Contributions

On August 2, 2019, Mauritania experienced a new change in its head of state, after the election to the presidency on June 22, 2019 of retired general Mohamed Ahmed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, former Minister of Defence. In an abrupt break from recurring violent changes at head of state level, the country has recorded its first peaceful passage between two officially elected presidents. Caricaturally, an ex-soldier has passed the torch to his former comrade in arms. The nominee of the military nomenclature was largely supported by traditional and religious chiefdoms, as well as most businessmen and some dissidents in the opposition parties. At the finish, he was declared winner with 52% of the votes in the first round. The announcement of these results took place in a very tense context.

by Abdoulaye Bâ

In 2008, a young African who took to the sea to flee his country told French-Senegalese actress and director Mati Diop: “When you decide to leave, you are already dead.” Many African candidates for exile in Europe would experience death once again, real this time, in the waves of the Mediterranean.

by Abbas Aroua

Creating effective education systems for young people is often at the forefront of discussions for nations which seek to increase their social, economic, and political stability. Positive educational outcomes at the national level contribute to higher levels of innovation, cultivation of talented individuals, and a reduction in so-called brain drain, a phenomenon in which the brightest and most skilled individuals in a community leave their area of origin for more promising educational and career prospects elsewhere.

At present, sources providing positive rhetoric surrounding Yemen are scarce. However, recently, the specialty coffee industry has brought to light farming communities in mountainous regions of Yemen that are working to maintain an ancient legacy in the country’s history: coffee.

Since 16 February 2019, Algeria has witnessed a massive mobilization of its population against the powers ruling the country. The CFG posed questions to Lakhdar Ghettas, Program Manager and Expert on Algerian issues, to better understand the situation. (Interview conducted on March 14, 2019)

by Abdoulaye Bâ

The new violent intrusion of "jihadism" in the Sahel in the early 2000s has plunged the region into a new, atypical phase of insecurity, which is putting a strain on social cohesion in these countries. Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon, among others, have increasingly been hit in the last decade, and to varying degrees, by groups proclaiming "jihad". Beyond the questioning of the founding elements of the national pacts, the actors of this violence exploit community identities by invoking a religious reference, which makes the situation even more complex.