First Independent Mena Newspaper
France’s army said Monday that its anti-jihadist force in Mali had killed a senior Algerian member of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Yahia Djouadi, who was responsible for finance and logistics. Djouadi, also known as Abu Ammar al-Jazairi, was killed overnight from February 25 to 26. “On the night of February 25-26, the Barkhane […]
The European Union Foreign Policy Chief, Josep Borrell, has reiterated the EU’s non-recognition of the so-called Sahrawi Republic. “None of the member states of the European Union recognizes the SADR,” Borrell wrote in a response to an MEP, stressing that its “participation in the [EU-AU] Summit does not change the position of the European Union […]
The report of the Yearbook of Jihadist Terrorism 2021, published by the International Observatory for Studies on Terrorism (OIET), positively assesses the “great efforts” made to maintain collaboration between Morocco and Spain on anti-jihadist issues despite the “still latent distrust” resulting from the differences between the two countries and the migratory crises, such as the […]
Morocco’s General Directorate for the Surveillance of the National Territory (DGST) has provided Belgian authorities with specific information on a Belgian citizen of Moroccan origin suspected of involvement in inciting, planning and preparing imminent terrorist projects. “The information made available by the DGST to the Belgian security and judicial authorities allowed the arrest of the […]
CEO of Algeria’s oil and gas company Sonatrach Toufiq Hakkar said on Feb 27 his country was ready to tap the potential of a 10 cubic meter pipeline to Italy, but a day later he backtracked on his promise casting doubt on Algeria’s limited gas production capacity, in a volte-face that indicates a fear of […]
Morocco’s carrier Royal Air Maroc will service special flights to repatriate the Moroccans stranded in Ukraine. In coordination with Moroccan authorities, the national company will operate these flights from neighboring countries of Ukraine, whose air space has been closed, at “exceptional” fares “The company will schedule flights at exceptional prices from countries bordering Ukraine,” said […]
The outbreak of war in Ukraine has put Europe’s energy security under a new test as Germany halted the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline project with Russia, leaving few long-term gas supply options, chief among which is the Moroccan-Nigerian pipeline project. The $11 bln Nord Stream 2 pipeline was intended to double gas […]
In reaction to the unfolding crisis in Ukraine, Morocco said it respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all UN member states and rejects the use of force in resolving international disputes. “The Kingdom of Morocco reiterates its attachment to the principle of non-recourse to violence in settling disputes between states and encourages all initiatives […]
Spanish officials and the Spanish monarch have expressed on multiple occasions in recent months readiness to improve ties with Morocco and turn the page on last year escalation, but in the meantime they are repeating the same actions that led to worsening relations with Rabat. In another diplomatic blunder that will further worsen Madrid-Rabat ties, […]
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the start of a large-scale attack on Ukraine at dawn on Thursday (24 February) with explosions reported in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Mariupol across the country. European Union and NATO leaders immediately condemned the invasion, with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen calling on Russia to […]