Bogota, Colombia | AFP | Nine suspected FARC dissidents were killed Monday in a military operation in southern Colombia, the defense ministry said. The operation was carried out in the municipality of Calamar, in the southern central department of Guaviare, the ministry said on Twitter. Defense minister Luis Carlos Villegas …
Read More »Living across the front lines in South Sudan
Leer, South Sudan | AFP | Nyakol was 15, healthy and strong when South Sudanese soldiers attacked her hometown of Leer, forcing her to flee with her mother into the surrounding swamps. Not for the first time, government troops tore through the northern rebel stronghold, killing, kidnapping and raping, so …
Read More »Israeli killed by Palestinian in Jerusalem Old City stabbing
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli security guard to death in Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday before being shot dead by a police officer, Israeli officials said. The stabbing came with concerns over the potential for an upsurge in unrest in the coming weeks as the …
Read More »US military aircraft crashes in west Iraq: coalition
Washington, United States | AFP | A US military aircraft has crashed in western Iraq with American personnel aboard, the international coalition against the Islamic State jihadist group said on Thursday. “Rescue teams are responding to the scene of the downed aircraft at this time,” the US-led coalition said in …
Read More »New convoy of food aid enters Syria’s rebel Ghouta: ICRC
Beirut, Lebanon | AFP | A new convoy carrying desperately needed food aid entered the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Syria’s capital on Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross told AFP. “The convoy entered Ghouta and is going to Douma now,” ICRC’s communication coordinator Pawel Krzysiek said. …
Read More »UN set to threaten arms embargo on South Sudan
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council is expected to adopt on Thursday a US-drafted resolution that threatens to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan and sanctions against those blocking efforts to end one of Africa’s worst wars. The strongly-worded text is aimed at piling …
Read More »Children increasingly exposed in Syria conflict: UN
Beirut, Lebanon | AFP | Children are at more risk than ever in Syria’s devastating conflict, the United Nations said Monday as the war approached its eighth year. Twice as many children were killed in the war in 2017 than in the previous year, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said in …
Read More »Erdogan slams NATO for failing to back Syria campaign
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday angrily lashed out at NATO, accusing the Western military alliance of failing to back Turkey’s campaign against Kurdish militia in Syria. Erdogan’s latest comments were among the toughest he has directed in recent times against NATO, which Turkey joined …
Read More »Down but not out: Lord’s Resistance Army haunts Central African Republic
Obo, Central African Republic | AFP | Every morning, Joseph gets on his motorbike to tend to his field of manioc, in the thick bush surrounding the Obo, in southeastern Central African Republic. This day, though, is not ordinary. Joseph is tense with worry. There are rumours that the Lord’s …
Read More »US pushes UN to consider arms embargo on South Sudan
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Wednesday circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution that threatens to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan and to take “all appropriate measures” against those blocking peace efforts. The draft text obtained by AFP demands an end to …
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