1 killed in RSF drone attack on UN aid convoy in Sudan’s North Kordofan: Medics
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Source:The North Africa Journal
February 06, 2026 16:35 UTC
African Air Cargo Grows 6% in 2025 as Global Freight Flows Shift, IATA Says
News IndustryAfrican airlines increased air cargo volumes by 6.0% in 2025, beating global growth. IATA expects global air cargo growth to slow to 2.4% in 2026. African carriers increased air cargo volumes by 6.0% in 2025 compared with 2024, according to the latest report from the International Air Transport Association. At the global level, air cargo volumes grew 3.4% compared with 2024, while annual capacity increased 3.7%. However, data showed a clear shift in air cargo flows away from the Asia–North America route toward the Asia–Europe corridor.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 06, 2026 16:32 UTC
Trump’s Board of Peace would further marginalise sub-Saharan Africa
Trump’s Board of Peace would further marginalise sub-Saharan AfricaNo countries from the region are represented, and the board could fragment global conflict response systems that include the AU. For sub-Saharan Africa there is an additional grievance: none of its states was invited to join, aggravating the region’s marginalisation. The board began as an initiative to implement the US Gaza peace plan – a role endorsed by the UN Security Council in November 2025. The Board of Peace looks like a framework for his freewheeling diplomacy, not the painstaking business of making peace deals stick over time.’Jakkie Cilliers, Chairperson of the ISS Board of Trustees and African Futures and Innovation Head, agrees that the board would compete with the UN and AU. Like many of Trump’s forays into foreign policy, it’s not clear how seriously we should take his Board for Peace.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 06, 2026 15:16 UTC
Sellers in Sale of 60% of Byrne Equipment Rental to GFH
Cleary Gottlieb represented the sellers in the sale to GFH Financial Group B.S.C. (GFH) of 60% of the share capital of Byrne Equipment Rental LLC (Byrne), one of the GCC’s leading industrial services and equipment rental providers, with an investment and capex program valued at approximately $400 million. Founded in 1992 in Dubai, Byrne has grown to become one of the largest plant and equipment rental companies in the Middle East, offering a comprehensive “one-stop-shop” rental model. GFH is a leading GCC-based diversified financial group with operations and investments across the GCC, US, Europe, the U.K, North Africa, and India. GFH is listed on four stock exchanges, including the Bahrain Bourse, Boursa Kuwait, Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Dubai Financial Market.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 06, 2026 15:00 UTC
Reworking Broadcast Newsroom Operations For The Age Of AI – What To Pay Attention To
As generative artificial intelligence rapidly becomes embedded across the media value chain, broadcast newsrooms are being challenged to rethink how journalism is produced, distributed, and governed—without compromising editorial integrity. Against this backdrop, a high-level webinar titled “Reworking Broadcast Newsroom Operations For the Age of AI” will take place on Thursday, 19 March 2026, bringing together broadcast and digital media professionals to explore the practical implications of AI adoption in news environments. The discussion will unpack real-world newsroom use cases, including AI-assisted research, automated content summarisation, script development, and the rapid adaptation of news content for broadcast, digital, and social platforms. Equally important, the webinar will address the ethical frameworks, governance models, and editorial safeguards required to ensure AI remains a tool that enhances—rather than undermines—journalism. As newsroom operations evolve in response to accelerating technological change, the webinar aims to provide clarity on where AI can drive efficiency and innovation, where human oversight is essential, and how broadcasters can strike the right balance between speed, scale, and editorial responsibility.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 06, 2026 12:55 UTC
Stellantis Reports Q4 2025 Estimated Consolidated Shipments of 1.5 Million Units, +9% y-o-y
Consolidated shipments for the three months ending December 31, 2025, were an estimated 1.5 million units, a 9% increase y-o-y. In North America, Q4 shipments grew by approximately 127 thousand units compared to the same period in 2024, representing a 43% y-o-y increase. Enlarged Europe reported a decrease of approximately 26 thousand units, or 4% y-o-y. In addition, LCV volumes were down by 5 thousand units, or 3% y-o-y, against a market context of 7% y-o-y industry volume decline. Stellantis maintained its leadership in South America, with a 7% increase y-o-y supported by solid demand in Brazil.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 06, 2026 11:08 UTC
Government by indicator
Jonathan Miller, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Channel 4 News, London, UK"Since the demise of reporting on Africa in Western newspapers, and especially in the UK, in recent years, Africa Confidential has become ever more indispensable to anyone trying to make sense of the continent. Karl Maier, Africa & Middle East Editor, Bloomberg News"We regard Africa Confidential as one of our best and most reliable sources of information and analysis." Intelligence Assessment Service, Privy Council Office, Government of Canada"You are the best reporter on Africa alive. Also well organised and easy to browse through and access to the different articles." Lt. Col. Daniel Martella, Military Planning Service, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, United Nations
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 06, 2026 08:48 UTC
Boosting Trade and Economic Integration Across Europe and Africa
