http://www.mail.com/locations/1362-west-africa.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.28/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/locations/1362-west-africa.html http://www.mail.com/news/world/2109182-kerry-sub-saharan-africa-visit.html ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Making his first official trip to sub-Saharan Africa, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday demanded that Nigeria respect human rights as it cracks down on Islamist extremists and pledged to work hard in the coming months to ease tensions between Sudan and South Sudan. Kerry, attending the African Union's 50th anniver... Sat, 25 May 2013 08:50:27 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2109182-kerry-sub-saharan-africa-visit.html 2013-05-25T08:50:27Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2108102-nigeria-military-rescued-hostages-north.html ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's military says it has rescued women and children taken hostage by Islamic extremists after an attack on a police barracks. The claim Friday by Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade could not be independently confirmed. Olukolade said the army freed three women and six children who had been in a propaganda video by the extremist networ... Fri, 24 May 2013 15:45:18 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2108102-nigeria-military-rescued-hostages-north.html 2013-05-24T15:45:18Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2107674-french-help-niger-to-kill-jihadist-bombers.html NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — With the help of French special forces, Niger's military on Friday killed the last two jihadists holed up inside a dormitory on the grounds of a military garrison in the desert town of Agadez, and freed at least two soldiers who had been held hostage by the extremists, according to French and Nigerien officials. For hours there had be... Fri, 24 May 2013 15:36:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2107674-french-help-niger-to-kill-jihadist-bombers.html 2013-05-24T15:36:45Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/2105376-writer-chinua-achebe-honored-nigeria-funeral.html OGIDI, Nigeria (AP) — Writer Chinua Achebe shunned Nigeria's corrupt politicians and twice turned down national honors, never fearing to criticize those he felt ruined his country. On Thursday, however, the lawmakers and the country's elite came to praise him. Hundreds attended Achebe's funeral among the rolling hills of his eastern Nigeria home, a servic... Thu, 23 May 2013 22:53:07 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/2105376-writer-chinua-achebe-honored-nigeria-funeral.html 2013-05-23T22:53:07Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2105964-15-injured-clash-with-security-forces-guinea.html CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — A government spokesman says at least 15 people were injured, four of them by bullet wounds, during a protest in Guinea's capital between opposition parties and security forces. The clashes are the latest iteration in the ongoing fight between the country's opposition and the ruling party over the details of a much-delayed parliamentary election. ... Thu, 23 May 2013 17:41:09 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2105964-15-injured-clash-with-security-forces-guinea.html 2013-05-23T17:41:09Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2105474-togo-police-fire-tear-gas-protesters.html LOME, Togo (AP) — Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the latest confrontation between the ruling party and Togo's increasingly active opposition. Demonstrators were gathering to protest the death of an opposition member, who died in jail. The demonstration was the second this week, following a women's march on Tuesday in which thousands of wo... Thu, 23 May 2013 15:24:28 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2105474-togo-police-fire-tear-gas-protesters.html 2013-05-23T15:24:28Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2103232-brutal-attack-london-heightens-terror-fears.html LONDON (AP) — Two men with butcher knives hacked another to death Wednesday near a London military barracks and one then went on video to explain the crime — shouting political statements, gesturing with bloodied hands and waving a meat cleaver. Soon after, arriving police shot and wounded the unidentified assailants and took them into custody. The brutal... Thu, 23 May 2013 01:18:11 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2103232-brutal-attack-london-heightens-terror-fears.html 2013-05-23T01:18:11Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2103080-boom-town-baby-african-stock-markets-gains.html NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The barrage of hourly tweets sent out by Aly-Khan Satchu — East Africa's version of CNBC's Mad Money host Jim Cramer — cheers on what Satchu says is a growing sentiment among investors: If you're not investing in Africa, you should be. Or as Satchu loudly proclaims on his Twitter feed or newspaper column: "ITS BOOM TOWN BABY." Severa... Wed, 22 May 2013 17:23:44 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2103080-boom-town-baby-african-stock-markets-gains.html 2013-05-22T17:23:44Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2103258-ap-photos-nigeria-prepares-to-bury-writer-achebe.html OGIDI, Nigeria (AP) — Writer Chinua Achebe, whose works focused on the conflict between modernity and the way of life in rural Nigeria, has returned home for the final time. Achebe's corpse arrived Wednesday in his native Anambra state. There, local government officials and writers feted the late novelist, who died in March at the age of 82. While the man... Wed, 22 May 2013 17:03:10 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2103258-ap-photos-nigeria-prepares-to-bury-writer-achebe.html 2013-05-22T17:03:10Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2101350-nigeria-islamic-extremist-inmates-to-released.html