The government of Kuwait confirmed on Monday that the regional standoff between Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations that began in June 2017 has been resolved between the two main players. Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah, who has represented Kuwait during mediation talks, delivered the news…
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth of Mauritius has called for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, saying the pandemic has made painfully clear the inequities that exist between the world’s richer nations and their impoverished counterparts around the globe. “Such an access is key to change the course of the pandemic and…
Two years after Qatar was accused of sponsoring terrorism abroad – and isolated by many Gulf states and their African counterparts – comes the news that Qatar may well be coordinating attacks in Somalia. The New York Times reported Monday that it has possession of an audio recording made by…
Twelve days after the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, there are still no definitive answers about what happened to the widely respected critic of Saudi Arabian Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the kingdom. What is clear is that what began as an incident involving Riyadh and Ankara after Khashoggi’s fateful visit to an…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Qatar’s ambassador to Sudan said Tuesday that work to restore the port at Suakin Island will begin this month, following the USD$4 billion deal between the two countries to develop the Red Sea site. Rashid Abdul Rahman Al-Nuaimi said the work will begin in the first of three stages, the…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Tensions in the Horn of Africa are drawing attention to the border between Sudan and Eritrea, raising new concerns – and not a little complexity – about regional instability, and the diplomatic and security touchpoints that have implications extending across the Middle East. Sudan announced a border closure in Kassala…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Ethiopia is denying reports that it received funding for its Renaissance Dam project from Qatar, a provocative charge that comes amid its own crisis with Egypt and Sudan over Nile River impacts and as Qatar’s tensions with Gulf neighbors and their African allies continue. In response to Egyptian media reports…
Bulgarian Irina Bokova, the outgoing Director General of the United Nations cultural agency, has expressed regret over a decision by the United States to withdraw as a full member of the body and called it both a loss to UNESCO and to humanity. Bokova, head of the United Nations Educational,…
The government of Chad announced Wednesday that it is closing the embassy of Qatar and giving 10 days for Qatari diplomats to leave the country. The letter issued by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hissein Brahim Taha said that Chad made the decision to expel Qatar’s diplomats because of the nation’s…
The Qatari foreign minister’s visit to China Thursday heightened the attention to Beijing’s influence in the Middle East and North Africa, in a week that also saw a welcome to his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia’s foreign minister, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al…
Government officials in Qatar say they have reviewed a list of 13 demands presented by Saudi Arabia and aligned nations earlier this week, and find them neither “reasonable nor actionable,” according to the Al Jazeera network. Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed Al Thani, Qatar’s communications director, mirrored the precise language used…
The Government of Eritrea issued a statement Saturday that acknowledges Qatar’s decision to remove peacekeeping troops from the region, a move that has led to escalating tensions along its border with Djibouti, but suggests it has no information about why. Asmara’s statement said that the small, historically repressive Horn of…
The nation of Chad has recalled its ambassador from Qatar, the latest African nation to distance itself from the small Arabian Gulf state following Bahrain’s severing of ties with Qatar over terrorism. Chad’s foreign ministry confirmed its decision in a statement Thursday, according to Reuters. Bahrain, immediately followed by Saudi…
One of the rival governments to Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) also has cut its ties with the small Kingdom of Qatar, its leadership announced on Monday. The power centers based in Tobruk and Bayda have followed the lead of Egypt, which is closely aligned with Khalifa…