Algerian minister confirms diplomatic trip to Mauritania

Abdul Qader Masahel, Algeria’s Minister for African Affairs, set to hold meeting on Sunday Abdul Qader Masahel, Algeria’s Minister for African Affairs, is set to hold a meeting on Sunday in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott, to discuss the ongoing crisis in Mali. According to a statement released by the Algerian Foreign Ministry, the meeting will focus on convincing Mali’s neighbouring states to increase efforts in securing the border, as well as discussing human rights abuses against the Arab population living in the country.
The news comes as the French government recently pledged to tackle human rights abuses within the country after a the UN Commission for Human Rights accused the Malian army of “systematically” abusing the local Arab and Tuareg population living in the African state.
Vincent Floreani, a spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry, said earlier in the week that Paris is particularly concerned about the rise in revenge attacks against Arabs in the Mali territory.
“Revenge attacks will never be a form of justice. The exacerbation of ethnic tension is particularly worrying,” said Floreani.
He also said that French troops stationed in the country have been advised to be “very attentive” in co-operating with the UN and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to report any human rights abuses encountered.