First Independent Mena Newspaper
Many security pundits have repeatedly warned that the political unrest, the eroding security situation and the flourishing weapons, human and drug trafficking in the Sahel/Sahara region have made of the area a terrorism breeding ground, an exploding powder keg, or what some have called ‘an arc of instability.’ The warning has just been echoed in […]
North and West Africa are facing a complex set of challenges in terms of democratic transition and consolidation, a growing prominence of Islamist influence, and potential knock-on effects of recent socio-political transformations. Adding to this complexity is Africa’s raising geopolitical importance that is evident in the growing interest of other extra-territorial powers, such as China, […]
Mauritania and its northern neighbor, Morocco, have inked several cooperation agreements meant to give a new momentum to their partnership in various sectors of common interest. The two countries, members of Arab Maghreb Union gathering also Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, have agreed to bolster joint actions and projects in the fields of transport, energy & […]
The situation in Mali, the fight against terrorism and the strengthening of trans-border security are on top of the agenda of the 5+5 Dialogue meeting convening in Nouakchott Tuesday. The Foreign Ministers of the countries forming this informal sub-regional body that brings together 5 Western Mediterranean countries (France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain) and their North […]
As the Dubai temperature was rising, the impatience of art enthusiasts could not be restrained. Festivities finally started on Tuesday March 19, with the Jumerah Patrons’ Preview. Art Dubai was launched. A champagne glass in hand, clichés were forgotten… The time of an exhibition. In partnership with Abraaj Group, the seventh edition of Art Dubai […]
Algerian Islamist extremist Djamel Okacha has become the new commander of operations of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Northern Mali, replacing Abu Zeid who was killed in a French-led military campaign in the impoverished African country. The confirmed death of Abu Zeid, who raised millions of dollars from kidnapping of Western hostages, […]
When the French troops launched a military operation in Mali on 11 January, the official places in Paris declared that it was aiming at stopping the advance of Islamists from their bases in the north of the country to its southern part. In this context, analysts have pondered possible reasons that lead to the invasion, […]
The current African tour undertaken by King Mohammed VI of Morocco is taking place in a particular juncture marked by the war in Mali and the growing activity of Al Qaeda affiliated groups in the Sahel-Sahara strip. The situation in Mali will thus be a focal issue in the talks the Moroccan King will successively […]
Algeria-born jihadist Yahya Abu Hamam, emir of al Qaeda in North Africa, has been added by the US to the list of global terrorists for his key role in the group’s terror activities in the Maghreb and Sahel region. Hamam spent 18 months in jail in Algeria for his terrorist activities. After his release, he […]
Last December, the U.N. Security Council passed a cautious resolution that outlined steps to be taken before an international military intervention into Mali to deal with the deteriorating security situation in the country. But in a surprise move on 11 January, French President Francois Hollande authorized airstrikes in Mali to stop a sudden southward push […]