Africa

New York – A peace deal signed in August by South Sudan’s feuding leaders is at “a critical juncture” with repeated violations by both parties in multiple parts of the country, the UN peacekeeping chief said on Wednesday. Herve Ladsous told the Security Council that implementation of the agreement “is …

Bujumbura – Burundi is on the brink of civil war and will need regional mediation to establish a peace process between the government and opposition to prevent further bloodshed, a US envoy said. Thomas Perriello, the US special envoy for Africa’s Great Lakes region, said on Thursday that Burundi is …

Mogadishu – Rival militia forces have clashed in central Somalia, the United Nations said on Saturday, as it called for troops to pull out from contested zones in the town of Galkayo. Fighting broke out between gunmen loyal to the Puntland and Galmudug districts, with reports of heavy gunfire as …

Mogadishu – At least 14 Islamist insurgents were killed by the Somali military and Ethiopian troops in central Somalia on Friday, a senior military official said. The fighting erupted near the provincial capital of Beledwayne in the Hiiraan region when al-Shabaab fighters ambushed army convoys, Somali military commander Mohamed Omar …

New York – The United Nations says renewed fighting between armed forces in Somalia’s central Galmudug region and semi-autonomous Puntland to the north have killed more than 30 people and forced 40 000 people to flee according to estimates. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that UN aid agencies …

Cairo – An Egyptian court on Wednesday ordered a final retrial in a corruption case against Ahmed Nazif, who was prime minister under ousted president Hosni Mubarak, state media and his lawyer said. Nazif, who was sidelined by Mubarak to appease protesters days before the president’s overthrow in February 2011, …

Nairobi – Battles in Burundi have killed at least five people, with bodies found dumped on the street and insurgents hurling grenades into bars, local officials and witnesses said on Wednesday. The killings are the latest violence in now near daily gun battles. Two people were killed and six wounded …

Algiers – Algerian soldiers killed three Islamists on Wednesday during a military operation in the region of Tizi Ouzou, east of the capital, the defence ministry said. Two Kalashnikov assault rifles, a pump-action shotgun and ammunition were seized during the operation north of the city of Azzazga, said the ministry.

Petrol prices spiked, shops closed and trucks that plied the desert to Libya have vanished since Tunisia shut the border following a deadly bus bombing in the capital. In the town of Ben Guerdane, and across south-eastern Tunisia, the mood is morose with residents concerned for their future since authorities …

Beni – Fighting between the Congolese army and a Ugandan rebel group has claimed about 30 lives, a human rights activist said on Monday. The fatalities included 14 members of the rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), eight soldiers and seven civilians, said Omar Kavota from the Centre for the …