From the North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Sahel Program
Events, commentaries and updates from the Stimson Center.
Tripoli’s New Leverage: How the American Initiative Changed the Rules of Negotiation
In a brand-new commentary for the Stimson Center, Program Director Hafed Al Ghwell maps how a US-led change to closed-door negotiating and the ability of players to enforce settlements has reshaped who holds power in Libya’s reunification talks.
A Conversation with the Ambassadors of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger: The Sahel at a Crossroads
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are reshaping the Sahel’s political and security landscape. Watch the Stimson Center event of a rare joint conversation with the ambassadors of all three Alliance of Sahel States members to discuss regional realignment, security, and future international engagement.
The Game of Middle Powers in North Africa
In a new commentary for the Stimson Center, Research Associate Yusuf Can & Stefan Lukas of Middle East Minds map how Russia, the Gulf states and Turkey are reshaping North Africa’s security and economic landscape.
Stimson Center’s North Africa, Sahel and Mediterranean Program published a flagship report, analyzing Morocco’s evolution into a strategic middle power amid economic transformation, climate stress, and geopolitical competition.
Algeria as a Geopolitical Actor: Strategic Dynamics and Regional Implications
In a recent Issue Brief, Dario Cristiani, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, examines Algeria’s constrained geopolitical influence amid rising competition, internal stability, and evolving Mediterranean partnerships.
A Conversation with Ms. Amina Benkhadra: Morocco’s Energy Future and Strategic Resources
Morocco is advancing its energy and minerals sectors to strengthen security and drive the green transition. Watch Amina Benkhadra, Director General of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), explore strategy and partnerships at the Stimson Center.
On Our Radar
The headlines shaping politics, security, and economics across North Africa and the Sahel.
Il Sole 24 Ore
Red Sea, Egypt seeks agreements to contain Ethiopia
Relations between Egypt and Ethiopia are overheated by the conflict over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a work as vital for Addis Ababa as it is contested by Cairo for the “theft” of the waters of the sacred river, the origin of approximately 90% of Egypt’s water resources.
Rigzone
Scatec Says Solar Project Can Save Egypt $400MM from LNG
Scatec’s Obelisk solar and battery storage project in Egypt can save the country as much as $400 million a year in liquefied natural gas imports, according to CEO Terje Pilskog.
Bloomberg
Egypt Asset Sales Ease Path Toward $1.6 Billion in IMF Funding
Egypt’s recent state-asset sales have satisfied the targets of an International Monetary Fund review, easing the path to unlock about $1.6 billion in financing for an economy buffeted by the Iran War.
The Africa Report
Sudan War: UN Envoy Pekka Haavisto Advances Talks in Washington
Haavisto’s Washington debut focused on building momentum toward a humanitarian truce, trying to keep momentum for multi-party talks that are showing early signs of promise but risk being derailed by the gathering storm in El Obeid.
U.S. State Department
Sanctioning the Networks Fueling Sudan’s War
The State Department are sanctioning eight individuals and entities prolonging the devastating conflict through procurement and recruitment operations. These networks supply weapons, explosives, and foreign fighters to both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
Arab News
EU Condemns Tunisia over Conviction of Rights Activist Sihem Bensedrine
The European Union on Saturday condemned the sentencing of Sihem Bensedrine, one of Tunisia’s best-known opposition figures, and urged the authorities to restore pluralism in the country where the Arab Spring began.
Committee to Protect Journalists
Egypt Must Account for Missing Journalist Haidar Qandil
The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Egyptian authorities to immediately reveal the whereabouts of prominent journalist Haidar Qandil, who disappeared Monday after leaving his office, according to his family and several media outlets.
UN News
Sudan: Window Is Closing to Prevent Wider Escalation in El Obeid
A senior United Nations official warned on Friday that the opportunity to prevent a major escalation in the Sudanese city of El Obeid is “rapidly narrowing” as fighting intensifies in and around the North Kordofan state capital.
