Maghreb in February 2026: the most important developments in security
In February 2026 security in the Maghreb was dominated by the death of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. He was shot dead on 3 February in the city of Zintan, outside Tripoli, according to his political team and his lawyer. He was 53 and had been held by various factions since the 2011 uprising. His body was handed to his family, and official confirmation from Libyan authorities was initially pending.
In Libya, an ambulance helicopter crash killed five people on 10 February. The Libyan prime minister held talks with a senior US military official on defense cooperation on 11 February. Satellite images showed a Rapid Support Forces camp still operating in the Libyan desert, and on 26 February joint Libyan-Chadian forces launched a northern border security sweep.
Algeria and Morocco were described as in an arms race although neither wants war. New photos showed the location of the USS Gerald Ford in the Mediterranean.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.