Turkey’s ambassador to Tunisia has denied reports that extremist fighters from Syria are being transferred to Libya, a claim that has circulated in Libyan news outlets aligned with General Khalifa Haftar and the Libyan National Army (LNA) based in the country’s east. The new ambassador in Tunis, Refik Ali Onaner,…
The United States government has put its previously threatened economic sanctions on Turkey into force, targeting top Turkish government agencies and officials as tensions between the two nations in the Middle East continued to escalate. “The Turkish government’s actions are endangering innocent civilians and destabilizing the region, including undermining the…
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…
Six Turkish citizens were released by Libyan forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar on Monday, following Haftar’s declaration that all Turkish citizens and assets in the country are Libyan National Army targets – and an equally forceful message from Turkey that warned of retaliation. Turkey’s ministry of foreign affairs called the…
The Libyan National Army has orders to target any Turkish ships or boats it finds in Libyan territorial waters, after LNA leader Khalifa Haftar declared Turkey responsible for “illegitimate Turkish aggression which resulted in destructive acts.” The decision announced early Saturday also says Turkish interests on Libyan soil are to…
Both sides in Libya’s battle over Tripoli are getting military equipment from foreign countries, with widely shared social media images raising new questions over violations of a 2011 United Nations ban on sending weapons and equipment to Libya. Forces aligned with Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) posted one set…
Fayez Al-Sarraj, head of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, met Thursday with Ghassan Salamé, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to discuss the ongoing conflict over Tripoli. The meeting comes as the death toll in Libya…
The South African government has joined the global community in pressing for answers on what happened to Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, even as new details provided by Turkey added information about the suffering in Khashoggi’s final moments. South Africa’s foreign affairs ministry, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), issued…
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
Turkey is set to welcome ministers and business representatives from 49 African countries as the two-day Turkey-Africa Economy and Business Forum begins in Istanbul on Wednesday. This year’s forum is jointly organized by the African Union Commission, the Turkish Ministry of Commerce and Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK). Participants…
Election officials in Turkey say President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has an absolute-majority win in Sunday’s presidential election with 99 percent of the votes counted. The Supreme Election Council announcement, reported by Turkey’s state-aligned Anadolu news agency, countered claims by the opposition that Erdoğan would need to compete in a runoff…
Global human rights organization Amnesty International is again pressuring European Union nations to change its policies on migration from Libya, where thousands of refugees and migrants are trapped in shocking conditions. That message comes as EU officials said Wednesday that the central Mediterranean transit numbers remain much lower, but the…
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
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey began a tour of four African nations on Monday in Algeria, where he met with Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia to discuss cooperation on counterterrorism, energy, and economic development and trade. It is Erdoğan’s second visit to Algeria since becoming president in 2014 and he…
A Russian diplomat says the ship that’s being held in Tunisia, reportedly with 24 unregistered containers full of military equipment on board, belongs to a Turkish company and has no Russian citizens among its crew members. “This ship belongs to the Turkish company Akdeniz Ro Ro, and on February 15…