This week, Pentagon officials confirmed the death of Al Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane in last week’s U.S. air strikes against Al Shabaab targets in Barawe, Somalia. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield traveled to Nigeria, where she announced the launch of a major border security program in partnership with Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. In addition, U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Russ Feingold traveled to Rwanda and the DRC for meetings on regional peace and security issues and political developments, while State Department Counselor Tom Shannon visited Egypt for meetings with government officials. On the continent, Ebola continued to spread in West Africa, with the United Nations (U.N.) World Health Organization (WHO) reporting 4,269 Ebola cases and 2,288 deaths in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, 21 cases and eight deaths in Nigeria, and one case in Senegal. In Somalia, Al Shabaab announced Ahmed Omar as its new leader and carried out suicide bombings to avenge the death of its former leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane. In Libya, 11 planes were identified missing following clashes between militias at Tripoli International Airport, raising concerns they might be used in terrorist attacks around the anniversary of 9/11 and the September 11, 2012, attacks carried out against U.S. interests in Benghazi. In Nigeria, Boko Haram militants seized the town of Bama and the Nigerian Army launched a failed offensive to regain control over the northeastern towns of Michika and Bazza. Also this week, Facebook announced it now has more than 100 million users a month across Africa and that roughly 80 percent of those users are connecting to Facebook using mobile devices.
Get Detail