The Africa Report
Abdourahamane Tiani’s New Realism Unsettles Niger’s Junta Allies
Niger’s junta leader Tiani is putting national interest over Sahelian solidarity, pursuing outreach to Algeria and Benin despite confrontational anti-Western posturing, a striking turn despite anti-French sentiment being intact.
The Africa Report
El-Obeid battle threatens to cement RSF control in western Sudan
The suspension of UN aid operations leaves a population of 600,000 at the mercy of an imminent Rapid Support Forces onslaught.
Washington Post
Eastern Libya Bans Entry for Citizens of Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia
Authorities based in eastern Libya have banned entry for people from four nearby African countries, a move meant to stem the influx of migrants, having implications for nearly 940,000 migrants currently present in the country.
Morocco World News
Morocco Places 72nd Globally in WEF Energy Transition Index 2026
The report says global energy transition progress has largely stalled in 2026, with transition readiness declining for the first time in more than a decade. Morocco ranked 72nd globally and 5th in Africa in the WEF Energy Transition Index 2026, outperforming Egypt (84th), Algeria (94th), and Nigeria (80th) but trailing Tunisia (62nd).
Middle East Eye
‘No Reshape’: Algeria Prepares for Elections but Few Hold Out Hope for Change
Ahead of the July 2nd vote, opposition parties are willing to re-engage with political process, even though it remains under establishment control.
ECDC
Ebola Disease Outbreak in the DRC and Uganda
On 28 June, the DRC Ministry of Health reported a total of 1,274 confirmed cases, including 360 confirmed related deaths from the Bundibugyo Ebola strain. North African health authorities maintaining active monitoring of migration corridors as one case was confirmed in France and another in Germany.
African Development Bank
African Development Bank Group financing for small and medium enterprises is driving food security and economic growth, looking at the case of a widow and wheat farmer in Gombe State, Nigeria.
African Development Bank
In Ghana, a New Program Offers Skills, Finance and Jobs for Women and Youth
The African Development Bank launched a new program in Ghana aimed at expanding economic opportunities for women and young people, especially in vulnerable and underserved communities where unemployment, limited access to finance, and social pressures continue to constrain potential.
Hespress
Morocco Faces Growing Labor Shortages Despite Unemployment Rate Above 12%
Morocco is facing a growing labor shortage across several key economic sectors despite unemployment remaining stubbornly high, highlighting deep structural imbalances in the country’s labor market, according to economists and industry stakeholders.
Reuters
Gunmen Abduct Students Sitting Exams in Northeast Nigeria
Gunmen burst into a secondary school in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state and abducted students as they were sitting exams on Monday morning, police said, the latest mass kidnapping in an insecure region.
Reuters
Eni and Libya’s NOC Launch Sabratha Compression Project to Boost Gas Output
Italian energy group Eni (ENI.MI), said it had successfully begun production from its Sabratha Compression project with Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC), a strategic offshore development aimed at increasing gas output.
Al Jazeera
Burkina Faso Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Former Colonial Ruler France
The military government, in power since a coup in 2022, accused France of having ‘neo-colonial ambitions’, severing diplomatic relations with France over announcement on national television.
Al Jazeera
Morocco Jails 29, Including Politicians and Sports Figures, in Drug Trial
A Moroccan court has handed prison sentences of up to 12 years to 29 individuals following a two-year trial, marking one of the largest anti-corruption operations in Morocco’s history.
Morocco World News
Mastercard: 87% of Moroccan SMEs Confident About Business Outlook
Morocco’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain optimistic about their prospects over the next 12 months, with 87% expressing confidence in their business outlook, according to Mastercard’s latest SME Confidence Index.
TRT Afrika
Senegal MPs Back Constitutional Reform Reducing President’s Power
Senegal’s National Assembly has passed a bill revising the balance of power between the country’s executive and parliament, prompting the president to announce a national referendum on the matter.
