Tag: Africa

At Least 8 Killed in Mogadishu by Suicide Bomb Targeting Government Convoy

MOGADISHU—A suicide car bomb targeting a government convoy exploded at a busy junction in Somalia’s capital on Saturday, killing at least eight people, an eyewitness told Reuters. Abdiasis Abu Musab, military operations spokesperson for the al-Qaida-linked terrorist group al-​Shabaab, told Reuters it was responsible for Saturday’s attack. The group, which wants to overthrow the government…


Gunmen Kill at Least 45 People in Northwest Nigerian Town

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria—Militants killed at least 45 people in an attack on the town of Faru in northwest Nigeria, residents and a hospital worker said on Friday. “The armed bandits stormed Faru town on more than 100 motorbikes, shooting sporadically on the people at about twelve noon yesterday,” said Abubakar Iliyasu, a resident who witnessed the…


Kidnapped Nigerian Students Freed After Ransom Paid

KADUNA, Nigeria–Six students and two officials who were kidnapped last month from a school in Nigeria’s Kaduna state were released after relatives paid ransom money, a school official and parent said on Friday. Kidnappings by armed men, commonly referred to in Nigeria as “bandits”, have become endemic in northern Nigeria, disrupting the education of hundreds…


Kidnapped Nigerian Students Freed After Ransom Paid: School, Parent

KADUNA, Nigeria–Six students and two officials who were kidnapped last month from a school in Nigeria’s Kaduna state were released after relatives paid ransom money, a school official and parent said on Friday. Kidnappings by armed men, commonly referred to in Nigeria as “bandits”, have become endemic in northern Nigeria, disrupting the education of hundreds…


Extremist Attack in Somalia’s Capital Kills at Least 9

MOGADISHU, Somalia—A large explosion in Somalia’s capital killed at least nine people and injured eight others, a health official said Saturday. Dr. Mohamed Nur at the Medina Hospital told reporters that the toll reflected only the dead and wounded who were taken to the facility in Mogadishu where he works. “I am sure the number…


France to Pull More Than 2,000 Troops From Africa’s Sahel

PARIS—France will withdraw more than 2,000 troops from an anti-extremism force in Africa’s Sahel region by early next year and pivot its military presence to specialized regional forces instead, President Emmanuel Macron said Friday. Macron announced last month a future reduction of France’s military presence, arguing that it’s no longer adapted to the needs in…


Christians Charge Nigerian Government With Complicity in Kidnappings

KADUNA—On July 7 Evangelical leaders in Nigeria and the United States accused Nigerian authorities of complicity in terrorism. The news event drawing their fire was the July 5 kidnapping of 121 Students of Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna State, which brings the number of students kidnapped for ransom this year to over 1000. The principal of the…


Kidnappers Demand Food for Children Seized in Nigeria School Raid

KADUNA, Nigeria—Kidnappers who abducted more than 100 students from a boarding school in Nigeria’s Kaduna state warned that the children could starve unless parents supply them with food, parents and the head of the Kaduna Baptist conference said on Wednesday. The Baptist official said about 125 students are missing, while at least 28 were reunited…


US Condemns ‘Heinous’ Assassination of Haitian Leader, Says It Is Ready to Help

WASHINGTON— U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he was shocked by the “heinous” assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise and wounding of his wife in their home, and administration officials said Washington was to ready help investigate what happened. Moise, 53, was shot dead and his wife Martine left in critical condition after unidentified…


After Deal, Egypt Releases Ship That Had Blocked Suez Canal

ISMAILIA, Egypt—Egyptian authorities announced the release Wednesday of a hulking shipping vessel that had blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week earlier this year. The Ever Given left the canal’s Great Bitter Lake, where it had been held for over three months amid a financial dispute. The development came after its Japanese owner, Shoei…