ENUGU, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's military said Tuesday that the West African nation would release some of the prisoners it has taken in the country's fight against Islamic extremists — including all the women now held in custody. The surprise statement from the Defense Ministry, while lacking specifics about how many would be released and when, represents ... Tue, 21 May 2013 21:07:15 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2101350-nigeria-islamic-extremist-inmates-to-released.html 2013-05-21T21:07:15Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2097602-spokesman-ansar-dine-arrested-mauritania.html NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — The man who acted as the spokesman for one of the three al-Qaida-linked groups occupying northern Mali turned himself in over the weekend to Mauritanian authorities on the border, an intelligence official briefed on the matter confirmed on Monday. Sanda Ould Boumana, the Timbuktu-based spokesman for Ansar Dine, is being trans... Mon, 20 May 2013 12:21:38 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2097602-spokesman-ansar-dine-arrested-mauritania.html 2013-05-20T12:21:38Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2096508-nigeria-military-17-killed-offensive.html ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's military says its offensive against insurgents in the country's restive northeast has killed at least 14 suspected Islamic extremists and three soldiers. Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, a military spokesman, said in a statement that one soldier also was missing as "forces have been engaging a large number of heavily armed terro... Sun, 19 May 2013 18:33:23 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2096508-nigeria-military-17-killed-offensive.html 2013-05-19T18:33:23Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2096082-britains-obama-urges-ties-with-west-africa.html ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — A rising star in Britain's Labour Party, described by some as the "British Barack Obama," Chuka Umunna urged the United Kingdom to more aggressively forge ties with West Africa's fast-growing economies. During a trade mission to West Africa last week that included a stop in his father's home country Nigeria, Umunna, a member of the Bri... Sun, 19 May 2013 13:53:52 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2096082-britains-obama-urges-ties-with-west-africa.html 2013-05-19T13:53:52Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2095136-ivory-coast-army-arrests-militia-leader.html ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — A militia leader accused of grave crimes during Ivory Coast's 2010-11 postelection violence was taken into custody Saturday not far from the national park where his forces had been illegally occupying in the country's volatile western region, officials said. Amade Oueremi, a native of Burkina Faso, fought alongside forces backi... Sat, 18 May 2013 17:34:38 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2095136-ivory-coast-army-arrests-militia-leader.html 2013-05-18T17:34:38Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2095022-nigeria-military-declares-24-hour-curfew-city.html MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's military declared a 24-hour curfew Saturday on neighborhoods in a northeastern city that's the spiritual home of an Islamic extremist network as soldiers continued the government's emergency campaign in the region, with authorities saying they killed 10 suspected insurgents. A statement Saturday on behalf of Lt. Col. Sa... Sat, 18 May 2013 16:35:24 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2095022-nigeria-military-declares-24-hour-curfew-city.html 2013-05-18T16:35:24Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2092740-official-nigeria-military-attacks-camps-kills-21.html MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Soldiers in Nigeria launched their first raid against suspected Islamic extremists in a campaign to take back control of the nation's northeast, killing at least 21 people, a security official said Friday. The fighting happened Thursday in the Sambisa Forest Reserve, just south of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, which sold... Fri, 17 May 2013 20:26:56 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2092740-official-nigeria-military-attacks-camps-kills-21.html 2013-05-17T20:26:56Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2090634-warplanes-troops-ne-nigeria-mobile-phones-cut.html MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Mobile phone service was cut off Thursday in areas of northeast Nigeria as jet fighters streaked through the sky and more soldiers were deployed to fight Islamic extremists waging a brutal insurgency. Witnesses saw low-flying Nigerian jet fighters over Yola, the capital of Adamawa state, which President Goodluck Jonathan placed u... Thu, 16 May 2013 18:20:23 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2090634-warplanes-troops-ne-nigeria-mobile-phones-cut.html 2013-05-16T18:20:23Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2087306-students-ghana-launch-mini-satellite.html KOFORIDUA, Ghana (AP) — Their project might not sound like much: The college students on Wednesday launched a tiny model of a satellite the size of a soda can on a big yellow balloon. It went aloft to a height of 165 meters (yards) and then came back down attached to a parachute. Yet in this developing West African country, ambitious organizers, —who rece... Wed, 15 May 2013 20:20:54 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/2087306-students-ghana-launch-mini-satellite.html 2013-05-15T20:20:54Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2087308-nations-pledge-billions-to-rebuild-mali.html BRUSSELS (AP) — A plan to turn Mali into a stable democracy rather than a terrorist haven drew massive support Wednesday as various nations and international organizations pledged 3.25 billion euros ($4.22 billion) to help reconstruct the conflict-ridden West African