Niger’s parliament has voted unanimously to send troops to Nigeria to join a regional fight against Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, lawmakers said. “The resolution was passed unanimously. All 102 lawmakers present voted favourably,” lawmaker Mohamed Ben Omar said yesterday. Another member of parliament said the resolution authorises the country …

US President Barack Obama said Monday no decision had been made on whether to send weapons to Ukraine to help Kiev battle pro-Russian separatists, as he warned the West would not allow Russia to redraw Europe’s borders by force. Obama, who has faced increasing calls from domestic critics to supply …

The Malian government will hold an information and consultation meeting on Saturday in Bamako with the living forces of the nation on the “Draft agreement for peace and national reconciliation in Mali” in view of the resumption of inter-Malian inclusive dialogue in Algiers in February, a Malian official source said …

UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura arrived in Syria from Beirut on Monday for talks with officials in Damascus to follow up on efforts at ending the four-year conflict, official media reports said. De Mistura has been trying to facilitate local ceasefires in different areas of Syria since …

Efforts to set up Ukraine peace talks this week remain on track, despite US scepticism over whether a deal can be reached. President Barack Obama has refused to rule out sending arms to Ukraine, but has indicated he is willing to see if German-led efforts to broker a ceasefire succeed …

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has expressed deep concern on the Houthi takeover in Yemen. However, in an official statement, ministry spokesperson Badr Abdelatty called on respecting the Yemenis’ will in achieving their legal democratic aspirations. He added there should a political resolution instead of escalating the violence, to respect the National …

Egypt has condemned the latest “heinous act” committed by Boko Haram in Cameroon and Niger, which left over 100 dead, according to a statement Saturday by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. The ministry spokesman stressed Egypt’s stance in solidarity with Niger and Cameroon in their fight against terrorism. Islamist Boko Haram …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the latest Franco-German initiative to end the deadly conflict in eastern Ukraine “remains uncertain” but was “worth trying” given the ongoing bloodshed. “I believe we owe this, above all, to the people of Ukraine affected by the conflict,” she told the 51st Munich Security …

Nigeria’s electoral commission has postponed the Feb 14 presidential election by six weeks over concerns about the security situation in the country, a media report said Sunday. Commission chief Attahiru Jega said he has been informed that the troops would not be available to help patrol the ballot because they …

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plan to meet Saturday to discuss the escalating Ukraine conflict at this year’s Munich Security Conference in Germany. The U.S. has accused Russia of directly intervening on behalf of pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine. The meeting comes at a …