First Independent Mena Newspaper
Eight months after the landmark speech of King Mohammed VI at the African Union Summit in which he deplored that the “flame of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) has faded because faith in a common interest has vanished,” the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) came to the same conclusion ringing the alarm bell as […]
Head of the self-imposed Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar Monday in Tunis indicated that terrorism in the North African country will be soon eradicated adding that his LNA is a powerful army. “But we have a powerful army, and very soon we will get rid of the story of terrorism in Libya,” he said […]
Despite opposition from Muslim clerics, Tunisia passed a bill allowing Muslim women to marry non-Muslims in a bid to secure equal rights for Tunisia’s female population as the country forges ahead with its modernization endeavor. The bill overturned a law that required a non-Muslim man who wished to marry a Tunisian Muslim woman to convert […]
France and the three Maghreb countries, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, are bound by longstanding historic, cultural and economic ties that makes the three North African states a priority area in the French foreign policy. A report recently published by the Paris-based think thank, Institut Montaigne, stresses that the Maghreb is a priority area for France […]
Tunisian Prime Minister, Youssef Chahed on Wednesday, unveiled the lineup of a new government of national unity. The government reshuffle, the 10th since 14 January 2011, comes after several weeks of consultations with political parties and organizations on the distribution of portfolios. The key portfolios affected by the reshuffle are those of Finance, Interior and […]
In the face of the paralysis crippling the Maghreb union, Tunisia is following the example of Morocco by repositioning itself on the African continent. Tunisia’s bid to join the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is thus part of an endeavor to seek regional integration facilitating the flow of goods and investments in an […]
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein warmly welcomed the repeal of laws in Lebanon, Tunisia and Jordan that allowed rapists to avoid criminal prosecution by marrying their victims. A statement of the office of the High Commissioner quoted him saying that “to punish a rape victim by making her marry […]
President Beji Caid Essebsi of Tunisia has been accused of sneaking members of his family and relatives in the official Tunisian delegation to perform this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia. The tirade published by Acharaa Al Magharibi media points out that relatives of the President will freely travel to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage, which […]
Tunisians of all walks of life are divided over the issue of gender equality in inheritance rights. A controversial reform of the inheritance law unveiled in this regard by President Beji Caid Essebsi and backed by the mufti of Tunisia has sparked fierce and endless debates between conservatives and liberals. Islamic (sharia) law generally gives […]
The interior ministry announced Tuesday that security forces had foiled operations by some militants of the Islamic State group (ISIS) to seize the town of Ben Guerdane, at the Libyan border. The ministry pointed out that the militants sought to attack police and military establishments in the Southern town with the aim of controlling the […]