Dozens killed in attacks in Somali capital

Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab claims responsibility for two attacks in Mogadishu that left more than 30 people dead. Last Modified: 14 Apr 2013 23:33 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/04/2013414101235148177.html

Armed men dressed in Somali police uniforms have stormed the court complex in the capital Mogadishu killing a number of people, before a gun battle erupted with security forces besieging the compound. Hours after the attack at the court on Sunday, a large blast hit an area on the road to the Mogadishu airport, residents said. Somali officials told Al Jazeera that nine fighters dressed in police uniforms attacked the court complex killed ten national security officers outside the court complex before entering. Once inside the court, the fighters killed at least three people, including two lawyers and a spokesperson of the court. An al-Shabab spokesperson claimed responsibility for the attacks, telling Al Jazeera that as a state institution the court complex was a "legitimate target". Hours later, a car bomb exploded at a building housing Somali intelligence along the road to the airport as Turkish and African Union (AU) vehicles were passing, police and witnesses said. Government forces then opened fire and blocked the road. "The car bomb exploded near the gate of a building housing the Somali security. AU and Turkish cars were also passing there. We are still investigating the target and casualties," Qadar Ali, a police officer told the Reuters news agency. A Turkish official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that one of its Red Crescent vehicles was passing at the time of the explosion. A Somali driver was killed and three Turkish passengers were wounded, the official said. In total, Somali officials said more than 30 people were killed on Sunday, including the nine fighters who stormed the court.

Ahmadinejad to visit uranium-rich Niger

Iranian president whose country is facing sanctions over nuclear programme begins three-nation visit to West Africa. Last Modified: 14 Apr 2013 09:03

Ahmadinejad is visiting in his capacity as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement of countries [GALLO/GETTY]

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, is beginning a visit to West Africa that will take him to Benin, Ghana and Niger, the world's fourth-largest uranium producer, Iranian media have reported. The Fars news agency said Ahmadinejad's trip would begin on Sunday and that he would meet the presidents of the three countries and sign agreements to develop economic and political relations. Ahmadinejad is to arrive in Benin on Sunday afternoon on an official visit in his capacity as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement of countries, the country's foreign minister, Nassirou Arifari Bako, told the AFP news agency.

UN peacekeepers killed in South Sudan ambush

Foreign ministry says rebel attack on UN convoy in Jonglei region killed five Indian nationals who were escorting it. Last Modified: 10 Apr 2013 10:01

Five Indian peacekeepers escorting a United Nations convoy in South Sudan have been killed in an ambush by rebels, according to the Indian foreign ministry. "Five peacekeepers from India with UNMISS [United Nations Mission in South Sudan] killed in ambush in Jonglei," Syed Akbaruddin, foreign ministry spokesman, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. He confirmed the deaths to the AFP news agency and said the soldiers had been killed while "escorting a UN convoy". Jonglei has been the scene of widespread ethnic conflict since South Sudan became independent in July 2011. Much of the trouble has been in Pibor county, where the UN peacekeeping force is based.

Workers killed in Ghana gold mine collapse, Al Jazeera Zach

At least 16 bodies recovered from site of accident near the town of Kyekyewere, north of capital Accra.

A mine has collapsed in Ghana's central gold-producing region killing at least 16 people who were working illegally and had been told to leave by the operator, local police have said. A total of 16 bodies were recovered from the site of the incident near the town of Kyekyewere on Monday afternoon, according to area police commander William Otu. The town is about 300km north of the capital Accra. The operator had completed its work in the area and had returned only to shut down the mine and affirm its claim to the land, Otu added, without identifying the company.

Mugabe warns against foreign interference, Al Jazeera Zach

Zimbabwe's president says he will not accept outside interference during 2013 elections due to end country's coalition.

Upcoming elections will end Zimbabwe's uneasy political coalition [EPA]

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has said he will not accept foreign interference during elections later this year. In an address to mark 33 years of Zimbabwean independence on Thursday, Mugabe welcomed recent efforts by Western nations to reopen dialogue with Zimbabwe after years of isolation to protest political violence, rights abuses and alleged vote rigging. However, he said Western leaders should let the nation's people "determine our own destiny" and defended the country's independence without interference. "Interference in our affairs will never be accepted," he said, while calling on Zimbabweans to conduct themselves honourably during the elections, which could be held anywhere from late June to September. Mugabe urged his people to vote peacefully and said the nation had an obligation to "uphold and promote peace before, during, and after" upcoming polls that will mark the end of the country's coalition government with former political rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. "The country is now due to hold harmonised elections, and I wish to urge the nation to uphold and promote peace," Mugabe said. "Go and vote your own way. No one should force you to vote for me."

