• African nations pledge force of 8,700 people to combat Boko Haram militants

    Feb 06
    African nations collaboratively pledged a regional force of 8,700 personnel including troops, policemen and civilians to aid in Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram militants.

    “The representatives of Benin, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria and Chad have announced contributions totalling 8,700 military personnel police and civilians,” the countries said in a statement.
  • Yemen’s Houthis take over government

    Houthi rebels have announced they are taking control of the Yemeni government and dissolving parliament.

    The Shia movement, which took control of the capital Sanaa last year, said it would appoint a five-member council to take over from the president and set a deadline for political parties to reach an agreement on ending the country's political turmoil by Wednesday, threatening to act unilaterally otherwise.

  • Free Syrian Army fighter faces war crimes charges in Sweden
    A fighter from the Free Syrian Army who received asylum in Sweden is now facing war crimes charges there, for the alleged abuse of a member of the Syrian government armed forces.

    The 28-year old man, who joined the Free Syrian Army in 2012, received asylum in Sweden in 2013. Prosecutors claim the man brutally attacked a soldier fighting for the Syrian government, captured in a video that was uploaded on to social media. They allege that the attack was carried out in a manner that "resembles torture."
  • EU calls for release of report on mass atrocities in South Sudan
    The European Union called for the publication of a report by the African Union detailing human rights violations committed by all sides involved in the fighting in South Sudan, and warned of sanctions if a political solution is not reached.

    A statement released by the European External Action Service (EEAS) said,
    “The EU believes that the publication of the Commission of Inquiry’s findings and its recommendations on accountability are necessary to ensure that such violence against civilians cannot be undertaken with impunity.”

    “The people of South Sudan and in particular the victims deserve no less, and it will in the long run enable greater accountability and give rise to more robust political stability.”
    The EU statement went on to say that it “supports repeated IGAD and AU warnings that if the two sides continue to violate the ceasefire mechanism or fail to finalise a political agreement, appropriate sanctions will need to be adopted by the international community.”
  • Congo rejects UN ultimatum calling for replacement of tainted military generals
    The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) rejected a UN ultimatum calling on two tainted generals leading the military offensive against Rwandan rebels in the country’s east to be replaced, reports Agence France Presse.
  • East Timor independence leader resigns making way for younger generation

    The prime minister of East Timor and leader of the independence struggle against Indonesian rule, Xanana Gusmao, resigned on Friday, to make way for younger generations.

    The 68 year old former guerilla leader hinted towards his wish to see a next generation of leaders, over one year ago.

    "The government confirms that the prime minister of Timor-Leste, H.E. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, has sent his letter of resignation from the post of prime minister to the president of the republic, H.E. Taur Matan Ruak," the government said in a statement.

  • Croatian PM threatens to block Serbia from joining EU over war crimes law
    Croatian Prime Minister Zoran warned he will block Serbia from joining the European Union, unless it changes a law that allows the conviction of alleged perpetrators of war crimes.

    The law, passed in 2003, gives Serbia universal jurisdiction to try alleged perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1990s conflict in the former Yugoslavia.

    Mr Milanovic though fearing that the law would be use to target alleged Croatian perpetrators has rallied against it. "I think it is a matter of common sense to state right away: Serbia cannot join the EU with such a law, Croatia will not allow it,"  said Mr Milanovic.
  • Boko Haram ‘massacre’ in Cameroon

    Militants from Boko Haram have killed over 100 people in the Cameroonian border town of Fotokol, reports Reuters.

    According to a local leader, residents were killed inside their homes and mosques.

  • Nato to reinforce presence in Eastern Europe

    Nato will today announce a plan to bolster its military presence in the east of Europe, amidst continuing fighting in Ukraine.

    The alliance’s defence ministers will meet in Brussels on Thursday and are expected to announce a new rapid reaction "spearhead" force of up to 5,000 troops, the biggest reinforcement since the end of the Cold War.

  • Egypt hands out 230 life sentences to activists

    An Egyptian court has handed out life sentences to 230 people, who were involved in pro-democracy protests which toppled former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

    Prominent liberal activist Ahmed Douma was also among those sentenced.

  • Myanmar slams 'interfering' UN official
    Myanmar's foreign ministry released a statement condemning a top UN official for “interfering” in the country's affairs and for use of the term “Rohingya”.

    The UN's Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, had described conditions in camps, where some 140,000 Rohingya are residing in following clashes with Buddhists in 2012, as “abysmal”.

    The foreign ministry responded by saying she should do her job in a  "professional and prudent manner", adding,
    "Selectivity is often exercised. On some occasions, interfering on issues which fall within state sovereignty and domestic jurisdiction is evident."
  • Deadly shell attack on Donetsk hospital
    At least three people have been killed after a shell hit Donetsk hospital in eastern Ukraine, a region currently under the control of pro-Russian separatists.

    City officials said that nearby buildings were damaged in the attack, with six schools and five kindergartens reportedly also hit by shell fire.
  • Chadian troops kill 'more than 200' Boko Haram militants

    Chadian troops in Nigeria say they have killed over 200 militants with Boko Haram.

    The troops, who entered Nigeria on Tuesday to fight Boko Haram, are fighting for control of Gamboru, a town on the border with Cameroon.

    The army said it had recaptured the town, but gunfire was still heard in the town on Wednesday AFP reported.

    Chad and Nigeria are also bombing the vast Sambisa forest, where Boko Haram is believed to have bases.

  • Justice process and peace negotiations in South Sudan are not mutually exclusive says HRW
    Asserting that the South Sudan “peace process and justice process are by no means mutually exclusive,” Human Rights Watch urged the African Union to reverse its decision to delay publishing findings from the AU’s commission of inquiry into atrocities committed during South Sudan’s ethnic conflict.
  • US missile strike kills main al-Shabaab leader
    A US missile strike launched last week, killed the Al Shabaab militant group’s chief of external operations  and planning for intelligence and security, the US said in a statement on Tuesday.
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