The North Africa Journal: Arezki Daoud


Spain Paid Ransom to Free Hostages Held by Al Qaeda North Africa
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The North Africa Journal on 24 August, 2010 06:46:00
 
Spain has paid Al Qaeda North Africa (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb or AQIM)
some 7 million Euros to release two Spanish men abducted by the organization
active in the Sahel region. Officially working for a Barcelona-based
“humanitarian” agency, the two Spanish men, Roque Pascual and Albert Vilalta
have been detained since November 2009.

Setback for a Pan-Maghreb TV Channel: Nessma TV Likely to Fold
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The North Africa Journal on 14 August, 2010 10:42:00
 
The owners of Nessma TV are facing the nightmare scenario, challenging their
belief that North Africa’s Maghreb region needed a common broadcast platform.
Largely owned by Tunisian businessman Tarek Ben Ammar, Nessma TV is finding hard
to operate in the region.

Al-Qaeda’s Execution of a French Hostage to Escalate Crisis in the Sahel
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The North Africa Journal on 04 August, 2010 01:25:00
 
The recent killing, execution style, of a French hostage by Al Qaeda’s North
Africa unit in Mali is expected to worsen the security situation in the Sahel
and by extension North Africa and beyond. France is likely to expand its efforts
to seek revenge, or bring to justice the killers of the 78 year old Michel
Germaneau, in particular targeting Al Qaeda’s regional leader Abdelhamid
Abuzeid.