Sahel-region

France: Hollande irritated by US NSA alleged spying on him

France’s President François Hollande has been irritated by whistleblower WikiLeaks’ revelations that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had spied on three French presidents including him. Following the revelations, President Hollande held an emergency meeting with his cabinet members and army commanders on Wednesday to discussion the matter. The meeting ended with a statement underlining […]

Polisario Suffers Legal Setback in Panama

The Algerian-backed Polisario separatists suffered a severe legal setback in Panama where a maritime affairs court refused to hold a vessel carrying Moroccan Sahara phosphates bound to Canada. In a comment on the Panamanian legal decision, Abdellah Saaf, Director of the Centre for Studies and Research in Social Sciences (CERSS), said by rejecting the Polisario’s […]

Morocco: When Preachers Turn Sinners, Public Distrust Deepens

The shocking revelations of extra-marital affair of two leading members of the religious movement of “Unification and Reform,” close to the ruling Islamist party (PJD) in Morocco, are fueling a widespread public anger and mistrust towards sanctimonious people and lesson-givers. The two leaders involved in the sex-scandal are Moulay Omar Benhamad (religious scholar, married with […]