First Independent Mena Newspaper
In a gloomy economic environment, Morocco turned its eyes from Europe and opened its hand towards the South, wanting to free itself from the shackles and chains locked by trade agreements with a self-centered Europe. According to African countries, the EU uses its quotas and standards as leverage against them. The recent African tour led […]
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 […]
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault started Wednesday a two day visit to Morocco, his first to a Maghreban country, to seal the special and unique partnership existing between the two nations. In this time of crisis, the French official pleaded from the start for the revival of his country’s economic relations with Morocco, where President […]
The US elections and the monotonous presidential debates bear little to no substance on North Africa. In the much-anticipated third debate on foreign policy, there was scant mention of the countries of the Maghreb and their important strategic worth in US global fight against terrorism. Except for Libya (mentioned 12 times) in the context of […]
The 4th edition of the Taragalte Festival celebrating the Sahara and desert culture, held this November 9 to 11 in M’hamid El Ghizlane, Southern Moroccan province of Zagora, paid tribute to the Malian holy city of Timbuktu, which was occupied by the Islamist Ansar Dine group at the beginning of the current year. The festival […]
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton started this Monday a visit to Algeria for talks with Algerian officials on the situation in northern Mali, a vast desert area that has been seized by Islamist militant groups following a military coup in the African country last March. Mrs Clinton will join her voice to France’s to […]
The events of the Arab Spring have brought many changes to North Africa and the Middle East. However, it is yet to be seen whether the struggles of North Africans will bring about meaningful positive democratic change in the region. On the one hand, North African terrorist groups were mostly left on the sidelines during […]
Mauritanian Air Force has received its first Brazilian-made Super Tucano jet fighter under a military deal passed last march with the aircraft manufacturer Embraer, without saying how many planes will be delivered to the African nation. However, some foreign diplomatic and intelligence sources say that Mauritania will be supplied at least three EMB-314 Super Tucano […]
The creation of a new post of EU Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean Region in July 2011 symbolizes the importance the region has gained in European eyes. Focusing specifically on the Maghreb, there are a number of reasons why it is vital for the Union to engage closely with this region located on its […]
Mauritania is increasingly worried about the mounting terrorist threat in the Sahel that has become a safe heaven for organized crime and terrorism networks. Mauritania’s worries were recently expounded before the 67th session of the UN General Assembly by Mauritanian Foreign Minister Hamadi Ould Hamadi who warned that the Sahel region has become “a safe […]