Nigerian Taliban spread attacks

Rebels of a group known as the “Nigerian Taliban” expanded attacks against security forces to three northern states, leaving at least 80 people dead in two days of clashes.

Sudan: rumors of war

Chad admitted to an air raid on rebel positions in Darfur, but denied attacking Sudan’s armed forces or populace in the raid.

Niger: thousands protest “slow-moving coup d’état”

Tens of thousands have taken to the streets in Niger to protest President Mamadou Tandja’s plan for a new constitution to abolish term limits and give him more power after 10 years as president.

Sudan: women flogged for wearing pants

Police arrested 13 women in a raid on a cafe in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and flogged 10 of them in public for wearing trousers.

Nigeria frees MEND militant; attacks continue

The Nigerian government freed militant leader Henry Okah, meeting a demand by Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)—one day after rebels blew up an oil depot in Lagos.

Genocide charges for Sudan leader?

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has filed an appeal to have Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir charged with genocide—but AU leaders say they will not cooperate in his arrest.

Nigeria: militants blow up Chevron platform

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) blew up a Chevron platform “in retaliation” for the “abduction of a traditional chief” by Nigeria’s Joint Task Force.

Somalia: West to groom Sufis as proxies?

More voices are raised calling for the West to play a Sufi card against Islamist insurgents in Somalia, as well as Pakistan and elsewhere. But will this only destroy the Sufis’ credibility?

Somalia: insurgent sharia court sentences youth to amputation

A sharia court run by Somalia’s Shabab insurgents in Mogadishu sentenced four teenagers to each have a hand and a leg amputated as punishment for stealing cellphones.

Nigeria: militants attack Shell pipeline

Presumed militants of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) attacked Shell facilities in the latest escalation of its “all-out war” on the Nigerian government and oil companies.

Ethiopia re-occupying Somalia?

Ethiopian troops have reportedly crossed into Somalia after the transitional government there made a plea for foreign forces to help battle insurgents.

Sudan: Khartoum backing tribal militants to destabilize South?

Khartoum is accused of providing arms that were used to attack barges carrying UN food aid, in a bid to spread dissent between rival ethnic groups ahead of the vote on South Sudan independence.