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President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed South Africa’s place in the G20, rejecting his United States counterpart Donald Trump’s claim that the country would be excluded from next year’s summit (X)

A primer for the White House visit by West and Central African countries

Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal should learn from South Africa’s experience when preparing for their dealings with the US administration

President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani (Photo by Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Mauritania, stable outlier in turbulent region, re-elects president

Former army chief and incumbent president Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani won just over 56% of the vote

African refugees and migrants fleeing war and dictatorships in search of safety on European shores.  (AFP)

Home may be the least bad option for African migrants

To keep migrants away, Fortress Europe has extended its walls into African countries such as Morocco and Mauritania

Late on Sunday 5 March, four prisoners escaped from the central prison in Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania, killing two soldiers in the process.

Jailbreak in Mauritania leads to internet shutdown

The government uses the escape of ‘terrorists’ as an excuse to cut connectivity as a ‘safety measure’

Libya’s southwestern tip in the Sahara bordering Algeria and Niger has turned into an open door for migrants and refugees from sub-Saharan countries heading for Europe.

Africa’s forgotten colony in the Sahara

Rich in resources but largely unrecognised, those in the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic eke out a livelihood under harsh conditions.

Anger: People in Madrid protest against Spain’s support for Morocco’s plan for Western Sahara. (Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP)

Spain shafts Western Sahara to win Morocco’s favour

Relations between the two allies soured but their recent reconciliation has serious implications for Morocco’s neighbours, especially the Sahrawis

Griffon armoured vehicles from Operation Barkhane patrol the streets before the handover ceremony of the Barkhane military base to the Malian army in Timbuktu, on December 14, 2021. (FLORENT VERGNES / AFP)

France withdraws from Mali, but continues to devastate the Sahel

French troops have now begun to leave Mali, but they are not returning to France. They will be sent to neighbouring Niger

A factory of the National Moroccan phosphates company (OCP/public) in Marca, near Laayoune, the capTial of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara. As a global leader in the market for phosphate and its derivatives, OCP has been a key player in the international market since its founding in 1920, the world’s largest exporter of phosphate rock and phosphoric acid and one of the world’s largest fertiliser producers.  (Photo by Fadel Senna/AFP)

Morocco drives a war in Western Sahara for its phosphates

Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara is about the presence of resources, especially phosphates that make up 72% of the world’s reserves. Phosphate is used in fertiliser, a key…

Photo: File

What’s the fuss about Israel’s observer status at the AU?

Nongovernmental organisations applying for observer status at the African Union are subjected to intense scrutiny but a non-African state merely needs the approval of the AU…

Clearing weeds as part of a campaign into recycling fishing nets in Lake Ossa

Fighting an alien invasion

The invasive salvinia fern is taking over the nation’s largest lake; now all hope rests with a tiny alien bug

A respected and robust United States — with all of our flaws, mistakes and missteps — can be good for the defence of democracy, not least in Africa.

The Trump era is over. But the fight for democracy is just getting started

A respected and robust United States — with all of our flaws, mistakes and missteps — can be good for the defence of democracy, not least in Africa

Seeking his fortune: Artisanal gold miner Mamadou Diarra pans for gold in Kalana in southern Mali. Small-scale mining in the Sahel region has been under attack by armed groups. (Joe Penney/Reuters)

Gold rush destabilises central Sahel

States need to assert control over the artisanal mining sector, which is being secured by local armed groups

Students must push back and demand that African scholarship is the first and central source in African Studies versus being an afterthought. (Eddie Keogh/Reuters)

There is no Africa in African studies

The experience of studying Africa in London makes the writers question the validity of "African Studies" as is currently taught in Britain.

Ghazouani will on August 2 officially take over the presidency from close ally Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. (Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty Images)

Mauritania releases opposition supporters arrested after vote clashes

Ex-general Mohamed Ould Ghazouani won the June 22 poll with an absolute majority of 52%, the Constitutional Council announced on Monday

Mohamed Ould Boubacar (left) and Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid. (Sia Kambou/AFP)

Mauritania cracks down on opposition after election

​Mauritanian police raided the headquarters of two opposition parties

Some 1.5-million people were eligible to vote in the vast predominantly Muslim state, which is approximately twice the size of former colonial power France but has a population of just 4.5-million. (Luca Pistone/AFP)

Opposition cry foul over Mauritania ruling party victory

With a clear majority, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, former head of the domestic security service, has won outright

Ghazouani obtained 52.01% of votes cast in Saturday’s presidential poll. (Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty Images)

Mauritania ruling party’s Ghazouani declared presidential vote winner

With a clear majority of the votes, Ghazouani has won outright with no need for a second-round runoff election

Six candidates are vying to succeed President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who is standing down after a decade in power. (AFP)

Rivalry and revelry mark Mauritania election campaign

After a campaign rich in colour and steeped in desert traditions, voters in Mauritania will choose on Saturday among six candidates

The African Development Bank’s shareholders must decide whether the mandate will expand to crowd in private finance, derisk green investment and underwriter regional public goods, or retreat to classical project lending.

The AU needs to walk the talk on corruption

African citizens consistently place corruption amongst their top concerns, with many indicating that they have lost faith in many key institutions

Why do we have a face of Brian Shivambu as a face of the VBS loot? — EFF leader Julius Malema.

AU summit host warns of ‘security failings’ in Sahel after Mali attacks

A bombing aimed at French soldiers on patrol in Mauritania’s troubled north killed four civilians and injured over 20 people, including four soldiers