North Africa

Authorities in Morocco have announced the reopening of the country’s airspace to international passenger flights from next month. The country banned all inbound and outbound international flights in November 2021 to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of covid-19. Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch announced the lifting of the ban …

The US State Department has approved the sale of 12 military transport planes to Egypt, in a deal worth more than $2 billion, the BBC reports. Air defence radar systems and other related equipment are also being sold for another $300m. The arms sales come despite recent criticism from the …

Nadia Akacha, the Tunisian president’s chief of staff announced her resignation on Facebook. It is rather a blow for President Kais Saied. She said that she had made the decision over differences of opinion. There has been no official confirmation as yet. Ms Akacha has been one of President Saïed’s …

The Algerian government said in a statement that it has decided to close all schools for 10 days and to tighten control at airports due to the increase in covid-19 cases. The presidency however said that it was up to the universities to determine whether to close or reschedule their …

Activists and the main Tunisian opposition party Ennahda have accused the country’s security forces of killing Ridha Bouziane during protests against President Kais Saied. The man died in hospital on Wednesday from injuries inflicted by police. According to the Tunis court investigating the death, the man, found in a coma …

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has broken his silence over the military coup in neighbouring Sudan and the ongoing protests calling for civilian rule. Egypt has faced accusations of siding with Sudan’s head of military, Abdel Fattah al Burhan but President Sisi dismissed the claims. “Just because we have not …

A Moroccan university professor accused of giving students good grades in return for sexual favours has been condemned for two years in prison. It was the first such verdict in a “sex for good grades” scandal that has rocked the North African country since September, when Moroccan media picked up …

Two people died and eight others are missing after a truck plunged into River Nile in Egypt. The accident happened outside the capital Cairo when the truck was on board an unlicensed ferry. 14 survivors have so far been rescued, as rescue operations have continued at the river. The truck …

A suspected Islamic State militant and bomb maker went on trial in a Moroccan court on terrorism charges after his arrest in cooperation with U.S. intelligence, Reuters reports. The 24-year-old Moroccan was active in the city of Sala Al Jadida near the capital, Rabat, and was in the advanced stages …

Libya’s parliament on Tuesday suspended its session until next week without a vote on any of the proposals raised on Monday for handling the fallout of last week’s delayed election, Reuters agency reports. The session in Tobruk on Monday and Tuesday represented a first effort by Libya’s fractured political class …