First Independent Mena Newspaper
International and regional efforts to combat armed groups linked to al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and other extremist groups have failed to stop their expansion in Africa’s Sahel region, a senior United Nations official has warned. The joint force set up in 2014 to combat groups linked to al-Qaida, ISIL (ISIS) and others in the Sahel, […]
The United States has denounced the continuing violations of religious freedom in Algeria wherein non-Muslim minority groups and Shiites suffer unabated harassment, persecution and growing restrictions. In its 2022 International Religious Freedom Report, the State Department says the Algerian authorities continued in 2022 to arrest, jail, and fine Christians on charges of proselytizing, citing in […]
Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Tunisia’s largest political movement Ennahdah, has been sentenced to one-year in prison in absentia for promoting terrorism, one of his lawyers said Monday. Ghannouchi has been in detention since late April and indicted for 19 offenses including terrorism. Monia Bouali, one of Ghannouchi’s lawyers, told Reuters that his client has […]
A grenade explosion killed Tuesday two Russian instructors, two Malian soldiers as well as a civilian in the city of Segou, central Mali, reports say. “There was an accident at the Tam-Tam bar in Segou. A Russian instructor mishandled a grenade and there was an explosion. Two Russians were killed. The incident also killed a […]
More than 13,000 women and children have fled islands on the Niger River in western Niger following strings of deadly attacks staged by terrorists, state radio “Voix du Sahel” said. The radio indicated that Women and children fleeing the remote islands have sought safety in Ayorou, a town 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the Nigerien […]
Although no region is immune to terrorism, the situation in Africa is especially concerning, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council, underlining UN support to countries striving to “end this scourge.” Leaders from across the continent joined ambassadors in examining how to counter terrorism and better prevent violent extremism through stronger cooperation between the UN […]
Morocco remains the most secure country from terrorist attacks in the southern Mediterranean, said the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) in its 2023 Global Terrorism Index. Morocco took the 83rd place ahead of European countries such as Spain, the Netherlands and Austria underscoring its standing as the safest country in North Africa. “The countries […]
A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, has sentenced three Chinese to death for the murder of another Chinese businessman residing in the mineral resources-rich town Kolwezi, the capital of Lualaba province. The ruling came Tuesday, Anadolu news agency reported. The court charged Wang Yon Xu, Cheng Zing Dan and Whang Hui […]
Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire are hosting US Africa military command AFRICOM drill bringing together 29 countries in view strengthening the capacities of armies of the participating countries to tackle terrorism and extreme violence. The drill began on March 1st and will run through March 15th. Around 1,300 soldiers from 29 countries mostly from West Africa. […]
The Iranian drones, which are being deployed in North Africa, are posing a direct threat to Morocco, said American daily Boston Herald, noting that Moroccan diplomats are actively raising the issue with Western governments. In an Op-Ed published lately, columnist Llewellyn King said that the Mullah regime, in collusion with Algeria, is supplying the Polisario […]