• US coalition conducts 27 air strikes against Islamic State militants

    Jan 11
    The US and its allies bombarded Islamic State forces with 27 air strikes within 24 hours, the Combined Joint Task Force said on Monday.

    The air raids ran from Sunday morning to Monday morning, destroying fighting positions and buildings near the city of Kobane in Syria.
  • Congolese protesters dispersed with tear gas
    Congolese demonstrators protesting the potential extension of the current president’s tenure were violently dispersed by security forces yielding tear gas, on Monday, reports Reuters.
  • International community ignores Boko Haram crisis says archbishop
    The international community is ignoring the threat of Boko Haram militants, said a Catholic Archbishop in central Nigeria on Monday.

    Archbishop of Jos, Ignatius Kaigama said the international community had to show the same spirit and resolve it had done after the attacks in France. 
  • Suicide bombers attack north-east Nigeria
    Two suicide bombers attacked a market in north-east Nigeria, in the country’s second consecutive day of attacks on civilians.

    A security official told the Agence France Presse, that the bombs appeared to have been remote controlled, as the second bomber appeared to try and run out of the market after the first explosion.
  • Conflicting Libya factions agree to UN facilitated talks
    Libya’s conflicting factions agreed to a new round UN facilitated talks to work towards stability in the region reports Reuters.

    The announcement came after the UN envoy, Bernardino Leon met factions to agree a meeting in Geneva next week.

    “In order to create a conducive environment for the dialogue, Special Representative Leon has proposed to the parties to the conflict a freeze in military operations for a few days,” the UN mission said in a statement on Saturday.

    A member of parliament in Tripoli said that the talks would initially be indirect as the two sides did not recognise each other.

    "If there will be chance to hold direct talks, that will depend on the first round,” added Abdulqader Hwaili.

    The European Union also backed the UN facilitated talks.
  • UN report finds ethnic cleansing but no genocidal intent in CAR
    A UN report, released on Thursday, concluded that atrocities committed in the Central African Republic (CAR) amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, but said it did not find "the existence of the necessary element of genocidal intent".

    "Thousands of people died as a result of the conflict. Human rights violations and abuses were committed by all parties. The Seleka coalition and the anti-balaka are also responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity," the commission of inquiry, set up by the UN Security Council in December 2013 said.

  • Bomb blast kills 16 in Nigeria
    A bomb blast in the north-eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri killed at least 16 people and injured 20 on Saturday, reports Reuters.

    Maiduguri, the capital of the Borno state has seen several attacks from boko Haram militants, who operate within the north-eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
  • Bahrain security forces clash with Shi'ite protesters
    Several protesters in Bahrain clashed with security forces during an anti-government demonstration over the detention of the opposition leaders, reports Reuters.

    Discontent from the Shi’ite community has grown after a Shi’ite Muslim cleric, who leads the al-Wefaq Islamic Society, was arrested in December.
  • As many as 2,000 reportedly dead in Boko Haram 'massacre'
    Amnesty International estimated that up to 2,000 people have been killed in the Nigerian town of Baga, in what it reported as the “deadliest massacre” by Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
  • French security forces storm hostage sites
    Two brothers responsible for the attack at the offices of French satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo were killed by anti-terrorist police on Friday when their hideout was stormed, as a second siege ended with the death of four hostages.

    Simultaneous sieges occurred at a Jewish supermarket in Paris and at a warehouse North of Paris.

    In the incident in Paris, French security forces stormed the supermarket to free several hostages. The gunman and four hostages died.

    Though the hostages are not believe to have been killed during the assault investigations are underway to confirm how they died, reports the BBC.
  • Egypt doubles size of security zone, demolishing 1,220 homes
    Hundreds of families are being evicted from the Egyptian border with Gaza after the army announced it was doubling the size of the security buffer zone on Thursday.

    The existing 500m buffer zone created last November will now expand in size, with authorities announcing they will destroy 1,220 homes.
  • David Cameron refuses to take part in election debates if Greens are excluded
    The British Prime Minister, David Cameron said that he would not take part in TV debates ahead of the general elections unless the Green Party was also included, reports the BBC.

    The current proposals include the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP in the television debates.
  • Manhunt for gunmen in Paris, two mosques firebombed
    French security forces continued a manhunt for the two gunmen suspected of shooting dead 12 people at an attack on the satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo.

    The men, identified as French citizens of Muslim faith and brothers, Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi were reportedly spotted in northern France on Thursday morning, where witnesses say they were masked and armed. The gunmen reportedly robbed a petrol station stealing food and petrol.

    In the south of Paris, in an apparently unconnected incident, a police woman was shot dead. The officer was attending to the car accident when a gunman started firing shots. A street cleaner was also wounded in the attack.

  • Nigerian president begins election campaign amidst Boko Haram killings
    The Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathon, opened his campaign to win a second elected term as Nigeria’s leader, by defending his record at tackling Boko Haram militants that have been responsible for killings across the region.

    Criticising the opposition, Jonathan said,
  • Islamic State launches fresh assault on Iraqi city
    Islamic State (IS) militants have launched a new assault on the Iraqi city of Samarra, killing at least 3 people and injuring dozens more.

    Car bombs were reportedly detonated along the main motorway west of the city, home to one of Shia Islam's holiest shrines. US-led coalition airstrikes drove back the IS fighters from villages to the south of the city that were captured by the IS offensive.
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