Category: Armed Forces - Page 3 - African News Today

Mali Withdraws From Regional Anti-jihadist Force

16May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Armed Forces, Mali, News, Security

Mali Withdraws From Regional Anti-jihadist Force

Mali said Sunday it was withdrawing from a west African force fighting jihadists to protest its being rejected as head of the G5 regional group, which also includes Mauritania, Chad, Burkina and Niger. "The government of Mali is deciding to withdraw from all the organs and bodies of the G5 Sahel, including the joint force" fighting the jihadists, it said in a statement. The G5 Sahel was created in 2014 and its anti-jihadist force launched in 2017. A conference of heads of state of the G5 Sahel scheduled for February 2022 in Bamako had been due to mark "the start of the Malian presidency of the G5." But nearly four months after the mandate indicated this meeting "has still not taken place," the statement said. Bamako "firmly rejects the argument of a G5 member state whic...

Thousands Protest Against Military Rule In Sudan

13May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

African Development, Armed Forces, News, Sudan

Thousands Protest Against Military Rule In Sudan

Thousands Protest Against Military Rule In Sudan Sudanese demonstrators are back on the streets to protest against the military in power and ask for the implementation of a civil government. Large crowds could be seen around the presidential palace in Khartoum responding to calls from several dissident groups on May 12. This is the most important turnout since the holy month of Ramadan. "All we are asking now is for the military council to step down and hand the state over to a civilian government in order to save the state, because Sudan is now collapsing, there is no justice, there is no freedom, and there is no peace.", says Abd El-malik Ibrahim a protester in Khartoum. Read Also: Guinea To Move To Civilian Rule In Three Years Activists have often...

Guinea To Move To Civilian Rule In Three Years

1May

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

African Development, Armed Forces, Elections, Guinea, News

Guinea To Move To Civilian Rule In Three Years

The military leader of Guinea, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, announced a 39 month transition period before the country returns to civilian rule. Speaking on television, Col Mamady Doumbouya, said the proposal would now be put to Guinea's parliament. His army ousted the elected president in a coup last year - a move many Guineans initially welcomed. But there has been growing discontent as the military junta failed to hand over power to civilian rule. The announcement came after the regional bloc of West African nations, ECOWAS, set last Monday as a deadline for the army to give its timeline - or face immediate sanctions. The deadline was missed but the junta asked for more time and said it was considering a transition period of between 18 and 52 months. On Saturday, Col Doum...

19Apr

By Chukwuebuka FestusNo Comments

Armed Forces, Congo, News, Security, Violence

Drunk Soldiers Kill 15 in DR Congo

Two soldiers have shot dead 15 people in separate attacks in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the victims were almost all civilians. This comes after six people were wounded when soldiers threw a grenade into a crowd whilst trying to carry out an arrest. An official in South Kivu province said a drunk soldier on a boat on Lake Tanganyika killed eight passengers including children before he was arrested. Read also: Seven Die as Train Derails in DR Congo On Sunday another soldier shot dead a colonel, his bodyguard and five civilians in Ituri province. The killer, also said to have been drunk, was shot dead by a colleague as he fled. For more than two decades people across eastern DR Congo have endured frequent attacks by dozens of armed groups. President F...

12 Soldiers Killed as Jihadists Attack a Military Base in Burkina Faso

11Apr

By Guest ContributorNo Comments

Armed Forces, Burkina Faso, News, Religion, Security, Terrorism, Violence

12 Soldiers Killed as Jihadists Attack a Military Base in Burkina Faso

Suspected jihadists have attacked a military base in Burkina Faso, killing at least 12 soldiers and four volunteers in the process. The military on Friday said 21 troops were also injured in the attack on the Namissiguima military detachment in the north. The assailants are reported to have first attacked the camp with shells. Then shooting followed. The military added that reinforcements have been deployed to secure the area. The attack comes at a time when the armed forces have launched an operation to "de-pollute" localities in the region. Islamist militants started carrying out raids in Burkina Faso from bases in neighbouring Mali in 2015. Since then 1.8 million people have been displaced by the violence. A military government seized power in January and ousted P...

