North Africa

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $1.3bn (£1bn) loan to help Morocco improve its preparedness against natural disasters, three weeks after an earthquake killed nearly 3,000 people in the country. Some Moroccans criticised the government for its handling of the 8 September earthquake in the High Atlas mountains, …

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has said that the country will spend $12bn to rebuild the regions destroyed by the 8 September earthquake. The funds will also be used to support the more than 4.2 million people in the provinces most affceted by the earthquake. The palace said on Wednesday said …

The imposing ancient Greek site of Cyrene in Libya, classified since 2016 by UNESCO as world heritage in danger, is at risk of collapse after the devastating floods which hit the east of the country, according to testimonies and an archaeologist. “It is a gigantic site and the largest Greek …

Egyptian main opposition party won’t nominate a candidate in the presidential election due next year, it said, after one of its leaders was sentenced to six months in prison. The Free Current coalition said that Hisham Kassem had been a potential presidential candidate. He was found guilty of slander and …

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba has suspended learning countrywide for 10 days, in a show of solidarity with Libyans affected by the 11 September floods. Libya’s internationally-recognised Government of National Unity, which is based in the capital, Tripoli, made the announcement late on Wednesday. Libya’s two rival governments, the …

Three volunteers have died while helping victims of raging floods in eastern Libya, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said. Volunteers Hamdi Belaid, Khaled Adwal and Abadi Al-Kharm died while helping some residents of Derna town trapped by floods, said Jagan Chapagain, IFRC secretary general. …

Around 10,000 people are thought to be missing following major floods in Libya according to an official from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). “We can confirm from our independent sources of information that the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 so far,” …

There’s been criticism in Morocco of the speed of the official response to Friday’s earthquake, which is now known to have killed more than 2,800 people. Heavy lifting equipment has begun to arrive in remote regions of the Atlas mountains, which have been the hardest-hit. But in many areas villagers …

Floods caused by torrential rains which hit eastern Libya in recent days have left at least 150 dead, an official source told AFP on Monday. “At least 150 people were killed due to flooding caused by Storm Daniel in Derna, Jabal Al-Akhdar areas and Al-Marj suburbs in eastern Libya,” Mohamed …

The French Interior Minister declared on France 2 that Morocco, faced with a deadly earthquake, is capable of facing the difficulties alone. Guest of France 2 this Monday morning, the interior Minister reaffirmed the position of the executive on the earthquake which struck this Maghreb country in the night from …