For seven days, from 24 to 31 October, African news was shaped by two big questions. One was who keeps the peace across North Africa and the Sahel. The other was what space is left for dissent. The biggest story was at the United Nations, where the peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara came to an abrupt end. In the same days Algeria sent troops abroad for the first time in half a century, Moscow hosted a gathering of African leaders, and a crackdown on Egypt's best-known independent newsroom drew attention well beyond Cairo. Away from these, the week brought new deals on the continent's trade routes, fresh arguments over Nigeria's borrowing, and the opening of the first Olympic event ever held in Africa.
The end of MINURSO
The Western Sahara file moved quickly once the Security Council failed to renew MINURSO, the UN mission that has operated in the territory for decades. Morocco News reported on 30 October that Rabat had declared the mission over and described the UN-led political process on the Sahara as suspended. According to Yabiladi, the Royal Cabinet said the MINURSO chapter was closed and that further debate on the Sahara at the UN was unjustified. The North Africa Post said Morocco welcomed the end of the mission, and Middle East Online described Rabat as turning the page and strengthening its autonomy initiative.
The decision did not settle the old quarrel with Algeria, which only grew louder. Morocco World News reported that Algeria criticised a US draft and defended the Polisario at the UN. Morocco's ambassador Omar Hilale answered by asking, in the same outlet's words, by what right Algiers was lecturing the Security Council. Yabiladi summed up the aftermath as two neighbours locking horns after a failed vote. By 31 October, Morocco World News said Morocco's parliament would hold a joint session on the Sahara. That suggests Rabat wants a show of domestic unity behind its position. Earlier in the week Morocco also signed a drone weapons contract and a production memorandum with the Emirati group EDGE, according to Military Africa. The timing adds a security angle to a diplomatic shift.
Algeria looks south
Algeria made its own break with the past this week, in the Sahel. AP News reported on 25 October that Algiers would send troops to Niger, its first foreign deployment in more than 50 years. Bloomberg said the vote authorised the force to protect Niger's oil facilities. Military Watch Magazine called it a major deployment of personnel. By 30 October the first Algerian soldiers had arrived in a country where, as Asharq Al-Awsat noted, extremists threaten stability.
Algeria was also busy with diplomacy. The foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia met to try to revive a UN-led political settlement in Libya, [Daily News Egypt](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi2AFBVV95cUxPWTd4ZVVzWTNnLXNQLTQtVUZxZDcydWpUajI3MzRvLTdMSlJPaGkxLTdPWWVDNEJVb0hnbUZEZ3kyeHE1UGdPN2ZYQjJ0b3JlTjkxc0N0Tkw5QnJhOEQxQ3YtcHd2YUZqT05LVlYzbkJyLWlwVjdOZEdDZUZ3Ri1GWkVSWUJScGotbmZGc3o3VmpnMnlpQzQ3b0l3MGUxVi1Bc194LWhFa2pqWldVUEk3TmF4azV0dmgtN3dhX0hSNzlYZGRvMGk0a1BXN19yRXg1XzI3Y24zRW8?oc=5) reported. Separately, Libyan and Algerian officials discussed reopening the Ghadames to Debdeb border crossing, according to the Libya Herald. Egypt's regional posture was also in the news. Alhurra reported that Egyptian troops had been cleared for deployment to Saudi Arabia if Riyadh asks, and Nordic Monitor said Turkey was offering Cairo more Mediterranean waters to draw it away from Greece.
Outside powers were competing for the continent's attention. Russia hosted African leaders at a summit that NPR framed as part of a wider contest for influence. Vladimir Putin held a press conference there with the chairperson of the African Union. Morocco used the moment to set out its own vision for Russian-African ties, according to Middle East Online. China's ambassador to Nigeria met the governor of Nasarawa in Lafia, The Sun Nigeria reported, which is a reminder that Beijing is also working at the level of individual states.
