Mauritania

Two hostages help by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have been released after 9 months in captivity. Albert Vilalta and Roqué Pascual were freed after the Spanish government reportedly paid a ransom of several million euros. Their fate is in stark contrast to that of Michel Germaneau. He was a French hostage, held by a separate AQIM cell, who was executed in July.

In Morocco, although it's technically illegal for children to work, many families take on so-called little maids to help out in the home. Some sixty thousand of them are thought to live like this, often suffering from maltreatment and without legal rights. Any money earned usually goes to the girls' fathers, and cases of torture have been reported, with the employers getting away scott free. The authorities have decided to act with a plan to give the little maids proper rights.

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has warned French nationals to avoid the Sahel region in the wake of the slaying of Michel Germaneau, a 78-year-old humanitarian worker, at the hands of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The desert region is however one of the poorest on earth, and Niger for example is currently suffering from severe drought. So will humanitarian aid stop at this crucial juncture?