Somalia’s banking: Turkish and Egyptian banks issued first post-war licenses

Central Bank of Somalia (CBS) has recently granted its first two foreign banking licenses — to Turkey’s Ziraat Katılım bank and Egypt’s Banque Misr — in decades as the country seeks to rebuild its financial sector and attract international investment. Both state-owned financial institutions were approved by Somalia’s central bank at the start of July. […]

Moroccan Sahara: Madrid deals new blow to the Polisario, its supporters in Spain

The Spanish government has asserted that Spain has had no “responsibility of an international character” with regard to the administration of the Sahara since 1976, dealing a scathing blow to the Polisario and its supporters. “Spain considers itself released from any responsibility of an international character with regard to the administration of Western Sahara since […]

Algeria Takes Military Action against AQIM

Algerian military forces have launched lately a large scale combing campaign targeting Islamist militants groups operating in the Boumerdes-Tizi-Ouzou-Bouira triangle, stronghold of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its affiliates. This campaign comes as the international community braces for military action to dislodge the radical Islamist forces occupying northern Mali after a coup in […]