Nigeria Army Assault on Boko Haram

The Nigerian army concluded a major assault on Boko Haram Stronghold in Simbisa Forest rescuing over 200 girls and 93 women. The army said that some of these girls and women had been held in captivity for over 6 years. The girls rescued do not include the Chibok girls who were abducted by Boko Haram last year in their school, which resulted into world condemnation with the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag on twitter which drew world attention to the girl’s plight. The army is currently interviewing those rescued before releasing their photos and taking them to their families. Some of the women are suspected to be the wives of Boko Haram fighters. The assault came at a time when the Nigerian army and the armies of the neighboring countries such as Niger and Chad have launched a major ground and air offensive against the militants. The war against the militants has intensified after the election of President Buhari who defeated Jonathan Goodluck in the recently concluded general elections.

Baltimore Violet Protests against the death of Freddie Gray

Violent protests broke out in Baltimore US where protesters burnt a police car and looted a pharmacy. Seven police officers were reported to have sustained serious injuries. The demonstrations which were initially peaceful turned violent and the protesters engaged in looting and vandalism.

Freddie Gray was arrested by the police on bicycle patrol when he was found in a drug and violent crime prone area; Freddie was chased by the police when he started to run unprovoked on seeing the police officers, the police officers chased him and managed to arrested him after tackling him. The police took him into custody at 8.40 a.m but thirty minutes later the police requested for paramedics and he was taken to University of Maryland where he was admitted at the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. Gray was in a coma for almost a week during which time he underwent extensive surgeries but he passed on 19^th April. Gray suffered a broken spinal cord.

 

 

 

 

 

Trapped in Mt. Everest After Earthquake

Over 200 people are trapped in Mount Everest after a 7.8 earthquake which killed over 3,700 people in Nepal also affected the mountain. Those trapped are mostly believed to be at Camp 2 which is over 21,000 feet above the sea level. Those trapped are currently waiting evacuation but the prospect seems dire as the weather continue to be bad and there are also earth tremors which are aftershocks. Those trapped are running out of food and other essential supplies. Many others have died but the exact number is not yet known. Among those who died is Google Executive who was the product manager and head of privacy Dan Fredinburg. Those who had been confirmed dead were at the camp base which was hit by an avalanche, those who were rescued were taken to Kathmandu the capital of Nepal for medical treatment. The rescue operation has also been hampered because the earthquake also destroyed infrastructure in Nepal and most of the rescue effort is also directed in Nepal villages where over 3,700 people have died .

 

Tension is rising in Burundi after the nomination of the current president Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third consecutive term in breach of the Burundian constitution which has a term limit of two consecutive terms of 5 years each for the president. The election scheduled for 26^th June 2015 has sparked condemnation from many countries including the United States. There are reported protest marches which resulted into running battles between the protesters and the police, this made many parts of Bujumbura the capital city of Burundi to be a no go zone. The UNHCR has reported that many people were fleeing the country in fear of resurgence of civil war which ended about 10 years ago when President Pierre Nkurunziza a former rebel leader himself was nominated following Arusha Declaration . The president’s party CNDD-FDD nominated President Nkurunzizza on 18^th April, according to the party the president’s first term when he was appointed by parliament after the  deal entered to end decades of civil strife cannot be counted and they presume the president’s first term was in 2010 when he was elected through the universal suffrage despite the boycott of the opposition. The tension has been rising over plans by the opposition parties to stage protests over the president’s nomination which they contend is a nullity.













              Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza  Protesters in Burundi in a past protest march.

Earthquake in Nepal - Kathmandu

A devastating earthquake of 7.8 hit Northeastern India affecting Nepal and Tibet region , the Earthquake happed about 80 Km from Nepal capital Kathmandu.The earthquake affected Mt.Everst where mudslides are said to have killed a number of people. The death toll is estimated to be over 2000 people, the earthquake has affected many people with many homes destroyed, roads, power lines, telephone lines and other infrastructures destroyed. The damage has hampered rescue operation as the transport and communication has been virtually shutdown.

Washington – Use of drone strike under review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The US military strategists are reviewing the operational use of drones despite having been very effective in the fight against top Al Qaeda leadership in Afghanistan and other areas especially in remote places such as in mountains were the terrorists seek refuge. This comes after the killing of two hostages who were being held in a remote village in January despite hundreds of hours of surveillance. The two Warren Weinsten an American and Giovanni Lo Porto an Italian had been  held under captivity since 2012. The use of drone has come under scrutiny because the probability of causing undesired causalities as evident with the case of the two hostages is highly probable because intelligence cannot be totally accurate as errors are inevitable. President Barrack Obama made an apology over the unfortunate incident. According to the President the use of the drones is under review to avoid such incidents in future.

Volcano Erupts in Chile- Calbuco

Calbuco  volcano has erupted for the second day after the first eruption on Wednesday. The volcano has resulted to evacuation of over 5,000 people within an area of 20 square Kilometer. Chile has among the highest number of dormant volcanoes after Indonesia with about 500 dormant volcanoes.  Calbuco  volcano has been dormant for many decades now and for many residents this is the first time they have seen the volcano erupt. The Chilean government has also put the neighboring towns on high alert as they provide supplies such as water to the people in the affected areas because the ashes from the volcano is feared to have contaminated the water  sources around the volcano.