West African leaders have approved a military strategy to help Mali retake control of the north of the country from Islamist rebels. Leaders from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) agreed on an African force made up of some 3,000 troops with a one-year mandate. The majority of the troops would come […]
West African Leaders Approve Military Plan for Mali
Posted November 11th, 2012 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
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West African Leaders Meet, Discuss Military Plan for Mali
Posted November 11th, 2012 at 1:10 pm (UTC-5)
West African leaders met in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to discuss a military strategy to help Mali retake control of the north of the country from Islamist rebels. Leaders from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States gathered in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, Sunday to approve the blueprint, which was drawn up by African […]
US On Track For Deadliest Outbreak of West Nile Virus
Posted September 12th, 2012 at 6:55 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. health officials say the country has just had its worst year ever for West Nile virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that so far, 118 people have been reported dead and more than 1,400 seriously ill from the virus. The agency’s Dr. Lyle Peterson says the southern state of Texas […]
US Outbreak of West Nile Virus May Be Worst in Years
Posted August 17th, 2012 at 12:15 pm (UTC-5)
Government officials in Texas have ordered aerial spraying of insecticide in Dallas to kill mosquitos carrying the potentially deadly West Nile virus. An outbreak of the disease this year has killed 26 people and sickened perhaps 700 more this year across a wide area of the U.S. Texas has been worst affected by what is […]
Aid Groups Warn of Looming Food Crisis in West Africa
Posted December 15th, 2011 at 10:50 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations World Food Program and other aid agencies are warning of an impending food crisis in five West African countries. The agencies estimate more than 11 million people across the region face food shortages, poverty and malnutrition because of drought and poor harvests. The groups this week urged donors to act quickly to […]
UN Team Reviewing Piracy Threat in the Gulf of Guinea
Posted November 11th, 2011 at 6:20 am (UTC-5)
The head of the United Nations has sent a team to West Africa to assess and suggest how best to deal with piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. A spokesperson says U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon dispatched the team to Benin at the request of President Boni Yayi. The team will also visit Nigeria, Gabon […]
Pirates Sieze Oil Tanker off Nigeria
Posted November 3rd, 2011 at 12:40 pm (UTC-5)
Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Nigeria, in the Gulf of Guinea. Initial reports on the hijacking are sketchy, but agree the tanker, the MT Halifax, was seized in waters near Port Harcourt, Nigeria. It was not immediately clear how many crew members are on board. The Malta-flagged tanker is managed […]
Italian Tanker Hijacked Off West Africa
Posted July 24th, 2011 at 10:30 am (UTC-5)
Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea have hijacked an Italian fuel tanker with 23 crew members on board. The Italian news agency ANSA reports that three pirates seized control of the RBD Anema e Core on Sunday. It says the ship was carrying a cargo of diesel fuel and that the ship’s crew consists of […]
UN: West African Drug Trafficking Is More Sophisticated
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
A top United Nations official says drug traffickers are using a more sophisticated system to smuggle drugs from West Africa to Europe. Alexander Schmidt, the West African head of the U.N. Office on Drug Crime, says the amount of cocaine seized in western Africa has gone down, suggesting that smugglers are repositioning drug routes and […]
