Africa Features International

Islamic State gets Sahara desert ally

An audio recording from the Mourabitoune group announced that the group has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS). The audio was broadcasted by a Mauritanian news agency. The allegiance of the group to the IS will force neighboring countries that share the Sahara desert to reinforce their defense and security cooperation. The audio has […]

Features Headlines Libya

Libya: Saadi Gaddafi gets first hearing in Tripoli court

Libya has held its first Gaddafi trial on Sunday after Saadi Gaddafi appeared in a court in southern Tripoli. After being detained since March 2014 following his extradition from Niger, Saadi is charged with the murder of a football player and unlawful imprisonment. The trial didn’t last for long. According to Sadiq Al-Sour, the chief […]

Business Emerging Markets

Maroc-Telecom Finalizes Purchase of Etisalat’s six Branches in Africa

Maroc-Telecom, the incumbent telecommunications operator in Morocco, announced it has finalized the purchase of the branches it acquired from the United Arab Emirates telecom group Etisalat in Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Gabon, Benin, Central African Republic and Niger. The deal between the two operators worth over $ 536 million was struck last spring when Etisalat became […]

Africa Features International

French Defense Minister for political solution in Libya

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stressed the need to find a political solution to the Libyan crisis rather than another military operation in the North African country plunged in chaos since the collapse of the Kaddafi regime. The French official, who was visiting Madama, Northern Niger, where a French military base is being built […]

Business Features Headlines Morocco

Morocco’s Telecom group Upbeat about Growth in 2014  

Morocco’s leading telecommunications group Maroc Telecom or IAM seems upbeat about its growth in 2014 as the financial results for the first half of the current year showed a slight increase compared to the same period last year. The company’s turnover actually reached 14,564 Billion Moroccan dirhams to 14,468 Billion during the same period of […]

Features Headlines Libya

Libya : Qatar wants a weak Libya

A former Libyan General, during the Gadhafi regime, has accused Qatar of wanting to weaken the state. General Khalifa Haftar’s allegations came at time when he claims to control more than 75% of Benghazi. The General is leading a militia that has vowed to uproot Islamists in the North African country. The government in Tripoli […]

Business Emerging Markets Features

Morocco’s Leading Telecom Operator Expands Activities in Africa

Morocco’s leading telecom operator, Maroc Telecom, will acquire six African subsidiaries of its new majority shareholder UAE Etisalat for $ 650 million. By acquiring Itisalat branches in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Niger, Central African Republic and Togo, the Moroccan operator will expand its activities in the continent and become a genuine telecom “hub” in French-speaking […]

Features Libya

Another Son of Gadhafi Handed Over to Libya

Saadi Gadhafi, the son of the Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi, has been transferred by Niger government to Libya where he will stand trial for charges of embezzlement and armed intimidation when he was head of the Libyan Football Federation. Libyan authorities have been seeking for a long time the custody of the 40-year old fugitive […]

Africa Features International

Sahel Security Summit in Niger

Niamey, the capital and largest city of the West African country Niger, hosted the Sahel Security Summit which was attended by foreign ministers from the Sahel and West Africa regions. The main objective of the high-profile meeting was to articulate a joint response to terrorism and organized crime across the region. The conference included top […]