From Libya signing an international partnership to boost economy and Mali risking a scenario of territorial collapse to the UN’s Sudan envoy meeting with Egyptian officials — explore the latest developments shaping North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Sahel’s political, economic, and security landscapes.
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On Our Radar
The headlines shaping politics, security, and economics across North Africa and the Sahel.
REUTERS
Mali gold output plunges 23% as Barrick halt and tougher rules reshape sector
Mali’s gold production fell sharply after Barrick Mining halted operations and the government imposed stricter regulations, highlighting how security risks and policy shifts are disrupting a key revenue sector.
AFRICA DEFENSE FORUM MAGAZINE
Could Mali fall to terrorists?
The article warns that expanding jihadist control and state retreat in Mali risk a scenario of territorial collapse, drawing comparisons to prolonged insurgencies elsewhere.
PEOPLE’S DISPATCH
Assassination plot against President Ibrahim Traoré foiled in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso’s authorities say they disrupted an assassination plot targeting junta leader Ibrahim Traoré, underscoring persistent internal security threats.
YABILADI
Polisario Front enters race for peace talks
The Polisario Front is seeking renewed diplomatic engagement amid stagnation in the Western Sahara process, as international mediation efforts regain momentum.
REUTERS
Libya to sign $2.7bn partnership to expand Misurata free zone
Libya signed a major international partnership to develop the Misurata Free Zone, aiming to boost logistics, manufacturing, and trade connectivity.
ARAB NEWS
Libya’s security authorities free more than 200 migrants from ‘secret prison’, two security sources say
Libya’s security authorities have freed more than 200 migrants from what they described as a secret prison in the town of Kufra in the southeast of the country after they were held captive in inhuman conditions.
REUTERS
Libya devalues dinar by 14.7%, second cut in less than a year
Libya carried out another sharp currency devaluation in an attempt to address fiscal imbalances amid political fragmentation.
TIMES OF ISRAEL
Israel and Morocco sign joint military plan
Israel and Morocco signed a joint military cooperation plan marking five years of normalized ties under the Abraham Accords.
KYIV POST
Russia appoints new ambassador to Niger as ties deepen
Russia named a new ambassador to Niger, signaling closer diplomatic and security ties with the Sahelian junta.
ARAB NEWS
Sahel nations urged to unite against terrorism
Regional leaders and analysts call for greater coordination among Sahel states to confront escalating militant violence.
BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
Saudi Arabia opens new gold market in Africa
Saudi Arabia launched a new gold trading hub in Africa, particularly Sudan, challenging Dubai’s long-standing dominance.
MARITIME EXECUTIVE
Growing risks for Russia’s shadow fleet in the Mediterranean
The article examines rising enforcement, insurance, and security risks facing Russia’s covert oil-shipping network.
BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
Africa’s top gold producer cancels long-term mining deals, hikes royalties
A leading African gold producer moved to renegotiate contracts and increase royalties, signaling a tougher stance toward foreign miners.
REUTERS
Libya’s security authorities free more than 200 migrants from secret prison
Libyan authorities released hundreds of migrants from an illicit detention site, highlighting ongoing abuses in migration networks.
BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
Africa’s eight largest upstream oil and gas investment hubs in 2025
A ranking of Africa’s leading oil and gas investment destinations, reflecting capital flows and infrastructure strength.
BLOOMBERG
Libya in multinational $2.7bn deal to develop Misrata zone
Bloomberg reports on Libya’s large-scale deal to transform Misrata into a regional logistics and industrial hub.
THE AFRICA REPORT
US suspends visa applications for citizens of 26 more African countries
Washington expanded visa suspensions affecting multiple African states, raising diplomatic and economic concerns.
BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
Africa’s second-largest oil producer extends $1bn JPMorgan loan
The country secured extended financing from JPMorgan to support fiscal stability and energy investment.
AL-MONITOR
Egypt and Lebanon: what’s at stake in Trump’s visa ban list
An analysis of how new US visa restrictions could affect regional diplomacy and migration dynamics.
AL-MONITOR
UN envoy holds Cairo talks as Sudan war tops 1,000 days
The UN’s Sudan envoy met Egyptian officials as the conflict passed 1,000 days with no political settlement in sight.
NORTH AFRICA POST
King Mohammed VI accepts Trump invitation to join peace council
Morocco’s king accepted an invitation to join a new international peace council, reflecting Rabat’s diplomatic positioning.
NORTH AFRICA POST
Sweden supports Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara
Sweden publicly backed Morocco’s autonomy proposal, adding to Rabat’s diplomatic momentum on the Sahara issue.
Commentaries from the North Africa, Mediterranean and the Sahel Program
When Fireworks Replace Reality in Libya
Libya Expert Tahani Elmogrbi argues in a piece for the Stimson Center that Tripoli’s lavish stability spectacle masks Libya’s inflation, collapsing services, and governance failures, exposing development as performance rather than lived reality.
