Africa

Somalia executes 2 Shebaab fighters over journalist death

Two members of Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked Shebaab jihadist group were executed by firing squad on Saturday for the murder of a journalist killed by a car bomb in 2015, a judge said. Abdirisak Mohamed Barow and Hassan Nur Ali, who admitted being Shebaab members during their trial, were shot on Saturday …

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Saudi king addresses Egyptian parliament

Saudi Arabia’s king has addressed the Egyptian parliament on the fourth day of a landmark visit that saw the oil-rich kingdom pledge billions of dollars in investment and aid to Egypt. In his six-minute address on Sunday, King Salman said Egypt and Saudi Arabia have agreed to build a bridge …

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South Sudan rebels move into capital

Juba – Armed South Sudanese rebels have begun taking up positions in the capital, a risky but crucial step to end two years of war. The Associated Press and other journalists on Thursday toured one of the rebel camps where fighters dressed in green fatigues stood in semi-circle formation, chanting …

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UN peacekeeping chief warns against delays in implementing Mali peace deal

Every day lost in the implementation of Mali’s peace agreement is a day gained for extremist and terrorist groups that have bet heavily on the failure of the process, the UN peacekeeping chief said here Tuesday. Herve Ladsous, the UN under-secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, stressed that the Malian government and …

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Tunisian, Algerian officials discuss Libyan situation

Tunisia and Algeria are for a political solution to the crisis in Libya, Speaker of the House of People’s Representatives (HPR) Mohamed Ennaceur was quoted as saying. At his meeting Tuesday in Algiers with Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation Ramtane Lamamra, Ennaceur told reporters “the talk focused on …

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Algerian army kills 4 Islamists near Tunisia border

Algeria’s army on Monday killed four armed Islamists in El-Oued, the defence ministry said, meaning almost a dozen have been killed in the lawless desert region in the past two weeks. Four Kalashnikov automatic weapons, grenades and ammunition were also seized during the military-led operation in the Bir El Kasira …

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At least 100 000 displaced in Darfur this year

At least 100 000 people have been driven from their homes in an upsurge of fighting since January in Sudan’s Darfur region, the UN’s peacekeeping chief said on Wednesday. “Clashes and aerial bombings are currently continuing” in the rebel stronghold of Jebel Marra, Herve Ladsous, the under-secretary general for peacekeeping …

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Blow to Libya unity govt as Tripoli rival refuses to cede power

Efforts by Libya’s UN-backed unity government to assert its control over the capital were thrown into chaos Wednesday as the head of a rival Tripoli-based authority backed away from ceding power. Contradicting an earlier announcement that his so-called National Salvation Government was ready to step aside, Tripoli’s unrecognised prime minister …

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