AFCON 2019

West Africa junta regimes forge closer ties with hardline Islamist leaders

Religious leaders and especially Salafists in the three coup-hit West African countries have reportedly emerged as the unexpected allies of the new military authorities. The largely popular regimes in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali — West African countries, which have also undergone military coups since 2020 — enjoy the support of the religious leaders that […]

Mali: French ambassador ordered by authorities to leave the country within 72 hours

The French ambassador, Joël Meyer, has 72 hours to leave Mali. The government’s statement was just read on ORTM, the national television station: “This decision follows the hostile and outrageous remarks” made “recently” by Jean-Yves Le Drian and the “recurrence of such remarks by the French authorities with regard to the Malian authorities, despite the […]

Libya Issues Licenses to 91 New Foreign Exchanges Bureaux amid Dinar Slide and Cash Crisis

The Central Bank of Libya (CBL) has granted final practice permits to 91 companies and foreign exchange bureaux, as the Libyan dinar fell to 8.17 against the US dollar on the black market, amid ongoing cash shortages. The decision was announced on Tuesday, December 9. The CBL said the latest licensing forms part of its […]