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Sahel: Terror groups in Sahel exploit Covid-19 to step up attacks
United Nations, United States, May 8, 2020 - UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres has warned that jihadist groups in the Sahel area of North Africa are exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to step up attacks, according to documents seen by AFP. The United Nations...
Sahel: Mauritania lifts ban on mosque prayer
Nouakchott, May 8, 2020 - Worshippers packed Mauritania's largest mosque on Friday, mostly ignoring social distancing rules, after the West African state lifted restrictions on public prayers meant to curb coronavirus infections. The government said this week it would...
Sahel/Covid-19: Mauritania reopens for business
Nouakchott, May 7, 2020 - The West African desert state of Mauritania has scaled back two-month-old restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, notably allowing markets and prayer gatherings to resume. The government will "progressively ease preventative...
WHO advises MENA region against loosening confinement measures
Cairo, April 28, 2020 - The World Health Organization warned Tuesday of the impact coronavirus could have in Middle Eastern conflict zones and urged other countries in the region against loosening confinement measures. "This fight has become even more challenging with...
Mauritania: French-Mauritanian national dies from Covid-19
Nouakchott, March 31, 2020 - Mauritania has declared its first fatality from coronavirus, state media reported on Tuesday, adding to the growing death toll on the African continent. The victim is a 48-year-old French-Mauritanian dual national who tested positive for...
Sahel: Mauritania also shuts down
MEA Risk Brief: Several measures have been taken by the public authorities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Mauritania. After the suspension of flights in the middle of the week, the government decided to limit the number of access points to the territory,...
European expat brings first COVID-19 case to Mauritania
Nouakchott, March 14, 2020 - Mauritania has confirmed its first case of novel coronavirus, the country's health minister said on Friday, adding to the growing number of cases in West Africa. In a televised statement, Health Minister Mohamed Nedhirou Ould Hamed said...
Sahel: US appoints new Sahel representative
Washington, March 8, 2020 - The State Department announced Sunday it had nominated J. Peter Pham, the envoy to Africa's Great Lakes region, as the first US special envoy for the Sahel crisis. Pham's nomination comes amid fears that the jihadist threat in the region is...
Mauritania: Italy denies tourists knowingly evaded Mauritania virus containment
Nouakchott, March 6, 2020 - A group of Italian tourists that travelled in Mauritania without undergoing a recently-imposed period in coronavirus confinement did not deliberately break any rules, Italy's embassy said Friday. The 15 tourists from Europe's virus hotspot...
Sahel: Mauritania expels Italian tourists over coronavirus
Nouakchott, March 4, 2020 - A group of Italian tourists tried to escape coronavirus confinement in Mauritania but were caught and sent back to their home country, the West African country said Wednesday. The 15 tourists arrived in the capital Nouakchott on Saturday...
Sahel: US mulling more engagement in the Sahel
Washington, March 3, 2020 - The United States is planning to appoint a special envoy for the Sahel crisis amid fears that the jihadist threat is spreading, a senior official said Tuesday. "That is one area where the situation is getting much worse by the day," said...
Sahel: The African Union to the rescue
Addis Ababa, Feb 27, 2020 - The African Union confirmed Thursday that it expected to send a temporary deployment of 3,000 troops to West Africa's Sahel region, where regional forces are struggling to respond to a nearly eight-year-old onslaught by armed Islamists. The...
Sahel: With insurgents several steps ahead, Sahel leaders are disoriented
Nouakchott, Feb 25, 2020 - A summit of Sahel states heard appeals Tuesday to step up the fight against jihadists whose offensive across three countries has claimed thousands of lives and inflicted crippling economic damage. "More than ever, the Sahel requires...
Mauritania intimidates human rights activists
Nouakchott, Feb 19, 2020 - Amnesty International voiced concern Wednesday over Mauritania's arrest of 14 human rights activists who are accused of jeopardising national unity and the West African republic's religious tenets. A judicial source in the capital Nouakchott...
Mauritania: UAE targets Mauritania, sets foothold there with investment commitment
Abu Dhabi, Feb 2, 2020 - The United Arab Emirates will pump $2 billion into investment and development projects in Mauritania, state media said Sunday during a visit by the country's new leader renowned for his anti-jihadist stand. "The UAE announced on Sunday the...
Immigration: Spain faces spike in migrant arrivals
Madrid, Feb 4, 2020 - The number of migrants reaching the Canaries soared last month to 18 times the level of a year ago, Spanish government figures showed on Tuesday. The spike has raised fears of a resurgence of migrant traffic to the Atlantic islands, a route taken...
Analysis: Northern half of Africa bracing for upheaval this year
MEA Risk LLC - 29 January 2020: There has been a dangerous escalation of security risks and instability in the Maghreb and Sahel region since the start of 2020. War looks set to intensify in countries like Libya, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali and others in the...
With large Chinese community in the continent, Africa seeks to prevent spread of coronavirus
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Jan 29, 2020 - African states, including the continent's biggest economy Nigeria, on Wednesday said they had begun to introduce measures aimed at stopping the spread of the new coronavirus. No verified infection has been reported to date in...
Mauritania: Authorities arrest men over homosexuality
Nouakchott, Jan 28, 2020 - Prosecutors in the Mauritania, where homosexuality is outlawed, have detained and charged 10 young men after a video presented as a "gay marriage" surfaced, a legal source said Tuesday. "The prosecutor's office sent the young homosexual...
Sahel: Concern in France as US military prepares to reduce its presence in the Sahel
Washington, Jan 27, 2020 - French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly warned Monday that expected cuts to the Pentagon's African operations would hamper efforts against jihadist groups, especially in the Sahel region. But US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper made clear...
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