http://www.voanews.com/archive/breaking-news-africa/latest/3491/3492.html Africa http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voanews.com/archive/breaking-news-africa/latest/3491/3492.html en-US 2012 - VOA 60 Thu, 23 May 2013 02:27:56 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA Rebels and army troops have clashed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a day before U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is due to arrive in the area. Wednesday's fighting outside the city of Goma marks the third straight day of clashes between the Congolese army and rebel group M23. Witnesses say an artillery round killed one person and injured three others Goma's Ndosho neighborhood. It was not clear which side fired the round. Mr. Ban arrived in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/more-fighting-in-drc-city-ahead-of-bans-arrival/1666131.html http://www.voanews.com/content/more-fighting-in-drc-city-ahead-of-bans-arrival/1666131.html Wed, 22 May 2013 11:31:25 -0400 Breaking News Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has signed into law a new constitution that curbs the powers of his office and clears the way for new elections. Mr. Mugabe smiled and shook hands with fellow leaders, including long time rival Morgan Tsvangirai, after signing copies of the document Wednesday in Harare. The new constitution was a condition of the 2008 power-sharing deal that made Mr. Tsvangirai prime minister after disputed elections. With the new constitution in place, Zimbabwe is expected ... http://www.voanews.com/content/mugabe-signs-new-zimbabwe-constitution-into-law/1665944.html http://www.voanews.com/content/mugabe-signs-new-zimbabwe-constitution-into-law/1665944.html Wed, 22 May 2013 09:13:33 -0400 Breaking News A third day of fighting between the government army and rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has caused several civilian deaths in the city of Goma. Rockets and artillery shells have been landing in Goma just a day before the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to visit the city.   Since early on Wednesday there have been sporadic explosions in the Ndosho section of Goma. Since the M23 rebels are a few kilometers north of Ndosho and have been firing artillery ... http://www.voanews.com/content/more-fighting-in-drc-city-ahead-of-bans-arrival/1665899.html http://www.voanews.com/content/more-fighting-in-drc-city-ahead-of-bans-arrival/1665899.html Wed, 22 May 2013 08:08:25 -0400 Africa Nick Long http://www.voanews.com/content/more-fighting-in-drc-city-ahead-of-bans-arrival/1665899.html#relatedInfoContainer Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has signed into law a long-awaited, new constitution that curbs administrative powers and clears the way for new elections. The constitution was overwhelmingly approved by voters during a referendum earlier this year. Both main parties in Zimbabwe's power-sharing government support it. A new constitution was one of the conditions of the 2008 deal between President Mugabe and his longtime opponent Morgan Tsvangirai, who is now prime minister. The new ... http://www.voanews.com/content/zimbabwe-enacts-new-constitution-ahead-of-elections/1665852.html http://www.voanews.com/content/zimbabwe-enacts-new-constitution-ahead-of-elections/1665852.html Wed, 22 May 2013 06:11:25 -0400 Breaking News A new United Nations report says AIDS-related deaths in Africa are falling while the number of Africans getting treatment for the AIDS virus is on the rise. The report from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS says the number of people in Africa who receive anti-retroviral drugs increased from less than 1 million in 2005 to more than 7 million last year. It says AIDS-related deaths fell by nearly a third during that same period, and that new HIV infections are also falling. Many ... http://www.voanews.com/content/un-aids-deaths-down-treatment-up-in-africa/1665441.html http://www.voanews.com/content/un-aids-deaths-down-treatment-up-in-africa/1665441.html Tue, 21 May 2013 12:57:11 -0400 Health VOA News http://www.voanews.com/content/un-aids-deaths-down-treatment-up-in-africa/1665441.html#relatedInfoContainer The White House says U.S. President Barack Obama will travel to Africa this summer, visiting three countries. In a statement Monday, the White House says President Obama along with his wife, Michelle, will travel to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania in late June and early July. The administration says Obama will meet with government officials as well as leaders from business, civil society and youth groups. It says the trip - from June 26 to July 3 - will reinforce the close ties between ... http://www.voanews.com/content/president-obama-to-visit-senegal-south-africa-tanzania/1664885.html http://www.voanews.com/content/president-obama-to-visit-senegal-south-africa-tanzania/1664885.html Mon, 20 May 2013 17:49:11 -0400 Africa VOA News Fresh fighting has erupted in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo between the army and rebel group M23 -- the first clash between the two forces in nearly six months. The fighting 12 kilometers north of Goma Monday was intense, involving mortars, rocket launchers, and aircraft . A VOA reporter in Goma says a steady stream of civilians began heading south toward the city beginning in the morning. Each side is blaming the other for starting the fighting. There was no immediate word on ... http://www.voanews.com/content/rebels-army-clash-in-eastern-drc/1664736.html http://www.voanews.com/content/rebels-army-clash-in-eastern-drc/1664736.html Mon, 20 May 2013 14:50:26 -0400 Breaking News There is renewed fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo between the M23 rebels and the government army.  