North Africa

Africa's Mali crisis widens as extremist groups advance and state control erodes - analysis

Mali is experiencing a major escalation in violence, with jihadist groups advancing and the defense minister assassinated. The crisis threatens to destabilize the Sahel region.

 A column of black smoke rises above buildings as traffic passes the Africa Tower monument in Bamako on April 26, 2026.
Dolmen of Menga in Antequera, Spain, April 15, 2026.

DNA analysis reveals ancestry of man buried in ancient Spanish tomb, shows mixed heritage - study

 Mimouna table at the Arviv family in Ashkelon, Israel.

Why Mimouna matters - opinion

King Mohammed VI of Morocco attends the signing of bilateral agreements at the Agdal Royal Palace on February 13, 2019 in Rabat, Morocco.

Beyond soccer: Morocco’s quest for regional stability in Africa - opinion


Case of American detained in Libya shines spotlight on North African country

Libya has become synonymous with the kind of chaos that some countries sunk into after the 2011 Arab Spring.

 Members of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces fire during a fight with Eastern forces in Ain Zara, Tripoli, Libya April 28, 2019.

Book review: Gorenberg demythologizes the ‘Desert Fox’

While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the central theme of this book, it is always lurking in the background because of the threat posed by Rommel and his military ambition.

War of Shadows. Codebreakers,  Spies, and the Secret Struggle to Drive the Nazis from the Middle East Gershom Gorenberg Public Affairs, 2021 496 pages; $34

Ancient synagogue in Libya turned into Islamic center, Jewish group says

Libya once had about 40,000 Jews, who left following the establishment of the State of Israel.

Ancient synagogue mossaic

Arab countries that started off strong against pandemic struggle today

Hospitals in Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan packed far beyond capacity.

A man wears a protective face mask as he walks along the main market in downtown after the government eased the restrictions on movement aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus in Amman, Jordan

One historian saves North African Jewish musical heritage

Silver has amassed a collection of rare phonograph records from the era of Jewish musical stardom in North Africa, a period roughly corresponding with the first half of the twentieth century.

Jewish Music festival 2017

Remembering the the Jews of MENA on Holocaust Remembrance Day

On this Yom Ha’Shoah / International Holocaust Commemoration Day on January 27, we should contemplate what the fate of MENA Jewry would have been had German general Rommel won the Desert Campaign.

DESERT WANDERINGS: The Jewish Nation’s beginnings.

UNESCO announces couscous a world cultural heritage

This new prestigious status of couscous reflects the cultural cooperation and deep connection between the four countries that share its heritage: Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

Moroccan couscous soup with green fava beans

Jewish women's organizations celebrate "Id Al Banat," Girl's Day

The women are mainly celebrating the history behind Book of Judith.

Id Al Banat Flyer

Israelis of Moroccan origin can ‘bridge’ and strengthen ties with Rabat

"It is not a coincidence that in Morocco there was no Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox [communities]. It is because the leadership said ‘we accepted everyone,'" said Shimon Ohayon.

Suzanne Harroch, a Moroccan Jewish singer from Rabat, looks through a photo album during an interview with Reuters at her home in Rabat, Morocco December 11, 2020.

Organizations to recite mass prayers for Jews buried in Arab countries

Thus far, over 100 organizations and communities have signed up at www.KaddishInitiative.com, including the Israeli umbrella organization for Jews from Arab countries.

Reciting the Kaddish prayer at the city’s ancient Jewish cemetery