Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali government are planning joint military operations in Middle Jubba region, to flush out Al-Shabaab remnants. The joint operations will involve troops from AMISOM, Jubbaland State Forces and the Somali National Army. Speaking after holding …
Read More »Nigeria’s military bans UNICEF over ‘spies’ training claim
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s military on Friday suspended UNICEF from operating in the country’s ravaged northeast over claims it was training “spies” who are supporting Boko Haram jihadists. The military said that the United Nations children’s agency had on December 12 and 13 held workshops in the northeast …
Read More »France ships 1,400 assault rifles to C.Africa army
Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | France on Tuesday handed over 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and three amphibious vehicles to the Central African Republic to shore up its beleaguered armed forces. French Defence Minister Florence Parly oversaw the handover at a ceremony at M’Polo military base in the capital …
Read More »Nigeria confirms eight soldiers killed in Boko Haram attack
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | The Nigerian Army on Tuesday said eight soldiers have been confirmed dead in a Boko Haram attack on a military base over the weekend in the country’s restive northeast. Gunmen from the self-styled Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) faction of Boko Haram attacked the …
Read More »War on football? Chinese players get army drills, ‘thought education’
Shanghai, China | AFP | Chinese national squads and a top league team have packed young footballers off to military camps for drills and Marxist-style “thought education” as a campaign to promote Communist Party values spreads even into the sporting world. Chinese fans have watched the militarisation of football with a …
Read More »Nigerian troops foil Boko Haram attack
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian troops repelled an attack on a military base in northeastern Borno state in which a soldier was killed and four others were injured, military and militia sources told AFP Saturday. On Wednesday jihadists from IS-affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province killed three soldiers when …
Read More »Pence says US to partner in Papua New Guinea military base
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | AFP | The United States said Saturday it will join forces with Australia in the development of a new naval base in Papua New Guinea, a project seen as a move to curb China’s influence in the Pacific. Australia, which has long-standing military ties …
Read More »Pentagon to trim Africa forces as focus shifts to Russia, China
Washington, United States | AFP | The Pentagon will trim the number of US troops deployed across Africa as it concentrates more on countering threats from “Great Power” competitors Russia and China, officials said Thursday. Currently, about 7,200 US military personnel are based in dozens of African nations, with notable …
Read More »Nigerian army silent as families seek news of the missing
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | The soldier’s father remembers the exact day when he spoke to his son for the last time. It was August 26. He hasn’t heard from him since. He’s not alone: dozens of other soldiers stationed in northeast Nigeria, in the heart of Boko Haram’s Islamist …
Read More »Trump says US planning ‘tent cities’ for migrants
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump said Monday his administration was planning to build tent cities for thousands of Central American migrants making their way through Mexico to the United States. The announcement during a Fox News interview came as the Pentagon announced it was deploying 5,200 …
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