Somalia

At least seven soldiers were killed when warriors from the Somali terrorist group al-Shabab stormed a jail in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland early Friday, police and the group said. Al-Shabab said it had released at least 400 prisoners, many of them members, in its attack on the main prison in Bosaso, Puntland's largest city, early Friday. The authorities did not confirm that figure. "Last night, many well-armed men attacked us from different directions. We fought back but eventually they…

Libya's caretaker Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on Thursday presented his proposal to the new government for parliamentary approval in an attempt to unite the country's divided institutions, the prime minister's office said. "In accordance with the Roadmap to the Political Agreement ... (Dbeibah), the Speaker submitted to Parliament the Parliament's proposals for portfolio," the Office said in a statement. The names of Dbeibah's proposed government were not made public, but the House of…

After fighting the virus for a year, healthcare workers in South Africa are breathing a cautious relief as cases across the country fall. Although they have reason to celebrate, medical staff are worried about a likely imminent wave of infections in the coming months. "We are relieved now because the number is down and the patients are no longer so sick," nurse Constance Mathibela told Agence France-Presse (AFP) at Thembisa Hospital, in a township east of Johannesburg. After the epidemic struck, the…

Authorities in Nigeria's Zamfara state have declared a curfew and closed markets after violence joked hundreds of abducted schoolgirls to their families, a state spokesman said on Thursday. Late on Wednesday, shots and chaos erupted during what should have been the happy return of 279 schoolgirls abducted by armed men from their boarding school last week. The government secured the release of the girls on Tuesday, but they had undergone medical check-ups and treatment. At least three people were shot,…

The Russian security company Wagner Group is known for its heavy presence in war-torn Libya and is reportedly expanding across the African continent, interfering in conflicts and working for the Kremlin's interests. The Wagner Group was formed in 2014 in Ukraine and is owned by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, and is intensely involved in several conflicts, not only in Ukraine but also around the world, from the Middle East to Latin America. However, the group's most famous presence has taken place in…

Libya's Tripoli - based parliament on Wednesday stated that the province where confidence in the newly elected government of national unity (GNU) under Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah will be kept must get rid of mercenaries and foreign forces. Parliament's statement comes after the UN mandate in Libya proposed that the vote be held in the coastal province of Sirte. Similarly, Aquila Saleh, Speaker of the Tobruk-based parliament, last week called on the Assembly to meet in Sirte on March 8 to vote…

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Thursday that her office had confirmed serious violations that could constitute "war crimes and crimes against humanity" in Ethiopia's Tigray region, including by Eritrean troops. In a statement, Michelle Bachelet stressed the urgent need for an independent inquiry into the situation in Tigray, which has been shaken by months of fighting. Her office had "managed to confirm information about some of the events that occurred in November last year,…

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says at least 20 migrants have been killed after smugglers threw 80 overboard during a trip from Djibouti in East Africa to Yemen. A statement said that "smugglers started shouting that there were too many on board" after the boat with 200 migrants, including children under 18, got off on Wednesday. IOM says five bodies have been recovered and survivors are being treated in Djibouti. This has happened in the past when thousands of migrants continue to…

More African countries received the long-awaited first deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday, with Kenya and Rwanda benefiting from the global COVAX initiative aimed at securing doses for the world's low- and middle-income countries. African and other health officials have been frustrated by the sight of a handful of rich countries rolling out vaccines after taking large quantities for themselves. "We will be known as the continent COVID" if Africa does not quickly reach its goal of vaccinating…

Libya's newly elected interim government on Tuesday called on UN experts to publish a report accusing them of buying votes during world - led peace talks. A UN panel had in a confidential report, seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Sunday, stated that at least three participants were offered bribes of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The administration of the caretaker Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on Tuesday issued a statement demanding that UN experts "publish their report on allegations of…