Seven rebels killed in clashes in CAR capital, Al Jazeera Zach

Mob kills disarmed Seleka fighters in Bangui amid tensions between group and residents of Central African Republic city.

Nearly 20 people were killed in clashes between residents and Seleka ex-rebel fighters over the weekend [Reuters]

A mob in Bangui has killed seven fighters, all members of the Seleka group which ousted Francois Bozize last month, in the former Central African Republic (CAR) president's electoral district. "Seven Seleka members who had been disarmed by military police were killed and five wounded on Monday evening and Tuesday morning in Boy-Rabe by armed men and civilians," General Ousman Mahamat told reporters. The fighters had earlier been disarmed by the army in a bid to restore order to the northern Boy-Rabe neighbourhood - the scene of repeated pillaging and violence, Mahamat said on Tuesday. He added that one of the victims had had his skull shattered by a large stone. Nearly 20 people were killed in clashes between residents and Seleka fighters in the capital over the weekend.

South Africa says Mandela 'much better', Al Jazeera Zach

President's office says anti-apartheid icon is responding "satisfactorily" to treatment after a week in hospital.

Doctors last week drained excess fluid that had built up on lining of Mandela's lungs because of recurring infection[AFP]

Nelson Mandela is "much better" and responding "satisfactorily" to treatment after a week in hospital for pneumonia, the South African presidency has reported. "[Nelson Mandela] has been visited by family and continues to make steady progress" - President Jacob Zuma The ailing 94-year-old, who served as South Africa's first black president, was making a steady improvement and doctors were happy with his progress, President Jacob Zuma's office said in a statement on Wednesday. "His doctors say he continues to respond satisfactorily to treatment and is much better now than he was when he was admitted to hospital on the 27th of March 2013," it said. "He has been visited by family and continues to make steady progress." No details on a possible release were given.

Pistorius returns to the track, Al Jazeera Zach

Paralympian spotted on track near home town of Pretoria while on bail for murder as family deny his return to training.

A South African newspaper published a picture of the Pistorius at the University of Pretoria running track as the athlete’s agent says a return to training is imminent [Getty Images]

Oscar Pistorius has been running on his blades again and his return to regular training is imminent, his agent says. It is the first time it has been confirmed that the athlete has run since he was charged with the Valentine's Day shooting death of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. A grainy mobile photo of what appears to be Pistorius on the track at the University of Pretoria was published on Thursday on the front page of the Afrikaans-language Beeld newspaper in South Africa. The photograph - taken by a high school student from a bus passing by the track - shows the double amputee at some distance wearing his unmistakable blades and dark lycra running clothes and walking on a track with his hands on his hips.

South Africa to withdraw troops from CAR, Al Jazeera zach

President Jacob Zuma announces full withdrawal from Central African Republic after criticism over death of 13 soldiers.

Thirteen South African soldiers died in combat with Seleka rebels last weekend [Reuters]

South Africa has decided to pull its troops out of the Central African Republic because the deal under which they were deployed has become void with the fall of the government there, President Jacob Zuma has said. "We have taken a decision to withdraw our soldiers," Zuma was quoted as saying on Thursday by the public broadcaster SABC at the end of a summit of African regional leaders. On Wednesday, Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, tweeted that South Africa had been requested to keep troops in the Central African Republic, but had decided to withdraw following the fall of the government there. South Africa's decision to withdraw troops comes amid rising domestic criticism over South Africa's decision to deploy its troops to the country, after 13 soldiers died during combat with Seleka rebels last weekend.

US offers reward for Uganda warlord Kony

War Crimes Rewards Programme offers $5m each for information leading to arrest or capture of Joseph Kony and his aides. Last Modified: 04 Apr 2013 09:43

War crimes suspect Joseph Kony, ejected from Uganda in 2005, is wanted by International Criminal Court [Getty]

