By Nangayi Guyson – At least 21 people have been killed by a car bomb explosion outside a church in the north Egyptian city of Alexandria and leaving 43 injured, officials say. The blast hit worshipers as they were celebrating a new year’s service at the al-Qidiseen church shortly after midnight. The Associated Press news agency has reported that after the blast , angry Coptic Christians clashed with police and local Muslims, reportedly throwing stones and targeting a nearby mosque which had also been damaged by the car bomb as they entered it ,throwing books out onto the street, A... Continue Reading
By Nangayi Guyson – At least five people, including three police officers have been killed by Suspected Islamists in attacks in northern Nigeria , police say. Commissioner Mohamed Abubakar Jinjiri told the BBC Hausa service that five people had been killed in the attacks. He said that among the arrested was a suspected Boko Haram financier, who had bomb-making equipment in his house. So far 92 people had been arrested since the attacks on Wednesday in the city of Maiduguri. The attackers are suspected of being members of the Boko Haram sect. Clashes between the group and the police have... Continue Reading
By Nangayi Guyson – Abidjan – United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has warned supporters of Ivory Coast’s defeated President Laurent Gbagbo that peacekeepers will use deadly force if attacked by supporters who have threatened to seize a UN-protected hotel occupied by Alassane Ouattara, the winner of last month’s presidential vote. On Wednesday Mr Gbagbo’s Minister for Youth, Charles Ble Goude, urged followers to storm the Golf Hotel on Saturday “with our bare hands”. A statement from Mr Ban’s office said he was “deeply alarmed” by Mr Ble Goude’s call, adding that the UN mission would use all necessary means... Continue Reading
By Nangayi Guyson – Tunis – President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia on Wednesday fired the country’s communications minister Oussama Romdhani after protests over unemployment that spread to several towns and led to at least two deaths. In his government reshuffle, he retained the interior minister despite opposition calls to oust him, according to a government statement. The president, who runs this tiny Muslim country in North Africa with an iron fist, said the night before that the recent protest violence was manipulated by foreign media and hurt the country’s image. Tunisia is a popular destination for European... Continue Reading
By: Augustine N. Myers – Amid Fears of Political Violence in neighboring Ivory Coast, Ivorian refugees continue to flee into Liberia through Nimba County in the east. The UNHCR and the local authorities, including the Liberia Refugees Repatriation & Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), said they have so far recorded a total of 15,120 refugees from villages between Danane and Guiglo in western Cote d’Ivoire while another 4,000 influx had been reported. Majority of the refugees are women and children, with 62 percent below 18 years of age. The refugees are a mixed group of supporters of both Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane... Continue Reading
