Africa

Tunisia divers find another body from migrant boat; 22 dead

Navy divers recovered another body on Saturday from a migrant boat that floundered and sunk off the coast of eastern Tunisia, bringing to 22 the number of known dead, including nine women and a baby, as police searched for the smuggler.

An estimated 40 people were aboard the boat which sank Friday off the coast of Sfax in the Mediterranean Sea and the search for the missing continued, according to Ali Ayari, spokesman for the port city’s National Guard.

Also sought is a Tunisian said to have been the main smuggler and two others from sub-Saharan Africa, Ayari told The Associated Press. A Tunisian middleman has been arrested, he added.

“The boat took on water shortly after leaving the Sidi Monsour beach, near Sfax, which leads one to think the migrants were (victims) of a scam,” Ayari said.

The craft was allegedly headed to Italy, a main destination for migrants taking to the Mediterranean from this North African country and looking for a foothold in Europe to escape poverty or conflict.

On March 9, two boats ran aground in the same area, killing 39 people with 165 others rescued. Most people aboard were from sub-Saharan Africa.

New clashes in Mozambique three weeks after Palma attack

New clashes have erupted in the town of Palma, Mozambique, three weeks after a jihadist attack left dozens of people dead and forced thousands to flee their homes.

MAPUTO – New clashes have erupted in the town of Palma, Mozambique, three weeks after a jihadist attack left dozens of people dead and forced thousands to flee their homes, military and security sources said.

Heavy loss of life feared in clashes between Chad herders, farmers

Clashes between sedentary farmers and semi-nomadic herders in southeastern Chad have left many dead in recent days, humanitarian and human rights sources said Sunday.

The two groups have a long and troubled history in the region, where weapons abound and violence often flares after cattle destroy crops.

Can Turkey rely on Libyan PM to guarantee its strategic interests?

Ankara’s two critical deals with Tripoli remain in limbo even though Libya’s new prime minister raised Turkish spirits during a much-hyped visit this week.

A high-profile visit by Libya’s new interim prime minister, complete with economic accords, has cheered Turkey up, but Ankara’s interests in the war-torn country remain far from guaranteed amid a flurry of rival diplomacy ahead of Libya’s elections in December.

Ethiopian Survivors Retell Horrors Of Last Month’s ‘Houthi Holocaust’

When Abdel Karim Ibrahim Mohammed, 23, fled the recent violence consuming Ethiopia’s Oromia region, he never imagined he would fall into the hands of Yemen’s Houthis.

In fact, like many of his compatriots desperate to escape conflict-ridden Ethiopia, he had not even heard of the Iran-backed militia, which seized control of Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2015.

Kenya: Battle For Power And Wealth Fuels Kapedo Conflict – Analysis

Government and local leaders should prioritise boundary demarcation and security to resolve the deadly border dispute.

The killing of a senior police officer in Kenya’s Kapedo area on 17 January is just the latest attack in a longstanding brutal conflict. Those responsible control the disputed Kapedo area that borders Baringo and Turkana counties.

It Is Time to Rethink U.S. Strategy in the Sahel

If Washington wants to play an effective role, it needs less counterterrorism, better diplomacy. Here are four ways to get there.

Close to 10 years after the French military intervention pushed al-Qaida affiliated fighters out of northern Mali, the Sahel region continues to make headlines with the world’s fastest growing Islamist insurgency and one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Across the region, insecurity and socio-political instability continue to reach new heights. Yet, unrelenting setbacks in the fight against terrorism are undermining political support for international actors within a region where a donor “traffic jam” is currently at play. For these reasons, a change in international policy toward the Sahel is not only necessary, it has become inevitable.

WFP: Millions in West, Central Africa Facing Hunger Emergency

The United Nations World Food Program warns that millions of people in West and Central Africa are facing catastrophic levels of hunger driven by conflict and soaring food prices.

More than 31 million people, an increase of 10 million over last year, are expected to be unable to feed themselves during the upcoming June to August lean season. This period precedes the next harvest and is the time of year when food stocks in West Africa are at their lowest.

Conflict Trends Update

GREECE-TURKE

In the first visit by a Greek minister in over two years, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias arrived in Ankara this week for talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. They discussed contentious issues dividing the NATO allies, including Cyprus and their maritime dispute. Crisis Group expert Berkay Mandıracı says while Dendias invited Cavusoglu for a follow-on meeting in Athens and the pair discussed possible talks on confidence building measures, a heated press conference descended into a war of words. The episode increases the risk of talks derailing, strengthens hardliners on both sides who oppose talks, and sours the mood ahead of difficult Cyprus talks later this month.

SOMALIA

The lower house of parliament on Monday extended by up to two years President Farmajo’s four-year term, which expired in February, triggering one of Somalia’s worst political crises in years. International partners, including the UN, U.S. and EU, condemned the extension. Crisis Group expert Murithi Mutiga says the decision will deepen political polarisation and could have serious repercussions on the security front, amid signs of splintering among the security forces. Al-Shabaab’s long-running insurgency stands to benefit the most, particularly if Somali elites cannot quickly find a way to defuse tensions.