The suicide attack against Harvest Field Pentecostal Church in the northern Nigerian on Sunday serves as another reminder of Boko Haram’s enduring violence. As many as a dozen people were killed and 30 wounded as the driver rammed his car into the church’s security gate, setting off explosives. In the …
Last Monday, a shopping center in downtown Nairobi erupted into chaos when a bomb exploded, killing at least one person and injuring dozens. While the Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab has not claimed responsibility, evidence, according to Kenyan officials, indicates that the attack was carried out by al-Shabaab or one of …
Just as we thought the situation in Mali couldn’t get worse, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a Tuareg group that historically sought to liberate northern Mali, and Ansar al-Din, an Islamic group seeking impose Sharia law, have formed a union and declared northern Mali their own. …
Yesterday, the House Rules Committee posted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would require the State Department to determine whether the Nigerian sect Boko Haram meets the criteria to be designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Sponsored by Representative Patrick Meehan (R–PA), the amendment states that if …
Last year, the fall of the Qadhafi regime spurred a domino-like effect across Africa’s Sahel region. When approximately 2,000 well-armed Tuareg rebels loyal to the former dictator left Libya and returned to Mali, they escalated the destabilization of the country’s north. At the same time the Malian military, reportedly frustrated …
The past week has been a bloody one for Nigeria. Attacks in the capital city of Abuja and across the north have strongly implicated the Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram. Yesterday, a suicide bomber targeted the police commissioner of Jalingo’s motorcade. Although the attacker missed the motorcade, 11 people were …
Not even a year after South Sudan’s independence from Sudan, the world’s newest country is already on the brink of war with its longtime foe. Last week, South Sudanese troops (otherwise known as the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army, or SPLA) occupied the oil-rich town of Heglig in Sudan—host to the …
This weekend, Formula One’s Grand Prix will be held in Bahrain. Despite the escalation in protests by Bahrain’s Shia opposition, F1 head Bernie Ecclestone has stated that unless the race is cancelled by the national sporting authority, it will go on as scheduled. Cancelled last year because of unrest, the …
Next month NATO leaders will meet in Chicago for the heads of state and government summit. The agenda will primarily focus on Afghanistan but also include discussions on smart defense, Deterrence and Defence Posture Review as well as missile defense. Noticeably absent is enlargement. Since President Obama took office, Albania …
