Africa

Troops from Nigeria and neighbouring countries have launched major offensives against the two Boko Haram factions and their leaders, the military said on Tuesday. Soldiers from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria are targeting Abubakar Shekau in the Sambisa Forest, and Mamman Nur, on and around Lake Chad, both in Borno …

South Sudan’s armed opposition says four government soldiers have been killed in new clashes just outside the capital, Juba. The opposition says soldiers in two vehicles attacked their position on Tuesday morning in Wunu’Lyet, less than 10km from Juba.

Egyptian security forces killed five terrorists and arrested 11 others in operations in Qalyubia, Alexandria and New Valley Governorates, the Ministry of Interior said Monday. National Security forces detected a number of terrorists in the three governorates who were planning for “hostile operations” against vital facilities and Christian worshipping places, …

The foreign ministers of Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria renewed their support for the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) as a framework for a political solution in Libya.

Germany is pouring money into the creation of electronic surveillance systems along Tunisia’s eastern border, designed to prevent extremists and migrants from slipping across into the country from neighbouring Libya, a government spokesperson said on Friday. Tunisia stepped up security measures along the 300-mile frontier in 2015 following attacks by …

Military authorities say Nigerian soldiers have arrested more than 400 people associated with the Boko Haram extremist group hiding on the islands of Lake Chad, including fighters, wives and children. The two-week operation netted the largest number of arrests of Boko Haram fighters in recent months in northeast Nigeria, Colonel …

The United States, Britain and France on Wednesday asked that a Russian request to send light arms to the Central African Republic be put on hold as they seek more information on the shipments, diplomats said. Russia has asked the UN Security Council for an exemption to an arms embargo …

France’s Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday hosted African and European leaders to drum up support and contributions for a new counter-terrorism force in the terror-plagued Sahel. Two years in the planning, the force brings together troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger in a desert region the size of …

The United States on Wednesday said it was “troubled and saddened” by clashes in Ethiopia that local reports said has left at least 18 people dead. The violence was reported to be most intense in the eastern town of Chelenko, near the volatile border between the Somali and Oromia regions, …

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates put forward $130m on Wednesday towards fighting jihadists in West Africa’s Sahel region, as France’s Emmanuel Macron hosted leaders to an effort to boost a fledgling five-nation military force. The force brings together troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – …