Top stories from the Development and Aid World News Service — DAWNS Digest.
Sahel’s ‘Descent into Hell’?
Harsh words–and he wasn’t even talking about the impending food crisis. Could this be blow-back from the NATO intervention in Libya? “Some of the world’s poorest countries such as Mali, Niger and Mauritania are scrambling to secure international expertise to shore up crumbling state authority in the face of an influx of weapons and fighters from Libya’s conflict. Counter-terrorism experts are concerned that al Qaeda gangs, enriched by ransoms paid for Western hostages, are exploiting growing lawlessness to push their influence southwards, possibly into OPEC power Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. Chadian General Adoum Ngare Hassan told a security conference in Morocco at the weekend that if Maghreb states span out of control their neighbors could face ‘a descent into hell.’” (Reuters http://reut.rs/wtfnTt)
Nigerian Police Discover 10 Car Bombs
The Kano police announced that 185 people died as the result of Boko Haram attacks on Friday. (AP http://yhoo.it/yTpcXm) Already on alert, they police discovered 10 car bombs and nearly 100 other explosive materials across the troubled city. “‘The police were on a stop-and-search today and in two of the checkpoints, the Boko Haram members on sighting the checkpoints abandoned their vehicles and ran,’ a high-level police officer told the Reuters news agency on Monday, asking not to be named. ‘The vehicles were later checked and the cars were loaded with explosives. Two brand new Hilux open pick-up vans were also found packed with explosives in the Bompai area of Kano.’” Fortunately, all the car bombs were disabled. (Al Jazeera http://aje.me/A2qJEJ)
Photo Credit: SOS Sahel UK