Warri, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian militants on Sunday blew up a state-run pipeline in the restive oil producing south, in the latest act of sabotage aimed against the strategic sector, a local official said. “The pipeline popularly known as the Abura line was bombed at about 7:30 am on …
Read More »Nande, Hutu attacks leave 34 civilians dead in DR Congo
Goma, DR Congo | AFP | At least 34 civilians were killed Sunday in a flare up of ethnic violence in restive eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said, following a week of soaring tensions. “The provisional toll is 34 civilians killed,” said local official Joy Bokele, referring to an …
Read More »KASESE: 55 dead, Rwenzururu king arrested
Wesley Mumbere arrested after clashes kill 55 Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Ugandan police stormed the palace of a tribal king and arrested him Sunday after fierce clashes between security forces and a separatist militia they believe is linked to him killed 55, police said. Heavy fighting broke out Saturday …
Read More »South Sudan government agrees to deploy regional force
Juba, South Sudan | AFP | The South Sudan government has agreed to accept the deployment of a UN-mandated regional force in Juba after months of hesitation, a spokesman said. “I would like therefore to inform the people on behalf of the transitional government of national unity that your cabinet …
Read More »Egypt’s Sisi expresses support for Syrian military
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said he supports the Syrian military, a position at odds with his country’s Gulf benefactors like Saudi Arabia. The former army chief, who has overseen a warming of ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s main backer Russia, made the …
Read More »FEATURE: DR Congo’s business dreams flatlined by violence
Butembo, DR Congo | AFP | The question is so absurd that Butembo’s deputy mayor misses a beat before answering. What is the town’s unemployment rate? “Unemployment is the norm around these parts,” says Godefroid Kambere Matimbya. “There aren’t any businesses.” Butembo is no ghost town, but a city of …
Read More »Egypt says 292 face trial for Sisi assassination plots
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt will try 292 jihadist suspects over plots to assassinate President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the Saudi crown prince and attacks in the Sinai Peninsula, a prosecution official said Sunday. The suspects, including 151 currently in custody, were referred to a military court for alleged …
Read More »Burundi risks genocide – rights group
Paris, France | AFP | Burundi’s brutal regime has set the small central African country on a “descent into hell”, a prominent human rights group said Tuesday, warning of the risk of genocide. “Since April 2015, when large popular protests broke out against the decision of President Pierre Nkurunziza to …
Read More »Kabila makes defiant speech to parliament, not resigning
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Congolese President Joseph Kabila on Tuesday defied calls to step down when his term ends next month and vowed during remarks to lawmakers to defend his government against violent overthrow. His defiant speech to parliament came as criticism grows following a controversial deal between …
Read More »Egypt court overturns Morsi death sentence
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | An Egyptian appeals court has overturned a death sentence handed down against ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in one of four trials since his 2013 overthrow, a judicial official said. The Court of Cassation ordered that Morsi be retried on the charges of taking part …
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