Articles on Maghreb

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The wall discovered at Oued Beht, a site in Morocco that is steadily rewriting the history of the Maghreb. Giulio Lucarini/OBAP Archive

History is being rewritten at an archaeological site in Morocco. What the discovery of an ancient wall tells us

Communities in the north-west Maghreb were able to coordinate large construction projects thousands of years ago.
According to popular belief, the statue of the Pillars of Hercules in Ceuta hails back to the time when Africa was joined to Europe, and the god Hercules cut the channel to divide them. Another legend has it that Hercules pulled the two continents together to narrow the strait of Gibraltar to stop sea monsters from the Atlantic entering the Mediterranean. Curioso Photography/Shutterstock (no reuse)

Ceuta migrant crossings: are calls for stronger border controls from 22 member states in line with EU law?

In a knee-jerk reaction to the situation in Ceuta, 22 EU member states are seeking to step up border security. What are the legal loopholes and do stronger controls comply with the rule of law?
The discovery was made in the coloured area of this aerial photo of Oued Beht in Khemisset, Morocco. T Wilkinson/OBAP Archive

A 5,000‑year‑old farming society in Morocco fills a major gap in history – north‑west Africa was a central player in trade and culture

The team’s work at Oued Beht unearthed the most extensive and earliest agricultural complex known in north Africa outside the Nile Valley.
Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita (R) welcomes his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapidis to Rabat, in August 2021. The normalisation of relations between the two precipitated the breakup of Moroccan-Algerian diplomatic ties. EPA-EFE/Alal Morchidi

Why Algeria cut diplomatic ties with Morocco: and implications for the future

In the last decade, Morocco exploited the lethargy of Algeria’s diplomacy and the paralysis of the political system to advance its interests, often to the detriment of Algeria
The rebellious French generals Edmond Jouhaud, Raoul Salan, and Maurice Challe (from left to right) leave the General Delegation in April 23, 1961 in Algiers, after taking power (with General Zeller) to oppose the Algerian policy of General de Gaulle. The Public Salvation Committee intended to preserve French Algeria was formed on 13 May 1958 with General Massu as its president. AFP

‘I understood you!’: May 1958, the return of De Gaulle and the fall of France’s Fourth Republic

In May 1958 General de Gaulle returned to power and established the Fifth Republic. Yet despite the monumental changes of that time, many in France today still don’t understand what really happened.
The opening ceremony of an exercise organized by the US military in Ndjamena, Chad earlier this year to take on Boko Haram. Reuters/Emmanuel Braun

How the US is expanding its fight against extremism in Africa

Apart from numerous worldwide threats including from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, the US is taking more notice of Africa due to the expansion of extremist organisations on the continent.

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