Why were the northern Africa territories on the side of the Allied Powers?

North Africa became a key region during World War II for a simple reason. Both, the Allied forces and the Axis powers wanted to control the Suex Canal for transportation purposes. It was a strategic point for accessing the oil in the Middle East.

Explanation:

The North African military campaigns of World War II were waged between September 13, 1940, and May 13, 1943. They were strategically important for both the Western Allies and the Axis powers. The Axis powers aimed to deprive the Allies of access to Middle Eastern oil supplies, to secure and increase Axis access to the oil, and to cut off Britain from the material and human resources of its empire in Asia and Africa.

In addition, after the disastrous defeat in western Europe in spring 1940, the North African campaign offered the Allies the opportunity to open up a new front against the Axis, and, after Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, to ease German pressure on the eastern front.

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