Pressure on the press, and on politics
For press freedom, the week's most alarming news came from Egypt. Al Jazeera reported that authorities ordered the closure of Mada Masr, the country's leading independent news site. According to NewsCord, its editor Lina Attalah was fined three million Egyptian pounds. Le Monde reported that she was released from custody the same day. In Algeria, the detention of French journalist Christophe Gleizes reached an unusually large audience when the 70th Ballon d'Or ceremony paid him a live tribute, according to RSF. Goal.com noted that Zinedine Zidane had backed him. Tunisia drew its own scrutiny from the Arab Center Washington DC, which argued that the country's authoritarian bargain is running dry. In Tanzania, the government urged civil society organisations to safeguard national unity while it began reviewing the law that governs them, according to the Daily News.
In Nigeria, the opposition stepped up its attacks on President Bola Tinubu. Channels Television reported that Atiku Abubakar told the National Assembly not to approve "a single dollar" of a fresh loan request until the details are published, and that lawmakers had also questioned how earlier borrowing was used. Peter Obi said Tinubu lacks the energy to lead, and TheCable quoted him saying "we need him to go home." In Kenya, Senator Okiya Omtatah called reports that he would challenge the Linda Mwananchi Movement "misinformation", The Star reported. In Ghana, the demolition of La Pleasure Beach went to court, with the management committee suing two hotels and SSNIT, according to Graphic Online. Ghana also featured in a CBS News report about a Texas father who was deported by ICE to Ghana and then forced on to Mali, a country he says is unsafe for him.
Corridors, credit and code
The economic news was mostly about infrastructure and investor confidence. Moody's upgraded Zambia to Caa1 and kept a positive outlook, TradingView reported. In the same days, the Africa Finance Corporation chose preferred bidders for the engineering contracts on Zambia's Lobito railway, according to Green Building Africa. Angola, at the other end of that corridor, saw Minbos begin its first phosphate mining at the Cacata deposit, TipRanks reported. Morocco signed a new concession with APM Terminals as its port expansion continues, according to The Maritime Executive. Aliko Dangote signed a deal to supply fuel to Cameroon, Billionaires.Africa reported, which extends his refinery's reach across the region. Zimbabwe is close to a full year without load-shedding, according to The Herald.
In Lagos, the Moonshot conference showed off the region's technology sector. Grey launched Paycheck, a product for salaries paid in foreign currency, after processing nearly $5 billion in payments since its founding and growing payment volume by 170% year on year, TechCabal reported. The same outlet profiled the $7.5 million Nigeria AI Scaling Hub, which is backed by Gates and supports AI work in healthcare, agriculture and local languages. TechCabal also carried a panel's warning that Africa's digital economy needs more than apps and depends on transport, location data and financing.
Some news this week was a reminder of how exposed the region is to weather and to accidents. An El Niño-linked drought is affecting about 3.5 million people across six regions of Ethiopia, according to Capital Newspaper, despite gains in wheat production. At the CBD COP17 biodiversity talks, an AfDB official explained to Premium Times why African countries struggle to raise conservation funding. On 31 October a minibus collided with a truck outside Cairo, killing 10 people and injuring 24, TRT Afrika reported.
A historic opening in Dakar
The week ended on a celebratory note. Senegal opened the Youth Olympic Games, which France 24 called Africa's first ever Olympics. Visa opened a Senegal office and fan zones for the Games, according to Youth Sports Business Report, and Senegal's Baseball5 team called for home support before making Olympic history, the WBSC reported. There were other results to celebrate. Simon Harmer took a career-best 6 for 16 as South Africa beat Australia by 176 runs and won the Test series 2-1, Al Jazeera reported. Zambia beat Portugal to win the FIFA U-15 World Cup Tier B title, according to ZamFoot. Morocco had a mixed week. Its under-17 women went out in the round of 16, Hespress reported, while Hassan Doukkali won the Abu Dhabi judo Grand Slam, according to JudoInside.
