First Independent Mena Newspaper
Russia significantly boosted its agricultural exports to Africa in 2024 by 19%, reflecting the country’s growing economic influence across the continent amid the continuing war in Ukraine. During the previous fiscal year, Russia’s agricultural exports to Africa surpassed $7 billion, according to a statement released by the Agricultural Export Center (Agroexport), with Egypt, Algeria, and […]
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has announced a phased withdrawal of its peacekeeping troops from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following a year of escalating conflict with M23 rebels. This decision, made during an extraordinary summit held on Thursday (13 March), reflects the regional bloc’s shift towards pursuing a political solution after […]
Commander of Libya’s Counter Terrorism Force (CTF), Major General Mohammed Al-Zein, held in Tripoli earlier this week a meeting with a visiting high-level British delegation that focused on means of bolstering security collaboration between the two countries. The CTF highlighted, in a statement, that the purpose of the visit was to enhance bilateral security cooperation […]
The head of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, has revealed on March 13 that 16 million children in Sudan are suffering immensely due to the ongoing civil war, facing daily threats of violence, starvation, disease, and sexual assault. Speaking at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, Russell described how the conflict is occurring right […]
Algerian authorities suspended consular cooperation with France in its consulates of Nice, Marseille, and Montpellier, amid a worsening diplomatic crisis that led the French interior minister to call for banning entry to the Algerian nomenklatura. The Algerian escalatory move came in a series of provocations including the refusal to admit Algerian nationals who have been […]
Emirates NBD, the largest bank in Dubai by assets, has commenced due diligence on a potential acquisition of a stake in Banque du Caire, Egypt’s sixth-largest commercial bank. This acquisition is part of Egypt’s ongoing efforts to privatize state-owned businesses as the country seeks to raise up to $2.5 billion in its 2024-2025 fiscal year. […]
Ethiopia and Eritrea could be headed toward renewed warfare, regional officials warn, threatening another humanitarian disaster in the Horn of Africa. Such a conflict would involve two of the continent’s largest military forces and potentially draw in additional regional powers. The alarming developments would effectively destroy the historic peace agreement that marked a significant diplomatic […]
Prices of cobalt, a key mineral for energy transition, began to rise following an export ban by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to balance the market. On China’s Wuxi Stainless Steel Exchange on Monday, cobalt trading was paused after prices jumped nearly 12%, the highest since October. Last month, DRC said it will stop […]
Chocolate manufacturers are preparing for yet another challenge in cocoa supply after Cote D’Ivoire reported significant damage to its crop following heavy rainfall. Cote D’Ivoire, which supplies 40% of the World’s Cocoa, said warehouses are still empty with expectations of a harvest 3 to 4 times due to bad weather. Cocoa represents 50% of Cote […]
Morocco is preparing to launch a tender to launch 5G bandwidth, a project that attracts interests from China’s Huwawei and western firms, Morocco’s Finance News Hebdo said. Huwawei is already operating in the country in partnerships with local operators Maroc Telecom and Orange Maroc and seems to be better placed compared to western peers such […]