First Independent Mena Newspaper
Central Bank of Somalia (CBS) has recently granted its first two foreign banking licenses — to Turkey’s Ziraat Katılım bank and Egypt’s Banque Misr — in decades as the country seeks to rebuild its financial sector and attract international investment. Both state-owned financial institutions were approved by Somalia’s central bank at the start of July. […]
Jordan-based “The Muslim 500” has named Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as the most influential Muslim. Sheikh Tamim tops 50 influential Muslim personalities. Saudi ruler King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei follow respectively 2nd and 3rd. The Jordanian Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, an independent research entity […]
French President Emmanuel Macron today (25 July) begins a three-nation tour of western African states in the first trip to Africa of his new term as he seeks to reboot his country’s post-colonial relationship with the continent. Macron’s 25-28 July tour, also the first venture outside Europe of his new mandate, will take the French […]
The office of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has presented to the parliament in Ankara a request for an 18-month extension to its military mission in Libya, reports say. Turkey has had military presence in Libya since January 2020 after it signed a maritime and security deal with then ruling Government of National Accord (GNA), […]
Russia and Turkey Wednesday vowed to collaborate and work towards the stability of Libya where both countries back rival sides. “Everyone must contribute to the full stabilization of Libya,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday at a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergej Lavrov in Ankara. “We no longer want competition […]
Turkey and the UAE vowed to leave aside their differences and work for stability in Libya where both countries back opposing sides and governments. This came during a meeting last Friday in Ankara between the two countries’ foreign ministers, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Abdullah bin Zayed. Turkish-Emirati relations have entered a new stage, the Turkish official […]
The Libyan army, backed by Tripoli government, has inked a deal with Turkey’s aerospace company (TUSAŞ) for the acquisition of several modern training aircraft of types (Hürkuş-C), Libya Observer reports. The deal was signed on the Libyan side by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Major General Muhammad Gojil, in the presence of […]
Tunisia summoned the Turkish ambassador to Tunis over comments by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticizing the dissolution of the Tunisian parliament. Erdogan said sacking the parliament was contrary to “the will of the Tunisian people” and a “smear to democracy.” The Tunisian presidency rejected this as “an unacceptable meddling in Tunisia’s domestic affairs.” The Ministry […]
Moroccan police have arrested four people suspected of involvement in an international drug and organ trafficking network operating in particular between Morocco and Turkey, the country’s security directorate DGSN said. The operation occurred in the wake of an investigation after an announcement was published on social media proposing kidney removal “in private clinics abroad for […]
Russian private military company Wagner has flown out of Libya 300 Syrian fighters back to the Middle East country, Libya Observer reports citing Syrian As-Suwayda 24 News Network. The fighters reportedly left Thursday through Benghazi airport in eastern Libya to the Hmeimim Air Base in Syria. The fighters made up the 42nd Brigade and were […]