First Independent Mena Newspaper
The health of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika who suffered a stroke and was flown to Paris on Saturday for further medical check-ups has raised speculations as to the political future of the country which seems in limbo. The health condition of President Bouteflika who was expected to run for the presidential elections scheduled in about […]
North and West Africa are facing a complex set of challenges in terms of democratic transition and consolidation, a growing prominence of Islamist influence, and potential knock-on effects of recent socio-political transformations. Adding to this complexity is Africa’s raising geopolitical importance that is evident in the growing interest of other extra-territorial powers, such as China, […]
Ever since the Syrian uprising began, the West has quietly been rooting for the opposition. And while the opposition has made some progress in chipping territory away from regime control, the conflict is far from over. Having passed the two-year anniversary, the conflict is now putting the West in a difficult dilemma. After years of […]
The United States has for years voiced support to the settlement of the Western Sahara in the context of the United Nations and when in 2007 Morocco proposed a plan providing to grant a large autonomy to the disputed territory, Washington has expressed in unequivocal terms backing to the Plan and subsequently to the Moroccan […]
The terrorist bombing that hit lately French embassy in Tripoli has tested the Libyan security apparatus and showed its vulnerability as the North African country is experiencing a turbulent and shaky transition after years of autocratic rule under Gadhafi regime. The attack comes as the new Libyan government is battling to disarm the militias which […]
Morocco and the European Union have started in Brussels the first round of talks for a free trade agreement (FTA) that will enhance further economic integration and trade ties between the two partners. Trade between Morocco and EU is worth over € 26 billion and an FTA will raise this trade relationship to a new […]
The situation in Mali, the fight against terrorism and the strengthening of trans-border security are on top of the agenda of the 5+5 Dialogue meeting convening in Nouakchott Tuesday. The Foreign Ministers of the countries forming this informal sub-regional body that brings together 5 Western Mediterranean countries (France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain) and their North […]
Algeria and Spain have taking their bilateral relations and cooperation to another level after the signing ceremony of several industrial partnership agreements in various sectors. The ceremony was witnessed by ministers from both governments with Cherif Rahmani, Algeria’s minister of Industry, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Investment Promotion, and Spain’s Minister of Industry, Energy and […]
The January 14 ouster of Ben Ali’s regime in Tunisia set off a wave of popular uprisings in the Middle East, the most significant change in more than thirty years. The last time the Middle East saw such monumental shifts was in 1979, when the ouster of the Shah in Iran, the Soviet invasion of […]
By international standards, extreme poverty or destitution is relatively low in the countries of North Africa. According to the World Bank, the number of those living below 2 USD a day was 13.9 percent in 2008, which would make the region of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) the fourth poorest region in the world […]