Maghreb in April 2026: the most important developments in politics
In April 2026, the most widely reported political development in the Maghreb was in Libya, which signed its first unified state budget in 13 years. The agreement was reached between rival factions in the east and west of the country and was described as a step toward fiscal consolidation and the unification of state institutions after years of division. Separately, the United States was reported to be working to unite rival Libyan factions in order to push Russian influence out of the country. Italy's foreign ministry said Italy had not breached the Libya arms embargo, after a UN report. Libya was also in the news over the trial of Nicolas Sarkozy in France on allegations of illegal funding from Libya for his 2007 presidential campaign. Sarkozy declared himself innocent and called the accusations baseless and politically motivated, and by April 16 the appeal trial was centred on the role of the intermediary Alexandre Djouhri.
Western Sahara produced a diplomatic shift. Mali expressed support for Morocco's autonomy plan and on April 12 withdrew its recognition of the Sahrawi Republic. Kenya, which had changed its policy on Western Sahara, was reported to be receiving new trade deals and investment pledges from Morocco. France and Morocco planned to sign a bilateral treaty ahead of a state visit by the Moroccan king.
In Algeria, the author Boualem Sansal announced plans to sue President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. Pope Leo XIV made the first papal visit to Algeria before arriving in Cameroon. Egypt held talks with Algeria and with Morocco on regional de-escalation. Former Algerian President Liamine Zeroual died at 84, and a French court denied Tunisia's request to extradite the daughter of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on corruption charges.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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