Nouakchott, Mauritania | AFP | A powerful jihadist alliance has claimed an attack on a French military vehicle in Mali that left two soldiers dead, Mauritanian media reported on Friday. Two soldiers from France’s counter-terrorism force in West Africa were killed and another was hurt on Wednesday when their vehicle …
Read More »Three dead, seven hurt as armed groups clash in C.Africa flashpoint
Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | Three people were killed and at least seven others wounded in clashes which erupted overnight between armed groups in a flashpoint district of Bangui, Central African Republic’s capital, medical sources said. An AFP correspondent saw two bodies at the mosque in PK5, the last …
Read More »EU doubles Sahel force funding
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | European leaders on Friday doubled their funding for a joint African force tackling jihadists in the Sahel at an international conference in Brussels, as fresh violence highlights the region’s fraught security situation. The European Union announced an extra 50 million euros ($61 million) for the …
Read More »UN wants prosecutions for South Sudan war crimes
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | A UN rights commission in South Sudan said Friday there was sufficient evidence to charge at least 41 senior officers and officials with war crimes and crimes against humanity. South Sudan’s four-year-old civil war has been characterised by extreme brutality and attacks on civilians. …
Read More »UN Security Council to vote Friday on Syria ceasefire
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council will vote Friday on a draft resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire in Syria to allow for humanitarian aid and medical evacuations. A slightly amended text was circulated to council members late Thursday but it was unclear whether Russia …
Read More »Former S.African soldier sentenced to death in S.Sudan
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | A former South African soldier was sentenced to death in South Sudan on Friday for attempting to overthrow the government. Ex-colonel William Endley, 55, was “sentenced to death by hanging” for espionage and conspiring to overthrow the government, said judge Lado Eriminio Sekwat at …
Read More »US blasts Russia over strikes on Syria rebel enclave
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States blasted Russia on Thursday over the bombing of Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, saying it has a “unique responsibility” for the more than 400 deaths in the Damascus suburb. After fresh air and rocket strikes by Syrian government forces killed another 46, State …
Read More »Jordan 3D lab prints limbs for war wounded, disabled kids
Amman, Jordan | AFP | Iraqi soldier Abdullah lost his left hand fighting the Islamic State group but now he has a prosthetic one — thanks to a 3D printing lab in Jordan. Abdullah was wounded in a mine blast as Iraqi forces battled to oust the jihadists from Iraq’s …
Read More »Russia seeks UN Security Council meeting on Eastern Ghouta
United Nations, United States | AFP | Russia called for a UN Security Council meeting to be held Thursday on the violence engulfing Eastern Ghouta after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described life for civilians in the rebel-held Syrian enclave as “hell on earth.” Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council on …
Read More »UN chief ‘deeply alarmed’ by Eastern Ghouta violence
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday said he was “deeply alarmed” by the escalating violence in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta enclave after more than 100 civilians were killed in the second straight day of air strikes. Guterres urged all sides to uphold the basic …
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