Maghrebi.org
Mali: 12 Dead After Military Operation in Timbuktu
At least 12 people were killed amid a military operation by Malian Armed Forces (FAMA) and the Russian Africa Corps in Mali’s northern Timbuktu region.
Maghrebi.org
Libya Institutions Against UN Roadmap
Libya’s UN-backed structured dialogue is facing new resistance after High Council of State rapporteur Belqasim Debriz accused UNSMIL of interfering in a process meant to remain Libyan led.
Le Monde
One year after Africa Corps replaced Wagner in Mali, Africa Corps soldiers have already been implicated in numerous executions, sometimes accompanied by gruesome staging.
Reports & Analysis on the Region
Deeper dives from experts, think tanks, and research institutes.
COMMENTARY
Can North Africa power Europe’s green future?
Stimson Center Program Director Hafed Al Ghwell argues that Morocco and Algeria are competing to become Europe’s primary green ammonia supplier, with long-term success hinging on whether they can avoid depleting the natural capital their own populations depend on.
COMMENTARY
Egypt as a Middle Power: Short-Term Efficacy vs. Long-Term Fragility
Harvard’s Belfer Center examines how Cairo’s strategy of “strategic partnership without strategic alignment” has successfully extracted geopolitical rent and consolidated regime legitimacy, while largely avoiding great-power entanglements.
COMMENTARY
What Does the Niamey Airport Attack Mean for Niger’s Security?
ACLED analyzes the JNIM’s June 18 attack on Niamey Airport, arguing that it highlights a dangerous escalation in both the capability and ambition of these groups, marking a departure from localized rural insurgencies to coordinated strikes on vital national infrastructure.
REPORT
ScienceDirect paper analyzing how accumulated international reserves have a positive impact on reducing the public debt in African economies, with results being observed during periods of large exchange rate depreciation and depending on exchange rate regime.
REPORT
African Development Review article in Wiley examines Franc Zone membership on reserve accumulation for Sub-Saharan African countries, with results informing policies to promote structural transformation, aimed at intensifying both intra-zone trade as well as countries’ attractiveness.
REPORT
Afreximbank Commodity Bulletin – Number1, 2026
Afreximbank analyzes supply-side shifts in the best and worst performing commodities year-to-date, Lithium and Cocoa, amid emerging climate risks.
REPORT
UNHCR analyzes the movements of refugees and migrants across Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Morocco, as these continue to be important destination, departure and transit countries for migratory movements in and beyond North Africa. The Route-Based Approach offers a strategic framework and key points for targeted intervention.
BOOK REPORT
The Oxford Handbook of the Egyptian Economy
Mohieldin, Giugale, and Ramadan provide a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the Egyptian economy and of its future development paths with and without reforms.
REPORT
Mali: Grave Abuses Amid Renewed Fighting
Human Rights Watch’s report documents and examines alleged grave abuses committed during renewed fighting in Mali based on Human Rights Watch’s investigation.
REPORT
World Economic Forum’s report covers global energy transition progress, finding that record clean energy investment has been accompanied by growing challenges related to energy security, infrastructure, and financing.
COMMENTARY
Why local networks are the future of aid in Africa
Stimson Center Program Director Hafed Al Ghwell argues that Africa’s current reality of overlapping conflict, climate shocks, and governance failure departs from the assumptions of traditional humanitarian responses, and that effective aid increasingly exists in small, local, and trusted networks able to operate where formal institutions can’t amidst enduring crises.
COMMENTARY
The UN Mission in South Sudan in the Context of Changing Security and Regional Dynamics
A new Stimson Center policy memo examines the current security situation in South Sudan, the effects of Sudan’s war, and the implications of the recently renewed UNMISS mandate.
COMMENTARY
Algeria: energy diplomacy in the Sahel
Le Point examines how Algeria managed its energy assets to reengage strategy among Sahelian countries, gifting Niger a 40MW power plant, validating the Trans-Saharan pipeline feasibility study, and launching joint development of the Kafra oil block aiming to preserve Algiers’ regional influence against competing Moroccan initiatives.
