Africa

US warns of jihadists and Russian forces as Africa war games end

The United States’ top general for Africa has warned of “violent extremism” and the threat of Russian mercenaries in the Sahel region, speaking as war games wrapped up in Morocco. “We are seeing the rise of violent extremism in Western Africa, predominantly in the Sahel region,” said General Stephen J. …

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European force battling extremists withdraws from Mali

A European military task force that helped Mali’s government fight Islamic extremists has formally withdrawn from the West African country amid tensions with its ruling military junta. The French military, which spearheaded the Takuba task force, announced Friday that it officially ended its work Thursday. The move was tied to …

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Morocco/Spain: Horrific Migrant Deaths At Melilla Border

The deaths of at least 23 African men at the Melilla-Morocco border on June 24, 2022 requires an independent, impartial investigation capable of determining what occurred and who bears responsibility for such loss of life, Human Rights Watch said. The deaths occurred during an attempt by as many as 2,000 …

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Algeria has been isolated for years. Now it’s making a shaky return to the world stage.

Long viewed as North Africa’s most isolated and inscrutable country, Algeria is suddenly the belle of the ball. This year, Algeria has hosted official visits from Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and the foreign ministers of France, Italy, Portugal, Russia, and the United States (the first …

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Algeria to maintain gas supplies to Spain despite dispute

Algeria’s announcement concerning the immediate suspension of the treaty of friendship and good neighborliness concluded with Spain in October 2002, after Madrid’s radical change of position on the Western Sahara issue on March 18, will not have negative consequences on gas contracts signed by the two countries. The ongoing political …

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After Xenophobic Attacks, Nigeria and South Africa Try to Reset Ties

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari traveled to Pretoria in early October to meet his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, just weeks after the latest outbreak of attacks against foreigners—including Nigerians—in South Africa in September. The visit was intended to smooth over bilateral relations between Africa’s two largest economies, which have been …

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Imports up pressure on Morocco’s foreign reserves

Energy and food imports alongside a growing trade deficit put pressure on Morocco’s foreign currency reserves. The Office des Changes (OC) published its monthly newsletter in early June, indicating a sharp rise in both exports and imports. The newsletter shows that remittances and phosphates were the leading sources of foreign …

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Libya’s Expanding Proxy War May Be the Ultimate Test of NATO’s Resilience

With Egypt reportedly on the brink of invading neighboring Libya, and troops from Chad said to be on their way north to join Gen. Khalifa Haftar in his fight to topple the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, what was already a complicated proxy war could soon become Africa’s first full-on …

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Erdogan’s Engagement Finds Willing Partners in Africa

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal this week, returning to the African continent just months after his most recent four-day, three-nation tour last October, as well as the Third Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit, which was held in December in Istanbul. The Turkish leader, who …

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Sudan: The Genocide No One Talks About

Civilian institutions are concerned that Sudan’s new puppet government is simply a cover for the return of Bashir and that, although he is in prison, he is behind every development in the Sudanese government. This, apparently, is also the conviction of El Nur. He notes with distress that the massacres …

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