Well many, specifically in the United Kingdom, the USA, Germany, France, Italy etc… (All powerful parties involved) view it as the “clean war”. A war where the Holocaust never really took hold, and where all sides involved (for the most part) abided by and honored the Geneva Convention. There was no mowing down of large numbers of POWs, there were no liquidation of entire Jewish populations (albeit small since in mostly Muslim countries under European rule), the war was mostly fought in a gentlemanly manner (even if the British loved Commando and LRDP raids and attempted assassinations, there was not really anything done against the civilian populous in retaliation). This theater of war, in this regards North Africa (which I would argue is a slightly different war than the one mostly waged between the British / Commonwealth Forces and the Vichy French / Imperial Forces throughout sub-Saharan Africa) was largely a fast pace war, where many countries heroic Generals and leaderships really started to gain notoriety. So it is almost viewed by many with Rose tinted glasses.

Some of the examples of notable figures that gained stardom and started climbing the ladder in the North African desert war are as follows. For the Germans Erwin Rommel was already an accomplished General, but the vast wastelands deserts of North Africa is where he truly shined – hence the aptly earned nickname “The Desert Fox”. Also as an aside, the Germans thought North Africa was very exotic, unlike say fighting in Russia or France. That seems odd, and contrary to many Germans’ societal and social conservatism, but many Germans, especially youth, were fascinated with all things exotic and distance (like Cowboy and Indian literature and movies is a popular culture example, the war in North Africa a more relevant one) . For the British this is where Bernard “Monty” Montgomery really started to shine bright, and started turning things around for the British and Commonwealth forces. Then for the Americans this is where many of our World War II Generals got their World War II battlefield experience (Omar Bradley, Dwight Eisenhower etc…), but arguably the most renowned (but the lowest ranking by the end of the war) George S. Patton got his famous WWII career started in Western North Africa. This theater is where the Free French really began to show force under Charles De Gaulle, and where the Vichy French failed (mostly on purpose) militarily. So a lot of the powerful nations in World War II had their heroes largely born in North Africa.

Edit: Also this is where the Allies really started to turn the war around in favor of them. Yes, the Italians got a nice thrashing by the British at first. Then the Germans come to town and back up their ally. The Germans start beating the British at every turn. Then after a year or so of this, the British managed to truly turn the tide of the war in their favor at the second battle of Second Battle of El Alamein. The British started pushing the Germans back across the Western Desert. And around this time you also had Allied landings in French North Africa (Morocco and Algeria). The Vichy French either gave up on sight, or threw down their arms after some token resistance, but very few fought on. Vichy France was in turn invaded and occupied by Germany for their failings in North Africa. The French view this as a turning point for them, finally standing up for Germany and starting to throw off the collaborationist regime's yolk and earn their honor back. But now that French North Africa was being invaded by the British and Americans, this was a new thorn in the Germans side in Africa and basically split the North African campaign in two, with the Germans being flanked from both the West and East. The Germans won some victories against American forces, especially at the deadly Kasserine Pass ambush. However, the German's proverbial goose was cooked by the new year of 1943, in Africa. And as a whole a combination of the failings of Germany at Stalingrad with the Sixth Army surrendering in February 1943, and then the Germans being pushed out of North Africa by the Spring of 1943, this was truly the climax of the war, where the tides started to turn in favor of the Allies. So just as much as Stalingrad is remembered for being the turning tide against Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, the North African Campaign was the beginning of the end for Germany against the Western Allies. So this campaign, especially the end of it, was a much needed morale boost for the Allies (the British in particular).

Not a direct answer, but very related, you will likely find this response about the British and the Rommel myth to be of interest, as it also speaks to the perception of North Africa as 'different'.