Headlines Mauritania

Mauritania-Drug Trafficking: Prison Sentence for Sons of Ex-President Upheld

A court in Nouakchott has upheld the prison sentences handed to two sons of former Mauritanian president Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla involved in a drug trafficking case, reports say. Ely Cheikh and Sidi Mohamed Ould Haidalla saw the prison sentences they were handed in June confirmed, their lawyer Moctar Ould Ely told the media on […]

Headlines Morocco

Moroccan Army Steps Up Vigilance to Counter Arms Trafficking on Southern Borders

Following the operation launched by Moroccan authorities to clear the border area with Mauritania of all trafficking and illegal commercial activities, the Royal Armed Forces strengthened their level of vigilance in the southern provinces in light of intelligence reports warning of a potential attempt by the Polisario to smuggle an arms cargo into the Kingdom. […]

Headlines Mauritania

US Condemns Imprisonment, Torture of Anti-slavery Activists in Mauritania

The United States has recently condemned in strong terms the imprisonment and the torture endured by anti-slavery activists in Mauritania. The US condemnation came after a court in Mauritania handed 13 members of the slavery abolitionist movement (known by its acronym IRA) sentences ranging from three to 15 years. “The United States is gravely concerned […]

Headlines Mauritania

Mauritania: Prosecutor Demands 20 Years in Prison for Slave Abolitionists

The Mauritania state prosecutor Wednesday demanded 20-year prison sentence for members of the Mauritanian anti-slavery association arrested last month for “prompting armed protest in a slum of capital Nouakchott.” Thirteen people among whom 10 members of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA) have been standing trial since August 3. The defendants […]

Headlines Morocco

Morocco Informed UN, Nouakchott about Anti-smuggling Operation

The operation led by Moroccan security services in the southernmost tip of the Kingdom is a police operation conducted in coordination with the UN and Mauritania to curb smuggling and cross-border illegal commercial activities. Expert in regional issues Abderrahmane Mekkaoui told Le360.ma website that the polisario’s allegations of Morocco mobilizing its army to violate the […]

Headlines Morocco

Moroccan Security Forces Crackdown on Smugglers on Mauritanian Borders

Morocco mobilizes its security forces along with customs services in a clampdown on smugglers in the southernmost tip of the country on the borders with Mauritania. A statement issued by Dakhla regional authorities said that the operation started on August 14 in Guerarat on the borders with Mauritania with the aim of clearing the region […]

Headlines Mauritania

Mauritanian Slavery Abolitionists Endure Torture in Custody, Lawyers say

Thirteen anti-slavery activists on trial in Mauritania said they have been tortured during their detention, their lawyers said. The activists, on trial for “rebellion and use of violence”, were arrested last month after riots in a Nouakchott slum community that was being forcibly relocated as the west African country prepared for an Arab League summit. […]

Headlines Mauritania

Mauritania: One Ton of Cocaine Seized at Nouadhibou Port

A coordinated network assault by state security forces on Sunday led to the seizure of one ton of cocaine at Nouadhibou sea port, reports say. Army coast guards, military police and police forces launched the coordinated operation at and around the port located in the city of Nouadhibou, more than 400 km north of capital […]

Business Emerging Markets Features

Algeria, Morocco’s First Trading Partner in Africa

Algeria is Morocco’s first customer and supplier in Africa, despite the stalemate in political and diplomatic ties between the Maghreb’s two populous countries, which remain at loggerheads concerning a range of regional issues. A study issued by the OCP Policy Center, a policy oriented think tank based in Rabat, surprisingly showed that Algeria is Morocco’s […]

Headlines Mauritania

Nouakchott in Danger of Being Swallowed by the Sea

Climate change is taking a toll on Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott coupled with rising sea levels, lack of sanitation and rising population growth, Alex Duval Smith wrote for the Guardian from Nouakchott. “Much of the city is at or below sea level, protected from the ocean only by an eroding dune,” deplored Smith who recommended moving […]