Tunisia, France hold joint naval exercises in Bizerte

2009-11-19 Tunisia and French this week are carrying out joint naval exercises near Bizerte, ANSA reported on Wednesday (November 18th). The manoeuvres reportedly aim to strengthen bilateral military co-operation in surveillance and maritime security.

French tour company resumes Mauritania operations

2009-11-18 Point Afrique will resume charter flights to the Mauritanian desert city of Atar next month, the French tour operator announced on Tuesday (November 17th). The company suspended Mauritania operations after four French tourists were murdered while camping near Aleg in late December 2007. The slaying also prompted the relocation of the Paris-Dakar rally.

Tunisia 'least corrupt' Maghreb country, international survey finds

2009-11-18 Tunisia topped the Maghreb region for public sector transparency in the 2009 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), Babnet reported on Wednesday (November 18th). According to the annual survey of 180 counties released this week by Transparency International, Tunisia ranked 65th worldwide. This year's result, however, was a 3-spot decline from 2008. Morocco ranked 89th, Algeria was 111th and Libya was 130th on the index. New Zealand was this year's number 1 nation. The CPI is compiled from reports by ten independent institutions, including the African Development Bank and the World Bank.

Morocco jails Al Massae journalists

2009-11-18 A Moroccan court sentenced two Al Massae journalists to prison for "publishing false information" in a drug trafficking case, ANSA reported on Tuesday (November 17th). Editor Rachid Nini received a 3-month jail term and writer Said Laajal got a two-month sentence for reporting that during an interrogation, the alleged head of a drug trafficking network had discussed the involvement of a judicial official.

Algerian nuclear physicist accused of plotting terror attacks in France

2009-11-18 A French-Algerian nuclear physicist arrested on terror-related charges in Paris last month allegedly contacted North African terrorists to discuss possible attacks on French military targets, international press quoted French prosecutors as saying on Tuesday (November 17th). Adlene Hicheur, 32, who worked on the Hadron collider project at CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) near Geneva, was arrested after intelligence services reportedly intercepted internet messages to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb members.

Morocco seeks closer ties with Mauritania

2009-11-17 Moroccan Foreign Affairs Taieb Fassi-Fihri met with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz in Nouakchott on Monday (November 16th) to discuss bilateral relations, Journal Tahalil reported. "Morocco wants to further strengthen and diversify co-operation with Mauritania to bring it to the highest level," Fassi-Fihri said. He also delivered a message from King Mohammed VI in which the monarch noted the many opportunities for closer bonds between the Maghreb neighbours.

Ben Ali addresses World Food Summit

2009-11-17 Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on Monday (November 16th) addressed some 60 heads of state and world leaders gathered for the World Food Summit at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's Rome headquarters, TAP reported. Ben Ali noted Tunisia's progress to ensure national food security by "improving the living conditions of inhabitants in rural areas, enhancing women's development role in these areas" and supporting water resources through a network of dams and artificial lakes.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will be represented at the 3-day event by Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci. Pope Benedict XVI, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other world figures will also address the summit.

Mauritania touts counter-terror operations near Mali border

2009-11-17 Mauritanian security forces took reporters on their first-ever tour of counter-terrorism operations in the restive desert region of Adrar on Friday (November 13th), ANI reported.

Adrar is the country's most popular tourist destination but also the infiltration point for Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb terrorists from Mali. The 2008 kidnapping and subsequent beheading of 11 Mauritanian soldiers in Aklet Tourine spurred Mauritania to create a special military unit in the north-eastern province. Ever since the Mauritanian Special Forces (GSI) cordoned off the area, "all infiltration areas have been fully identified [and] illegal activities have come to a complete halt," said GSI Commander Sidi Ahmed.

To handle the difficult desert conditions, GSI operatives receive special survival training and learn to master driving in the sand dunes without GPS navigation. An outreach strategy with nomads has also benefitted military counter-terrorism operations in the sparsely-populated region, the GSI officer explained.

"To ensure that the nomads provide information to the army, not the enemy, a support program has been implemented. The GSI facilitates their access to water and medical care and buys their livestock, which dispenses with the need for them to make long trips to the city and ensures their income," he said. "Our intelligence capabilities are enhanced."

Mauritania holds anti-slavery workshop for police, justice officials

2009-11-16 Mauritania held a workshop on Sunday (November 15th) to educate law enforcement and justice officials on slavery-related issues, DPA reported. The Nouakchott training session targets more effective implementation of the law criminalising slavery, Human Rights Minister Mohamed al-Amin Walid Aldadah was quoted as saying. In the beginning of November, a UN mission determined that slavery practices persist in Mauritania despite their formal abolition in 2007.

Arab youth employment summit convenes in Algiers

2009-11-16 Representatives of governments, civil society and youth organisations from Arab League nations are in Algiers for the 1st Arab Conference on Youth Employment, which opened on Sunday (November 15th), MAP reported. The overall unemployment rate in the Arab region has reached 13.2%, with some 4 million young people entering the Arab labour market each year, Arab League Deputy Secretary-General for Social Affairs Sima Bahouth said in her opening address to the summit. At this rate, Arab countries must fill nearly 100 million job positions by 2020, Bahouth added, pointing out that this goal cannot be achieved "without the adoption of new approaches".

In a letter addressed to participants attending the 3-day event, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said that resolving the crisis of youth unemployment and the "brain drain" will require a concerted effort by employers, labour unions and NGOs.

The Moroccan delegation, meanwhile, will reportedly discuss the Moukawalati programme and the restructuring of the National Agency for Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC).