Buhari vows to defeat Islamist group
On the first anniversary of the abduction of 219 schoolgirls by Islamist militant organisation Boko Haram, Nigerian President-Elect Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said that he could not make any promises about finding them. Admitting that the whereabouts of the girls were not known, Buhari promised to use his administration's full resources to defeat Boko Haram. Buhari’s statement is seen to be contradicting that of the country’s military, which had said last year that it had located the girls. The departing President Goodluck Jonathan has been widely criticised for failing to respond to the rise of the outfit, which aims to establish an Islamic Caliphate in Nigeria.
Yemen rebels condemn UN arms embargo
Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen on Tuesday condemned the arms embargo imposed on them by the United Nations Security Council. Calling for mass rallies across the country to protest the decision, the rebels said the embargo supported aggression against them. Fourteen countries out of the 15-member council passed the resolution. However, Russia abstained from the vote, saying that the embargo should be imposed on the entire country. “The adopted resolution should not be used for further escalation of the armed conflict,” said Vitaly Churkin, the country’s envoy to the UN.
400 migrants feared drowned off Libyan coast
Approximately 400 migrants are feared to have drowned after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya on Monday. The boat was reportedly carrying 550 people, overturned a day after leaving Libya, said survivors. Most of the people rescued were young men and minors, said Save the Children, an international non-governmental organisation. Officials said that nine bodies have already been recovered. Meanwhile, the European Union announced that over 7,000 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean Sea since Friday.
Al-Shabaab kills 12 in attack on Somalian ministry
Militants belonging to Islamic militant group Al-Shabaab killed 12 and injured 16 people in an attack on the Somalian education ministry on Tuesday. The attack took place after two suicide bombers detonated their car at the entrance of the building housing the ministry, said Somalia’s National Security Ministry spokesperson Mohamed Yusuf. Five gunmen then stormed the building before being killed by a joint operation between Somalian and African Union security forces, Yusuf added. Four soldiers and eight civilians died in the attack. The militant outfit has been waging a military campaign to overthrow the country’s government and establish an Islamic state. It earlier claimed responsibility for an attack on Kenya's Garrissa University College that saw 147 people killed on April 2.
Obama moves to delete Cuba from US terrorism list
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday moved to remove Cuba from the country’s state sponsors of terrorism list. Obama notified the United States Congress of the move, saying that the country had not provided support to terrorist outfits in the last six months. Cuba welcomed the move, saying that it condemned all acts of terrorism. The Cuban government stated that it recognised the “fair decision made by the United States to eliminate Cuba from a list that it never should have been included on”. The move came days after Cuban President Raul Castro and Obama held a meeting at the Summit of the Americas in Panama.
On the first anniversary of the abduction of 219 schoolgirls by Islamist militant organisation Boko Haram, Nigerian President-Elect Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said that he could not make any promises about finding them. Admitting that the whereabouts of the girls were not known, Buhari promised to use his administration's full resources to defeat Boko Haram. Buhari’s statement is seen to be contradicting that of the country’s military, which had said last year that it had located the girls. The departing President Goodluck Jonathan has been widely criticised for failing to respond to the rise of the outfit, which aims to establish an Islamic Caliphate in Nigeria.
Yemen rebels condemn UN arms embargo
Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen on Tuesday condemned the arms embargo imposed on them by the United Nations Security Council. Calling for mass rallies across the country to protest the decision, the rebels said the embargo supported aggression against them. Fourteen countries out of the 15-member council passed the resolution. However, Russia abstained from the vote, saying that the embargo should be imposed on the entire country. “The adopted resolution should not be used for further escalation of the armed conflict,” said Vitaly Churkin, the country’s envoy to the UN.
400 migrants feared drowned off Libyan coast
Approximately 400 migrants are feared to have drowned after their boat capsized off the coast of Libya on Monday. The boat was reportedly carrying 550 people, overturned a day after leaving Libya, said survivors. Most of the people rescued were young men and minors, said Save the Children, an international non-governmental organisation. Officials said that nine bodies have already been recovered. Meanwhile, the European Union announced that over 7,000 migrants have been rescued from the Mediterranean Sea since Friday.
Al-Shabaab kills 12 in attack on Somalian ministry
Militants belonging to Islamic militant group Al-Shabaab killed 12 and injured 16 people in an attack on the Somalian education ministry on Tuesday. The attack took place after two suicide bombers detonated their car at the entrance of the building housing the ministry, said Somalia’s National Security Ministry spokesperson Mohamed Yusuf. Five gunmen then stormed the building before being killed by a joint operation between Somalian and African Union security forces, Yusuf added. Four soldiers and eight civilians died in the attack. The militant outfit has been waging a military campaign to overthrow the country’s government and establish an Islamic state. It earlier claimed responsibility for an attack on Kenya's Garrissa University College that saw 147 people killed on April 2.
Obama moves to delete Cuba from US terrorism list
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday moved to remove Cuba from the country’s state sponsors of terrorism list. Obama notified the United States Congress of the move, saying that the country had not provided support to terrorist outfits in the last six months. Cuba welcomed the move, saying that it condemned all acts of terrorism. The Cuban government stated that it recognised the “fair decision made by the United States to eliminate Cuba from a list that it never should have been included on”. The move came days after Cuban President Raul Castro and Obama held a meeting at the Summit of the Americas in Panama.
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