A Somali official says the insurgent group al-Shabab has received weapons from allies in Yemen. The Somali consul in Yemen, Hussein Haji Ahmed, tells VOA that the Yemeni wing of al-Qaida recently sent 10 ships full of weapons to Somalia. The consul said two of the ships were intercepted by Yemeni government forces, but that […]
Somali Official: al-Shabab Gets Weapons from Yemen
Posted August 3rd, 2011 at 11:55 am (UTC-5)
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Guinea Land Grab Displaces Dozens
Posted August 3rd, 2011 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
More than 100 people have fled their homes in southern Guinea, following clashes sparked by a government attempt to take their land. Witnesses and humanitarian groups say the violence erupted last week when residents refused to give up their land to regional authorities for rubber and oil production. The Associated Press quotes a witness as […]
Ten Arrested After Failed Coup Attempt in Niger
Posted August 3rd, 2011 at 9:45 am (UTC-5)
Niger’s president says security forces arrested 10 people for attempting to overthrow the government last month. President Mahmadou Issoufou said in a television address late Tuesday that the coup attempt occurred the night of July 12 and into the following day. He said 10 people, reported to be soldiers, have been arrested while another suspect […]
UN: Somali Refugees Top 860,000
Posted August 3rd, 2011 at 8:35 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations says the number of Somali refugees in the Horn of Africa has topped 860,000, many of them forced out by the ongoing drought and famine. The U.N. refugee agency says another 1.5 million Somalis are internally displaced, mostly in Somalia’s south-central region. A report issued Wednesday says many Somalis fled their homes […]
South Africa Offers Bailout to Swaziland
Posted August 3rd, 2011 at 8:10 am (UTC-5)
South Africa has agreed to bail out its cash-strapped neighbor Swaziland. South Africa’s central bank said Wednesday that the loan is worth nearly $370 million, but did not provide further details on the package. Activists in Swaziland and labor unions in South Africa have said any economic bailout should be tied to political reforms by […]
13 Killed In New Zimbabwe Bus Crash
Posted August 3rd, 2011 at 7:10 am (UTC-5)
At least 13 people have died in the second major bus crash in Zimbabwe this week. The accident happened Tuesday about 200 kilometers east of the capital, Harare. Police say a tire burst on a passenger bus, causing the bus to veer off the road and roll over twice. Nine people were killed on the […]
Nigerian Robbery Victims Struck by Speeding Bus, 13 Dead
Posted August 3rd, 2011 at 6:05 am (UTC-5)
Nigerian police say at least 13 people were struck and killed by a speeding vehicle after they were forced to lie in the middle of the road during a robbery. Police say robbers intercepted a bus Tuesday on a main road near the capital, Abuja. The thieves then ordered the passengers out of the bus, […]
Sudan Criticizes Darfur Peacekeeping Mission
Posted August 3rd, 2011 at 4:00 am (UTC-5)
Sudan has threatened to terminate the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur, saying its new mandate infringes on its national sovereignty. Foreign Minister Ahmed Ali Karti said Tuesday that the new resolution passed by the U.N. last week is full of “negative and obsolete references” that distort the reality on the ground. On Friday, the […]
Nigeria Seeks Information About Militant Sect
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 9:05 pm (UTC-5)
A radical Islamist sect `bombed a checkpoint in northern Nigeria the same day the government established a new committee tasked with investigating the group. An army spokesman said suspected Boko Haram militants exploded a bomb Tuesday in the town of Maiduguri. There were no casualties from the blast, but the spokesman said there may have […]
UN Predicts Famine Across Somalia
Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 4:20 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nations says it expects famine to reach all regions of southern Somalia within the next four to eight weeks. A refugee agency spokeswoman told VOA Tuesday the U.N. analysis predicts conditions in the drought- and conflict-stricken nation will only worsen in the coming weeks as food prices rise and the dry season approaches. […]
