First Independent Mena Newspaper
The French Navy has intercepted nearly 10 tonnes of cocaine aboard a stateless fishing vessel off the coast of West Africa, marking one of the year’s largest drug busts and highlighting the region’s growing role as a key transshipment route in the global cocaine trade. The 9.6-tonne haul — valued at roughly $600 million — […]
West Africa is becoming a central node in global cocaine trafficking, as powerful criminal groups from the Western Balkans expand their footprint across the region, a new report has revealed. Once operating largely behind the scenes, Albanian- and Slavic-speaking networks have now entrenched themselves in countries like Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Cape Verde. These […]
The ambitious Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline project has reached critical milestones following high-level meetings in Rabat, positioning the 6,000-kilometer infrastructure initiative for imminent implementation. In December 2024, West African leaders approved the Intergovernmental Agreement during the 66th CEDEAO Summit, spelling out each country’s rights and responsibilities for the project. Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition Leïla […]
West African leaders are rejecting U.S. efforts to offload third-country deportees, following a White House summit where President Donald Trump reportedly floated the idea of African nations accepting migrants refused by their own governments. Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló confirmed Thursday (10 July) that while Trump raised the issue during a Wednesday meeting with five […]
In a rare diplomatic move, President Donald Trump hosted the leaders of five West African nations — Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania, and Guinea-Bissau — at the White House on Wednesday (9 July), declaring a shift in U.S. policy from aid to trade. The meeting comes amid deep cuts to U.S. foreign aid following the dissolution […]
In a surprise diplomatic move, former U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal July 9-11, signaling a shift in U.S.-Africa relations rooted less in aid and more in deals, minerals, and migration control. Though these five nations are small in global trade terms, they sit atop […]
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) have ended their mission to Guinea-Bissau after the country’s president threatened to expel the delegation. The mission, which arrived in the country on 21 February, aimed to help political stakeholders reach an agreement on a […]
Russian president Vladimir Putin has hosted his Guinea-Bissau counterpart, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, in a pivotal meeting aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, focusing particularly on military cooperation, as well as trade, energy, and diplomatic ties. The discussions, held on 26 February 2025, centered on military education, rare earth minerals, and infrastructure development in Guinea-Bissau. This partnership […]
Senegal has officially ended one of Africa’s oldest conflicts with the signing of a peace agreement between the government and the separatist Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC). The agreement, brokered by Guinea-Bissau’s president Umaro Sissoco Embalo, brings a historic conclusion to the 40-year-long low-key struggle for independence by Casamance rebels in the southern […]
An ambitious reforms plan for the African Union (AU) was laid out during a high-level meeting of African heads of state and governments on Monday (27 January), focusing on boosting peace, security, and financial independence to transform the continent into a powerhouse of development and stability. The landmark retreat of the extended bureau of the […]