The building of the Mauritania’s Train du Desert which was completed in 1963 must have been brutal. The train system operates a daily service from the port at Nouadhibou on the Atlantic coast to the iron ore mines in Zouerat. A full journey runs along the border of the disputed territory of Western Sahara and takes around 20 hours. The train is made up of three or four diesel locomotives, one passenger carriage, and between 200 and 210 freight cars.
Mauritania became an independent nation in 1960.
March 31, 2023
Pirates have abandoned Monjasa Reformer, a Danish-owned ship hijacked in the Gulf of Guinea last week, but have taken some crew members with them. Ransom demands expected shortly.
April 6, 2023
Gunmen in Nigeria's northern Kaduna state kidnapped eight school kids while Nigeria's military fights a long-running Islamist insurgency in the northeast. I know it's sounds like same old sh^t but it serves as a reminder.
May 8, 2023
Rumors of Russian paramilitary group Wagner looking to supply weapons to the RSF in Sudan in exchange for RSF-controlled gold mining resources.
June 4, 2023
Turkey, which sent forces to help the government in Tripoli ward off an assault by eastern forces in 2020, has previously deployed drones from bases in western Libya. Ankara has not commented the June 2 drone strikes by Libya's Government on the western regions of Zawia, Zuwara, Ajeelat, and Maya. What are Ergodan and Libya's GNU goals?
BTW, this started me thinking about Hannibal fleeing to what is now modern day Turkey. Yes, I know Carthage, Hannibal's base, is in modern day Tunisia.
July 23, 2023
Morocco considers Western Sahara its own territory, but Algeria isn't happy and many some Algerians prefer WS to be an independent state. Is war coming?
July 28, 2023
On-going coup of Bazoum in Niger. Some folks outside the National Assembly waved Russian flags and chanted anti-French slogans.
Sept 8, 2023
Jihad steps up attacks in Mali while UN works on its exit.
Oct 14, 2023
UN forces exit Mali -Fighting intensifies-no surprise- between the army and separatist insurgents in Mali.
Oct 23, 2023
Elsewhere in Africa: Moroccan police seized 1.37 tons of cocaine in Casablanca. It was concealed in a cargo of imported frozen fish found at a distribution company and was imported from a Latin American country via Spain, the Moroccan police. Where's Bogey.
EU sanctions the junta in Niger.
Nov 21, 2023
Malawi President Chakwera suspended all foreign trips by government officials, including himself. Let's see how long this lasts.
Dec 2, 2023
Biden promised to visit Angola. He hopes to discuss the Artemis Accords, a pact designed to shape the rules for space exploration with Angola, which has a satellite program that has benefited from Russian support. Angola and Russia have not signed up.
Jan 2, 2024
Landlocked Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, a breakaway enclave of Somalia, which give it access to the Red Sea.
Ethiopia has offered the region a stake in Ethiopian Airlines and will officially recognize it as a sovereign state. Somaliland declared its independence in 1991.
Feb 25, 2024
Canada pledges $59M for the deployment of a Kenya-led multinational mission to support Haitian police in its battle to contain criminal gangs. Quite a path!
April 15, 2024
Sunak, Brit PM, is ready to exit ECHR if his Rwanda Scheme passes in Parliament. It paves the way for asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda.
Rwanda needs to be treated by British judges as a safe destination, and it will also limit individuals' options for an appeal to only exceptional cases.
April 27, 2024
A portion of the USA. troops in Chad will move to Germany for now, but it's a temporary step. Hey, Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder hints they may return after the country's May 6 presidential election, and it sounds like they're sure Deby will win.
June 12, 2024
Tunisia: Saied may use a decree to void the Article 25 statute which prohibits direct financing of the state budget by its Central Bank. Abassi, the bank's governor, warns financing it will lead to a Venezuela scenario.
June 25, 2024
Kenya is facing tax protests in the street. A proposed "eco levy" on most manufactured goods including sanitary towels and diapers has made the situation worse.
July 2, 2024
Libya fully reopens major Ras Ijdir border crossing with Tunisia. Nouri, Tunisian IM, states "reopened for all activities except smuggling". It gave me a chuckle-although probably not his intention.
This follows three months of armed clashes.
Sept 28, 2024
Kenya supplies more than 40% of the flower market in Europe, particularly fresh roses. Planes makes deliveries daily to various cities.
Unpaid overtime, harsh working conditions, and lack of protective gear on some flower farms , are among numerous complaints to both the Kenya Flower Council and (KEPHIS).
October 8, 2024
Saied, the leader of Tunisia since 2019, has removed institutional and legal checks on his own power and claims not to be a dictator. He's getting financial help from European countries worried about migration.
Oct 30, 2024
Macron offers more French investment for the Western Sahara in a speech to Morocco's parliament. Tension with Algeria will heighten.
Algeria has been imposing visa requirements on Moroccans, accusing some of its passport holders of "Zionist espionage".
Nov 2, 2024
Global demand for diamonds hurt Botswana and BDP, its ruling party for 58 years, just got knocked out of power by the UDC (Umbrella for Democratic Change). Masisi out,Boko in.
Older blog:
https://vaporvents.blogspot.com/2020/10/africa-those-darn-wigs-and-gowns.html
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