Tristan McConnellJuly 24, 2012 06:00

RAS KAMBONI, Somalia — The port town of Kismayo on Somalia’s southern coast must be among the worst places on the planet to live right now. Not only is it governed by the fanatical Al Qaeda spinoff Al Shabaab, it is also a battleground where a regional coalition of African armies is fighting the extremist group. The testimony of fleeing residents is now providing a rare insight into what it’s like to live under the rule of Al Qaeda.

Foreign aid workers kidnapped from Kenya released in Somalia

News DeskJuly 2, 2012 04:44

A number of aid workers have been adbucted from Dadaab in the last year, and many organizations have pulled out of the camp.

Gunmen kidnap aid workers at Kenya Dadaab camp

Luke BrowneJune 29, 2012 07:08

Police sources said a driver was killed in the attack.

Bodies of 42 African migrants found by roadside in Tanzania

Luke BrowneJune 27, 2012 09:34

Tanzania’s Deputy Interior Minister Pereira Silima said 127 migrants set off for Malawi from Ethiopia in two trucks, but after reaching the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha were packed into one container truck.

Tristan McConnellJune 26, 2012 15:07

Triple threat: Coordination suspected between African terrorist organizations

Despite scant evidence, government officials are concerned by potential operational links between Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb, Boko Haram in Nigeria, and Al Shabaab in Somalia.

Al qaeda boko haram al shabaab terror coordination

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A car lies upside-down, vandalized on June 17 by Christian mobs in reprisal for a suicide bomb attack. Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists claimed responsibility for suicide attacks on three churches that sparked reprisals by Christian mobs who rampaged and burned mosques, killing least 52 people. (Victor Ulasi/AFP/Getty Images)

NAIROBI — The top US military commander for Africa has warned that Al Qaeda affiliates are seeking to strengthen ties across the continent. General Carter Ham, commander of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), described Nigeria's Boko Haram, Somalia's Al Shabaab and the Saharan Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb as "dangerous and worrisome" but added that there were signs the groups were trying to coordinate their activities.

Ethiopia troops to stay longer in Somalia

Jill LangloisJune 24, 2012 12:37

Last June, Somalia's still-feuding leaders agreed to extend the time of its transitional government for a year rather than hold elections.

At least 47 dead after boat capsizes on Lake Malawi

Luke BrowneJune 21, 2012 07:04

The boat is believed to have capsized late Monday, but police only became aware of the accident on Tuesday after locals “saw dead bodies floating on the lake and a boat floating upside down.”

Somali pirates free South Africans Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz, held hostage since 2010

Erin Conway-SmithJune 21, 2012 06:20

The South Africans "are in good health," and arrangements are being made for their return home.

Eritrean national admits aiding Somalia's Al Shabaab

Luke BrowneJune 14, 2012 12:27

Mohammed Ibrahim, a 38-year-old Eritrean national and permanent resident of Sweden, was arrested in Nigeria in November 2009 and transferred to US custody four months later to face terrorism charges.

Erin Conway-SmithJune 13, 2012 09:10

Mogadishu, from 'World's Most Dangerous City' to your next holiday destination?

Somalia's notoriously dangerous capital Mogadishu is gaining a new reputation: seaside gem, with pristine beaches and fresh lobster.

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The beautiful beaches of Mogadishu: Somali youths relax along the beachside on the outskirts of Mogadishu for the first time in such great numbers since a surge in violence between al-Shabab Islamist militants and forces loyal to the embattled Somali government in recent years. (STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

Somalia's notoriously dangerous capital Mogadishu is gaining a new reputation for pristine beaches and fresh lobster.