AFRICA :

New York Times, 01 May 08, by Jeffrey Gettleman and Eric Schmitt
U.S. Airstrike Kills Top Qaeda Agent in Somalia
'Aden Hashi Ayro, one of Al Qaeda's top agents in East Africa and the leader of the Islamist comeback in Somalia, was killed Thursday morning by an American airstrike, according to American and Somali officials. Mr. Ayro was one of the most feared and notorious figures in Somalia ...'

Reuters, 01 May 08
Factbox - Key facts on hunted al Qaeda militants in Somalia
'Aden Hashi Ayro was among six al Qaeda operatives or associates that Washington said were in the Horn of Africa nation ...'

Washington Post, 01 May 08, by Nora Boustany
Intensified Fighting, Inadequate Aid Mar Return of Refugees to S. Sudan
'Clashes between southern Sudanese troops and tribal militias in a contested oil-rich region of Sudan are intensifying, and the return of thousands of war refugees is fueling friction in the absence of adequate relief and basic services, according to the aid group Doctors Without Borders.'

International Herald Tribune, 30 Apr 08, by Warren Hoge and Celia W. Dugger
UN voices reluctance to act on Zimbabwe
'The Security Council heard on Tuesday what an American official called a "sobering" account of electoral stalemate and violence in Zimbabwe, but ended up discouraging proposals for direct United Nations involvement in the crisis.'

Washington Post, 23 Apr 08, by Craig Timberg
Delivery of Weapons to Zimbabwe Thwarted
'A Chinese ship carrying weapons and ammunition for Zimbabwe's military may be headed back home, reports said, after repeated attempts to deliver its cargo were frustrated by a coalition of legal activists, union workers and human rights groups.'

International Herald Tribune, 24 Apr 08, by Celia W. Dugger and Alan Cowell
Rift over Zimbabwe unity plan
'As Zimbabwe's political impasse drags into its fourth week, talk of a power-sharing deal between the governing party and the opposition came to the fore Wednesday, though both sides indicated they were unprepared for the compromises that would be required.'

International Herald Tribune, 09 Apr 08, by Celia W. Dugger
Accounts of violence spread in Zimbabwe
'Ten days after Zimbabwe voted and by most accounts rejected its long-serving, autocratic president, Robert Mugabe, the mood of the country grew more ominous on Tuesday, with the opposition reporting widespread attacks on its supporters, black youths driving white farmers off their land and elections officials arrested for vote tampering.'

New York Times, 03 Apr 08, by Barry Bearak
Mugabe Foes Win Majority in Zimbabwe
'President Robert G. Mugabe and his party have lost control of the nation’s Parliament, official election returns showed Wednesday, giving new impetus to the bigger question: Does that foretell a loss of the presidency itself, the job he has held tightly for the past 28 years?'

Christian Science Monitor, 03 Apr 08, by Scott Baldauf
Mugabe era's end may be near
'Army chiefs loyal to President Robert Mugabe now meet with opposition leaders looking for a smooth end to his ruinous – and often brutal – 28-year reign. Official results from Saturday's elections show he's lost his parliamentary majority. And the opposition has declared an outright win in the presidential race, claiming a razor-thin majority of 50.3 percent of the vote. ... The question observers now ask is not whether this is the end of his rule, but how he'll go out.'

International Herald Tribune, 31 Mar 08, by Jeffrey Gettleman
Somali town falls to insurgent Raid
'Islamist insurgents overpowered Somali government troops Monday, seizing a strategic town and continuing their steady march across the war-ravaged country.'

International Herald Tribune, 28 Mar 08, by Jeffrey Gettleman
Islamists gain ground in Somalia
'By its own admission, the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia is on life support. ... its leaders say that unless they get more help - international peacekeepers, weapons, training and money to pay their soldiers, among other things - this transitional government will fall, just like the 13 governments that came before it.'

Washington Post, 27 Mar 08, by Stephanie McCrummen
Somalia's Crisis : Insurgents Briefly Capture Key Town in Show of Defiance
'Islamist insurgents battling for control of Somalia briefly seized a strategic town Wednesday, the latest sign of how feeble the country's internationally backed transitional government has become.'

Washington Post, 13 Mar 08, by Craig Timberg
Democracy Ascendant In States of West Africa
Coups, Civil Wars End, Multiparty Politics Rise

Human Events, 05 Mar 08, by W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
U.S. Navy Strikes Inside Somalia
'It wasn't the first time American air or naval forces had attacked enemy positions in Somalia. It was the fourth such attack in 14 months on the lawless East African nation: a result of the increasing expansion of Islamic extremism onto the African continent.'

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

See Africa archive for past stories.