It's the first major clashes between the two sides since the rebels withdrew from the city of Goma last year. .   Both sides are blaming each other for starting the fighting early on Monday.  The clashes, 12 kilometers north of Goma, have been intense, with aircraft bombarding the M23 who, according to civilians, have been pushed back. A steady ... http://www.voanews.com/content/rebels-army-clash-in-eastern-drc/1664304.html http://www.voanews.com/content/rebels-army-clash-in-eastern-drc/1664304.html Mon, 20 May 2013 08:08:00 -0400 Africa Nick Long The Nigerian military says it has killed 14 Boko Haram militants and arrested 20 others.  The military says three soldiers died in the fighting Sunday and another is missing. It was only last Tuesday that Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the immediate deployment of thousands of soldiers to the north to fight Boko Haram, a militant group that has been blamed for thousands of deaths in the past four years.  But as of Sunday, the military says 24 Boko Haram members have ... http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-says-14-militants-3-soldiers-killed-in-latest-fighting/1664143.html http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-says-14-militants-3-soldiers-killed-in-latest-fighting/1664143.html Sun, 19 May 2013 16:57:22 -0400 Africa Heather Murdock http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-says-14-militants-3-soldiers-killed-in-latest-fighting/1664143.html#relatedInfoContainer Tunisian authorities say a street battle between radical Islamists and police has killed one Islamist protester on the outskirts of the capital, Tunis. Authorities said the man, in his late 20s, died of injuries sustained in Sunday's fighting in the Etadhamen district. The radical activists, also known as Salafists, threw stones at Tunisian police to protest a government ban on their annual conference in the center of the country. Police fired tear gas to break up the violent protest ... http://www.voanews.com/content/islamists-riot-in-tunisia-after-major-rally-is-banned/1663938.html http://www.voanews.com/content/islamists-riot-in-tunisia-after-major-rally-is-banned/1663938.html Sun, 19 May 2013 09:35:37 -0400 Middle East VOA News http://www.voanews.com/content/islamists-riot-in-tunisia-after-major-rally-is-banned/1663938.html#relatedInfoContainer Soldiers in Ivory Coast have arrested a militia leader who was allegedly involved in a 2011 massacre of political opponents. Military officials say Amade Oueremigave himself up Saturday as soldiers began to converge near his hideout. Oueremi and his fighters backed President Alassane Ouattara in the violence that broke out after the 2010 election when former president Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down. Human rights groups say Oueremi took part in a massacre of Gbagbo supporters in the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/ivory-coast-militia-leader-arrested-for-2011-massacre/1663810.html http://www.voanews.com/content/ivory-coast-militia-leader-arrested-for-2011-massacre/1663810.html Sat, 18 May 2013 19:46:50 -0400 Africa VOA News Nigerian forces have launched air strikes against suspected Islamist militant camps in the country's northeast. A military spokesman said all known militant camps in three northeastern states are being attacked and that several camps in Borno state have been destroyed or taken over. The spokesman, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, said earlier Friday that the attacks killed an undetermined number of insurgents. President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno and the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/air-strikes-hit-nigerias-militant-camps/1663073.html http://www.voanews.com/content/air-strikes-hit-nigerias-militant-camps/1663073.html Fri, 17 May 2013 11:55:27 -0400 Breaking News The Nigerian military has begun operations against the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, using fighter jets and helicopter gunships. Thousands of people have died in Boko Haram attacks and associated sectarian violence in recent years. However there are some doubts over the effectiveness of an all-out military response. Declaring a state of emergency in three northeastern states Tuesday, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan ordered security forces to take all necessary action. ... http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-launches-air-strikes-against-militant-camps/1662861.html http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-launches-air-strikes-against-militant-camps/1662861.html Fri, 17 May 2013 08:27:17 -0400 Africa Henry Ridgwell International donors have pledged more than $4.2 billion to help Mali rebuild after a conflict with Islamist militant groups. The sum exceeds the $2.5 billion Mali was seeking to partially cover its plan to rebuild government and security institutions and other infrastructure projects. At the start of Wednesday's conference in Brussels, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius encouraged donations, saying the money was needed to secure Mali's peace and stability. "Development ... http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-pledge-42-billion-for-mali/1661611.html http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-pledge-42-billion-for-mali/1661611.html Wed, 15 May 2013 13:20:23 -0400 Breaking News International donors have pledged more than $4.2 billion to help Mali rebuild after a conflict with Islamist militant groups. The sum exceeds the $2.5 billion Mali was seeking to partially cover its plan to rebuild government and security institutions and other infrastructure projects. At the start of Wednesday's conference in Brussels, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius encouraged donations, saying the money was needed to secure Mali's peace and stability. "Development ... http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-pledge-42-billion-for-mali/1661520.html http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-pledge-42-billion-for-mali/1661520.html Wed, 15 May 2013 11:58:35 -0400 Breaking News International donors are gathering in Brussels for a major conference Wednesday to raise money to help rebuild Mali. The conflict-torn West African nation is seeking about $2.5 billion in pledges toward its $5.5 billion plan for infrastructure projects and rebuilding government and security institutions. At the start of Wednesday's conference, Malian Foreign Minister Tiena Coulibaly said the crisis is one that could spread to neighboring regions. "Mali is an important country in ... http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-gather-for-mali-aid-conference/1661316.html http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-gather-for-mali-aid-conference/1661316.html Wed, 15 May 2013 08:46:22 -0400 Breaking News International donors have pledged more than $4.2 billion for development and peace-building efforts in Mali, a sum that far surpassed initial expectations for the pledging conference held Wednesday in Brussels.   The donations exceeded the $2.5 billion Malian officials hoped international donors would provide the West African nation. At a press conference in Brussels, French President Francois Hollande, who co-hosted the conference along with the European Union officials, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-gather-for-mali-aid-conference/1661214.html http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-gather-for-mali-aid-conference/1661214.html Wed, 15 May 2013 00:46:18 -0400 Africa Lisa Bryant http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-gather-for-mali-aid-conference/1661214.html#relatedInfoContainer Pirates have released five Russian and Polish nationals kidnapped from a cargo ship last month off the coast of Nigeria. The ship's German operator confirmed Tuesday all five crew members were released on May 11, that they are in good health and have returned to their home countries. The company did not say if a ransom was paid, but ship owners often hand over large sums to free abducted sailors. The crew members were kidnapped April 25, when 14 heavily armed pirates forced their way ... http://www.voanews.com/content/pirates-free-sailors-kidnapped-off-nigeria/1660573.html http://www.voanews.com/content/pirates-free-sailors-kidnapped-off-nigeria/1660573.html Tue, 14 May 2013 08:18:24 -0400 Africa VOA News Authorities in Tanzania have charged a local man for a church bombing, while releasing four Middle Eastern men who were arrested after the attack. The police chief in the city of Arusha says the Middle Eastern men -- three from the United Arab Emirates and one from Saudi Arabia -- were freed after an investigation showed they had no connection with the bombing. All four have left Tanzania. Meanwhile, a Tanzanian man, 20-year-old Victor Ambrose, has been charged with murder in connection ... http://www.voanews.com/content/tanzania-man-charged-for-church-attack-saudi-uae-men-freed/1660568.html http://www.voanews.com/content/tanzania-man-charged-for-church-attack-saudi-uae-men-freed/1660568.html Tue, 14 May 2013 08:09:48 -0400 Africa VOA News A Nigerian court has sentenced an Iranian national and his Nigerian accomplice to five years in prison over an illegal arms shipment. Azim Aghajani and Nigerian Usman Abbas Jega were detained in 2010 after authorities in Lagos found 13 shipping containers of weapons declared as construction equipment. On Monday, a Federal High Court judge convicted the men on four of the five counts against them, but avoided giving them a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The two men have already served ... http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-court-convicts-iranian-of-arms-smuggling/1660187.html http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-court-convicts-iranian-of-arms-smuggling/1660187.html Mon, 13 May 2013 14:32:22 -0400 Breaking News