WASHINGTON - Liberia, Africa’s oldest republic, is celebrating 163 years of independence Monday.
Information Minister Cletus Sieh told VOA that, after five years of significant improvement, Liberians are thankful for electing President Sirleaf.
“When Madam Sirleaf was campaigning, she promised the Liberian people that, if she got elected, she would redeem our nation. Our nation, that had […]

WASHINGTON - The United States and Libya have signed a deal to facilitate bilateral trade and investment, the latest step to defuse past tensions between the two countries.
Economic officials from both countries signed the framework agreement Thursday in Libya’s capital, Tripoli.
The agreement mandates the formation of a joint council to address trade and investment issues […]

WASHINGTON - Nigerians and Somalis are expressing concerns about the U.S. government’s new worldwide air travel security demands. The new U.S. rules call for increased screening of passengers from 14 countries, including Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan.  The request follows charges against a Nigerian man for allegedly trying to blow up a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas […]

NAIROBI - Nearly a dozen people have been killed in fighting in central Somalia between a Sufi Muslim group and al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militants
Ahlu-Sunna spokesman Sheik Abdullahi Sheik AbuYusuf says heavily-armed al-Shabab fighters attacked Dhusamareb town early Saturday with gunfire and mortars. 
The spokesman adds that many al-Shabab fighters were killed in the day-long battle and Ahlu-Sunna […]

CAIRO - An al-Qaida-linked militant group in Somalia has captured a key town near the border with Kenya, sending hundreds of people fleeing across the border.
Witnesses tell VOA heavily armed fighters with the hardline Islamist group, al-Shabab, met no resistance when they rolled into the southern city of Dobley early Saturday.
Before al-Shabab moved in, witnesses […]

ADDIS ABABA - An Ethiopian court has convicted 27 people accused of conspiring to create public havoc in an attempt to bring down Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s government.  Some of the defendants could face the death penalty.
A three-judge panel handed down guilty verdicts for 27 of the 46 defendants in the so-called Ginbot Seven case.  […]

ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia is reviewing a newly-passed law that could restrict imports of food aid at a time when millions of its people are suffering from severe malnutrition.
Ethiopia’s parliament passed the Proclamation on Bio Safety with little notice on the final day before its summer recess in July. There was no debate, and no […]

NAIROBI - Somalia’s al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militants are tightening their grip on areas of the country they already control, imposing new rules and punishing people they say are violating their radical brand of Islamic law. Some observers believe until a more powerful group emerges to bring law and order to the country, ordinary Somalis are not […]

ABUJA - Thousands of protesters have marched through the streets of Abuja to protest against key policies, including privatization of refineries.
Nigerian unions have fiercely opposed the planned deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry. They argue that the planned withdrawal of subsidies on petroleum products would lead to higher prices and inflict more […]

WASHINGTON - The youth wing of South Africa’s ruling party has demanded a thorough investigation into threats against the U.S. Embassy ahead of Friday’s re-opening. 
The African National Congress Youth League said it places confidence in the cooperation of Pretoria and Washington to ascertain the perpetrators of the threat.
An undisclosed security threat led to the closing […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. military officials say American special forces staged an attack in southern Somalia Monday and killed a Kenyan-born terrorist suspect.
Witnesses in the area said soldiers in at least two helicopters fired on a vehicle near the southern town of Barawe, killing at least two passengers and wounding two others. 
U.S. officials say the attack […]

TRIPOLI - Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is marking the 40th anniversary of his revolutionary rule with lavish celebrations, a special African Union meeting and visits from other heads of state.   The event caps years of effort to bring his once-isolated nation back into the international fold.  
The self-styled philosopher-in-chief bears little resemblance these days to the […]

WASHINGTON - It has been 20 years since the international community banned the sale of ivory to protect endangered animals.  But Kenyan wildlife officials complain elephants are being slaughtered because of occasional exceptions.
Officials here in Kenya warn the nation’s elephants are again in danger.  Poachers are venturing into the country’s national parks and killing them […]

ADDIS ABABA - The Obama administration is signaling its intention to keep Ethiopia as a key strategic partner, despite concerns about the country’s slide toward authoritarianism. The United States is seeking to expand development assistance to the Ethiopian government.
Deputy Secretary of State Jacob Lew is making his first trip to East Africa at a time […]

GENEVA - Libya is ratcheting up its diplomatic quarrel with Switzerland over the arrest last July of one of the sons of Libyan leader, Muammar Gadhafi. Libya is suing the Geneva authorities for more than $400,000 for false arrest.  
This is just the latest in a long list of retaliatory measures being taken by Libyan […]

NAIROBI - Somalia’s militant al-Shabab group has promised to launch more attacks against African Union peacekeeping troops a day after 11 soldiers from Burundi were killed in blasts claimed by the group.
On an Internet website, al-Shabab posted pictures of the two young men it says were responsible for Sunday’s deadly attack on the Mogadishu compound […]

WASHINGTON - The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says experts are in a “race against time” to stop a “vast plague” of Armyworm caterpillars in Liberia. The Liberian government on Monday declared the infestation a national emergency.
As the Armyworms continue their march, they devour vegetation and pollute wells and streams with excrement. If their advance […]

WASHINGTON - The African Union has sharply condemned Monday’s reported takeover of the Somali parliament building in Baidoa and surrounding areas by Al-Shabaab Islamic insurgents. The Islamic group described by Washington as a terrorist organization promised to institute Sharia law shortly after taking over the town.    
Al-Shabaab took control of most of Baidoa with reportedly little […]

NAIROBI - Following warnings from shipping companies on the impact of Somali piracy on the global shipping industry, tuna fishermen in the Indian Ocean say pirate activities are also affecting their multi-billion-dollar industry. But pirates may also be inadvertently playing the role of marine conservationists by preventing commercial over-fishing. 
The head of the Indian Ocean Tuna […]

GENEVA - The World Food Program warns Kenya is facing a catastrophic decline of food and the agency will have to more than double the number of people it feeds there to over four million. WFP says drought and erratic rains following three successively poor harvest seasons have resulted in widespread crop failure.
Weather clearly has […]

LONDON - Huge hordes of ravenous caterpillars have appeared in northern Liberia, destroying crops and vegetation. The Food and Agriculture Organization has described the situation as a national emergency. It has warned that unless something is done quickly to contain the invasion, it will likely escalate into a regional crisis.
Hundreds of thousands of villagers in […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Navy officials have announced the formation of a new international force to fight piracy in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf Aden off the coast of Somalia.
A statement Thursday issued by the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet says the task force will include assets from 20 nations, and will be led by U.S. […]

ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has declared “mission accomplished” in Somalia, and told parliament Ethiopian troops will be home from their controversial two-year military mission within weeks. Mr. Meles also pledged Ethiopia would guarantee the safety of African Union peacekeepers in Somalia, should they choose to withdraw.

The Ethiopian leader admitted it has […]

WASHINGTON - The state-owned Herald newspaper says the Zimbabwe government is seeking international assistance and has declared a state of emergency about its cholera outbreak. The United Nations says the outbreak has claimed 565 lives and caused illness in 12,500. The announcement comes as sporadic demonstrations continue to grip parts of the capital Harare, resulting […]