88-year-old Australian doctor freed 7 years after kidnapping by Islamic extremists in West Africa
May 19, 2023 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An 88-year-old Australian doctor held captive by Islamic extremists in West Africa for more than seven years has been freed and has returned to Australia.
Ken Elliott was safe and well and was reunited with his wife and their children on Thursday night, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.
UN: Africa’s Sahel desperately needs help to fight violent extremism and stop its spread
May 16, 2023 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Africa’s Sahel region has become a hot spot for violent extremism, but the joint force set up in 2014 to combat groups linked to the Islamic State, al-Qaida and others has failed to stop their inroads, and a senior U.N.
UN human rights report says at least 500 believed to have died in Mali village massacre last year
May 12, 2023 GMTDAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Malian forces backed by foreign military personnel are believed to have killed at least 500 people over several days in a village last year, the U.N. said Friday, significantly raising the death toll from what already has been called the worst single atrocity in Mali’s decade-long fight against extremist groups.
Killings reported in Benin’s north
May 4, 2023 GMTCOTONOU, Benin (AP) — An attack by unidentified armed persons in the north of the small West African nation of Benin has killed "about 15 people," according to the government's spokesperson.
Spokesperson Wilfried Houngbedji told AP by telephone Thursday that the attack on a farm in the commune of Kerou, some 600 kilometers (370miles) north of Benin’s largest city Cotonou, began on Monday night.
Gunmen kill 5 soldiers in Niger convoy ambush
April 11, 2023 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Gunmen killed five soldiers and wounded others during a weekend ambush of a military convoy performing escort duties in northern Niger, the army said Tuesday.
No one has claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack, which occurred in the Agadez region on the road to Arlit town, the chief of staff for Niger's army, Abdou Sidikou Issa, said in a statement.
US aid worker and French journalist freed in West Africa
March 20, 2023 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — An American aid worker and a French journalist kidnapped and held by Islamist extremists were freed and flown to Niger's capital Monday, four days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the country.
US Secretary of State Blinken visits Niger on Africa tour
March 16, 2023 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $150 million in direct assistance to Africa's Sahel region Thursday as he visited Niger, seeking to strengthen ties with a country that has so far avoided the recent spate of military coups and Russian mercenaries destabilizing its neighbors.
Blinken to visit Ethiopia, Niger as US boosts Africa push
March 10, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Ethiopia and Niger next week as the Biden administration accelerates a push to engage with Africa to counter China’s growing influence on the continent, the State Department said Friday.
Catholic priest burned alive in Nigeria’s hard-hit north
January 15, 2023 GMTABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian priest was burned alive in his home in the country's north on Sunday, police said.
Rev. Isaac Achi was killed in the Paikoro area of Niger state after gunmen failed to break into his house and instead set it on fire, said Wasiu Abiodun, the police spokesman.
German hostage freed after 2018 jihadi abduction in Niger
December 10, 2022 GMTDAKAR, Senegal (AP) — German aid worker Jorg Lange was freed Saturday more than four and a half years after Islamic extremists kidnapped him in the West African country of Niger, according to Help, the German aid organization where he works.
Nigeria floods 80 times more likely with climate change
November 16, 2022 GMTSHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Heavy rains and flooding that swamped Nigeria, Niger, Chad and the surrounding region between June and October this year was made 80 times more likely because of climate change, a rapid analysis by international climate attribution experts found.
UN: Flooding in west, central Africa displaced 3.4M people
October 28, 2022 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The U.N.'s refugee agency said Friday that destruction from flooding has displaced more than 3.4 million people in west and central Africa.
UNHCR said Friday that Nigeria's worst floods in a decade have killed hundreds, displaced 1.3 million residents and affected over 2.8 million people in the West African nation of 218 million.
West Africa floods destroy crops, worsening hunger fears
October 22, 2022 GMTABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Ocheiga Enoch isn't expecting much of a rice harvest from north-central Nigeria after floodwaters submerged his fields and those of so many other farmers this season.
Many in Benue state — known as the country's “food basket” — now find themselves in the unusual position of looking for seedlings in preparation for next year's farming season at a time when they should be harvesting the current crop.
Mali prime minister lashes out at France, UN, regional bloc
September 24, 2022 GMTMali’s prime minister lashed out Saturday at former colonizer France, the U.N. secretary-general and many people in between, saying that the tumultuous country had been “stabbed in the back" by the French military withdrawal.
83-year-old nun released 5 months after kidnapping in Africa
August 31, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — An 83-year-old missionary nun from Louisiana has been released nearly five months after she was kidnapped from her bed in the west African country of Burkina Faso, news agencies report.
UN investigator: Contemporary slavery extensive around globe
August 18, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — A U.N. investigator says contemporary forms of slavery are widely practiced around the world, including forced labor for China’s Uyghur minority, bonded labor for the lowest caste Dalits in South Asia, and domestic servitude in Gulf countries, Brazil and Colombia.
French military: Last group of soldiers has left Mali
August 15, 2022 GMTNICE, France (AP) — The last French army unit left Mali on Monday, according to a statement from the French military, nine years after Paris sent troops to the West African country to help drive Islamic extremists from power.
Nigeria’s troubled northwest battles child malnutrition
July 10, 2022 GMTABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Four years ago gunmen attacked Halima Musa's village in northwestern Nigeria, killing her husband and the oldest of their seven children.
The family fled to the safety of a camp for displaced people, but now they are hungry, she said.
Four Chinese nationals abducted in deadly Nigeria attack
June 30, 2022 GMTABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Gunmen attacked a local mining site in northcentral Nigeria, killing “many security personnel” and abducting some workers including four Chinese nationals, authorities said on Thursday.
France: Nearly 40 jihadis killed in drone strikes in Niger
June 16, 2022 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — French drone strikes killed nearly 40 Islamic extremists earlier this week who were traveling on motorcycles near Niger's border with Burkina Faso, France's military announced Thursday.
UN: 18 million facing severe hunger in West Africa’s Sahel
May 20, 2022 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The U.N. is warning that 18 million people in Africa’s Sahel region face severe hunger in the next three months, citing the impacts of Russia's war in Ukraine, the coronavirus pandemic, climate-induced shocks and rising costs.
UN: Mali pullout from counterterrorism force `unfortunate’
May 19, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N.’s top political official for Africa called Mali’s decision to withdraw from the Sahel regional counterterrorism force “unfortunate and regrettable” Wednesday, especially at a time of increasing terrorist activity and insecurity.
Mali withdraws soldiers from regional counterterrorism force
May 16, 2022 GMTBAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali’s ruling junta says it will withdraw from the regional counterterrorism force known as the G5 Sahel, further isolating itself while it remains under economic sanctions.
The G5 Sahel force — which also includes soldiers from the neighboring West African states of Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Chad — was created in 2014 and actually deployed troops in 2017.
Germany shifts focus of military missions in West Africa
May 11, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The German government backed a change to two of the country's military deployments in West Africa, moving hundreds of soldiers from Mali to neighboring Niger and shifting its emphasis in Mali from a European to a United Nations mission.
UN chief urges donors to sustain aid amid Ukraine crisis
May 5, 2022 GMTABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged international donors to sustain funding for humanitarian operations in Africa and across the world even as they respond to the Ukraine crisis.
In Nigeria, UN chief welcomes reintegration of extremists
May 3, 2022 GMTMAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday lauded Nigerian authorities’ ongoing reintegration of defectors from the jihadi Boko Haram group, which has waged a decade-long insurgency, as “the best thing we can do for peace.”
UN chief to make West Africa trip to Senegal, Niger, Nigeria
April 29, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is heading to West Africa on Saturday to join Muslims marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan and to highlight the impact of the Ukraine war on the African continent, the U.N.
West Africa has worst food crisis in decade, aid groups say
April 5, 2022 GMTDAKAR, Senegal (AP) — West Africa is facing its worst food crisis in a decade due to increasing conflicts, droughts, floods and the war in Ukraine, nearly a dozen international organizations said in a report Tuesday.
Suspected jihadists kill at least 19 in bus attack in Niger
March 17, 2022 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Armed men attacked a bus killing at least 19 passengers in western Niger near the border with Burkina Faso, the Association of Passenger Transport Companies said Thursday.
A dozen suspected jihadists on motorcycles intercepted the bus on Wednesday near the village of Fono, shooting the passengers before setting the bus on fire, the association said.
Islamic State group claims attacks on Nigeria soldiers
February 23, 2022 GMTABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Dozens of Nigerian soldiers were killed and wounded in recent attacks in Nigeria's insecure northeast region, according to a statement from the Islamic State group, which said its West Africa members carried out the assaults.
