Somalia: Al-Shabab claims deadly bombing
18 Sep 2014At least 12 people were killed and 27 others wounded when a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into an African Union convoy near Afgoy, southwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu, a local governor said. The attack, the latest in a wave of violence, comes exactly one week after a US air strike killed the chief of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group, prompting threats of retaliation from the group. Speaking to Al Jazeera, al-Shabab's military operations, spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack that took place near the town of Afgoye, about 30km northwest from the capital Mogadishu. Governor Abdukadir Mohamed Sidi said a car packed with explosives hit one of the armoured AU trucks. ‘Twelve civilians in a minibus were killed, and 27 others were wounded,’ he told the AFP news agency.
Fighting between rival groups in Libya's main cities has displaced 100,000 people, and caused another 150,000 to flee the country, a United Nations report said today. Numerous human rights abuses, including indiscriminate killing and abductions, took place between May and August, the report issued by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said. Yesterday Islamist-allied group Fajr Libya, or Libyan Dawn, appointed a new government in Tripoli, rivalling the existing government, which was only elected in June. Libyan Dawn took control of the capital on August 24 following intense fighting between rival groups since July 13. They re-convened an assembly of the National General Congress, the interim government that controlled Libya after the toppling of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The elected parliament has fled to Tobruk in the east to escape the fighting.
Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram has captured the key north-eastern town of Michika, residents say, gaining more territory in its efforts to create an Islamic state. People fled into bushes as gunfire rang out in the town, they added. Boko Haram has changed tactics in recent months by holding on to territory rather than launching hit-and-run attacks. The government called on Nigerians not to lose hope. The military was committed to defending Nigeria's territorial integrity, it said. Soldiers killed 50 militants during a raid on their hideout in the small north-eastern town of Kawuri at the weekend, the army said. Last month, Boko Haram said it had established an Islamic state in areas it controls in north-eastern Nigeria. Michika is a trading centre in Adamawa state not far from the Cameroon border.
British military engineers and medics are being sent to Sierra Leone to help fight the world's largest-ever outbreak of Ebola. They will set up and run a treatment centre near the capital Freetown. The World Health Organization says that more than 2,000 people have now died in the outbreak in West Africa. Last week the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres called for a global military intervention in the region. It said the global response to the outbreak had been ‘lethally inadequate’ with countries turning their back on West Africa and merely reducing the risk of Ebola arriving on their shores.The UK has announced it will build a centre with 50 beds for people in Sierra Leone and 12 beds for health-care workers who become ill. The proposed site will be surveyed this week with the facility scheduled to be running within eight weeks.
Steven Sotloff was the grandson of two Holocaust survivors who was fully aware of the risks of reporting from Middle East - and made it his career anyway. Friends say he spoke fluent Arabic and had shown a deep love for the Islamic world before he was captured by IS militants in Syria in 2013. He was shown to be executed by them on Tuesday in a video lasting just under three minutes. The militant then threatens the life of David Haines, a British citizen kidnapped in March 2013. Haines has had years of experience in non-governmental organizations and military environments working with Nonviolent Peaceforce (an NGO in consultative status with the UN). An official said that Haines was ‘very familiar with insecure locations.’ See also:
The Ebola virus epidemic is an overwhelming human catastrophe and health workers risk their lives daily, intervening often without gloves and protective supplies. Travel bans to infected countries are hampering their work by restricting the arrival of essential expertise and equipment, as well as fuel for electricity, medications and food to famine-ravished areas. The citizens of infected countries have produced a call to action petition stating, ‘In the name and interest of our common humanity, we are collectively launching this urgent Citizens' Call to Action. We call on our respective Heads of State and Government to avoid a full embargo against Ebola-affected states.’ On Wednesday a hungry Ebola patient caused panic in Liberia when he fled from a clinic to find food. He was later found by medical staff. At least 1,378 people have been infected with Ebola in Liberia and 694 have died so far. See
North Korea: American prisoners call for help
05 Sep 2014Three Americans held in North Korea spoke to the media on Monday, pleading for their release. Kenneth Bae, Jeffrey Fowle, and Matthew Miller imploring the White House to send an official to negotiate their release, and deliver messages to their families. Fowle has a wife and three children in Ohio and has been held captive since April 29, accused of leaving a Bible in a nightclub. ‘Within a month I could be sharing a jail cell with Ken Bae, I'm desperate to go home’. American Kenneth Bae has been in prison for 20 months. He was a tour guide, but officials allege the tour company was a front for Christian evangelical missions. ‘The only hope I have is for someone from the US to come’He felt abandoned by the US government. There are concerns about his health. A third American, Mathew Miller, has been detained since April 10.
Pakistan: Demonstrations continue
05 Sep 2014On Monday hundreds of anti-government protesters invaded the state television channel, taking broadcasts off-air before army and paramilitary forces secured the building. The intruders were well trained and took instructions via cell phones. Meanwhile thousands of protesters swarmed around the Prime Minister's house, parliament and foreign embassies calling for the premier's resignation. Three died and 400 were injured. There have been two weeks of demonstrations by opposition leader Imran Khan and politician Tahir-ul-Qadri demanding Sharif step down amid accusations of corruption and election fraud. Police restrained 25,000 demonstrators outside Sharif’s residence on Saturday night. Demonstrations have brought the city to a halt. A Pakistani Christian writes, ‘Many Christians are moving to Malaysia and Bangkok. They don´t feel safe any longer. More than twenty families left Peshawar recently. Pray for strength, courage, comfort, grace, divine protection and clear guidance by the Holy Spirit for Christians in Pakistan. Pray for wisdom for pastors leading their people in these stressful times.’