1203 issue: week ending 26 February 2021

Libya PM Dbeibah pledges unity, faces major challenges in forming government

By Rim Taher - Libya's prime minister-designate Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on Thursday said he had submitted a "vision" for an interim government, as he seeks to lead the North African nation to elections in December. Dbeibah was selected early this month in a UN-sponsored...

Moroccans debating legalization of cannabis for medicinal use

Morocco, a country where large volumes of cannabis are grown illicitly, is considering legalising production for therapeutic use of the drug, the government said Thursday. The government has "begun to study a legislative bill relating to the legal use of cannabis," it...

Senegal braces for Jihadist spillover from the Sahel

Senegal's President Macky Sall said Tuesday that his native country and neighbouring West African states must "prepare to do battle" to stop jihadist expansion beyond the Sahel. In an interview broadcast that day by French radio RFI, the president also urged a more...

Sahel: Profile of Niger’s new president, Mohamed Bazoum

By Boureima Hama - Mohamed Bazoum, named the winner of Niger's presidential election, worked for years as the right-hand man of outgoing president Mahamadou Issoufou, often doing tough or tedious jobs that earned him little prominence. But that seemingly thankless...