Cape Town, S.A. | Xinhua | Parliament of South Africa on Tuesday said it had been informed by President Cyril Ramaphosa about extending the mission of troops who were authorized to fight against last month’s unrest. The South African government deployed 25,000 army members since July 12 in cooperation with the …
Read More »Libya: strongman’s offensive to seize the capital
Tripoli, Libya | AFP | A year ago, Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar began his offensive to seize the capital Tripoli from the UN-recognised government, a conflict which has left hundreds dead and over 150,000 displaced. Here is a recap. – Haftar orders advance – On April 4, 2019, Haftar orders his …
Read More »Surviving WWII Congo troops honoured for colonial-era battles
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Albert Kunyuku Ngoma was a young Congolese corporal in the colonial Belgian army when he was forced to battle in WWII as far away as Myanmar. Now 97, Ngoma is one of only two surviving former members of the colonial “Public Force” military living in …
Read More »Turkey’s foreign minister visits Algeria over Libya conflict
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s newly-elected President Abdelmadjid Tebboune received Turkey’s foreign minister Tuesday, the official APS news agency reported, days after Ankara confirmed it was deploying troops to Libya. The meeting between Tebboune and Mevlut Cavusoglu focused on Libya’s “escalating violence resulting from foreign interventions, which complicate the search …
Read More »Macron calls for greater ‘political clarity’ from Sahel allies
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | President Emmanuel Macron called for greater “political clarity” from Sahel countries hosting French troops fighting Islamist militants on Saturday, as he visited the troubled African region amid criticism of the former colonial power’s role. Macron arrived in Ivory Coast on Friday to celebrate Christmas with …
Read More »Washington silent as US-crafted regime under fire in Iraq
Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | It posted tens of thousands of troops in Iraq, huddled with its leaders and helped craft its laws — but with the country swamped by deadly protests, Washington is staying out of the fray. Its apparent absence during a key turning point in Iraq lays bare …
Read More »Foreign forces in Sahel struggle with flagging public support
Bamako, Mali | AFP | If military operations depend on winning hearts and minds, the thousands of foreign troops deployed to the Sahel to combat jihadism seem to be on losing ground. At first welcomed, these troops find themselves today in the crosshairs as a growing number of locals in …
Read More »West Africa grapples with piracy in Gulf of Guinea hotspot
Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria | AFP | A Nigerian navy speedboat loaded with special forces troops skims across the waves towards a suspect vessel in the Gulf of Guinea. Guns ready, black-clad officers clamber up a rope ladder and fan out across the decks, looking for pirates believed to have taken …
Read More »Zimbabwe deploys security forces over banned march
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | AFP | Troops and police were out in force in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo on Monday blocking a planned opposition march, three days after brutally dispersing a banned protest in the capital Harare. Soldiers and armed police on horseback and in trucks patrolled the city’s central business …
Read More »500 UPDF soldiers attached to the UN guard unit in Somalia return
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Five hundred twenty-nine Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) soldiers attached to United Nations Guard Unit (UNGU) in Somalia returned to the country on Saturday after two years of service. The combatants returned alongside 1406 soldiers of the 25 battle group who had also completed one …
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