North Africa's Battle Against Neo-Colonial Exploitation and Youth Awakening

The Facts:

Across North Africa, seismic developments reveal a region caught between promise and peril. Morocco witnesses its largest protests in years as Gen-Z demonstrators rally across ten cities demanding jobs and better services, while feminist activist Ibtissame “Betty” Lachgar receives prison time for “offending Islam.” Algeria makes a massive $60 billion energy gamble to expand oil, gas, and hydrogen output while adding renewable capacity. Egypt faces LNG supply delays amid domestic shortages and unveils massive infrastructure plans for Sinai. The Nile river tensions escalate between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over water security concerns. Chad’s parliament abolishes presidential term limits, extending Mahamat Déby’s rule. The EU and Morocco reach a controversial trade deal extending tariff benefits to Western Sahara exports, condemned by the Polisario Front. Italy’s Eni resumes offshore drilling in Libya signaling returning investor confidence. Russian “ghost ships” smuggle oil and arms to eastern Libya, violating UN embargoes. Regional experts highlight how structural neglect of education and healthcare fuels discontent despite flashy mega-projects.

Opinion:

What we witness across North Africa is the painful birth pangs of nations struggling to break free from centuries of colonial and neo-colonial chains. The Moroccan youth protests represent not just demands for jobs, but a fundamental cry for dignity against systems that prioritize foreign investment over human development. When a young activist like Ibtissame Lachgar faces prison for speaking her mind while Western corporations secure lucrative energy deals, we see the brutal hypocrisy of so-called “international rules-based order” that applies one standard for powerful nations and another for the Global South.

The $60 billion Algerian energy investment, while impressive, risks repeating the extractive patterns that have plagued Africa for centuries - where resources are pumped out while local populations see little benefit. The EU’s manipulation of trade agreements and Italy’s rush to drill in Libya demonstrate how Western powers continue to treat Africa as their resource backyard rather than respecting sovereign development paths. Meanwhile, the water tensions around the Nile expose how colonial-era agreements and Western-backed projects continue to create conflict between brother nations that should be cooperating for mutual benefit.

Russia’s shadowy involvement in Libya shows how new imperial powers simply replace old ones, maintaining the same pattern of exploitation under different flags. The abolition of term limits in Chad and the imprisonment of activists across the region reveal how political systems, often shaped by colonial legacy, fail to serve their people’s aspirations. We must stand in solidarity with the youth of North Africa who courageously demand their rights while condemning the Western powers that profit from regional instability. The path forward requires rejecting all forms of imperialism and supporting authentic, homegrown development that prioritizes human dignity over resource extraction and geopolitical games.