Some of nearly 300 abducted schoolchildren in Nigeria’s north are freed after weeks in captivity
The 137 children were rescued in Zamfara state, an enclave known for kidnappings more than 200 kilometres (124 miles) away from their school, Nigerian military spokesman Maj-Gen Edward Buba said in a statement.
‘I’d never be happy to see foreign boots in my country but in current situation Haiti is a sort of prison’
Once financed by the elites who were keen for their muscle to secure votes, get protection against enemies or prevent robberies in companies located near the slums, Haitian gangs now rely on extortion, kidnapping, so-called “taxes”, and arms and drug trafficking to make money.
Haiti in-depth 2: Haitian solution doesn’t mean we can’t get support, we know some of our limitations
Gang members sit together on the street after an address to the media in Port-au-Prince by former police officer turned gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, on March 11, 2024.
Haiti in-depth: A transition beset by challenges, uncertainty, agenda and tone set by gangs
Complicating matters is the fact that backing the deployment of thousands of foreign security forces to help quell the gangs is a prerequisite for membership on the council – a plan drawn up last week by the regional Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in conjunction with US officials, Haiti’s main political groups, and key members of Haitian civil society and the diaspora.
Environmental militarisation: Rhetoric about independence in Uganda conceals the truism that civic spaces are polluted by military choices
It is no longer a secret that President Tibuhaburwa Museveni despises Uganda’s civilians who depend directly on the land for their livelihoods or have origins in the land based indigenous groups of Bantu and Luo. Naturally he is more attracted to the nomadic pastoral communities, but not those who are not Tutsi-Hima. He has made sure that virtually all institutions of government in all civic spaces and non-civic spaces (army, police) are predominantly governed by people of Tutsi-Hima ethnicity. People from other ethnicities are left in specific positions to serve second fiddle to these ones.
Terrorism: Security experts say Islamic State claim for Russian concert attack is credible
In the past, militant groups have been known to claim attacks carried out by others, if they fit with their preferred targets and propaganda goals. IS has strong motivation to strike Russia, which intervened against it in Syria’s civil war in 2015 on the side of President Bashar al-Assad.
Death toll in Russia concert terrorist attack rises to 143 as Putin vows to punish perpetrators of the massacre
In a televised address, Putin said 11 people had been detained, including the four gunmen. “They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border,” he said.
In Uganda, bamboo has government’s backing as a crop with real growth potential
This East African country is seeing growing interest in bamboo, a perennial plant cultivated in many parts of the world. It can be burned for fuel in rural communities, taking pressure off dwindling forest reserves of eucalyptus and other natural resources. It’s a hardy plant that can grow almost anywhere. And businesses can turn it into products ranging from furniture to toothpicks.