nation. The objective of the donors' conference in Brussels had been to raise 2 billion e... Wed, 15 May 2013 18:23:41 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2087308-nations-pledge-billions-to-rebuild-mali.html 2013-05-15T18:23:41Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2087714-nigeria-deploys-army-to-northeast-to-fight-rebels.html LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria rumbled to a war footing Wednesday as soldiers and equipment moved into its northeastern states as part of an emergency military campaign against Islamic extremists waging a bloody insurgency. In the last two days, Associated Press journalists and witnesses have seen armored tanks and soldiers moving through major roads and c... Wed, 15 May 2013 18:07:34 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2087714-nigeria-deploys-army-to-northeast-to-fight-rebels.html 2013-05-15T18:07:34Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2086890-confrontation-looms-tunisia-moves-salafis.html TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia is taking a harder line on preaching by ultraconservative Muslim groups, a crackdown that has sparked demonstrations by rock-throwing protesters and ominous warnings of terrorist attacks to come. As it struggles to hunt down al-Qaida linked terrorists in its frontiers, the government has also been trying to rein in salafis em... Wed, 15 May 2013 10:42:20 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2086890-confrontation-looms-tunisia-moves-salafis.html 2013-05-15T10:42:20Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2085108-nigeria-president-declares-emergency.html LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Admitting Islamic extremists now control some of his nation's villages and towns, Nigeria's president declared a state of emergency Tuesday across the country's troubled northeast, promising to send more troops to fight what he said is now an open rebellion. President Goodluck Jonathan, speaking live on state radio and television net... Tue, 14 May 2013 20:13:56 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2085108-nigeria-president-declares-emergency.html 2013-05-14T20:13:56Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2084596-eu-pledges-675-toward-mali-reconstruction.html BRUSSELS (AP) — On the eve of a major international donors' conference, the European Union announced Tuesday it was pledging 520 million euros ($674.8 million) over the next two years to help rebuild the west African country of Mali as a functioning state. The announcement was made by Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, the EU's exe... Tue, 14 May 2013 17:40:21 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2084596-eu-pledges-675-toward-mali-reconstruction.html 2013-05-14T17:40:21Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2084838-mali-leader-presidential-election-set-july-28.html BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali's interim leader says the country's presidential vote will take place on July 28 after months of speculation about the date. On a visit to Belgium ahead of a donors' conference for Mali, President Dioncounda Traore also said Tuesday that neither he nor any member of the transitional government would run for office. A field of abou... Tue, 14 May 2013 16:37:31 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2084838-mali-leader-presidential-election-set-july-28.html 2013-05-14T16:37:31Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2083946-10-year-sentence-sought-canadian-mauritania.html NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — Prosecutors in Mauritania are seeking to lengthen to 10 years the sentence of a Canadian man already imprisoned on alleged links to terror groups, a judicial official said Tuesday. Aaron Yoon, 24, was convicted last July on charges of having ties to a terrorist group and of posing a danger to national security and sentenced t... Tue, 14 May 2013 11:37:02 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2083946-10-year-sentence-sought-canadian-mauritania.html 2013-05-14T11:37:02Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2082236-sierra-leone-opposition-politician-released.html FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Authorities have released a prominent opposition politician in Sierra Leone who was accused of making statements that could undermine state security. Charles Francis Margai had been detained after speaking about a land dispute he has with Sierra Leone's first lady. Margai said he would fight for his land and said he would be... Mon, 13 May 2013 17:14:33 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2082236-sierra-leone-opposition-politician-released.html 2013-05-13T17:14:33Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2081702-nigeria-judge-iranian-colleague-smuggled-weapons.html LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — An Iranian and his Nigerian accomplice were sentenced to five years in prison Monday over a plot they orchestrated to smuggle a shipment of military-grade weapons including mortar rounds into West Africa. Both Azim Aghajani and his accomplice, Usman Abbas Jega, pleaded for leniency in the hearing, in which Justice Okechukwu J. Okeke ... Mon, 13 May 2013 15:48:32 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2081702-nigeria-judge-iranian-colleague-smuggled-weapons.html 2013-05-13T15:48:32Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2081828-mali-gunman-kills-3-aid-distribution-point.html BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A suspected jihadist opened fire on a crowd at an aid distribution point in a north Malian village, killing three civilians, a local official said. However, at least one local jihadist leader said the suspect was not a member of the radical groups who ruled the region for nearly 10 months until a French-led military operation was launc... Mon, 13 May 2013 15:38:14 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2081828-mali-gunman-kills-3-aid-distribution-point.html 2013-05-13T15:38:14Z