North Africa has a significant opportunity—an opportunity to deepen its cooperation, trade and integration with sub-Saharan Africa and Europe, and to offer greater growth and prosperity for its people. Sub-Saharan Africa is looking for avenues to tap the potential of its vast resources and people. While Europe accounts for most of North Africa’s trade, trade between North and sub-Saharan Africa is negligible, representing only 4 percent of exports and just 1 percent of imports. North Africa already possesses strong human capital, but there is an opportunity to take that to the next level. That is why I am so pleased to see participants from across North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and Europe here today to discuss ways to supercharge their integration and collaboration.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 06, 2026 07:06 UTC
Metals are the new oil, JD Vance pitches to America: ‘There’s no realer thing than critical minerals’
“There is no realer thing than oil—and I would add to that there’s no realer thing than critical minerals,” Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday. Vance was addressing ministers from 55 countries, who this week gathered in Washington to discuss a critical minerals trading bloc. Trump has taken big steps toward increasing the U.S. presence in the global market for critical minerals, elements including cobalt and lithium as well as valuable rare earth metals. His prescription was more funding to monitor oil futures trading and higher penalties for those found to be manipulating oil markets. Vance went back even further for a historical analogue to his critical minerals framing.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 06, 2026 06:53 UTC
Middle East and North Africa: Routes to market
Retail, foodservice and wholesale: Know your channelAHDB’s in-market insight across the Middle East and North Africa highlights clear differences in routes to market by sub-region. In the Gulf, premium product moves through foodservice and chefs buy on portion precision. In modern Gulf retail, partners may ask for on-the-ground activation, such as tastings or simple demos, to support first listings. This process involves the formal approval of exporters and products for entry into the Saudi market, and must be completed before commercial shipments can proceed. Nail those and the conversation moves quickly.” – Adil Khan, Vice President Market Development (Dairy) – Middle EastBuilding relationships and moving forward
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 06, 2026 05:49 UTC
The Real Risks of the Saudi-UAE Feud
Since its founding in 1922, Foreign Affairs has been the leading forum for serious discussion of American foreign policy and global affairs. The magazine has featured contributions from many leading international affairs experts.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 06, 2026 05:28 UTC
Sen Ted Cruz warns that the Iran-backed Polisario militia is a direct threat to U.S. strategic interests across North Africa – Medafrica Times
Republican Senator Ted Cruz, (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, slammed U.S. officials this week for intentionally omitting the Polisario Front from counterterrorism discussions, despite evidence of the group’s ties to Iran-backed terror activities in North Africa and the Sahel. During a Senate hearing on counterterrorism efforts in North Africa and the Sahel region, Cruz accused the administration of a “willful blind spot” regarding the separatist group’s destabilizing influence. He also pointed out Iran’s proxy Hezbollah’s collusion with Algeria and Polisario. Ted Cruz highlighted Algeria as a destabilizing, Iran-tied country that endangers American regional security goals as Algeria’s regime has been hosting, financing, arming, and sheltering the Polisario Front for more than 50 years. Senator Ted Cruz praised Morocco’s role and efforts in Counterterrorism.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 05, 2026 22:54 UTC
Morocco and India Deepen Strategic Partnership at Washington Critical Minerals Summit – The North Africa Post
The meeting took place as both ministers were participating in the high-level gathering organized by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on critical mineral supply chains. Official briefings note OCP-India memoranda supplying up to 1.7 million metric tons of fertilizers, framing Morocco as buffer against volatile global supply chains and export restrictions. Morocco’s participation in the Washington Summit reflects its growing strategic importance in global mineral supply chains. The Kingdom holds vast critical minerals including cobalt, copper, nickel, and particularly phosphate, controlling approximately 70-75% of global phosphate reserves used in electric vehicle batteries. During the Summit, US Vice President JD Vance announced America’s proposal for a critical mineral trading bloc challenging China’s rare earth dominance.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 05, 2026 21:05 UTC
African green growth initiatives have a positive impact on agricultural productivity but not on fisheries
In addition, the analysis demonstrates average green growth index obtained from environmental and resource productivity is −10.8%. Effect of green growth initiatives on sustainable agri-food systems transformationTo examine the effect of green growth initiatives on sustainable agri-food systems transformation, proxied by SDG2 indicators in Africa, we estimated 5 models. The results of the Prais–Winsten regression model with PCSE, the baseline model, in Table 3 show that the green growth index (growth) positively affects SDG2 regarding Zero hunger. However, the green growth initiatives and environmental and resource productivity negatively affect agriculture, fishing, and forestry value added per worker (LAVA) in low-income countries. Implementing green growth initiatives may require changes in farming and fishing practices, including the adoption of sustainable and eco-friendly approaches.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 05, 2026 20:19 UTC