Attacks in north Benin park kill 8 including French citizen
February 11, 2022 GMTCOTONOU, Benin (AP) — Attacks by suspected Islamic extremists in northern Benin have killed at least eight people, including army soldiers, park rangers and a French instructor, the government has confirmed.
Dozens killed in days of attacks in Nigeria’s troubled north
January 31, 2022 GMTABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Dozens of civilians and security personnel have been killed in attacks by gunmen in three states in Nigeria's troubled northern region, authorities said Monday.
The armed men that killed dozens in the northwest and central regions targeted local communities including some of their former members who had laid down their arms, according to the police and government officials.
Three Chinese nationals abducted in Nigeria, police say
January 7, 2022 GMTMAKURDI, Nigeria (AP) — Police in Nigeria said gunmen abducted three Chinese nationals working in the country's north central region, the latest incident in a cycle of violence in Africa's most populous nation.
Niger police seize 440 pounds of cocaine from mayor of town
January 5, 2022 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Police in Niger have seized more than 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of cocaine from the vehicle of the mayor of a small town in the country's north, the government said Wednesday.
France kills IS militant linked to Niger giraffe park attack
December 21, 2021 GMTPARIS (AP) — The French army says it has “neutralized” a regional Islamic State group leader wanted in connection with the killing of seven aid workers, mostly French citizens, and a leading guide in a Niger giraffe park in August 2020.
Russia vetoes UN resolution linking climate change, security
December 13, 2021 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Russia on Monday vetoed a first-of-its-kind U.N. Security Council resolution casting climate change as a threat to international peace and security, a vote that sank a years-long effort to make global warming a more central consideration for the U.N.'s most powerful body.
Burkina Faso, Niger force says it has killed 100 extremists
December 10, 2021 GMTOUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Burkina Faso's military says that its joint operation with Niger's army has killed at least 100 extremist rebels.
The Burkina Faso armed forces said on Friday that its joint force with neighboring Niger also arrested 20 suspects and seized significant equipment from the rebels in the past two weeks.
Gunmen attack mosque in Nigeria’s troubled north, killing 16
December 10, 2021 GMTLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Gunmen attacked a rural village in northern Nigeria, killing 16 worshippers at a mosque and kidnapping others, said a local official.
The assault on Ba’are village in the Mashegu area of Niger state lasted for hours on Thursday, local government chairman Alhassan Isah Mazakuka said.
Gunmen attack Niger military base, killing at least 12
December 6, 2021 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Extremist gunmen attacked a military camp in Niger near its southeastern border with Burkina Faso, killing at least 12 soldiers, the West Africa country's interior ministry said.
French military denies injuring protesters in Burkina Faso
November 22, 2021 GMTKAYA, Burkina Faso (AP) — The French military has denied injuring civilians in Burkina Faso when firing warning shots to disperse protesters who had blocked one of its military convoys.
Amid an increase in Islamic extremist violence in Burkina Faso, tensions have increased.
3 protesters wounded by French soldiers in Burkina Faso
November 20, 2021 GMTKAYA, Burkina Faso (AP) — Three protesters were injured by French soldiers in the town of Kaya in Burkina Faso Saturday during the third day of a civilian blockade against a French military convoy en route to Niger, several protesters said.
Suspected extremist gunmen kill 25 in southwestern Niger
November 18, 2021 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — At least 25 people were killed by suspected extremist gunmen in southwest Niger, the government said Wednesday.
Buildings were burned and ransacked in the attack earlier this week near Bakorat village along the border with Mali, Alkache Alhada, the interior minister said in a statement.
Wife of US hostage in Africa reveals captors’ ransom demand
November 18, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The wife of an American humanitarian worker who was kidnapped in Niger five years ago said Wednesday that her husband's captors have made a multimillion-dollar ransom demand but U.S.
Gunmen kill 15 in latest attack in Nigeria’s northwest
November 16, 2021 GMTLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Gunmen have killed at least 15 people in Nigeria’s northwest, the Sokoto state governor said, the latest incident in a spiral of violence in Africa’s most populous country.
The gunmen stormed communities in Sokoto state and raided houses from Sunday night into Monday morning, Gov.
