Tag: West Africa

Bounty for Boko Haram

June 4, 2013 Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Boko Haram, Islamic extremism, North Africa, USA, West Africa

The US is offering rewards for the first time for information on Islamist militants in North and West Africa, reports the BBC. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau tops the US Department of State’s list with a bounty of up to $7m. Also wanted are leaders from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic . . . Read More

Goodluck Jonathan’s amnesty gamble

April 23, 2013 Nigeria Abuja, Adamawa, Bauchi, Boko Haram, Borno, Christian Association of Nigeria, Gombe, Goodluck Jonathan, Jama'atu Nasril Islam, Kano, Lagos, Niger Delta, Nigeria, Pentecostals, Sultan of Sokoto, West Africa, Women, Yobe

A month ago, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said he would not negotiate with the militant Islamic sect Boko Haram because they were “ghosts,” faceless adversaries who would not step forward. That was then. This Wednesday, the President is scheduled to formally inaugurate a committee to explore amnesty for Boko Haram . . . Read More

Brazilians’ ordeal in Senegal prison over, but legal challenges remain

April 16, 2013 Senegal Dakar, Missionaries, Senegal, West Africa

Two Brazilian missionaries held in a Senegal jail without charge for five months were released on bail this month, yet still face accusations they operated youth programs without permits. Jose Dilson Da Silva is a missionary with the Brazilian Presbyterian Church in the Senegalese capital Dakar. Zeneide Moreira Novais, who . . . Read More

Widest church grouping raises funds for Boko Haram’s almost 800 victims during 2012

March 8, 2013 Nigeria Abuja, Bauchi, Boko Haram, Borno, Christian Association of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Maiduguri, Nigeria, Pentecostals, Sharia, West Africa, Yobe

The most dangerous country for a Christian to live during 2012 was, arguably, Nigeria. That’s what research for the 2013 edition of the World Watch List shows up: it’s produced by the global Christian organisation Open Doors, whose researchers monitor the persecution of Christians worldwide. “Between November 2011 and October . . . Read More

Hope in Mali rises with international military intervention

January 15, 2013 Mali Bamako, Burkina Faso, France, Gao, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sharia, Timbuktu, Tuareg, West Africa

French troops have launched a military operation in Mali, aiming at stopping the advance of Islamists from their bases in the north to the South. The French intervention started on Friday, Jan. 11 with air strikes, and had enabled the Malian troops to regain control of the cental town of . . . Read More

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