Eye on Africa

In a celebration marking the 81st anniversary of the establishment of the Libyan army, with an unmistakable reference to an unsuccessful attack from April 2019 on the capital Tripoli by the Putis general Khalifa Haftar's militia, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah said on Tuesday that national armies are to protect their capitals, not storm them. "Capitals are precious pearls, and armies were founded to protect them, not to storm them, terrorize their people and destroy their property,…

Ethiopia on Tuesday ended a ceasefire against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which had previously stopped the government's military offensive in the north of the country. The announcement to end the ceasefire declared by the government in the conflict with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) came in a statement from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office. Nearly 2 million Ethiopians have been displaced internally as a result of the conflict, while tens of thousands have fled to…

As forest fires blown by windy temperatures and dry-dry conditions flame through Algeria's Kabylie region, the death toll has risen further. At least 65 people, including 25 soldiers, have died in fires that broke out east of the Algerian capital Algiers, state television reported on Wednesday. Prime Minister Ayman Benabderrahmane had previously revealed that the death toll was 42 on Tuesday. He also told state television that the government had asked for help from the international community and was…

Sudan said on Sunday it had ordered its envoy to Ethiopia's home for consultation after a government spokesman in Addis Ababa rejected a Sudanese initiative to mediate a ceasefire in the Tigray War, accusing it of occupying Ethiopian territory. The move announced in a statement from the Foreign Ministry was the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the African neighbors. Tensions began after Sudan deployed troops to the fertile border area of ​​Al-Fashaga at the end of last year, which it says…

Libyan authorities unearthed 10 bodies from a mass grave in the city of Tarhuna, south of the capital Tripoli, reported on Sunday. The mass grave was discovered on Saturday in a large agricultural area called Mashrou 'Alrabet in the city, Lutfi Tawfiq, head of the General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons, told Anadolu Agency (AA). He said the tomb is the second to be discovered in the city in the last ten days. In March, the authority said it had lists of 3,650 missing…

Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its 13th-century cliffs in Ethiopia's Amhara region, was taken over by rebels from the nearby Tigray region, residents said on Thursday. The development came when a senior Amhara official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the rebels, known as the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), pushed "deep" into Amhara territory and hinted at possible reprisals. "I think now, enough is enough. Because TPLF is no longer in Tigray. TPLF is moving deep into…

Nigerian security forces used excessive force and killed more than 115 people in a military attack on separatist agitators in the restless southeastern part of the country, the international human rights organization said on Thursday. Violence has flared up in Nigeria's southeastern states this year, claiming the lives of at least 127 police officers or members of the security services, according to police. About twenty police stations and election commission offices have been attacked, according to…

On Tuesday, the East African country of Sudan took the first step towards joining the International Criminal Court. The country's cabinet's decision to join the Rome Statute is a step forward in the long-awaited trial of suspected war crimes and genocide suspects in the Darfur conflict, including former President Omar al-Bashir. However, the bill still needs to be ratified by a joint meeting of Sudan's sovereign council and cabinet. Together they function as an interim parliament. The Cabinet did not…

Khalid al-Mishri was re-elected chairman of Libya's top government for a four-year term on Tuesday. Al-Mishri won 73 of the 128 votes in the vote in the capital, Tripoli, Council spokesman Mohamed Nasser told Anadolu Agency (AA). He noted that al-Mishri's victory came "during the second ballot" in which he defeated his rival Salah Mito. Saeed Kula also ran for the position in the first round but received the least number of votes, forcing him out of the second round. Following his re-election,…

About 50 bodies have been found floating in the river between Ethiopia's Tigray and Sudan, according to a Sudanese official in Kassala province. The Setit River separates Sudan from Ethiopia and serves as a de facto boundary between the conflicting Tigrayan forces and Ethiopian-backed Amhara forces. "They were shot in the chest, abdomen, legs ... and also had their hands tied," said Tewodros Tefera, a surgeon who fled the nearby town of Tigray in Humera to Sudan. The doctor told the Associated Press…