AFRICA :

New York Times, 05 Mar 10, by Jeffrey Gettleman
U.S. Aiding Somalia in Its Plan to Retake Its Capital
'... American assistance could be crucial to the effort by Somalia’s government to finally reassert its control over the capital and bring a semblance of order to a country that has been steeped in anarchy for two decades.'

Washington Post, 10 Mar 10, by Sudarsan Raghavan
U.S. envoy pushes for Darfur peace deal before Sudanese elections
'The U.S. special envoy to Sudan warned Wednesday that efforts to bring peace to the country's troubled Darfur region could become less of a priority for the Obama administration if a full-fledged peace agreement is not reached before Sudanese elections scheduled for mid-April.'

Associated Press, 19 Feb 10, by Dalatou Mamane and Rukmini Callimachi
Analysis: Niger coup another chance at democracy
'In this unstable corner of the world where elections are easily manipulated, military-led coups actually are one way to address bad governance.'

BBC, 19 Feb 10
African Union condemns Niger military coup
'The African Union leads criticism of a coup in Niger, after soldiers seize power promising to restore democracy and end corruption.'

Christian Science Monitor, 08 Feb 10, by Scott Baldauf
New Somalia government offensive against Al Shabab
'The weak, transitional Somalia government may finally bring President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed some badly needed legitimacy if newly trained forces can push back the militant Islamist group, Al Shabab.'

Christian Science Monitor, 31 Jan 10, by Scott Baldauf
Nigeria militants call off truce in oil-rich Niger Delta
'The tentative peace in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region appears to have finally ended this weekend, sparking fears of a return to the violence that has cut output of the No. 3 crude oil supplier to the United States by more than 25 percent in recent years.'

Washington Post, 02 Feb 10, by Barney Jopsonin
Southern Sudan says vote on independence is off-limits for United Nations
'Diplomats fear that a vote for independence in southern Sudan would resonate in Nigeria, Congo and elsewhere.'

Christian Science Monitor, 19 Jan 10, by Scott Baldauf
What's behind Christian-Muslim fighting in Nigeria?
The Nigerian Army was sent in Tuesday to stop violence that began Sunday, after Christians protested the construction of a mosque and after Muslim protesters attacked a Catholic church.'

Christian Science Monitor, 18 Jan 10, by Scott Baldauf
Somali pirates fight over record ransom
'Escalating payments and higher success rates call into question the effectiveness of the high-profile international naval patrolling in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea.'

Washington Post, 12 Jan 10, by Sudarsan Raghavan
Somalis fleeing to Yemen prompt new worries in fight against al-Qaeda
'As the United States deepens its counterterrorism operations in Yemen, officials are concerned that extremists could find growing Somali refugee camps fertile ground for recruiting.'

New York Times, 07 Jan 10, by Jack Healy
Sudan Clashes Seen as Threat to Peace Treaty
'Fighting has been escalating in southern Sudan as a vote on independence in 2011 approaches ...'

New York Times, 01 Jan 10, by Mohammed Ibrahim
Somali Rebels Pledge to Send Fighters to Aid Yemen Jihad
'Senior leaders of the Shabab rebels promised Friday to send their fighters beyond Somalia to Yemen and wherever jihad beckoned.'

• Crimes of War Project : War in Africa
• Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers

See Africa archive for past stories.