First Independent Mena Newspaper
Desire to contain Morocco drives Algeria’s Sahel trade plan Algeria’s renewed push to present itself as a commercial gateway for the Sahel came as the latest desperate political maneuver driven by rivalry with Morocco rather than a serious effort to improve regional trade access for landlocked African countries. This week, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf […]
The Alqaeda-linked JNIM terrorists and Tuareg separatists have joined forces in a series of tactical attacks on the capital Bamako and several localities in Mali’s desert north, a region long treated by Algeria as a buffer zone to export terrorist activities. Led by Iyad Ag Ghali, the JNIM, is an offshoot of Al Qaeda in […]
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau plans travel to Algeria and Morocco April 27 – May 1 to discuss regional stability and partnership between the United States and North Africa. Landau’s diplomatic tour was announced Friday by U.S. State Department. It coincides with UN Security Council meetings on the Sahara and the MINURSO in […]
Algerian authorities have sentenced French Algerian writer Kamel Daoud to three years in prison in absentia and fined him €35,000, in a ruling critics say epitomizes the regime’s sustained effort to suppress debate about the country’s civil war. Daoud, who won the 2024 Prix Goncourt for his novel Houris, announced the verdict on his X […]
US Republican Senator Ted Cruz renewed calls for closer scrutiny of the Polisario Front, raising concerns over the growing ties between the Algeria-backed separatist movement and Iran during a Senate hearing on counterterrorism in Africa. Speaking at a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on April 21, Cruz warned that cooperation between Iran and the […]
A senior American official, who has conducted humanitarian missions for the State Department, has reportedly arrived at the Polisario-controlled Tindouf camps for talks with the Algeria-backed separatist group on dismantling these camps. According to press reports, State Department humanitarian officer Tabari Dossett has been assigned this mission which comes few days after the meeting held […]
Mali and Niger have renewed long‑standing accusations that Algeria is exporting terrorism into the Sahel by sheltering, enabling and indirectly sustaining armed groups that carry out attacks south of its borders. Although Malian and Nigerien officials stopped short of explicitly naming Algeria this time during remarks at a regional security forum in Senegal on Monday, […]
Algeria launched a new oil and gas licensing round this week in a bid to boost output and attract foreign investment, as its hydrocarbon exports decline, but analysts say persistent regulatory and operational obstacles continue to dampen investor confidence. The gas rich OPEC member unveiled over the weekend “Algeria Bid Round 2026,” offering seven onshore […]
Algeria used a UN food security forum in Mauritania last week to present itself as a continental reference on agricultural sovereignty, but recent data from international institutions point to a widening gap between its diplomatic rhetoric and domestic realities. Addressing the 34th FAO Regional Conference for Africa, the Algerian minister of agriculture highlighted South‑South cooperation, […]
Violent incidents involving supporters of Algeria’s USM Alger (USMA) severely disrupted the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final return leg against Morocco’s Olympique de Safi on April 19, forcing a lengthy delay to kick-off and raising serious security concerns. A Moroccan sports photographer was evacuated from Al Massira Stadium on a stretcher after being struck on the […]