Author: fatimah

The Moroccan government is strengthening its legal and judicial cooperation with Belgium in the fight against organised crime, particularly transnational criminal networks, illicit trafficking, and money laundering. Morocco’s Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, and his Belgian counterpart, Annelies Verlinden, held a bilateral meeting in Brussels on Monday to discuss elevating judicial cooperation between the two countries. Both parties reaffirmed their shared commitment to reinforcing judicial cooperation in support of the rule of law, highlighting the strong and longstanding partnership between the two kingdoms. According to an official Moroccan source, discussions focused heavily on cross-border crime, which both sides identified as…

Burkina Faso has entered into a five-year cooperation agreement with the Russian Federation aimed at strengthening collaboration in higher education and scientific research. The agreement was signed by Burkina Faso’s Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Adjima Thiombiano, and Nataliia Krasovskaia, Executive Director of Russia’s Center for Public Diplomacy, according to an official statement from the Burkinabe ministry. Under the framework of the partnership, both countries plan to deepen academic and scientific ties through the exchange of expertise, shared information, and the organization of joint initiatives in research and innovation. Speaking after the signing ceremony, Minister Thiombiano said the…

Several industrial facilities in western Mali’s Bafoulabé district were targeted over the weekend in coordinated attacks by heavily armed assailants, causing extensive material damage and the reported abduction of three workers, according to company officials. Ibrahima Diawara, Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Cement, told Anadolu Agency that his factory was among at least three sites attacked. He said two other industrial facilities were also hit but declined to provide further details on the condition or whereabouts of the abducted employees. Security sources and witnesses said the attackers, estimated at around 160 men travelling on roughly 100 motorcycles, struck multiple locations…

Nearly nine million voters were registered to participate in the legislative and municipal elections held on Sunday in Benin Republic, as vote counting continues and citizens await the final results. The elections, conducted under tight security, come just one month after authorities thwarted an attempted coup on December 7, 2025. As ballots are being tallied, attention is now focused on the official proclamation of results, which is expected later this week. The polls involved the election of 109 members of the National Assembly and more than 1,800 municipal councillors. Those elected will serve extended seven-year terms following the constitutional revision…

Ghana has committed US$1.47 billion to stabilising its energy sector, a move the government says is intended to reverse years of financial strain and rebuild trust among international partners. In a statement released on Monday, the Ministry of Finance said the intervention was necessary to address long-standing payment defaults that had placed the sector under severe pressure, particularly in relation to gas supplies from the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) field. Officials noted that accumulated arrears before the current administration took office had exhausted a US$500 million World Bank Partial Risk Guarantee, a facility designed to shield investors from payment…

Aziz Akhannouch, president of Morocco’s ruling National Rally of Independents (RNI), has announced that he will not contest the country’s next parliamentary elections, scheduled for September 2026. The decision was confirmed during a meeting of the party’s political bureau on Saturday. Akhannouch also said he would not seek re-election as RNI president at the party’s eighth national congress, set for February 7. He cited adherence to the party’s internal regulations, which limit the presidency to two terms, as the basis for his decision. Despite stepping aside, Akhannouch expressed confidence in the RNI’s organisational strength and political influence, saying the party…

The Nigerian government has reached an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to formalise a new framework aimed at strengthening the country’s tertiary education sector. In a statement, the Ministry of Education said the agreement underscores the government’s commitment to constructive engagement with organised academic bodies and its preference for resolving labour disputes through dialogue rather than industrial action. The agreement follows years of negotiations between the government and ASUU over longstanding challenges affecting public universities, including funding gaps, infrastructure deficits, and conditions of service for academic staff. The document was signed on behalf of the Ministry…

Egypt’s pro-government coalition has secured a decisive victory in the country’s parliamentary elections, according to final results announced over the weekend by the National Elections Authority. The electoral body confirmed the outcome of the three-month-long vote after releasing results for the final 49 seats, handing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his allies a parliamentary supermajority widely seen as sufficient to support constitutional amendments. Parties aligned under the pro-government National List for Egypt coalition won 164 seats contested by individual candidates. Most of the remaining individual seats were claimed by smaller parties and independents who are broadly considered supportive of the…

At least four people were killed in the early hours of Saturday when unidentified gunmen attacked Damala village in the Woko district of Borgu Local Government Area, Niger State. According to the Niger State Police Command, the attackers stormed the community at dawn, killing residents and rustling an unspecified number of cattle. Several shops were also set ablaze before the assailants fled the area. The police spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident in a statement, noting that security forces have since launched an investigation and intensified patrols in and around the affected community. The latest attack comes just a week…

Sudan’s government has pledged to restore security and improve living conditions across the country following its return to Khartoum for the first time since war erupted in April 2023. Prime Minister Kamel Idris made the commitment after arriving in the capital from Port Sudan, which had functioned as the seat of government during the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Addressing residents, Idris described the government’s return as a critical moment in Sudan’s recovery and expressed hope that the period ahead would mark a transition toward peace and stability. He said the government would…