North Africa

The first day of new UN-led talks between delegates from war-torn Libya failed to reach an agreement on a constitutional framework for holding elections as planned in December, the UN said. The UN support mission in Libya said that the participants in Wednesday's meeting held via video conference discussed four proposals, the content of which was not revealed. "A final decision on the constitutional basis" for legislative and presidential elections would be taken at the next meeting, UNSMIL said,…

Algeria has arrested 22 people suspected of being behind the most devastating forest fires in the country's history, killing 69 people, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Thursday, calling the fires a "disaster" and calling for national unity. Dozens of forest fires have hit mountainous areas in northern Algeria since Monday, mainly in Tizi Ouzou, the main province of the Kabylie region east of the capital, Algiers. On Thursday, Algeria held a national day of mourning for dozens killed. "Some…

Flames erupted across northern Algeria on Thursday as the country observed a national day of mourning for dozens of people killed in recent forest fires to cover the Mediterranean. The North African country has been…

On Thursday, one of Tunisia's largest parties in parliament announced the formation of a temporary committee to deal with the country's political crisis. In a statement, Ennahdha said the new committee will be chaired by Mohamed Goumani, a member of the party's executive office. The statement added that the committee has jurisdiction and that its decision is binding on the party. The statement also said that the committee would look for solutions and understandings to avoid the worst for Tunisia and…

Flames erupted across northern Algeria on Thursday as the country observed a national day of mourning for dozens of people killed in recent forest fires to cover the Mediterranean. The North African country has been gripping devastating fires since Monday that have claimed 69 lives - 41 civilians and 28 soldiers. Soldiers and civilian volunteers have joined firefighters on several fronts in an effort to put out the fires that are being blown by windy and dry dry conditions. In the district of Tizi…

The death toll rose to at least 69 as firefighters, soldiers and civilian volunteers fought fires in forests across northern Algeria on Wednesday, in the latest forest fires to cover the Mediterranean. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning starting on Thursday, and authorities say they…

Another nine bodies were found in a new mass grave on Wednesday in Libya's Tarhuna province, which was liberated from forces loyal to Putist general Khalifa Haftar. The General Authority for Research and Identification of Missed Persons said in a statement that the mass grave was discovered in an agricultural area in Tarhuna. Tarhuna, a strategic city about 65 kilometers (41 miles) southeast of the Libyan capital Tripoli, was under the control of the al-Kaniyat militia, which gained a reputation for…

Amnesty International says women and girls in Tigray were raped and sexually abused by Ethiopian soldiers and their allies in an attempt to inflict lasting physical and mental harm. In a new report, the rights group says that stories of gang rape, sexual slavery and sexual mutilation amount…

Firefighters, troops and civilian volunteers fought fires in forests in northern Algeria on Wednesday when the country killed at least 65 people in the latest forest fires that hit the Mediterranean. Soldiers deployed to support the overcrowded rescue services are fighting the outbreak of more than 50 fires that broke out on Tuesday and accounted for 28 of those killed, state television reported. Authorities say they suspect widespread arson after so many fires broke out in such a short time. They…

Sudan will hand over longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court along with other officials called for the Darfur conflict, Foreign Minister Mariam al-Mahdi said on Wednesday. "The Cabinet decided to hand over wanted officials to the ICC," Mahdi was quoted as saying by state media. Bashir, who ruled Sudan with an iron fist for three decades before being ousted from popular protests in 2019, is charged with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The UN says 300,000 people…