First Independent Mena Newspaper
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 […]
President of the Central African Republic Faustin-Archange Touadéra has sent a written message to King Mohammed VI. The message was handed over by CAR foreign minister Sylvie Baïpo-Temon to Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita at a meeting held Wednesday in Rabat. In a press statement following the meeting, Baïpo-Temon thanked Morocco for its support during her […]
Africa’s Sahel region has become the global epicenter of terrorism, with extremist groups now responsible for over half of all terror-related deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI). This marks a significant shift from previous years, as the region’s death toll rose to 3,885, accounting for 51% of the global […]
Somali security forces have successfully ended a 24-hour siege at a hotel in Beledweyne, central Somalia, killing all attackers from the U.S.-designated terrorist group, al-Shabab. The siege, which began with a car bomb and was followed by a gun battle, left at least 10 dead, including military officers and clan elders. The attackers, from the […]
Morocco won the presidency of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in an event that highlights the Kingdom’s clout and leadership within the continent. The one-year-term presidency will feature the chairmanship by Morocco’s industrial minister Ryad Mezzour of the Confederation of African Ministers for Finance, Planning, and Economic Development. Algeria, as was expected, attempted […]
Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa was re-elected to the FIFA council as Africa representative, underscoring the status of Moroccan football in the continent. Lekjaa beat his rival Hani Abou Rida with 49 votes to 35, in a vote held during the 14th African Football Federation (CAF) assembly. Lekjaa is also head of the 2030 World Cup organizing […]
Sierra Leone’s president Julius Maada Bio has fired Alusine Kanneh, the country’s head of immigration, following the publication of a video showing Kanneh with Johannes Leijdekkers, a notorious Dutch drug kingpin. The footage, which emerged on 7 March, shows Kanneh receiving a birthday gift from Leijdekkers, who is wanted across Europe for drug trafficking and […]
Uganda has deployed special forces to South Sudan’s capital as tensions between president Salva Kiir and first vice-president Riek Machar threaten to unravel the fragile power-sharing peace deal signed in 2018. The Ugandan military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, confirmed the deployment to the country’s capital, Juba, on Monday (10 March), emphasizing that the troops were sent […]
At least six people perished Tuesday when al-Shabaab militants orchestrated a coordinated assault on a hotel in Beledweyne, central Somalia, where local elders and government officials had gathered for security discussions. The attackers initiated the siege by detonating a powerful car bomb before storming the building with gunfire. Social media footage revealed thick black smoke […]