Women’s leadership ‘critical’ to future of Niger
The role of women in leadership positions is critical to the future of a peaceful Niger according to the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed. Ms Mohammed was speaking at a meeting with the Nigerien president, Mahamadou Issoufu, on Saturday in the capital Niamey which was part of a joint United Nations -African Union (UN-AU) mission […]
Fed to Wed: An ancient tradition of force-feeding girls in Mauritania
From a very young age girls in Mauritania are put on a strict diet. Its intention is to help them achieve a certain standard of beauty to ensure that they can find a good husband. The reality of this means force-feeding. Leblouh, as the tradition is called, may be fading away in the cities but […]
The Unspeakable Truth About Slavery in Mauritania
Photojournalist, Seif Kousmate, photographed and interviewed current and former slaves in Mauritania and got imprisoned by police in the process. In 1981, Mauritania made slavery illegal, the last country in the world to do so. Nonetheless, tens of thousands of people – mostly from the minority Haratine or Afro-Mauritanian groups – still live as bonded […]
Burkina Faso in the fight against terrorism
In New York for the 72nd Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the President of Burkina Faso, His Excellency Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, participated in a high-level G5 Sahel meeting on Monday 18 September. The objective of the meeting was to make the international community aware of the urgent need to support the […]
António Guterres welcomes deployment of regional force to combat terrorism in the Sahel
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed the deployment by the so-called Group of Five (G5) – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – of a joint force to tackle the threat of terrorism and organized crime in the Sahel region. In a statement issued late last night by his spokesman, the Secretary-General welcomed […]
France Says Troops Killed 20 Militants in Northern Mali
France’s defense ministry has said its troops took several combatants “out of action” in operations against jihadist groups in Mali this week. The assault also resulted in the seizure of weapons and other equipment. Soldiers taking part in France’s counterterror mission in northern Mali clashed with Islamist militants this week, taking out around 20 fighters, […]
Plastic Bag Bans in Africa – Reality or Fantasy?
Tunisia and Kenya recently joined the ranks of African countries banning the use of plastic bags – but poor waste management and a mentality of littering make the prospect of a plastic waste-free society unrealistic. Plastic bags are used daily across Africa – the bans are hoped to tackle the pervasive problem of waste. In […]
United Nations and Mauritania discuss slavery
A UN mission yesterday discussed slavery and means to fight it with the Mauritanian government in Nouakchott, the Anadolu Agency reported. The UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Urmila Bhoola, met with the Mauritanian Human Rights and Women Issues Commissioner, Sheikh Altrad Ould Abdel-Malik. According to the official Mauritanian news agency, UN reports about this issue published in May […]
Visa-free African Union Diplomatic Passport Launched: Everything you need to know about it and how to get it
It’s official—the African Union has launched its continental e-passport program Sunday as part of the opening ceremony of the 27th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Kigali, Rwanda. But unless you’re Rwandan President Paul Kagame or Chadian President Idriss Eby, who are already carrying their fancy-looking red and gold document, an […]
Third Summit of African Agency for Great Green Wall Begins in Nouakchott
The Third Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Governments of the African Agency for the Green Wall began sittings Monday in Nouakchott, Mauritania, with participation of the President of the Republic, Field Marshal Omer Al-Bashir, and the Presidents of Mauritania, Chad, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and representatives of Niger, Ethiopia and Nigeria. The […]
