- Mauritania has recalled its ambassador to Mali in protest of the recent release of rebels from the Al Qaeda cell.
Nouakchott has said the release of the fighters has violated security pacts between the countries.
Mali freed the men from the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) had demanded the release of the four in exchange for French hostage Pierre Camatte, extending a previous deadline to February 20 and threatening to kill him if their demands were not met.
According to reports, Al-Qaeda in North Africa rebels, reportedly abducted a Frenchman from his hotel in Menaka, near Mali's border with Niger, on 25 November and have been piling pressure on Mali to release the men.
The release of the prisoners has prompted anger in Nouakchott, where the foreign ministry said the move was surprising given that one of those released is wanted in Mauritania.
"Mauritania, while expressing its condemnation and rejection of this measure, has decided to recall its ambassador to Bamako for consultation," Mauritania's foreign ministry said in a statement.
It is reported that the abducted Frenchman is being held in the northern Mali desert, along with three Spanish hostages and an Italian couple. The other hostages were kidnapped in the neighbouring Mauritania last November.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
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afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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