Mauritania: France condemns bombing

  1. Posted on Monday 10 August 2009 - 07:47
    Murtala
    Image of Murtala
    Murtala Mohamed Kamara, AfricaNews reporter in Freetown, Sierra Leone
    The French authorities have condemned a suicide bombing at its embassy in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott which left three people injured. No group has so far claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack but Mauritanian authorities point fingers at Al-Qaeda with network in North-West Africa.
    Mauritania map
    According to a BBC report, the suicide bomber had been wearing a belt packed with explosives which he detonated at 1900 GMT outside the embassy leaving him dead instantly and three other embassy staffs injured.

    A statement by the French Foreign ministry condemning the attacks said "France reiterates its determination to fight against terrorism together with the authorities and the people of Mauritania."

    The once peaceful North West African country of Mauritania has witness violence in recent times. Reuters quoted a senior Mauritania security official as saying that "An attempted suicide bombing is a new event in Mauritania, we have to be wary of this new type of threat."

    The official who spoke on condition of anonymity according to the news agency said "From now on we will have to take extra security measures, but even so, there is no such thing as zero risk."

    Al-Qaeda in the Magreb has been active in recent times. The group has held hostage of several Westerners and were responsible for killing of senior security officials in that region. A terror expert said the group cannot be ‘overlook’ in the fight against world terror.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive