Africa

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 …

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 …

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 …

South Sudan’s rebels are taking positions in the country’s capital, Juba, to prepare for the scheduled return of their leader later this month after over two years of war. They have set up camp in two designated sites in Juba as part of process to secure the city for Riek …

Libya’s new unity leaders worked to tighten their hold on Tripoli Thursday, taking over the website of a rival authority in the capital whose head is refusing to stand aside. A week after arriving by sea with a naval escort, the UN-backed unity cabinet appears to be winning the support …

The African Union has readmitted the Central African Republic, ending a three-year suspension following a coup that sparked the country’s worst sectarian blood letting. The AU’s Peace and Security Council late on Wednesday hailed “positive developments” in Central Africa, including landmark presidential elections in February to turn the page on …

The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously welcomed the Libyan unity government’s move to Tripoli and said it was time to cut off ties with rival administrations. The statement came after prime minister-designate Fayez Al Sarraj made his first public appearance in the Libyan capital, two days after his arrival …

Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal held discussions Friday, in Washington, with President François Hollande of France. The discussions took place in Washington on the sidelines of the fourth summit on nuclear security, which wrapped up on Friday.

The “Arab Spring” revolutions and the current regional security situation have combined to turn Algeria into a temporary home for some 30,000 refugees from Syria, Libya and Mali. Bin Olwi Mohy el-Din, a member of the African Association for Care of Refugees Affairs, an NGO, told Anadolu Agency that the …

Cameroon’s military has launched a new operation to rid the country of Boko Haram militants “once and for all” and soldiers are prepared to storm one of the group’s remaining strongholds in Nigeria, a military commander said on Thursday. The operation – code-named Tentacle – began this week and involves …