Groups raid eastern Burkina Faso city
ABIDJAN: Scores of suspected groups raided a city in eastern Burkina Faso earlier this week, freeing prisoners, driving residents to cower indoors and causing major damage, local sources said on Thursday. It was not immediately clear if anyone died in the attack on the eastern city of Diapaga, in the second major raid in as many days in Burkina. The junta-ruled west African country has endured a decade of attacks by armed groups linked to Al Qaeda and IS, but attacks on cities are relatively rare.
Riding on motorcycles, scores of suspected militants swooped in on Diapaga on Monday, the sources said. A security source said that Diapaga "was the target of a major attack by terrorists" that resulted "in significant material damage". "An operation is under way to track down the terrorists and restore security in the city," the source continued, without providing further details. A resident said that "the terrorists set fire to several public and private services before freeing the inmates of the Diapaga prison", which was holding several people suspected of groups violence. — AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Russia, Ukraine complete second round POWs swap
KYIV: Russia and Ukraine said on Tuesday they had exchanged captured soldiers, the second stage of an agreement struck at peace talks last week for each side to free more than 1,000 prisoners. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday's exchange saw "the return of our injured and severely wounded warriors from Russian captivity." Neither side said how many soldiers had been freed in the swap — the second in as many days following another exchange on Monday. The two sides had agreed in Istanbul last week to release all wounded soldiers and all under the age of 25. Russia's defence ministry said: "In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached on June 2 in Istanbul, the second group of Russian servicemen was returned." Zelensky said further exchanges would follow. "The exchanges are to continue. We are doing everything we can to find and return every single person who is in captivity." The agreement had appeared in jeopardy over the weekend, with both sides trading accusations of attempting to thwart the exchange. — AFP
Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
Canada to hit defence Nato spending target
TORONTO: Canada will hit Nato defence spending threshold of two per cent this year, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday, warning that in a "darker" world, Canada must reduce its security dependence on the United States. "I am announcing today that Canada will achieve Nato's 2 per cent target this year — half a decade ahead of schedule," Carney said during a speech at the University of Toronto. "The threats that Canada faces are multiplying," he added. Carney's pledge followed similar announcements by members of the alliance and comes after consistent pressure by US President Donald Trump for Nato members to spend more on defence. "In a darker, more competitive world, Canadian leadership will be defined not just by the strength of our values, but also by the value of our strength," Carney said. "The United States is beginning to monetise its hegemony: charging for access to its markets and reducing its (relative) contributions to our collective security," Carney said, condemning Trump's trade war. "We should no longer send three quarters of our defence capital spending to America," the prime minister said. — AFP
Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
Trump travel ban in effect, citizens from 12 nations barred from US
Washington: President Donald Trump's sweeping new travel ban came into effect early Monday immediately after midnight, barring citizens from a dozen nations from entering the United States and reviving a divisive measure from his first term. The move is expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on illegal entries. Many of the nations covered by the restrictions have adversarial relations with the United States, such as Iran and Afghanistan, while others face severe crises, like Haiti and Libya. In announcing his restrictions last week, Trump said the new measure was spurred by a recent "terrorist attack" on Jews in Colorado. The group had been protesting in solidarity with hostages held in Gaza when they were assaulted by a man the White House said had overstayed his visa. That attack, Trump said, "underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted" or who overstay their visas. The move bans all travel to the United States by nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, according to the White House. Trump also imposed a partial ban on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Some temporary work visas from those countries will be allowed. New countries could be added, Trump warned, "as threats emerge around the world." Mehria, a 23-year-old woman from Afghanistan who applied for refugee status, said the new rules have trapped her and many other Afghans in uncertainty. "We gave up thousands of hopes and our entire lives... on a promise from America, but today we are suffering one hell after another," she told AFP. - World Cup, Olympics, diplomats excluded - The ban will not apply to athletes competing in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, or in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Trump's order said. Nor will it apply to diplomats from the targeted countries. United Nations rights chief Volker Turk warned that "the broad and sweeping nature of the new travel ban raises concerns from the perspective of international law." US Democratic lawmakers and elected officials blasted the ban as draconian and unconstitutional. "I know the pain that Trump's cruel and xenophobic travel bans inflict because my family has felt it firsthand," congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, who is Iranian-American, posted Sunday on X. "We will fight this ban with everything we have." Rumors of a new travel ban had circulated following the Colorado attack, with Trump's administration vowing to pursue "terrorists" living in the United States on visas. US officials said suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national according to court documents, was in the country illegally having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022. Trump's new travel ban notably does not include Egypt. His proclamation said Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and war-torn Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen lacked "competent" central authorities for processing passports and vetting. Iran was included because it is a "state sponsor of terrorism," the order said. For the other countries, Trump's order cited an above-average likelihood that people would overstay their visas.
