Authorities in control of Libya’s capital on Friday declared a “maximum state of emergency” after a UN-backed unity government that they reject said its members would head to Tripoli to begin work. The city is under the control of an administration backed by armed groups including Islamists that is not …

The United Nations secretary general says he is deeply concerned by attacks by Islamic extremists in Burkina Faso and West Africa, urging a global response. Ban Ki-moon spoke on Thursday in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou. Extremists in January attacked a café and hotel here, killing at least 30 people in …

A new UN report says security threats from violent extremists and criminal groups in Mali are ‘alarming’ and the government must deploy more troops to the volatile north and step up efforts to reform its military and police.