South Sudanese former SPLA rebel fighters engaged government forces May 14 in the disputed oil-rich Abyei region, leaving up to four dead and sending hundreds fleeing. Heavy exchanges of machine gun and mortar fire could be heard from a UN… Read moreSudan: SPLA ex-combatants take up arms over Abeyi
Back in February, rebels in Chad penetrated N’Djamena, the capital, after driving across hundreds of miles of desert from the east in a fleet of armed pick-up trucks. Chad’s government quickly accused Sudan of supporting the operation. On May 10,… Read moreNew battle of Omdurman: Sudan-Chad war next?
Hundreds of youths hurled stones and blocked roads with burning tires May 6 in a second day of protests over food prices in Mogadishu, where the price of corn meal has more than doubled since January and rice has risen… Read moreFood riots, anti-US protests rock Somalia
In a pre-dawn attack May 1, US missiles destroyed the home of reputed al-Qaeda leader Aden Hashi Ayro in Dusamareeb, Somalia. The attack killed 24 others in the targeted house and nearby homes. “This will not deter us from prosecuting… Read moreSomalia: Shabab pledge revenge on America
Spain is sending frigate to the coast of Somalia following the seizure of a Spanish tuna fishing boat, the Playa de Bakio, by pirates. Some 26 people were aboard, including 13 Spaniards and a crew of various African nationals. The… Read moreSpain intervenes against Somali pirates
South African dock workers are refusing to unload a Chinese cargo ship carrying 77 tons of small arms destined for Zimbabwe. The arms, including three million rounds of ammunition for AK-47s and 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades, were ordered by the Zimbabwean… Read moreSouth African dock workers refuse to unload Chinese arms bound for Zimbabwe
Workers from the public and private sectors throughout Burkina Faso launched a two-day strike April 8 to protest high food costs and demand salary increases. Ouagadougou, the capital, was almost completely shut down. In Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in… Read moreGeneral strike in Burkina Faso
Comorian rebel leader Mohamed Bacar was taken into custody on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion April 4 at the request of Comoros, which is demanding his extradition. French officials are also considering Bacar’s request for asylum. Bacar fled… Read moreFrance jails Comoros rebel leader following AU intervention
Recent clashes between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and fighters from the nomadic Arab Miserriya community have displaced hundreds of civilians from their homes and raised tension across Abyei, a region lying between the north and South Sudan. Abyei’s… Read moreMiserriya Arab nomads new pawns in struggle for Sudan
Kenya has largely disappeared from the headlines, and what is reported generally has an optimistic slant—a new power-sharing accord is hoped to end the violence. Meanwhile, the situation seems to be escalating to open war. On March 10, the armed… Read moreKenya: land tenure fuels violence
A US submarine fired three Tomahawk cruise missiles into southern Somalia March 3, aiming at what the Defense Department called terrorist targets. The missiles hit the town of Dobley, five miles from Somalia’s border with Kenya, partly destroying a house… Read moreUS launches cruise missile attack on Somalia
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has issued a statement condemning “in the strongest possible terms” attacks on Mogadishu radio stations by the armed forces of the Transitional Federal Government. The statement said government troops raided the offices of… Read moreSomalia: independent media under attack
