis Sahel, Mondafrique: In the absence of any other alternative, Senegalese President Mack Sall announced last Friday his intention to comply with the Constitutional Council’s decision to h…

02/22/2024

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 President Biden’s inability to impose a red line on Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the four most influential countries in the region – namely Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey – are forced to draw a new geopolitical map to deal with the Gaza crisis....

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 President Biden’s inability to impose a red line on Isra…

02/22/2024

By Arezki Daoud: Up until now, enemy brothers, Algeria and Morocco have been fighting one another to ascertain their influence in the North Africa and Sahel regions, despite the two countries that two countries boast the exact socioeconomic, linguistic, and religious profiles. It is generally difficult to distinguish between the two people. They share about the same historical trajectory; one key difference is their governing systems....

By Arezki Daoud: Up until now, enemy brothers, Algeria and Morocco have been fighting one another to ascertain their influence in the North Africa and Sahel regions, despite the two countries that…

02/16/2024

Libya: Bank and power company employees detained over separate corruption affairs

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02/16/2024

Tunisia: Detention of three oil executives extended in Tunis over alleged contract irregularities

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02/16/2024

Morocco: Protest over water management in Figuig continues, local militants arrested

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02/14/2024

By Arezki Daoud: It’s an election year in Africa and it all started badly. The East African island of Comoros in the Indian Ocean opened the election cycle on 14 January, with autocratic figure Azali Assoumani “re-elected” for a third term, presumably winning 63% of the vote. Election authorities in that country say turnout stood at 56%, a figure no one believes. ...

By Arezki Daoud: It’s an election year in Africa and it all started badly. The East African island of Comoros in the Indian Ocean opened the election cycle on 14 January, with autocratic figure Aza…

02/14/2024

Morocco: Consumers to pay more for Netflix, Airbnb and other online services courtesy 2024 state budget

Morocco is overhauling its tax system to generate more revenue from other sources, in particular online services. The new provisions of the Finance Bill for the 2024 fiscal year introduce tax payments from international companies such as , , , probably even , and various other digital entities that extend their services to consumers within Morocco. The move is likely to upset local consumers of content, and may have some impact on large swaths of consumers in , including in the tourism sector, where Airbnb is a dominant player. More here on some details: https://north-africa.com/rdyp