First Independent Mena Newspaper
Despite regular warnings by US military commanders about a possible second Chinese military base in Sub-Saharan Africa and rumors about new footholds in countries like Equatorial Guinea, China’s strategic interest in Africa is relatively low, especially when compared with regions like Southeast Asia and the Middle East, according to a new policy brief published by […]
Italy has become the latest country to join the US-led Mineral Security Partnership (MSP), announced in June last year, whose aim was to add ethical values to the entire critical minerals and batteries value chain. The announcement was made by the US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Jose Fernandez, […]
Burkina Faso has denied claims that it awarded a mining permit to Nordgold just because it is a Russian company, its mines minister told the media on Sunday (5 February), rebuffing Western concerns that the ruling junta is seeking closer ties with Moscow. Burkina Faso allows all companies to operate in the west African country […]
Africa’s bilateral trade with China surged to a record high in 2022, highlighting how Beijing’s commercial influence over the continent continues to dwarf that of the United States. Beijing’s push to promote imports from Africa and rising commodity prices pushed trade up 11% to $282 billion last year. China’s exports to Africa were $164.49 billion, […]
U.S. defense company L3Harris has announced a $29 million contract to provide smart weapon release systems to Morocco, Bahrain and Jordan, three allies of the United States. The L3Harris system gives F-16 pilots more firepower and expands their missions. The Bomb Release Unit (BRU)-57/A allows F-16s to carry two smart weapons on each system instead […]
Morocco and the United States co-hosted the North African Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) workshop from December 6-8 in Tangier. The workshop, the first of its kind in the region, shows the Moroccan-American partnership and commitments to countering threats from weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the region. Over the course of three days, civilian and […]
Morocco and the United States, two friends and longstanding allies, are stepping up their military cooperation to counter common regional challenges and international threats. On Monday, U.S. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher W. Grady met with Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces of Morocco Lt. Gen. Belkhir El Farouk […]
The United States on Monday (7 November) imposed its second round of sanctions in less than a week on people and firms, this time targeting South African entities, who it says have provided financial or material support to the Islamic State (IS) group. Following the financial penalties against a Somali IS weapons trafficking cell imposed […]
A United States-backed Special Criminal Court in the Central African Republic (CAR) on Monday (31 October) convicted three militiamen of crimes against humanity committed during the civil war in 2013 and handed them jail terms from 20 years to life. Issa Sallet Adoum, Ousman Yaouberms Rangia, and Tahir Mahamat were accused of taking part in […]
China is still seen favorably by many in Africa, where it is vying for influence with Washington, though, worldwide, support for Beijing has undergone a sharp decline, a new global public opinion survey of people in 25 countries has revealed. The survey by the Britain-based YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project that asked people about their opinions on […]