Africa in Washington’s Lens: Myopia, Transactionalism & Aggressive Disinterest
North Africa Program Director Hafed Al-Ghwell writes on how the 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy reduces Africa to a transactional resource frontier, eroding long-term American influence.
Morocco’s Two-Speed Reality
MENA Policy Expert Safae El Yaaqoubi argues that Morocco’s development is moving at two speeds, leaving half the country behind, while recent protests reflect a broad intergenerational movement.
Reports & Analysis on the Region
Deeper dives from experts, think tanks, and research institutes.
COMMENTARY
Tunisia: the Arab Spring’s success story is now a kingdom of fear
A Middle East Forum commentary arguing that Tunisia’s post-2011 democratic gains have been reversed by repression, mass arrests, and concentration of power.
REPORT
Egypt: declining funding undermines education and health care
Human Rights Watch says reduced public spending is eroding access to education and healthcare in Egypt, disproportionately affecting lower-income households.
REPORT
Niger’s new emergency law threatens rights
Human Rights Watch warns that Niger’s sweeping emergency law grants broad powers to authorities at the expense of civil liberties.
COMMENTARY
How cocaine trafficking contributes to the Sahel’s seemingly intractable instability
This Arab News article argues that surging global cocaine production has deepened instability in the Sahel by entrenching corruption, financing armed actors, and exploiting weak state capacity, even as shifting routes.
COMMENTARY
The Sahel is now an epicenter of drug smuggling
This Atlantic Council analysis explains how drug trafficking routes through the Sahel are strengthening armed groups and worsening regional instability.
COMMENTARY
1,000 days of needless, endless war in Sudan
Stimson Center North Africa, Mediterranean and Sahel Program Director Hafed Al Ghwell in an article for the Arab News argues that Sudan’s 1,000-day war has become endless not by accident but because domestic armed elites and an indifferent international system allowed violence, war economies, and mass suffering to persist without meaningful consequences.
POLICY ANALYSIS
A marriage of three: will the Mali–Niger–Burkina Faso bloc reshape the Sahel?
An Al Jazeera in-depth feature on the emerging alliance among the three juntas and whether it can alter the Sahel’s security and political trajectory.
COMMENTARY
Digital repression threatens African security
This Africa Center for Strategic Studies brief warns that expanding digital surveillance and censorship are undermining governance and long-term stability.
COMMENTARY
Unlocking Africa’s critical minerals for broad-based prosperity
Brookings Institution outlines how Africa can leverage critical minerals to drive inclusive growth while managing geopolitical competition.
COMMENTARY
Taking the pulse: what issue is Europe ignoring at its peril in 2026?
A forward-looking Carnegie Endowment analysis warning that Europe is underestimating key geopolitical and security risks with implications for Africa and its southern neighborhood.
Upcoming Events
Key briefings and conferences to watch.
2026 IMF MENA Research Conference – “Rethinking MENA Integration in a Fast-Changing Global Environment”
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) announcement and call for papers for a research conference to be held June 29–30, 2026 at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Rabat, Morocco, inviting work on trade and financial integration, macroeconomic policy under new external shocks, digitalization, energy, and regional cooperation.
39th African Union Summit
Media accreditation is now open for the 39th AU Summit, including the Executive Council and the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, taking place 11–15 February 2026 at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
CHATHAM HOUSE – EVENT
MENA region: stabilizing or spiralling?
A research event exploring whether political and economic trends in MENA point toward stabilization or deeper fragmentation.
Tune In
Hear the latest insights from regional experts.
VIRTUAL PANEL
2026 North Africa Regional Outlook
This Invest Africa webinar evaluates how North Africa can capitalize on its macro and logistical advantage to host resilient and export-oriented growth stories.
PANEL
Is the MENA region stabilizing or spiralling?
In this Chatham House event, experts examined the key political, security, and economic dynamics to watch in MENA in 2026.
Job Opportunities
Career moves, fellowships, and calls for applications—all in one place.
United Nations
Humanitarian Affairs Officer (Rabat, Morocco)
A United Nations vacancy seeking a humanitarian affairs professional to support coordination, reporting, and response planning in crisis-affected settings.
UN Women
National Consultant for Partnership and Resource Mobilization (Cairo, Egypt)
The consultant will be reporting to Deputy Country Representative, and will be supported by Planning and Coordination Specialist, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.
St. Antony’s College
Visiting faculty announcement (Oxford, UK)
The 2026–2027 Tunisian Visiting Faculty Programme call is open for research active faculty from Tunisian universities in the humanities and social sciences.
International Union for Conservation of Nature
Tunisia Programme Assistant, Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (Malaga, Spain) This position will focus primarily on national project delivery, while enhancing coordination with government authorities and enabling closer collaboration with local civil society organisations (CSOs).
United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism
Programme Management Officer (Rabat, Morocco)
The National Professional Officer position supports the development and delivery of counter-terrorism and preventing violent extremism initiatives, including national training programmes, to strengthen Member State capacity.
