First Independent Mena Newspaper
Amid the upheaval in Sahel in the last decade, characterized by a series of military takeovers, growing insecurity and surging anti-Western sentiment, China has seized on the opportunity to expand its military, geopolitical, and economic presence in this volatile region, analysts say. Despite the challenges facing the region, the scramble among major powers for the […]
Gambia’s President, Adama Barrow, has addressed a written message to King Mohammed VI. The message was handed over by Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara to his Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita at a meeting held this Wednesday in Rabat. Mamadou Tangara expressed in a statement to the press following the meeting his country’s gratitude and thanks […]
At least 31,404 migrants were expelled by Algerian authorities to Niger’s border in 2024, in blatant violation of international conventions on migrants’ rights. These figures were disclosed by NGO Alarme Phone Sahara which said that over 26,000 migrants from this landlocked West African country were abandoned by Algeria in desert borders with Niger in lamentable […]
King Felipe VI of Spain has described his country’s ties with Morocco as “special” and called to further strengthen these ties within a framework of friendship and neighborliness. “We will continue to advance our bilateral agenda with Morocco, a country with which we must pursue our collaboration in the spirit of friendship and cooperation governing […]
The African Union (AU) mission in Somalia has welcomed a recent agreement between Somalia and Ethiopia to restore and enhance bilateral ties, marking a significant step in easing recent diplomatic tensions between the two Horn of Africa nations. Somalia severed relations with neighboring Ethiopia in protest over a sea access agreement the latter signed with […]
Interpol has announced the success of a large-scale operation aimed at rooting out illegal mining across several West African nations. During the coordinated raids in Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, and Senegal, law enforcement officials arrested 200 suspects and confiscated a range of harmful chemicals, explosives, and narcotics. According to Interpol, the operation—carried out between July […]
Barrick Gold Corporation said that it remains restricted from shipping gold from the Loulo-Gounkoto mining complex in Mali, where authorities have also seized the company’s existing gold stock from the site to a custodial bank. Malian authorities have seized an amount of gold estimated at $245 million in an escalation of their long-running dispute with […]
France is considering imposing visa requirements on holders of Algerian diplomatic passport, amid a brewing crisis that prompted French officials to vow to retaliate against what they considered as a series of Algerian disrespect, which included arbitrary arrests of a dual-national novelist, instigation of diaspora, and refusal to admit nationals expelled from France for spreading […]
The Danish maritime transport giant has announced a significant route modification for its India-United States service, a change aimed at enhancing service quality by reducing transit times. In a strategic move to improve its India-North America service, Maersk’s MECL service will add a stop at Mundra, India, while simultaneously discontinuing its westbound call at the […]
In a remarkable move, the billionaire duo — Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos — have joined forces, pumping $537 million into mining ventures targeting rare metals across Africa. KoBold Metals, a US mining start-up backed by investors including Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, has raised $537 million in its latest Series C funding […]