Africa

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 …

Niamey – Eighteen people were killed and 100 homes torched in an attack by Nigeria’s Boko Haram fighters on a southeastern village, local authorities said on Thursday. “The toll is 18 dead, 11 hurt, almost 100 homes burned down” in the village of Wogom, said the mayor of the nearby …

Juba – Ceasefire monitors in South Sudan urged warring forces on Thursday to stop fighting amid growing international fears a key peace deal is close to collapse. Fighting in the nearly two-year long war rages despite an August agreement, said Festus Mogae, who heads the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission …

Tunis – Tunisian authorities have detained 30 people suspected of having extremism links after a suicide bombing targeting presidential guards, and identified the bomber as a local street vendor. The Interior Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that forensic police identified the attacker as 27-year-old Houssam ben Hedi ben …