Musings From Abroad

Mauritanian, Fawaz Ahmed, sentenced to death in Mali over 2015 restaurant shootings, extradited to US

Published

2 years ago

December 11, 2022

United States Justice Department has confirmed that a Mauritanian man who was sentenced to death in Mali for involvement in attacks that killed dozens including an American in 2015 has been extradited.

The Justice Department said in a statement. Fawaz Ould Ahmed received the death penalty in Mali after pleading guilty to planning and executing the deadly attacks targeting Westerners.

US Magistrate Judge, James R. Cho ordered that Ahmed be detained pending trial after he was taken into custody by the United States and brought to New York on Friday.

Ahmed “now faces justice in a U.S. courtroom for the carnage that was carried out allegedly at his direction.”

FBI assistant director-in-charge Michael Driscoll remarked that “the defendant’s alleged actions — inhumanely plotting and carrying out ruthless terrorist attacks — were not forgotten and will not be forgiven.”

Ahmed masked up as he sprayed bullets on the fateful Saturday in 2015 into La Terrasse, a restaurant and bar that is popular with foreigners, killing twelve people, including a Frenchman and a Belgian.

An al-Qaeda linked group claimed responsibility for the attack at the time.

Musings From Abroad

Brazilian meatpacker JBS invests $2.5 billion in Nigeria, builds six facilities

Published

1 day ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Brazilian meatpacker JBS says it has inked a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian government for a $2.5 billion investment plan that will include the construction of six new plants in the African nation.

Three of the plants would deal in poultry, two in beef, and one in pork, according to a statement from JBS.

In accordance with the memorandum of understanding, JBS stated that it would develop a five-year investment plan in Nigeria, which would include budget estimates, feasibility studies, and an action plan for the development of the local supply chain.

The Nigerian government would then guarantee the sanitary, regulatory, and economic conditions required for the project’s viability, JBS continued.

Musings From Abroad

China’s Xi meets with Morocco’s Crown Prince

Published

1 day ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Morocco’s official media reports that Chinese President, Xi Jinping, visited Morocco briefly on Thursday.

According to Morocco’s MAP, Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan welcomed Xi in Casablanca. The visit demonstrated the close ties of camaraderie, collaboration, and solidarity between the Moroccan and Chinese peoples, it said.

China’s official broadcaster, CCTV, said that Xi and Hassan had a “cordial conversation” at the airport after being received by the Crown Prince and Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.

After attending the G20 Summit in Brazil, Xi paid the visit.

In recent years, China has increased its investments in Morocco’s rail and infrastructure. Morocco is desirable for Chinese electric car battery manufacturers because of its proximity to Europe, free trade agreements with important EU and US markets, and an established automotive sector.

Morocco was chosen by Chinese EV battery company Gotion High Tech in June to establish Africa’s first gigafactory, which will cost $1.3 billion in total.