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World Bank pledges $1 billion to aid peace in Africa's Great Lakes

KINSHASA (Reuters) - The World Bank on Wednesday announced $1 billion in development funding for Africa's Great Lakes region, where renewed fighting this week between the government and rebels in eastern Congo has raised fears once again of an escalation in conflict. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim unveiled the proposed aid financing for one of Africa's most intractable conflict regions on the first day of a trip with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

Mixed feelings for Eritreans 20 years on

While 20 years ago Eritreans danced to celebrate their newly gained independence, on May 24 this year few have much to smile about other than fond memories of happier times. "There is so much to be proud about as a nation," said Emmanuel Tesfai, a former fighter who battled during the 30-year war to win his country's freedom from Ethiopia. "But there is no space for political freedom in the country today," he said, speaking from exile in Kenya.

Factfile on Eritrea

Eritrea, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of its independence on May 24, is one of the most isolated countries in the world. GEOGRAPHY: The country, which covers about 121,000 square kilometres (48,500 square miles), is located between Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti and occupies a strategic place in the Horn of Africa region. It has a 1,000 kilometre (620 mile) coastline along one of the world's busiest shipping lanes on the Red Sea.

Bangladesh cleans up after killer cyclone

Bangladesh and Mynanmar cleaned up on Friday after a killer cyclone wrecked thousands of homes, relieved that the damage was not much worse after the storm weakened as it made landfall. At least 40 people were either killed by Cyclone Mahasen or while trying to flee its impact, including 25 Muslim Rohingya whose bodies washed up on the shores of Bangladesh after their boat capsized while sailing from Myanmar.

Cyclone slams into Bangladesh after mass evacuations

A cyclone slammed into the Bangladeshi coast Thursday as a million people hunkered down in evacuation shelters, including in a region of Myanmar torn by communal unrest. Four people died as Cyclone Mahasen hit Bangladesh's Patuakhali coast, officials said. Rain and strong winds lashed neighbouring Myanmar's northwest coast, home to tens of thousands of displaced Muslim Rohingya.

Cyclone triggers mass evacuations in Bangladesh, Myanmar

Hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh and Myanmar were evacuated Wednesday as a cyclone bore down on coastal areas home to flood-prone refugee camps for victims of sectarian unrest. The United Nations has warned that more than eight million people could be at risk from Cyclone Mahasen, which is expected to make landfall on Thursday or Friday somewhere near the border between the two countries.

Cyclone triggers mass evacuations in Bangladesh, Myanmar

Hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh and Myanmar were ordered to evacuate Wednesday as a cyclone bore down on coastal areas home to flood-prone refugee camps for victims of sectarian unrest. The United Nations has warned that more than eight million people could be at risk from Cyclone Mahasen, which is expected to make landfall on Thursday or Friday somewhere near the border between the two countries.

Dozens of Rohingya missing off Myanmar as cyclone looms

Dozens of Rohingya Muslims are missing after their boats capsized off Myanmar as they fled a looming cyclone, police said Tuesday, amid fears tens of thousands of displaced people are in the path of the storm. About seven vessels hit trouble on Monday night after leaving Pauktaw township in Rakhine state in search of safety, according to a Myanmar police official in the capital Naypyidaw.

Suicide bomber dies in Mali attack on Niger troops

An Islamist suicide bomber on Friday attacked a camp of soldiers from Niger posted in troubled northeastern Mali, but the only casualty was the assailant, military sources said. "Around 5:00 am (0500 GMT), a kamikaze in a car busted through the entrance to our military camp at Menaka. We fired our weapons and the kamikaze blew himself up," a Nigerien military source said. "He is dead, but there were no victims among our ranks," the source added, stating that the Nigerien troops had gone on to "a state of alert".

Mali polls must take place nationwide

French President Francois Hollande said Friday that elections scheduled in troubled Mali for July must be held nationwide, as instability in the north and a refugee crisis have raised doubts this will be possible. "We must make sure that Malian civil administration can be put in place everywhere for the organisation of these elections. And France, through its military presence and other armies, will contribute to this," he said during a press conference in Paris.
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