First Independent Mena Newspaper
Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam, an Eritrean fugitive accused of being “the world’s most wanted” people smuggler has been arrested in Sudan in coordination with United Arab Emirates authorities, Interpol announced. The Eritrean national, on Interpol’s radar since 2019, has been accused of being a smuggling kingpin, running a camp in Libya where hundreds of East African […]
France’s foreign ministry is backing its ambassador in Burkina Faso despite a request by authorities there to replace him amid mounting anti-French sentiment in the country. “I would like to express my support and our support for our ambassador and for all the embassy staff, who are doing a remarkable job in conditions which, as […]
Zimbabwe joined gold miners from Indonesia to Peru last year by ratifying the United Nations Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international treaty adopted in 2013, that seeks to phase out the toxic metal to protect human health and the environment. Inhaling fumes or regular contact with mercury during gold mining can each have devastating effects […]
The United States has dropped Burkina Faso from its trade preference program citing deep concerns over “unconstitutional change” in government in the West African country, according to a statement by the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR). The USTR’s office said Burkina Faso had failed to meet the requirements of the African Growth and […]
African politics: the promise and peril of key elections in 2023 African politics and democracy will likely see a busy 2023 year, as many of its countries, notably Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will hold high-stakes elections. The February general election in Nigeria has raised a great deal […]
Taleb Ali Abdellah was appointed this Monday director of the Amazigh channels of the National Radio and TV company, the SNRT. He will replace Mamad Mohamed who is retiring this January. Mohamed Mamad put the national Amazigh television channel on the right track since it was set up twelve years ago, establishing a working method […]
The United Kingdom and Mauritius have begun talks on the sovereignty of the disputed Chagos archipelago, the Mauritian prime minister announced Sunday, January1. “The latest developments on the Chagos issue are very encouraging. Negotiations between Mauritius and Britain have begun,” Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said in a New Year address. Mauritius claims the remote archipelago […]
The jihadist violence, which has wracked much of West Africa’s inland Sahel region for more than the past seven years, is now spreading into the coastal states with Benin having recorded more attacks than any other coastal state in the region, experts say. Violence by extremists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in […]
Gambia’s security services have arrested two military officers who are suspected of being involved in a coup attempt against President Adama Barrow last week, Gambia’s government spokesperson said. The government said on 21 December that a group of soldiers had been arrested in connection with the alleged plot to overthrow President Barrow’s government in the […]
At least 10 persons were killed and several others injured when their minibus hit a roadside bomb in eastern Burkina Faso last Sunday, authorities have announced. Five other persons were injured in the accident and have admitted to hospital, Colonel Hubert Yaméogo, governor of the Eastern region, said. Yameogo indicated that some passengers have gone […]