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Sahel: Some 40 migrants perish off the coast of Mauritania
Nouakchott, Aug 6, 2020 - About 40 people are feared dead after a migrant vessel sank off the coast of Mauritania, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday. In a tweet, the agency's special envoy for the central Mediterranean, Vincent Cochetel, said one person from the...
Sahel to get $285 million of Covid-19 aid from AfDB
The African Development Bank said Thursday it would provide $285 million in aid to Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad to help them fight the coronavirus pandemic. The aid was being provided within the framework of a $10-billion COVID-19 response facility...
Mauritania: Former President snubs parliament hearing on oil revenues
Nouakchott, July 9, 2020 - Mauritania's former president on Thursday skipped a parliamentary hearing examining his management of oil revenues while in office, a spokesman said, adding that he is "not above the law". Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, the West African state's...
France’s massive challenges in the Sahel
France is increasingly optimistic about the effectiveness of its anti-jihadist campaign in the Sahel, but experts caution that short-term successes will not by themselves bring lasting victory. President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the Mauritanian capital...
Sahel: The who’s who of foreign forces in the Sahel
French troops who killed senior Al Qaeda leader Abdelmalek Droukdel in the Sahel region of Africa this week work alongside several allied military missions. Here is a roundup of anti-jihadist operations in the area. Barkhane Operation Barkhane is the biggest French...
Sahel: New Covid-19 infections in Mauritania after easing restrictions
Nouakchott, May 15, 2020 - Mauritania has said that it will reinstate restrictions on mosque prayers, after a recent of spike of coronavirus cases in the semi-desert West African state. The government had eased restrictions on such prayers only last week, prompting...
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...
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