Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A senior South Sudanese general has quit, accusing President Salva Kiir and top members from his majority Dinka tribe of “ethnic cleansing,” according to a resignation letter obtained by AFP Sunday. Lieutenant-General Thomas Cirillo Swaka is the country’s deputy chief of general staff for logistics …
Read More »New militias emerge in South Sudan conflict
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | New militia groups, some “opportunists”, others “downright criminal”, have emerged in South Sudan since renewed violence erupted there last July, the head of an international ceasefire monitoring team said Friday. Talking to the press in Nairobi, Festus Mogae, a former president of Botswana who leads …
Read More »Shabaab attacks Kenya army base in Somalia
Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | Islamist Shabaab fighters attacked a Kenyan military base in southern Somalia on Friday in their latest assault on foreign and national army outposts. The attack on the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) base at Kolbiyow, close to the Kenyan border in Somalia’s Lower Juba region, began …
Read More »28 killed in Shabaab attack on Mogadishu hotel
Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | Twenty-eight people were killed Wednesday when Al-Shabaab fighters attacked a popular Mogadishu hotel, setting off two car bombs and opening fire on security guards, according to the city’s main ambulance service. The attack, claimed by the Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab insurgents, began when a car loaded with …
Read More »Nigeria says sending troops, jets to Senegal for Gambia force
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria has sent 200 soldiers and air assets including fighter jets to Senegal as part of a regional force to enforce the result of Gambia’s contested election, the country’s air force said Wednesday. The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said it had “today moved a contingent …
Read More »Delays, dispute hamper plans for UN regional force for South Sudan
United Nations, United States | AFP | Plans to deploy a UN regional force in South Sudan are bogged down in delays over visas, the allocation of land for bases and a dispute over protecting Juba airport, according to a confidential report obtained by AFP on Tuesday. The Security Council …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Putin takes lead in Syria peace after battlefield wins
Moscow, Russia | AFP | After turning the tide on the ground in Syria with his country’s military might, Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to cement his authority by forging an unlikely peace deal. The Kremlin strongman on Thursday announced a new truce and talks between Damascus and rebel …
Read More »US Secretary of State John Kerry’s ‘Israel’ speech in full
Kerry warns Israel settlements threaten democracy Washington, United States | AFP | In a stern parting shot, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Israel on Wednesday that building settlements on Palestinian land threatens the country’s very future as a democracy. Less than four weeks before President Barack Obama leaves …
Read More »Syria’s war in numbers: 310,000 dead, 4.8m refugees
Beirut, Lebanon | AFP | Syria’s conflict has killed more than 310,000 people, uprooted over half the population and left much of the country in ruins since it erupted almost six years ago. Here are some key statistics: – Huge death toll – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said …
Read More »UN Security Council rejects arms embargo on South Sudan
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council on Friday rejected a US-drafted resolution on imposing an arms embargo and sanctions on South Sudan amid divisions over how to pressure leaders to end the three-year war. The measure presented by the United States garnered only seven votes …
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