Somalia rebels ambush president’s convoy
Somalia's al Shabaab rebels ambushed an armored convoy carrying the country's president outside the capital on Tuesday, Reuters reports. President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was unharmed in the attack on the outskirts of the town of Elasha, between Mogadishu and the former rebel stronghold of Afgoye. The fighting reportedly split the convoy. African Union troops fired shells to subdue the attack. The vehicle carrying Ahmed sped off as fighting broke out.
US expels Syrian envoy Jabbour
The Obama administration is expelling Syria's most senior envoy in Washington, joining other governments in kicking out Syrian diplomats, AP said. The charge d'affaires at the Syrian Embassy, Zuheir Jabbour, has been given 72 hours to leave the US, the State Department said on Tuesday. Syria has not had an ambassador in the United States since the previous envoy left last year. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that after last week's massacre in Houla, the US holds “the Syrian government responsible for this slaughter of innocent lives.”
Mali rebel accord fails over Sharia law
An agreement between northern Mali's MNLA Tuareg rebels and Al Qaeda-linked Islamist group Ansar Dine to create an Islamic state has reportedly stumbled over how strictly to impose Sharia law. The separatist MNLA group wants a moderate form of Sharia, while Ansar Dine is seeking to impose a hardline version. “We want Sharia law similar to that in Mauritania or even Egypt,” Ibrahim Ag Assaleh, an MNLA official in the northern city of Gao told Reuters. Regional bloc ECOWAS on Tuesday said it rejected the attempt by Mali's rebels to create an Islamic state in the north.
China microblogging site bans politically-sensitive content
A popular Chinese microblogging site is introducing new regulations that could see users banned for posting about sensitive political topics. Sina Weibo's new rules took effect on Monday. A user will be suspended for two days for posting content five or more times containing politically-sensitive words or images, AP said. If the information is viewed as being spread maliciously, the account may be deleted altogether. The Twitter-like site Sina Weibo has more than 300 million registered users.
Eleven militants, 5 soldiers killed in Yemen’s south
Yemen's army has killed 11 militants as an offensive against southern towns held by Al-Qaeda-linked fighters is continuing. Five soldiers were also killed in the clashes, military officials said on Tuesday. Clashes took place around the town of Jaar, which fell to the militants more than a year ago, AP said. Yemen's military claim they have retaken most of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, captured by militants in 2011.
Annan expresses concern over Syria violence as he meets Assad
The joint UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The envoy expressed “the grave concern of the international community about the violence in Syria,” his spokesman, Ahmed Fawzi, said on Tuesday. Annan “conveyed in frank terms his view” and stressed the importance of full implementation of the six-point plan. Those who were responsible for the “tragic” massacre in Houla, in central Syria, late last week, must be held to account, the envoy said.
European states, Canada expel Syrian diplomats
Britain's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that UK was expelling three Syrian diplomats. The move has been taken following civilian deaths in the massacre in the west-central area of Houla late last week. Canada said it would expel all remaining Syrian diplomats immediately. Italy, Spain, Netherlands and Germany also said the Syrian ambassadors were to be expelled. Earlier on Tuesday, Australia and France expelled Syrian diplomats.
Sudan to pull troops from disputed region
Sudan has said it will withdraw its troops on Tuesday from a disputed border region Abyei. The redeployment will help talks with South Sudan, Sudanese military spokesman Col. Sawarme Khalid Saad said, as cited by AP. The region, which contains rich oil fields, is contested by neighboring South Sudan. Sudanese officials are meeting with their South Sudanese counterparts on Tuesday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
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