The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has never experienced a peaceful transition of power and is now, as anticipated, in the midst of another political crisis. Joseph Kabila, the incumbent president, is due to finish his term in office at the end of 2016. However, there is widespread scepticism of his willingness to leave office. As of 2014, the… Read more »
UNITED NATIONS — The International Criminal Court has begun investigating war crimes in Georgia, is looking into British soldiers accused of torture in Iraq and, in one of its most politically delicate missions yet, sent a team to Israel to discuss crimes in Gaza. But as the court tries to expand into new geography and investigate new types of crimes,… Read more »
JENDOUBA, Tunisia — Two Americans were detained in this small town in northwestern Tunisia, suspected of involvement with a terrorist organization, police officials said on Wednesday. The men were arrested on Tuesday and then transferred to the country’s main counterterrorism center in Tunis, the capital, the police said. They were released and driven away in a United States Embassy car… Read more »
DIFFA, Niger — The military convoy was rumbling across a river near the border last month when soldiers suddenly realized they were surrounded. More than 100 Boko Haram fighters, some of them on horseback, had encircled the vehicles, ready to strike. The 300 soldiers from Niger and the handful of American Special Operations forces accompanying them called for help. Soldiers… Read more »
(CNN)“Why does a person go on holiday just to shoot an animal? What is the motivation behind it?” Ulrich Seidl, Austrian director and master of grotesque documentary, still doesn’t have a definitive answer to the question he’s posed. In fact, he’s sure there isn’t one. Director Ulrich Seidl “Safari“, his latest film, fixes a stark and unflinching lens on the… Read more »
Mandera, Kenya (CNN)An attack on a hotel in northern Kenya on Tuesday left 12 people dead and four others wounded, a Kenyan government official said. The target was the Boshari Hotel in the town of Mandera, on the border with Ethiopia and Somalia, and all of the people killed were non-locals. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but… Read more »
(CNN)Somali pirates have released 26 hostages after nearly five years in captivity, according to an organization involved in mediation efforts. The dozens of hostages freed were in a ship hijacked south of the Seychelles in March 2012. Of the 29 crew members seized, one died during the hijacking and two died from illness while in captivity, according to the organization,… Read more »
(CNN)South Africa began steps to withdraw from the International Criminal Court on Friday. A written notice of South Africa’s intention was submitted to the UN secretary general, said Tshililo Michael Masutha, the country’s justice minister. The withdrawal from the international court will be formalized one year after the notification. The court in the Hague, Netherlands, comprises 124 states from around… Read more »
During all my years in high school, I’ve never researched something so interesting. There’s a large scale terrorist-militant group known as Boko Haram operating in Nigeria, and it is being virtually ignored by the international community. “Boko Haram” not only has a strong grip on Nigeria, but has had a devastating effect on the people of Niger. Due to the… Read more »
How much popular support Boko Haram enjoys in northern Nigeria is a “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” After all, in the war between Boko Haram and the Nigerian security forces some 20,000 people have died, and up to 2.5 million are internally displaced or are refugees. (All such numbers are at best estimates.) Yet the fact that… Read more »