Clashes between the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and government troops in the northeast Syrian city of Hasakeh have displaced an estimated 60,000 people, a UN agency said on June 25. The UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (OCHA) said at least 50,000 people …
Read More »Tuareg rebels sign Malian peace deal on Saturday
Mali’s Tuareg-led rebel alliance signed a landmark deal on Saturday to end years of unrest in a nation driven by ethnic divisions and in the grip of a jihadist insurgency. The Algiers Accord aims to bring stability to the country’s vast northern desert, cradle of several Tuareg uprisings since the …
Read More »EU extends sanction on Russia over Ukraine conflict
The European Union on Monday extended economic sanctions against Russia until January to keep pressure on Moscow over the conflict in eastern Ukraine, drawing a rebuke and a warning of retaliation from Russian officials. An EU statement said the decision was taken without debate by the bloc’s foreign ministers at …
Read More »NATO to strenghten its Response Force
The main issue for NATO defence ministers during their meeting in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday will be how NATO is adapting to a new and more challenging security environment, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. Speaking at a press conference at the NATO headquarters here on Monday, Stoltenberg said …
Read More »UN chief, EU FMs discuss Yemen, Syria
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon held “an important meeting” for the first time with all the 28 EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg Monday which also covered development sin Syria , Libya and Yemen. Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, EU High Representative Federica Mogherini noted that this is …
Read More »Somalian military base in Mogadishu targeted by attacks
Al-Shabaab militants launched a major suicide attack on Sunday against a military intelligence base in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, setting off a car bomb before storming inside, security officials said. The interior ministry said the three attackers, one of them a suicide bomber, were all killed in the raid, and that …
Read More »Tripoli forces carry out operations against IS
Libya’s self-declared government in Tripoli carried out air strikes on Islamic State militant positions in the city of Sirte, hitting a building where fighters had gathered, officials and witnesses said. Officials could not give any immediate confirmation of casualties from the late Sunday night strikes. Witnesses reported they were accurate …
Read More »Kerry visits Cairo, meets Egyptian FM
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday he was “confident” Egypt will receive Apache gunships soon, as he made a surprise visit to Cairo. Kerry became the highest-ranking American official to visit Egypt since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power after overwhelmingly winning an election in May.
Read More »Kurdish forces take control of key base in Raqqa
Syrian Kurdish fighters and rebel allies overnight seized a key base held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) north of its Raqqa stronghold, in a new blow for the jihadists. The capture of the Brigade 93 base comes just a week after ISIL was expelled from …
Read More »French Defence Minister visits Mali to support peace deal
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited Mali to show his support for a landmark peace deal agreed in the former colony to end years of unrest and ethnic divisions. Just two days after Mali’s Tuareg-led rebel alliance added its signature to the Algiers Accord — aimed at stabilising Mali’s …
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