Africa

A key Islamist suspect believed to head Mali’s southern jihadist fighters was detention in the capital Bamako on Thursday following his capture by special forces, security sources told AFP. “Souleymane Keita, the top jihadist leader in the south of the country, was arrested a few days ago on the Mauritanian …

Libya’s foreign minister on Wednesday demanded that the UN Security Council lift an arms embargo so his country can fight the Islamic State group as it establishes a presence in north Africa and moves closer to Europe. Foreign Minister Mohammed al Dairi spoke to an emergency session of the council …

The leader of Nigeria’s Ansaru jihadist group, Khalid al-Barnawi, one of three Nigerians listed by Washington in 2012 as “specially designated global terrorists”, has been arrested, an army spokesperson told AFP on Sunday. “Security agents made a breakthrough on Friday in the fight against terrorism by arresting Khalid al-Barnawi, the …

As many as 73 000 civilians have fled the Marra mountains in the heart of Sudan’s Darfur region since the army launched an offensive against rebels on January 15, the United Nations said on Wednesday. The world body said the displacement was the largest in the district in a decade …

Algerian army troops killed two armed militants in two separate operations in Tizi Ouzou and El Oued provinces, said a statement of Defense Ministry. “A terrorist was killed on Monday amid ongoing dragging operation being conducted in the forest of Sidi Ali Bounab, in the province of Tizi Ouzou by …

France said on Tuesday it was urgent for Libyan factions to set up a new UN-backed national unity cabinet to end factional anarchy and help stop any expansion of Daesh militants in the North African country. Libya is caught in conflict between rival factions and their armed brigades, one controlling …

Four Congolese soldiers and 12 rebels have been killed in three days of clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the military said on Tuesday. The violence, which began on Sunday, pitted the army against the Congo-based Rwandan FDLR militia and two groups of Mai-Mai rebels, army spokesperson Captain Guillaume …

Sudan on Thursday threatened to shut its border with South Sudan just weeks after reopening crossings, accusing Juba of backing insurgents battling Khartoum. South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011 under a peace deal that ended a 22-year civil war, but Juba and Khartoum have traded allegations the other is …

Twelve Algerian soldiers were killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash caused by technical failure in the south of the country, the defence ministry said. The Mi-171 helicopter crashed during a reconnaissance mission near Reggane, in the southwestern province of Adrar.

A spokesperson for the Egyptian army says it has killed 60 Islamic militants in northern Sinai, where armed forces have been battling fighters affiliated with the Islamic State group for two years. Brigadier General Mohammed Samir said in a statement posted on the army’s official Facebook page on Friday that …