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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jeune Afrique a pu accéder aux dossiers des parties aux procès en préparation liés à la dette cachée. Ils promettent un grand déballage qui risque d’éclabousser beaucoup de monde.
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.
When Islamist insurgents laid siege to the coastal town of Palma in gas-rich northeastern Mozambique on March 24, leaving dozens dead, including several foreigners, the story received international attention. The insurgency in Mozambique is being waged by a group that calls itself al-Shabaab—not to be confused with the Somali group of the same name—and is affiliated with the Islamic State’s (ISIS) Central Africa Province. Despite the recent flood of attention al-Shabaab in Mozambique has received, the insurgency is not new.
Abd al-Rahman Milad, AKA Bija, is accused by UN of being directly involved in sinking migrant boats
Libyan authorities have released a man described as one of the world’s most wanted human traffickers, who was placed under sanctions by the UN security council for being directly involved in the sinking of migrant boats.
The coastguard commander Abd al-Rahman Milad, known by his alias Bija, is suspected of being part of a criminal network operating in Zawiyah in north-west Libya. He was arrested last October but was freed on Sunday after the military attorney general of Tripoli dropped charges against him “for lack of evidence”.
Officials in Cameroon and Nigeria say economic activity has gradually resumed along their border, despite the continued presence of the terrorist group Boko Haram. Markets have re-opened and border merchants say traveling near the border is safer thanks to a heavy presence of troops.
Gasoline seller Oumarou Fouman, 40, said life is gradually returning to the town of Amchide on Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria. He said many merchants have been crossing into Cameroon from Nigeria with electronic appliances, auto parts and food to sell.