Algeria

Morocco

Spain

Economics

Politics

Algeria's new ambassador to Spain, Abdelfettah Daghmoum, presented his credentials to Spain's King Felipe VI on April 8, The New Arab reported on April 10.

Algeria, Spain: Algeria Reinstates Ambassador to Spain

Algeria's state-run news agency announced that Algeria would hold a presidential election on Sept. 7, three months ahead of the anticipated election in December, Bloomberg reported on March 21.

Algeria: Algeria To Hold Presidential Election on Sept. 7

Mozambique

Military & Security

Mozambique's President Filipe Nyusi announced at the end of his four-day trip to Algeria that the North African country will provide support for Mozambican security forces in their fight against the Islamic State Mozambique Province, Club of Mozambique reported on March 4. 

Algeria, Mozambique: Algeria To Support Mozambique in Fight Against Terrorism

Burkina Faso

Mali

Niger

Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine met with Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch as part of a two-day trip to Morocco, Radio France Internationale reported on Feb. 15.

Niger, Morocco: Prime Ministers Meet Amid Plans To Diversify Port Access 

The Malian junta announced in a press release that it was ending the 2015 Algiers peace deal with the Tuareg rebels, aBamako reported on Jan. 25.

Mali: Junta Ends 2015 Algiers Peace Deal With Separatist Rebels

Tunisia

Germany

Austria

Italy

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The energy ministries of Austria, Germany and Italy signed a joint letter supporting the designation of a hydrogen pipeline called the "SouthH2 Corridor" as a European Union Project of Common Interest, which would enable the project to receive public funds and fast-tracked permits, Reuters reported on May 9.

EU: Push for Hydrogen Pipeline Will Aid Bloc's Energy Transition

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is meeting Morocco's Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch in Rabat, Morocco, after which he is expected to announce an 800 million euro ($869 million) credit line for Spanish investments in Morocco and as many as 20 agreements to boost trade and investment, Reuters reported Feb. 2.

Spain, Morocco: Countries Strengthen Economic Ties Following Diplomatic Truce

Egypt

Iraq

Lebanon

China

Chinese President Xi Jinping is attending a Gulf Cooperation Coucil-China summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and then a broader China-Arab world summit, Agence France-Presse reported Dec. 9.

China, MENA: Summits Highlight Chinese Investment and Trade Across Arab World

Assessments

Displaced Sahrawis arrive at the refugee camp of Dakhla, which lies some 170 kilometers southeast of the Algerian city of Tindouf, on Jan. 13, 2023.

Rabat will leverage growing support of its sovereignty claims to attract investment to the disputed region, as Algiers tries to prevent the territorial dispute from further harming its foreign relationships.

Morocco and Algeria's Evolving Strategies in Western Sahara

Low water levels are seen at the Sidi Salem Dam, Tunisia's largest embankment dam, on April 6, 2023. 

Social Issues

Water and food shortages this summer will increase socioeconomic risks in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, along with the impetus for more sustainable agricultural practices. 

After a Dry Spring, Northwest Africa Braces for Disruptive Crop Failures

Angola

Republic of the Congo

Libya

Turkey

Europe

Cyprus

Ukraine

Russia

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (2nd L) and Libya's Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (3rd L) attend an agreement-signing ceremony between Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni and the Libyan National Oil Corporation in Tripoli, Libya, on Jan. 28, 2023.

As Europe turns away from Russian energy, Italy positions itself as a natural gas conduit between the Continent and Africa.

With Energy Deals in Africa, Italy Positions Itself as Europe's Next Gas Hub

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Western Sahara

After decades of isolation, Algiers plans to use its energy wealth to engage with the world, but its lack of economic diversification will hamper this process.

Algeria Emerges From Isolation, but Its Economy and Foreign Policy Will Limit Change

Kazakhstan

Russian President Vladimir Putin (center) listens to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) at the 2019 Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. 

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Putin and Erdogan Head to Kazakhstan, Palestinian Leaders Head to Algeria

People take part in a ''Free Sahara'' rally in Madrid, Spain, on March 30, 2022, in protest of the Spanish government's recent move to recognize Morocco's autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara. 

Security

Madrid’s support will further legitimize Rabat’s claimed control over the disputed territory, though it will also risk inciting more attacks by Algeria-backed militants.

