Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | African Union leaders vowed on Monday to push peace efforts in Libya, a sign of the bloc’s desire to play a bigger role in resolving the continent’s conflicts. The AU leadership has complained about being overlooked in Libya-related peacemaking efforts, which have been led primarily …
Read More »Libya a ‘den of mercenaries’, say war-weary citizens
Tripoli, Libya | AFP | After 10 months of fighting that has torn their country apart, exhausted Libyans voice deep fears and say their fate is no longer in their own hands. The oil-rich North African country has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that killed longtime dictator …
Read More »Iraq weighs larger NATO role to replace US-led coalition
Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | Iraq is considering a larger role for NATO at the expense of the US-led coalition, Iraqi and Western officials told AFP, after an American drone strike on Baghdad that sparked outrage. The January 3 strike which killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and a top Iraqi commander …
Read More »Sudanese allege relatives lured to Libya, Yemen conflict zones
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Dozens of Sudanese protested Tuesday in Khartoum, alleging that their relatives had been recruited by a UAE firm as security guards but were despatched to war-zones in Libya and Yemen. Men and women carrying banners that read “Our sons are nor for sale” and “Bring back …
Read More »Libyan state oil firm warns against export blockade
Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Libya’s National Oil Company warned Friday against threats to block oil exports, the war-torn country’s main income source, two days before a Berlin conference aimed at relaunching a peace process. Tribes close to eastern Libya-based military strongman Khalifa Haftar had called for a blockade of coastal …
Read More »Libya strongman Haftar agrees ceasefire after calls from Kremlin, Ankara
Benghazi, Libya | AFP | Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar on Saturday announced a ceasefire in his months-long battle to control the capital Tripoli after calls for a truce from Russia and Turkey. The North African state has seen an escalation of the turmoil that erupted after a NATO-backed uprising killed …
Read More »What would a US withdrawal from Iraq look like?
Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | Iraq’s caretaker premier Adel Abdel Mahdi contended Tuesday that he received signed copies of a letter the US had said was only an unsigned draft describing steps America’s military would take to leave Iraq. Here is AFP’s look at what shape a withdrawal could take. – …
Read More »Macron, NATO chief hold talks in ‘brain death’ row
Paris, France | AFP | NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will on Thursday confront Emmanuel Macron in Paris over the French president’s claim the alliance is suffering “brain death”, a charge that has set the stage for a testy NATO summit next week. Macron delivered his damning assessment in an interview earlier …
Read More »Trump to attend NATO summit in London, days before UK vote
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump will visit Britain for NATO’s 70th-anniversary summit next month, the White House said Friday, in a trip falling days before the country votes in a general election. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is seeking to retain power in the December 12 …
Read More »US, EU warn of danger from Russia, China on Berlin Wall anniversary
Berlin, Germany | AFP | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and incoming EU chief Ursula von der Leyen issued stark warnings Friday that the West faces new challenges from Russia and China, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall. Urging Western allies to defend hard-won …
Read More »