Conflicts in Africa
I first did a post here on various conflicts throughout Africa. That post provided some general background on a number of countries.
In this post I'll take a closer look at recent violence in a few specific regions.
Ivory Coast
Protests erupted Monday as hundreds of people loyal to President Laurent Gbagbo took to the streets after a UN-back international mediation team recommended that the mandate of the parliament not be renewed. The parliament is controlled by the president's supporters, and the recommendation was seen as a move against the president.
UN troops have been attacked, and Wednesday four people were killed.
Olusegun Obasanjo, the president of Nigeria, is also the current chair of the African Union. Obasanjo went to Ivory Coast Wednesday to try and help end the unrest. A UN official called the violence orchestrated, and hoped Obasanjo could help renew Ivory Coast's committment to the peace process agreed to with the help of the African Union and France in 2003.
Nigeria
There has been a significant increase lately in violence in the oil-producing Niger River Delta region. Militants have been attacking oil producing facilities and companies.
On December 22, following two pipeline explosions, President Obasanjo ordered the region to a state of alert.
There have been fears that violence in the region would increase after the arrest of Mujahid Dokubo-Asari last September. Asari is the leader of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF), the most prominent militant group in the region.
In recent weeks, there have been kidnappings. There have been subsequent attacks on pipelines. Shell Oil platforms have been attacked. There have been attacks on vessels offshore.
There are fears the increasing numbers of troops in the region could escalate the violence, and oil workers fear for their safety.
Oil companies are considering pulling out of the region because of the violence. The unrest could certainly have an effect on the price of oil.
Chad/Sudan
The unrest in Sudan's Darfur region is spilling over into Chad. There was already some tension between the countries, as Chad accuses Sudan of harboring Chadian rebels.
In December, armed rebels attacked the town of Adre, and Chad said it killed several hundred of them and pursued them into Sudan. In strong language a few days later, Chad said it was in "a state of war" with Sudan. Chad also accused Sudan of trying to draw it into the Darfur conflict.
There was an attack on African Union troops in Darfur in early January, and Chad and Sudan each blamed the other.
As tensions grow, there are reports young men in Chad are being conscripted and forced to take up arms.
Libya has proposed African Union troops be deployed on the Chad-Sudan border to separate the two sides.
In this post I'll take a closer look at recent violence in a few specific regions.
Ivory Coast
Protests erupted Monday as hundreds of people loyal to President Laurent Gbagbo took to the streets after a UN-back international mediation team recommended that the mandate of the parliament not be renewed. The parliament is controlled by the president's supporters, and the recommendation was seen as a move against the president.
UN troops have been attacked, and Wednesday four people were killed.
Olusegun Obasanjo, the president of Nigeria, is also the current chair of the African Union. Obasanjo went to Ivory Coast Wednesday to try and help end the unrest. A UN official called the violence orchestrated, and hoped Obasanjo could help renew Ivory Coast's committment to the peace process agreed to with the help of the African Union and France in 2003.
Nigeria
There has been a significant increase lately in violence in the oil-producing Niger River Delta region. Militants have been attacking oil producing facilities and companies.
On December 22, following two pipeline explosions, President Obasanjo ordered the region to a state of alert.
There have been fears that violence in the region would increase after the arrest of Mujahid Dokubo-Asari last September. Asari is the leader of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF), the most prominent militant group in the region.
In recent weeks, there have been kidnappings. There have been subsequent attacks on pipelines. Shell Oil platforms have been attacked. There have been attacks on vessels offshore.
There are fears the increasing numbers of troops in the region could escalate the violence, and oil workers fear for their safety.
Oil companies are considering pulling out of the region because of the violence. The unrest could certainly have an effect on the price of oil.
Chad/Sudan
The unrest in Sudan's Darfur region is spilling over into Chad. There was already some tension between the countries, as Chad accuses Sudan of harboring Chadian rebels.
In December, armed rebels attacked the town of Adre, and Chad said it killed several hundred of them and pursued them into Sudan. In strong language a few days later, Chad said it was in "a state of war" with Sudan. Chad also accused Sudan of trying to draw it into the Darfur conflict.
There was an attack on African Union troops in Darfur in early January, and Chad and Sudan each blamed the other.
As tensions grow, there are reports young men in Chad are being conscripted and forced to take up arms.
Libya has proposed African Union troops be deployed on the Chad-Sudan border to separate the two sides.
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