Spain's New Stance on Western Sahara Brings Morocco-Algeria Tensions Back to a Boil

Media

Podcasts

Senior Middle East and North Africa Analyst Emily Hawthorne breaks down the latest developments in the dispute over Western Sahara and what’s at stake.

Essential Geopolitics: What’s Behind Rising Algeria-Morocco Tensions

A bulldozer passes by a hilltop manned by Moroccan soldiers in Western Sahara on Nov. 23, 2020.

The Difficulties of North African Reform

If Rabat makes more controversial statements, tensions with Algiers could escalate to economic and/or military actions.

The Risks of Algeria and Morocco’s Latest Diplomatic Row Over Western Sahara

Guidance

United States

Saudi Arabia

The European Union’s COVID-19 health certificate is seen on the screen of a phone in Brussels on June 16, 2021. 

COVID-19

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The EU Launches Its Vaccine Passport, OPEC+ Boosts Production

The Secretary-General of Algeria’s ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) holds a press conference on the party’s electoral victory in the capital of Algiers on June 16, 2021.

Many Algerians will view the ruling FLN party’s electoral victory as proof nothing has changed, portending more protests and unrest. 

Algeria’s First Post-Bouteflika Ballot Leaves His Party in Power

Snapshots

Nigeria

Iran

Kuwait

Oman

United Arab Emirates

OPEC headquarters on April 4, 2013, in Vienna. OPEC+'s decision to maintain production levels will bolster the idea that oil markets are entering a supercycle, contributing to concerns about rising inflation.

OPEC+'s decision to maintain production levels will bolster the idea that oil markets are entering a supercycle, contributing to concerns about rising inflation.

OPEC+ Stays the Course, Driving up Oil Price, Inflation Expectations

Vietnam

United Kingdom

U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks in the House Chamber during a reconvening of a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump's role in the Jan. 7 takeover by right-wing protesters will remain in the spotlight even though his term will soon expire.

The Weekly Rundown: Fallout From the Capitol Siege, Possible Tariffs on Vietnam

Algeria is located on the Mediterranean coast of Africa. The Sahara Desert rests along the country’s southern border, while the coastal plains of Tunisia and Morocco line its eastern and western edges. The Tell Atlas mountain chain splits the country between its desert interior and its temperate coast.     This coastal region supports Mediterranean agriculture, including olives, citrus, vines and vegetables. The country also boasts deposits of coal, iron and phosphates. But for the most part the energy sector dominates the Algerian economy, leaving the state exposed to the rise and fall of the oil market. Algeria’s Saharan interior, bordering Libya, Mali, Mauritania and the Western Sahara, plays host to many of the country’s oil and natural gas fields, which account for about 94 percent of Algerian exports.    Throughout Algeria’s history, most of its population has lived north of the Tell Atlas mountain chain. Because the nation’s power and politics center on the coastal cities of Algiers, Constantine and Oran, it has long been exposed to the influence and might of its neighbors rimming the Mediterranean Sea &mdash; especially northern powers such as ancient Rome and imperial France. But fortifying the coast comes at a price: The Algerian government’s grip is weaker in the desert interior, where the country is vulnerable to smuggling and infiltration from nearby countries.     Since gaining independence from France in 1962, Algeria has navigated between competing ideological forces like pan-Arabism, communism and political Islam. All of these belief systems came from other Mediterranean powers like as Egypt and France, transiting the coastal plains or the Mediterranean sea to reach Algeria. To avoid being subsumed into these various transnational movements, successful Algerian states have focused on controlling the country’s coastal heartland, extending power south of the Tell Atlas once this critical region is secure. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Algeria, Spain: Algeria Reinstates Ambassador to Spain

Algeria: Algeria To Hold Presidential Election on Sept. 7

Algeria, Mozambique: Algeria To Support Mozambique in Fight Against Terrorism

Niger, Morocco: Prime Ministers Meet Amid Plans To Diversify Port Access

Mali: Junta Ends 2015 Algiers Peace Deal With Separatist Rebels

EU: Push for Hydrogen Pipeline Will Aid Bloc's Energy Transition

Spain, Morocco: Countries Strengthen Economic Ties Following Diplomatic Truce

China, MENA: Summits Highlight Chinese Investment and Trade Across Arab World

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