Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian forces conducted an unauthorised dawn raid on the UN’s main base in the country’s conflict-torn northeast on Friday, the UN said, further inflaming tensions between the government and aid groups. A UN source told AFP that the search of the camp in Maiduguri, known as …
Read More »First batch of RPF regional troops arrive in South Sudan
150 troops from Rwanda arrive in South Sudan for the regional protection force (RPF). Juba, South Sudan | AFP | The head of South Sudan’s UN mission announced on Tuesday the long-awaited arrival of troops from a regional force meant to patrol roads and quell violence in the war-ravaged country. …
Read More »From poppy to heroin: Taliban move into Afghan drug production
Kabul, Afghanistan | AFP | The Taliban — which banned poppy cultivation when it ruled Afghanistan — now appears to wield significant control over the war-torn country’s heroin production line, providing insurgents with billions of dollars, officials have told AFP. In 2016 Afghanistan, which produces 80 percent of the world’s …
Read More »Kasai marks a year of bloodshed as doubt hangs over DR Congo poll
TSHIKAPA, DR Congo | AFP |“Before, we were able to go to work in any mine to dig for diamonds. But today, we’re all afraid of dying,” artisanal miner Banayi Ilunga says grimly. Diamonds are the blessing of Kasai, a vast region of five provinces in Democratic Republic of Congo …
Read More »12 dead in Kinshasa violence: police
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Twelve people were killed Monday by stray gunfire in a wave of violence in Kinshasa, a spokesman for the national police said, accusing a political-religious sect opposed to President Joseph Kabila. The toll was a provisional estimate, Pierrot Rombaut Mwanamputu said in an emergency broadcast …
Read More »South Sudan army takes Machar stronghold
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | South Sudan government forces said Monday they had seized the rebel stronghold of Pagak near the Ethiopian border, after weeks of heavy fighting that forced thousands to flee the region. Military spokesman Dickson Gatluak said rebel forces loyal to exiled former deputy president Riek Machar …
Read More »Trouble brewing in Nigeria swamps threatens economy
Warri, Nigeria | AFP | Months have passed since the Niger Delta Avengers have launched an attack on Nigeria’s oil pipelines, yet leaders in the region are warning trouble is brewing in the southern swamplands. A charm offensive led by Nigeria’s acting president Yemi Osinbajo has kept the uprising at bay, …
Read More »Twelve killed in Nigeria church shooting
Warri, Nigeria | AFP | Twelve worshippers were shot dead at a church in southeast Nigeria on Sunday, with authorities suggesting the bloodshed was due to a local feud. At around 6:00 am (0500 GMT), five gunmen opened fire at St. Philip’s church in Ozubulu, near the city of Onitsha, …
Read More »Ten years on, no solace for Kenya poll violence survivors
Njoro, Kenya | AFP | Ten years after her husband was killed in post-election violence and she was chased off her land, Peninah Wahito is still living as a squatter in Kenya’s Rift Valley. Like dozens of others she is waiting to be resettled after the bloodshed that erupted following the …
Read More »UN reports 251 killings in DR Congo’s Kasai, 62 children among dead
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The UN on Friday detailed more than 250 “extrajudicial or targeted killings” in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kasai region from mid-March to mid-June, counting dozens of children among the dead. The findings, based on interviews with refugees from Kasai who had fled to Angola, blamed …
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