COMMENTARY
Libya’s fractured oil state faces the Hormuz test
Opinion piece finds that Libya has a functional oil export regime and seems an obvious candidate to cover the supply shock of the Hormuz standoff, though its fractured security environment means protests or blockades can shut down hundreds of thousands of barrels remaining unable to fill the gap.
REPORT
Outlook for Sustainable Agriculture in North Africa: Report Card Assessment
The Middle East Institute uses a comparative report card approach to assess water reliability, water use efficiency, agricultural land sustainability, and food sector economics across Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania.
COMMENTARY
Will global turmoil push Africa’s leaders to prioritise agriculture?
ISS Africa argues that the Iran war is part of many setbacks exposing agriculture vulnerability, finding that an African agricultural revolution anchored in industrialization, intra-African trade, low-carbon farming, and political commitment to agri-prosperity has become the most viable path to food security.
COMMENTARY
Is Africa becoming a new arena for adaptive drone warfare?
ISS Africa examines how the transfer of Ukrainian technology, combined with Africa’s existing arms networks, could drastically shift state and non-state armed actors across the Sahel, the DRC, and Sudan.
COMMENTARY
JNIM’s Blockade Tactics Threaten West Africa’s Trade Corridors
ISS Africa analysis of JNIM’s economic warfare strategy, examining how the group’s fuel and transport blockades and supply-route strangulation are choking commerce across Mali and into coastal West Africa.
COMMENTARY
The Global Costs of a Disruption of the Strait of Hormuz
Policy Center for the New South analysis quantifying the worldwide economic consequences of the Strait of Hormuz closure during the Iran war, examining the transmission of energy price shocks, shipping disruptions, and supply chain breakdowns to African and global economies.
REPORT
Central Bank Independence and Inflation Outcomes
IMF departmental paper examining the relationship between central bank independence and inflation outcomes, with analysis relevant to North African and Sahelian monetary authorities navigating the inflationary pressures of the Iran-war energy and food price shocks.
BOOK REVIEW
Book Review: How Africa Works by Joe Studwell
A review of Joe Studwell’s book on African economic development, assessing its arguments about industrial policy, agricultural transformation, and the structural conditions for growth against the continent’s contemporary development challenges.
Upcoming Events
Key briefings and conferences to watch.
Middle East Institute
The Brewing Crisis on the Red Sea and Horn of Africa
July 1, 2026 — This event examines the geopolitical and economics implications of escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa, including regional security, the war in Sudan, and global maritime commerce.
Policy Center for the New South
Sailing by Lightning: Interest-Driven Europe-Africa Partnership for Effective Multilateralism
July 6, 2026 — Event examining how a pragmatic, interest-driven partnership between Europe and Africa could strengthen effective multilateralism, addressing trade, security, migration, and development cooperation in a fragmenting global order.
Policy Center for the New South
Africa Economic Symposium – 4th Edition: Turning Transitions into Growth
July 13, 2026 — In its 4th Edition, the symposium will address the limits of the current African growth model as the continent faces simultaneous shifts in climate, technology, and demography. Policy choices will determine whether these transitions support higher productivity and resilience or exacerbate social and economic vulnerabilities.
Financial Times
Africa Summit: Mobilising growth in a new global order
October 21, 2026 — In its 13th year, the summit convenes leading policymakers, business leaders, financiers and visionaries to explore how Africa can sustain greater regional cooperation, investment, and leadership amid uncertainty.
Atlantic Council
2026 Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics
December 11, 2026 — The Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics is an annual flagship convening focused on issues at the nexus of economics, finance, foreign policy, and national security.
Tune In
Hear the latest insights from regional experts.
PODCAST
Benin and Niger push toward border reopening
BBC discusses Niger’s strict conditions for reopening its border with Benin with a new defense agreement, joint intelligence unit, and more as part of its Focus on Africa series.
