North Africa

Biden administration transfers first Guantanamo detainee to Morocco

A government panel cleared Abdul Latif Nasir for release in 2016, but the Moroccan detainee remained at the US prison during the Trump administration.

Al-Monitor Staff | U.S. | Jul 19, 2021

Demonstrators wearing orange jumpsuits and hoods over their heads rally to demand closure of the detention camp at the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, outside the White House Jan. 11, 2019, in Washington, DC.

Tunisia receives medical aid from regional states as virus cases rise

Morocco, Egypt, the UAE and others have sent virus-related aid to Tunisia recently.

Al-Monitor Staff | North Africa | Jul 16, 2021

A highway remains deserted during a lockdown imposed by the Tunisian authorities.

Moroccan journalist's jailing draws rebuke from US

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States is "disappointed" by a Moroccan court's five-year sentence of journalist Soulaiman Raissouni.

Al-Monitor Staff | Morocco | Jul 13, 2021

Protest against Soulaiman Raissouni's sentencing

Tunisia submits UN resolution urging Ethiopia to halt dam filling

The draft resolution also called for Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to finalize an agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam within the next six months.

Al-Monitor Staff | North Africa | Jul 7, 2021

A worker goes down a construction ladder at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba in Ethiopia, on Dec. 26, 2019.

US hopeful but 'realistic' on departure of foreign forces from Libya

Joey Hood, the acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, also said the United States expects the elections scheduled for December to take place.

Al-Monitor Staff | Libya | Jun 24, 2021

Hundreds of migrants returned to Libya after rescue at sea

The Libyan Coast Guard has intercepted and brought back thousands of people seeking to illegally enter Europe via the Mediterranean this year.

Al-Monitor Staff | North Africa | Jun 17, 2021

United States ramps up Libyan engagement

The Biden administration has just appointed its first special envoy for Libya and sent Assistant Secretary of State Joey Hood to visit the North African nation.

Mustafa Fetouri | North Africa | Jun 1, 2021

Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh (R) shakes hands with a US State Department official as senior official Joey Hood (C) watches, during a visit by US officials to Libya in a show of support for the country's transitional government, Tripoli, Libya, May 18, 2021.

Libyan LGBTQ+ activists speak out on violence by extremist militias

In Libya, amid the ongoing conflict and chaos, the country's first LGBTQ+ platform is fighting for a safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals.

Fairouz ben Salah | North Africa | May 22, 2021

Spain hit by massive wave of migrants from Morocco

Morocco is also angry at Spain for providing medical care to the leader of a Western Saharan independence group.

Al-Monitor Staff | North Africa | May 18, 2021

Mercenaries, foreign fighters threaten Libya's fragile transition

Both sides of the Libyan conflict have so far failed to agree on the departure of foreign fighters from Libya as required by the country’s political settlement document known as the road map; it appears the issue rests with Moscow and Ankara.

Mustafa Fetouri | North Africa | May 14, 2021

Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush speaks, as her counterparts (R to L) French Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Heiko Maas and Italian Luigi Di Maio listen, during a press conference, Tripoli, Libya, March 25, 2021.

Tensions between Morocco, Polisario Front remain after leader's killing

Polisario Front Police Chief Addah al-Bendir was murdered. And much like the long-simmering dispute between the Front and Morocco, nothing about his death is clear.

Simon Speakman Cordall | North Africa | May 6, 2021

A Sahrawi soldier waves the Sahrawi flag during a parade marking the 45th anniversary of the declaration of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), at a refugee camp on the outskirts of the southwestern Algerian city of Tindouf, on Feb. 27, 2021.

Tunisian TV show pranks guests with 'lethal' COVID-19 vaccines

The WHO wants a Tunisian hidden camera prank show that purports to show people dying or falling seriously ill after taking COVID-19 vaccinations taken off the air.

Stephen Quillen | North Africa | May 3, 2021

An elderly wheelchair-bound woman receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at El-Menzah sports hall, Tunis, Tunisia, April 12, 2021.

UN Security Council discusses concerns over spread of Libya's foreign fighters

The killing of Chad's leader has ignited fears over the potential spread of violent mercenaries outside of Libya.

Al-Monitor Staff | North Africa | May 3, 2021

Intel: UN to send cease-fire observers to Libya

Libya's interim government welcomed the step and echoed calls for foreign forces to leave.

Al-Monitor Staff | Libya | Apr 19, 2021

A delegate from Libya takes part in the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum hosted in Gammarth on the outskirts of Tunisia's capital, on Nov. 9, 2020. In October, the two main sides in the complex Libyan conflict signed a landmark cease-fire agreement.

Libya and Greece agree to resume talks on Mediterranean Sea border

Libya's new unity government has had warm relations with Greece so far, but there are remaining issues on energy drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean that also involve Turkey and Egypt.

Al-Monitor Staff | Libya | Apr 14, 2021

North Africa

Biden administration transfers first Guantanamo detainee to Morocco

A government panel cleared Abdul Latif Nasir for release in 2016, but the Moroccan detainee remained at the US prison during the Trump administration.

Tunisia receives medical aid from regional states as virus cases rise

Moroccan journalist's jailing draws rebuke from US

Tunisia submits UN resolution urging Ethiopia to halt dam filling

US hopeful but 'realistic' on departure of foreign forces from Libya

Hundreds of migrants returned to Libya after rescue at sea

United States ramps up Libyan engagement

Libyan LGBTQ+ activists speak out on violence by extremist militias

Spain hit by massive wave of migrants from Morocco

Mercenaries, foreign fighters threaten Libya's fragile transition

Tensions between Morocco, Polisario Front remain after leader's killing

Tunisian TV show pranks guests with 'lethal' COVID-19 vaccines

UN Security Council discusses concerns over spread of Libya's foreign fighters

Intel: UN to send cease-fire observers to Libya

Libya and Greece agree to resume talks on Mediterranean Sea border

Popular Articles

4,000-year-old city discovered in Iraq

Saudi Arabia’s race for Gulf economic leadership takes to the sky

Ancient fossilized fish found in Egypt that survived in hot waters

Will Turkey use Syrian mercenaries in Kabul?

Has Israel’s army become too small?

Recent Podcasts

Ali Hashem on what to expect from Ebrahim Raisi and the rise of the Hezbollahis in Iran

Major General Noam Tibon: IDF needs more boots on the ground

South Asia security expert Ayesha Siddiqa says Turkey is a natural fit for Afghanistan

Ambassador Haim Koren: Bennett seeks to boost Israel’s ties with Jordan

Israel’s Diaspora Minister Nachman Shai calls for renewing dialogue with American Jews