Tag: Africa

Nigeria’s 3 Wars: ISIS, Bandits, and Grifters

Buffeted by insurgent attacks in Nigeria’s northeast and northwest, the Nigerian army is bracing itself for more challenges, including mega-fraud by arms procurers. “Nigeria’s army is stretched thin,” according to David Otto, a London-based defense consultant for the Nigerian Defense Ministry. The competition between two terrorist groups claiming the mantle of ISIS was decided in…


Ethiopia’s Somali Region Says Town Attacked, Amid New Local Flare Ups

ADDIS ABABA—The local government in Ethiopia’s Somali region said on Tuesday militia from the neighbouring region of Afar had attacked and looted a town, the latest flare-up in a local boundary dispute that adds to broader tensions in the Horn of Africa nation. Ali Bedel, spokesperson for the Somali region government, said Afar militia “massacred…


Police Chief, Six Bandits Die in Clash in Southeast Nigeria

YENAGOA, Nigeria—A Nigerian local police chief and six bandits were shot dead during a clash in southeastern Imo State, police said on Tuesday, the latest incident in a multi-faceted insecurity crisis engulfing Africa’s most populous nation. The clash took place on Monday when a large group of gunmen were spotted driving into the town of Omuma in a convoy of three vehicles. Police attacked them, resulting in the seven deaths and in…


Suspect in Attack on Mali’s President Dies in Custody

BAMAKO, Mali—A man detained for attempting to stab Mali’s transitional president last week has died in a hospital while in custody, the government said. The attempted stabbing of Col. Assimi Goita was on July 20 at a public ceremony at the Great Mosque in the capital, Bamako, to celebrate the Muslim holiday of sacrifice, Eid…


EU Calls on All Tunisian Actors to Respect Constitution, Rule of Law

BRUSSELS—The European Union on Monday urged all political actors in Tunisia to respect the country’s constitution and avoid violence after Tunisia’s president ousted the government and froze Parliament with help from the army. “We are closely following the latest developments in Tunisia,” a spokeswoman for the European Commission said. “We call on all Tunisian actors…


28 Abducted Baptist School Students Freed in Nigeria

KANO, Nigeria—Armed kidnappers in Nigeria have released 28 of the more than 120 students who were abducted at the beginning of July from the Bethel Baptist High School in the northern town of Damishi. Church officials handed those children over to their parents at the school on Sunday. But the Rev. Israel Akanji, president of…


French Citizen Among Six Held Over Plan to Kill Madagascar President: Minister

ANTANANARIVO—A French citizen is among six people arrested on suspicion of involvement in a plot to kill Madagascar’s president, the Indian Ocean island’s public security minister said, and a second official said the president’s security had been tightened. “One of the arrested people is French, two of them are bi-national—Malagasy and French. The three others…


Madagascar Police Arrest 6 Over Alleged Plot to Kill President

ANTANANARIVO—Police in Madagascar this week arrested six people, including one foreign citizen, suspected of plotting to kill the president following what officials in the Indian Ocean island nation said was a months-long investigation. Madagascar has a history of political violence. Former coup leader Andry Rajoelina, 44, was sworn in as president in 2019 after a…


French Army Says It Has Killed Two ‘Terrorists’ in Mali

PARIS—The French army has killed two members of the EIGS “terrorist” group, which France says has links to the ISIS terrorist group, in Mali, French armed forces minister Florence Parly said on Thursday. Parly’s statement said the operation had taken place overnight in the Menaka region in co-ordination with the U.S. army. “This latest operation…


Police in Nigeria Secure Release of 100 Kidnapping Victims

LAGOS—Police and government authorities have secured the release of 100 people, including women, children, and nursing mothers, who were kidnapped from their village in northwestern Nigeria over a month ago, a local police spokesperson said. Nigeria is battling an increase in armed robberies and kidnappings for ransom, mainly in northwestern states, where thinly deployed security…