PODCAST
The Scramble for the Red Sea Is Not Cooling Down
This episode examines the shifting geopolitics of the Red Sea, focusing on great-power and middle-power competition, Gulf state influence, Ethiopia’s push for sea access, Houthi attacks, European involvement, and the region’s evolving security alignments as part of its The Horn series.
VIDEO REPORT
Fire and floods hit Ghana’s capital as residents are left stranded
Al Jazeera displays scenes of a massive fire engulfed a rubber factory in Ghana’s capital, Accra, as severe flooding swamped parts of the city and slowed firefighters.
PODCAST
The Human Cost of the Strait of Hormuz Closure
Middle East Institute Alistair Taylor is joined by MEI Senior Fellow Intissar Fakir to explore what it means for the region, unpack the link between food security and regional stability, and assess how the strait’s reopening could impact those affected.
VIDEO REPORT
Worsening hunger could push millions closer to famine in 13 global hotspots
A new Hunger Hotspots report released Wednesday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) identifies 13 countries and territories where food insecurity is expected to worsen between June and November 2026.
PODCAST
Africa Aware: Navigating Somalia’s political stalemate
In this episode by Chatham House, Professor Afyare Abdi Elmi and Aweis Ahmed discuss scenarios to navigate Somalia’s current political stalemate and pathways for a peaceful political transition.
WEBINAR
How might an African credit rating agency improve the continent’s financing conditions?
A joint Chatham House panel discussion, held in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, assessing the potential impact of an African credit rating agency on reducing borrowing costs and lowering barriers to financing for African countries.
VIDEO REPORT
Sudan Crisis Worsens as Civil War Enters 4th Year and Hormuz Closure Disrupts Aid
PBS NewsHour reports on Sudan’s deepening famine and how the Strait of Hormuz closure is compounding the humanitarian catastrophe by disrupting fuel and fertilizer supplies for Sudanese farmers.
WEBINAR
Bridging the Skills Gap: Mobilising Southern Mediterranean Talent to Address Labour Shortages
Policy Center for the New South event examining how to mobilize talent across the Southern Mediterranean to address European and regional labor shortages, focusing on skills development, migration policy, and workforce mobility between North Africa and Europe.
Job Opportunities
Environment Programme of the United Nations
Regional Coordinator – CITES Tree Species Project (Africa)
Contract role to ensure a smooth launch of the implementation of shortlisted projects in the Africa region, support the mapping of planned activities, and the delivery of high-quality outputs in all target countries of the region.
Apply by July 7th.
Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED)
Chad: Climate and Environment Project Director
Senior project director role based in N’Djamena leading climate and environment programming in Chad, overseeing initiatives addressing environmental resilience, adaptation, and natural resource management in the Sahel.
Apply by July 15th.
Institute for Security Studies
At the helm of the ISS, the ED will steer a highly respected and trusted pan-African organization, ensuring that cutting-edge research translates into policy advice, technical support and training that improve human security in Africa.
Apply by July 20th.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Internship Programme for Near East and North Africa (RNE)
The Internship Programme aims to attract talented young women and men who are strongly motivated to share their new perspectives, innovative ideas, and latest academic experience in FAO’s domains.
Apply by August 25th.
United Nations
Human Rights Intern: Middle East and North Africa
Assist Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights across research, analysis, and drafting of human right situations and violations.
Apply by Aug 31st.
International Rescue Committee
Senior Manager, Emergency Cash and Basic Needs (Sudan)
Leads IRC’s emergency cash assistance and basic-needs programming through December 2026.
Apply by December 31st.
Middle East Institute
The Research Assistant is a critical role within the MEI Policy Center, dedicated to supporting various research projects of MEI scholars, as well as managing logistics and administrative tasks, reporting to the Vice President in Washington, DC.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The research interns will assist the Center’s scholars in their research on political, economic, security and education reforms topics related to the MENA region are selected for period of three to six months on a full-time basis.
Current Geopolitics Shift Deep-Sea Mining Debates