DHQ Reacts To Speculation Of Personnel Monitoring CCTV Being Asleep During NDA Attack

26Aug

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Armed Forces, News, Nigeria, Security

DHQ Reacts To Speculation Of Personnel Monitoring CCTV Being Asleep During NDA Attack

The Defence Headquarters has debunked claims that military personnel monitoring the closed-circuit television at the Nigerian Defence Academy were fast asleep when the attack on the facility happened. It also said a board of enquiry has been constituted to ascertain the incidents that led to the security breach. The DHQ disclosed this in a statement by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Benjamin Sawyerr. Recall that bandits on Tuesday attacked the NDA in Kaduna, killing two personnel while one was abducted. An online news platform, TheCable, had reported that officers in the CCTV monitoring room at NDA slept off while the marauders operated. Dispelling the claim in a statement, the DHQ said the military personnel are trained and dedicated to their duties. ...

Nigerian Army Foil Terrorist Attack On Borno Community

10Aug

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Armed Forces, News, Nigeria, Security

Nigerian Army Foil Terrorist Attack On Borno Community

The Nigerian Army has disclosed that troops of 25 Task Force Brigade repelled terrorists attack Damboa town in Borno State on Sunday. The troops were said to have overpowered the terrorists in a gun battle, forcing them to flee. The Army Director of Public Relations, Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Monday said two vehicles belonging to the Civilian Joint Task Force were razed during the gun duel. He added that the troops are currently on the trail of the fleeing terrorists. The statement was titled, ‘Operation Hadin Kai: Troops quell Boko Haram terrorists attack on Damboa.’ Read Also: Buhari Prays For Improved Security, Recovery For Nigeria’s Economy In Saudi Mosque It read, “Troops of 25 Task Force Brigade Operation Hadin Kai in the North East have quelled a dawn att...

Reps Set To Deny President Buhari Sole Power To Appoint, Sack Service Chiefs

8Aug

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Armed Forces, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Reps Set To Deny President Buhari Sole Power To Appoint, Sack Service Chiefs

The House of Representatives is undergoing the amendment to the Armed Forces Act 2004 which will strip the President of the exclusive right to appoint, remove and elongate the tenures of service chiefs. The amendment seeks to empower the Armed Forces Council to determine the qualification. This is being proposed in the legislation titled ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the Armed Forces Act, Cap. A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Foster Collaboration between the Armed Forces and Other Security Agencies in the Provision of National Security and Establish the Armed Forces Human Rights Unit to Provide a Reporting Channel for Civilians Whose Human Rights Are Violated by Members of Armed Forces.’ It was one of the eight bills passed for second reading on July 14, 2021, which w...

See How They’re Being Sent To God To Answer For Their Crimes By Femi Adesina

6Aug

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Armed Forces, News, Nigeria

See How They’re Being Sent To God To Answer For Their Crimes By Femi Adesina

It amazes, even confounds, to hear some people say President Muhammadu Buhari should go after Boko Haram terrorists and bandits with the same gusto he has displayed against separatists in the country. Amazing and confounding because what the Buhari government does daily in the North-east, North-west, and North-central parts of the country, where terrorists and bandits abound, is send them to God to answer for their crimes. This much has been confirmed by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya. Hear the Army Chief, on the day he was decorated with his new rank: “That’s what we have started doing already. Many of them have been sent to God to answer for their crimes, and we will continue to do that.” President Buhari had ordered the security forces to crush all violent crim...

May God Bless Our Troops By Femi Adesina

23Jul

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Armed Forces, News, Nigeria

May God Bless Our Troops By Femi Adesina

President Joe Biden has a favourite sign-off at the end of every major speech: “May God bless America and may God protect our troops.” In August 2020, when he gave a speech at the Democratic Convention, Biden ended that way. Same for his November 7, 2020 speech after he won the election. And of course, the line was there when he got inaugurated as President on January 20, 2021. Biden never served in the military, but his son, Joseph Beau, did, rising to become a Major, but sadly dying of brain cancer in 2015, aged 46. The American First Lady, Dr Jill Biden, has equally written a children’s book, with the title; ‘Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops.’ And like the Biden family, I believe it should be the daily desire of every decent, patriotic Nigerian: May God Bless and Protect O...