Southern Africa leaders back Western Sahara at ‘historic’ talks Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | Several southern African leaders on Tuesday threw their support behind Western Sahara, with one calling the disputed territory the “last colony” on the African continent. Also attending is Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni. President Cyril Ramaphosa, leader …
Read More »Governments ponder what to do with returning jihadists
Paris, France | AFP | The imminent fall of the Islamic State’s caliphate in Iraq and Syria has left many countries grappling with what to do with jihadists who want to return. Several hundred foreign jihadists are being detained by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main fighters on the …
Read More »Gabon president Bongo leaves Morocco to fly home
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Gabon’s ailing President Ali Bongo left Morocco on Monday to fly home days after security forces there foiled an attempted coup, a source close to the leader said. “Doctors have judged that the journey does not present any danger for his health,” the source said, …
Read More »New Gabon government announced from abroad
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s prime minister announced a new government in a video message recorded thousands of miles away in Morocco, where ailing Gabonese President Ali Bongo is recovering from a stroke. Recently appointed PM Julien Nkoghe Bekale gave details of the reshuffle in footage broadcast late Saturday …
Read More »Morocco complains to UN of W. Sahara truce violations
United Nations, United States | AFP | Morocco has accused Polisario Front fighters in Western Sahara of violating a ceasefire agreement, just weeks before an expected new round of talks on ending the decades-old conflict. In a letter seen by AFP on Friday, Morocco’s UN Ambassador Omar Hilale cited three …
Read More »Morocco closes 2,000 mine shafts after string of deaths
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Moroccan authorities closed 2,000 illegal mine shafts last year in Jerada, an impoverished former coal town that has been the site of a string of deadly mining accidents. The closure of the “abandoned and illicitly exploited shafts” was announced Wednesday by the energy and mines …
Read More »Gabon president leaves Morocco hospital
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Gabon’s President Ali Bongo has left hospital in Rabat and will stay at a private residence in the Moroccan capital as he recovers from illness, a presidency source said Wednesday. The 59-year-old, who fell ill on October 24 at an economic forum, arrived in Morocco …
Read More »Gabon president Bongo ‘doing well’ in Morocco after illness: PM
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s President Ali Bongo is recovering well after being hospitalised in Morocco, his prime minister said after the two met in the capital Rabat. The 59-year-old president, who fell ill on October 24 at an economic forum, arrived in Morocco last week following a month’s …
Read More »Gabon top officials join ailing president in Morocco
Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Gabon’s top government officials gathered Tuesday in Rabat where President Ali Bongo is recovering after treatment for an illness that has not been officially revealed, his office said. The 59-year-old leader, who fell ill on October 24 at an economic forum, arrived in Morocco last …
Read More »Morocco king meets Gabon president Bongo in hospital
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Monday visited Gabon’s President Ali Bongo at a military hospital in Rabat where the Gabonese leader is recovering from an illness, an official source said. During the visit, the king said he was pleased about the state of Bongo’s health …
Read More »