The United States has offered bounties of up to $5m each for fugitive Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and some of his top aides in the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group. The announcement on Wednesday came just as Uganda and Washington said they had been forced to suspend their two-year hunt for Kony in the jungles of the Central African Republic, after rebels seized power in Bangui. The US State Department said Kony, along with aides Okot Odhiambo and Dominic Ongwen, had been cited under the department's newly expanded War Crimes Rewards Programme. Under the programme, the State Department offers rewards for information leading to the arrest, transfer, or conviction of such fugitives. The LRA "for almost 20 years has tormented and terrorised children across Uganda, the DRC, the Central African Republic and South Sudan. It has to stop", John Kerry, the US secretary of state, said. He admitted Kony and his cronies would "not be easy to find". "The LRA is broken down into small bands of rebels, scattered throughout dense jungle, hidden by dense canopy, controlling territory through tactics of fear and intimidation," he said in a column in the Huffington Post. The LRA was "one of the world's most brutal armed groups", Stephen Rapp, ambassador for Global Criminal Justice, told reporters, unveiling the rewards.

Chinese president arrives in Tanzania

Xi Jinping begins three-nation tour emphasising Beijing's growing presence and influence in African continent. Last Modified: 24 Mar 2013 20:53

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Xi Jinping, China's new president, has arrived into Tanzania at the start of a three-nation Africa tour that underscores Beijing's growing presence in the resource-rich continent. Xi flew into the east African nation's economic capital Dar es Salaam from Russia, the opening stage of his first foreign trip since being anointed president 10 days ago, on Sunday, The president is set to give a keynote speech on Monday covering relations with Africa and sign some 20 trade, development and cultural accords, before heading to Durban, South Africa to join an emerging economies summit. He will wrap up the African tour with a visit to Congo. "China-Africa cooperation is comprehensive," Xi said ahead of the trip, adding that Beijing valued "friendly relationships with all African countries, no matter whether they are big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor". "No matter whether it is rich or poor in resources, China treats it equally and actively carries out pragmatic cooperation that benefits both sides."

CAR rebel leader to review mining deals

Central African Republic's leader, Michel Djotodia, who took power through a coup, says he will review resource deals. Last Modified: 29 Mar 2013 23:13

Fighters from the Seleka rebel coalition overran the army and ousted the president in a coup last week [Reuters]

Central African Republic's new President Michel Djotodia, who seized power last week, said he would review resource deals signed by the previous government and promised to step down at elections in 2016. "I will ask the relevant ministers to see whether things were done badly, to try to sort them out," Djotodia said, when asked about resource licences awarded to Chinese and South African firms. Djotodia, a former civil servant turned rebel leader, said on Friday he would seek aid from former colonial power France and the United States to retrain the ill-disciplined army, which was easily overrun by fighters from his Seleka rebel coalition. Paris and Washington have called for the rebels to adhere to a power-sharing deal signed in the Gabonese capital Libreville in January which mapped out a transition to elections in 2016 at which then-President Francois Bozize was forbidden from running. "We are going to act according to the spirit of the Libreville agreements," Djotodia told his first news conference since seizing power. "Anyone currently in power supporting our takeover will not contest the next presidential elections, myself included." The rebel takeover has been strongly condemned internationally.

UN approves DR Congo 'intervention brigade'

Security Council unanimously approves first-ever "offensive" brigade to battle rebel groups in DR Congo. Last Modified: 29 Mar 2013 00:08

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The UN Security Council has unanimously approved the first-ever "offensive" UN peacekeeping brigade to battle rebels groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The force of more than 2,500 troops will operate under orders to "neutralise" and "disarm" armed groups in the resource-rich east of the huge country, according to the council's resolution on Thursday. The intervention brigade is unprecedented in UN peacekeeping because of its offensive mandate. But the resolution states clearly that it would be established for one year "on an exceptional basis and without creating a precedent" to the principles of UN peacekeeping. Surveillance drones will be used to monitor the DR Congo's borders with neighbours accused of backing the rebels will be operating by July, according to UN officials. The resolution, sponsored by France, the US and Togo, would give the brigade a mandate to operate "in a robust, highly mobile and versatile manner" to ensure that armed groups cannot seriously threaten government authority or the security of civilians. UN peacekeepers were unable to protect civilians from M23 rebels, whose movement began in April 2012 when hundreds of troops defected from the Congolese armed forces. The resolution strongly condemns the continued presence of the M23 in the immediate vicinity of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, and its attempts to establish "an illegitimate parallel administration in North Kivu". It demands that the M23 and other armed groups, including those seeking the "liberation" of Rwanda and Uganda, immediately halt all violence and "permanently disband and lay down their arms". It also strongly condemns their continuing human rights abuses including summary executions, sexual and gender-based violence and large-scale recruitment and use of children.