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West Africa

UN OKs military action to oust al-Qaida in Mali
The U.N. Security Council on Thursday authorized military action to wrest northern Mali from the control of al-Qaida-linked extremists but demanded ...
North Mali Islamist group adds new brigade
An Islamist group behind public executions and amputations in northern Mali is further expanding its reach, taking in a new brigade of members.
French engineer kidnapped in north Nigeria
More than 30 assailants stormed a house in northern Nigeria, killing two people and kidnapping a French engineer, in the latest abduction to hit the ...
French president wants new era with Algeria
French President Francois Hollande announced a new era with Algeria on Wednesday — a strategic partnership among equals — during a state visit to this ...
FIFA awards Niger WCup win by default over Gabon
FIFA has awarded Niger a 3-0 victory by default in a 2014 World Cup qualifier because Gabon fielded an ineligible player. FIFA says it confirmed the ...
Worries grow in east Congo with fighter buildup
Aid workers warned Wednesday that armed groups are setting up new front lines in and around the city of Goma in eastern Congo, where the U.N. said it ...
Senegal gov't adopts law to try ex-Chad dictator
Senegal's national assembly adopted a much-anticipated law on Wednesday which creates a special tribunal to try ex-Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, the ...
Mali leader acknowledges extremists not foreigners
Mali's president acknowledged Wednesday that the Islamist group carrying out public executions and amputations in the country's north is made up ...
5 Indian sailors kidnapped off coast of Nigeria
Gunmen stormed a tanker ship off the coast of Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta, ransacking the vessel and kidnapping five Indian sailors in the ...
Police: 27 killed in north Nigeria traffic crash
Police in northwest Nigeria say 27 people riding atop a truck carrying livestock have been killed when it tipped over and crashed. Sokoto state police ...
UN court acquits Congo rebel leader of war crimes
The International Criminal Court acquitted a Congolese militia leader Tuesday of all charges of commanding fighters who destroyed a village in eastern ...
Police: 4 Koreans, 1 Nigerian kidnapped in Nigeria
Four South Koreans and a Nigerian working for a Korean company in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta have been abducted, Nigerian police said Tuesday, ...
Liberian schoolchildren send condolences to Conn.
Schoolchildren in the West African nation of Liberia are sending their condolences to the victims of the Connecticut school shooting that left 20 ...
Ghana says it will release Argentine ship
Ghana's government says it will comply with a United Nations court order to release an Argentine naval ship that's been held since October.
France eyes new UN resolution on Mali
France's defense minister said Monday he expects the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution approving a multinational African force to help ...
19 people drowned after boat capsizes in Benin
Officials say at least 19 people drowned after a boat capsized on a river near a village in Benin's south. The mayor of the town of Abomey, Patrice ...
Cameroon upholds 3-year term for gay text message
An appeals court on Monday upheld a three-year sentence against a man found guilty of homosexual conduct for sending a text message to another man ...
Malaria progress falters, WHO goals unrealistic
The fight against malaria is slowing down amid a dramatic drop in efforts to reverse the epidemic, even as health officials insist they will try to ...
Laurent Gbagbo ICC pretrial hearing Feb. 19
Judges at the International Criminal Court will hold a hearing in February to decide whether evidence against former Ivory Coast president Laurent ...
Ghana considers court order to release ship
Ghana's government said Sunday it was "carefully considering" a U.N. tribunal's order for the immediate release of an Argentine navy training ship ...
UN court orders release of Argentine ship in Ghana
A United Nations court ordered the immediate release Saturday of an Argentine navy training ship seized by Ghana two months ago at the request of an ...
Nigeria governor, 5 others die in helicopter crash
A navy helicopter crashed Saturday in Nigeria's oil-rich southern delta, killing a state governor and five other people, in the latest air disaster ...
Abducted mother of Nigeria finance minister freed
The mother of Nigeria's finance minister has been released five days after her abduction, an official said Friday, bringing an end to a family crisis ...