First Independent Mena Newspaper
The killing of three French journalists in northern Malian region of Kidal in early November 2013 is indicative of the ability of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to conduct terrorist attacks in the region despite French military presence. Similarly, the announcement of the creation of a new terrorist group called Al Mourabitoun out of […]
Mauritania which is pinpointed by several international and national NGOs for the practice of slavery that is still common in the country decided to set up a special court to try slavery crimes and help thus put an end to the practice. The Judiciary Supreme council, chaired by the head of State, decided this week […]
The ruling UPR party has emerged victorious in the second round of the legislative elections after winning more than 50% of the parliamentary seats. The elections have been criticized in several quarters and some opposition political parties preferred to boycott it. Tawassoul, a party participating for the first time, won majority of the seats among […]
International Anti-Corruption Day was celebrated all across North African earlier this week with dismal news on the fight against bribery. Overall, the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) from Transparency International showed little to no improvement in graft around the region. For example, in Libya, the situation got even worse when the country was ranked as […]
According to a UN human rights expert, black Mauritanians are constantly subject to slavery-like practices including sexual harassment and violence. Mutuma Ruteere, the UN special rapporteur on racism claims that many black Mauritanians, mainly women and children, are still living with families in the conditions that remind of slavery. He adds that it is still […]
The results from the first round of the parliamentary and local government elections are dominated by the ruling party, Union for the Republic (UPR). The elections are seen as major test for President Abdel Aziz. Some of the opposition parties decided to boycott the elections in which 75% of the 3,5million voters took part. The […]
Mauritanians voted in an election over that weekend that was boycotted by most of the radical opposition. While the country’s current President, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, is expected to retain power, the formerly banned Islamist party Tewassoul that wants to establish Sharia law looks poised to win seats in parliament. It was the first time […]
Allegations of fraud are being claimed by Tawassoul President Jemil Ould Mansour in the parliamentary and local elections held during the weekend. The ruling party is already leading in the polls counted. Some opposition parties boycotted the elections claiming it is an “electoral masquerade”. The final results are yet to be published by the electoral […]
The controversial European Union-Mauritania fisheries deal has finally been approved by the members of the European parliament much to the dismay of some of the fishermen. The protocol of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with Mauritania becomes the biggest with regards to volume and the highest financial contribution that the EU has ever concluded. The […]
The much criticized fisheries agreement between the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the European Union (EU) has been reviewed after successful negotiations between parties in Nouakchott. Improvements were made on license conditions but Mauritania’s financial gains were reduced. Most of the improvements were centered on fishery resource planning and protection in relation to previous agreements. […]