Eurasia

DRC rebels attack UN peacekeepers

Kinshasa – At least 25 people have been killed – including seven civilians hacked to death – in an overnight attack by the Ugandan rebels in an eastern town of Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Congolese army. Clashes broke out in Eringeti, 55 km north of the regional …

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Niger 'winning the war' against Boko Haram – army chief

Niamey – Niger is “in the process of winning the war” against Boko Haram jihadists who have staged attacks from neighbouring Nigeria since February last year, the army chief, General Seini Garba, said on Tuesday. Boko Haram, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in March, has stepped up …

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UN eyes further troop cut to DRC mission

New York – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is recommending that 1 700 troops be cut from the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the second drawdown in two years. Ban said in a report to the Security Council released on Tuesday that a further cut …

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Boko Haram kill seven in suicide attack, raid

Kano – Boko Haram gunmen have mounted their first attacks since Nigeria’s government declared them “technically” defeated, killing seven people in a raid and suicide bombing, residents told AFP on Wednesday. The attacks happened on Tuesday in the northeastern state of Borno, near the Islamists’ Sambisa Forest hideout, where the …

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Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan sign new deal on Nile dam

Cairo – Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have signed an agreement finalising the two firms tasked with carrying out studies on the potential impact of Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam on the flow of the Nile, their foreign and water ministers said. Cairo and Addis Ababa had previously been locked in a …

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African Union threatens Burundi sanctions

Addis Ababa – The African Union on Wednesday threatened to sanction Burundi’s rival factions if they failed to attend peace talks next month, as it pushes the government to accept a peacekeeping force. Burundi’s government and opposition, who met in Uganda on Monday, are due to meet again in January …

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Mali extends state of emergency until March 31

Bamako – Mali has extended by three months a nationwide state of emergency initially imposed following a deadly jihadist attack on a hotel in the capital in November, officials said on Wednesday. The government on Monday submitted a bill authorising the fresh extension to March 31 “because of serious threats …

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UN chief calls for peaceful Central Africa vote

New York – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for peaceful and credible elections in the Central African Republic. The presidential and parliamentary vote on Wednesday will test the country’s progress toward stability after a coup in 2013 unleashed a wave of violence. Ban urged “all national stakeholders …

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Burkina Faso soldiers arrested over coup

Ouagadougou – A Burkina Faso military official says about 20 soldiers have been arrested since last week for planning to break the leader of a short-lived coup out of prison. Military spokesperson Guy Herve Ye said more than 10 soldiers were arrested on December 23 while in a meeting in …

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