UN says many lives lost daily in Africa’s Sahel Crisis
November 12, 2021 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. peacekeeping chief warned Friday that the crisis in Africa’s Sahel region remains volatile, with insecurity and instability seriously undermining prospects for development and many lives lost every day as a result of terrorist attacks.
At least 18 killed in Niger mine collapse
November 9, 2021 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — At least 18 people were killed and 7 injured after a gold mine collapsed in the Maradi region of Niger.
Hundreds have been gathering in the village of Dan Issa, near the border with Nigeria, peering with shock into the mine which collapse over the weekend.
Fire sweeps through school in Niger, killing 20 children
November 9, 2021 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — More than 20 children were killed and dozens more injured when a fire swept through a school in Niger’s second-largest city, Maradi.
Three classrooms made of straw were consumed by the fire at the pre-school and primary school called ‘AFN’, taking the lives of the children aged between 3 and 8, the government said late Monday.
Suspected Islamic extremists kill 69 people in western Niger
November 5, 2021 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Suspected Islamic extremists ambushed a self-defense brigade in western Niger, killing 69 people in the latest attack in the volatile border region near Mali, the Interior Ministry said.
US ambassador to UN urges Mali to hold February elections
October 29, 2021 GMTDAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The United States representative to the United Nations stressed the importance of Mali’s return to civilian rule through democratic elections in February after she visited the West African nation as part of a U.N.
The Latest: UN Security Council to discuss Sudan on Tuesday
October 26, 2021 GMTUNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council has scheduled an emergency closed-door meeting on the coup in Sudan for Tuesday afternoon.
Diplomats said late Monday that the consultations were requested by the United States, United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Norway and Estonia.
Officials say 18 villagers shot dead at mosque in Nigeria
October 25, 2021 GMTLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — At least 18 worshippers were killed by gunmen who attacked a mosque in northern Nigeria during early morning prayers Monday, local authorities and police told The Associated Press.
Rebel attack kills 6 national guards in Niger’s west region
October 21, 2021 GMTNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Six members of Niger's national guard have been killed and several others were injured and are missing after an armed attack on a convoy in the country's western Tillaberi region, the government said Thursday.
In Nigeria’s troubled northwest, phone blockades hurt locals
October 15, 2021 GMTLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Mobile phones have been lifelines for residents of northwestern Nigeria who have relied on warning calls to escape escalating bandit attacks.
But recent blockades on mobile telecommunications by authorities have left many rural people cut off and more vulnerable, say residents.
Nigerian forces free more than 180 hostages, say police
October 8, 2021 GMTLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — In one of the largest liberations of kidnap victims, at least 187 people including babies have been freed in the country's troubled north, police announced.
Nigerian security forces rescued the hostages from a forest in Zamfara state where they had been held for many weeks, Zamfara police spokesperson Mohammed Shehu said in a statement.
Dozens killed and abducted in Nigeria’s north
September 30, 2021 GMTLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — At least 32 people have been killed in Nigeria’s north after armed groups attacked remote communities in 2 states, authorities said, the latest incident in a spiraling cycle of violence in Africa’s most populous country.
France calls killing of Islamic State leader big victory
September 16, 2021 GMTPARIS (AP) — The leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara died of wounds from a drone strike that hit him on a motorcycle last month in southern Mali, in a French-led operation involving backup from U.S., EU, Malian and Nigerien military forces, French authorities said Thursday.
France says head of Islamic State in Sahara has been killed
September 16, 2021 GMTBAMAKO, Mali (AP) — France's president announced the death of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara's leader late Wednesday, calling Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi's killing “a major success” for the French military after more than eight years fighting extremists in the Sahel.
Officials: Gadhafi son freed after 7-plus years in detention
September 5, 2021 GMTCAIRO (AP) — Libyan authorities on Sunday released one of Muammar Gadhafi’s sons after more than seven years of detention in the capital of Tripoli following his extradition from neighboring Niger, the country's interim leader said.
EXPLAINER: Who are the gunmen abducting Nigerian students?
September 2, 2021 GMTLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The recent release of three separate groups of students who had been abducted in northern Nigeria brought joyful reunions and the hope that others still held might soon be freed.
3 groups of students freed in Nigeria in 24-hour period
August 27, 2021 GMTLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Authorities in northern Nigeria announced three separate groups of kidnapped students were freed within a 24-hour period, prompting speculation late Friday that large ransoms had been paid to the gunmen blamed for a spate of recent abductions.