A United Nations spokesman says one U.N. peacekeeper was killed and another seriously wounded Friday when their vehicle was attacked by gunmen in the Darfur region of Sudan. The U.N. says the peacekeepers were part of the Joint United Nations-African Union force in Darfur (UNAMID) and were ambushed in the village of Duma, northeast of […]
7 Killed in Looting at Somalia Aid Camp
Posted August 5th, 2011 at 11:40 am (UTC-5)
Witnesses at a refugee camp in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, say seven people were killed during a looting spree that broke out as food was being distributed to famine and drought victims. People at the scene say the violence began Friday when men dressed as government troops began stealing food at the Badbaado camp, the largest […]
30 Killed in Ivory Coast Bus Crash
Posted August 5th, 2011 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
A bus crash in the economic capital of Ivory Coast Friday killed some 30 people. Reports on the crash say the overcrowded bus was crossing a bridge over the Ebrie lagoon in Abidjan, when it veered off the bridge into the water. Rescuers have pulled some bodies and survivors from the wreckage. Authorities have not […]
U.N. to Investigate Sudan Medevac Delay
Posted August 5th, 2011 at 9:50 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations says a board of inquiry is looking into the deaths of three wounded Ethiopian peacekeepers who died in Sudan when authorities delayed their evacuation by helicopter. U.N. peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roi told reporters medical flights are not supposed to require authorization under the peacekeeping agreement between the U.N. and Sudan. But […]
8 Killed in Ivory Coast Bus Crash
Posted August 5th, 2011 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
A bus crash in the Ivory Coast Friday killed at least eight people. Reuters news agency says the bus struck two cars on a bridge before veering off into a lagoon in Abidjan, the capital. Rescuers have pulled some bodies and survivors from the wreckage. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
WFP: Ethiopia’s Emergency Food Reserve Near Zero
Posted August 5th, 2011 at 12:20 am (UTC-5)
The head of World Food Program in Ethiopia says the country’s emergency food stocks are almost gone, the latest trouble caused by the drought in the Horn of Africa. Abdou Dieng told reporters Thursday that despite incoming aid, Ethiopia faces a critical shortfall in emergency food supplies. He says a reserve set up by the […]
Urges ‘Unfettered’ Aid to Shabab-controlled Somalia
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 5:25 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling on the al-Shabab militant group to allow aid groups “unfettered” access to bring food assistance to the more than a million people facing famine in the part of Somalia they control. At a press conference Thursday, Clinton said this would allow aid groups to save as many […]
South Africa Diamond Strike Ends
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 4:25 pm (UTC-5)
More than 1,300 diamond miners are headed back to work in South Africa after negotiating raises up to 10 percent. International diamond giant De Beers said Thursday the two-week strike was its first in nearly two decades. The company said in a statement entry-level workers would receive the 10-percent wage hike while more skilled workers […]
UN: Sudan Delayed Medical Flight for Dying Peacekeepers
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 3:40 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nations says three Ethiopian peacekeepers died while Sudan refused to allow them to be flown to a hospital. U.N. peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roi told reporters Thursday the peacekeepers were taken to a helicopter after being seriously wounded in a land mine explosion. But he said the helicopter waited for three hours because […]
UN: Nigerian Delta Requires Largest Ever Oil Cleanup
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 2:35 pm (UTC-5)
A United Nations report says decades of oil spills in Nigeria’s Ogoniland region may require the world’s largest petroleum cleanup that could cost more than $1 billion. The report, released Thursday by the U.N.’s environmental program, said that drinking water supplies within the oil-rich Niger Delta have been damaged by 50 years of crude oil […]
