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Europe now world’s biggest arms importer, think tank says

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Europe became the world’s biggest arms importer over the last five years as governments reacted to Russia’s threat and ‌waning confidence in U.S. security commitments, data from the Stockholm International ‌Peace Research Institute showed on Monday. European countries more than trebled their arms imports in 2021-25 versus 2016-2020 ​to supply Ukraine in its defence against Russian invasion and to rebuild their own militaries after decades of under-investment. “The sharp increase in arms flows to European states pushed global arms transfers up almost 10 per cent,” Mathew George, Director of the ‌SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme, said. Europe ⁠accounted for 33% of global arms imports, up from 12% in the previous five-year period, the report showed. Despite boosting domestic production, ⁠European countries continued to increase purchases of U.S. weapons, especially combat aircraft and long-range air-defence systems. MIDDLE EAST Arms imports by Middle Eastern states fell 13%, though Sa...
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Nigerian army kills 45 militants in clashes in northwest state of Katsina

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BY DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN AP Nigeria’s military killed 45 militants in the country’s northwest region, the Katsina state government said Saturday. The clashes between the military and the gunmen happened on Friday in the Danmusa area of Katsina, the state’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Nasir Mua’zu said in a statement. It followed a failed attempt by the gunmen to steal cattle on Thursday. “Seeking revenge, the bandits returned in large numbers on March 6,” Mua’zu said. “What followed was an intense and fierce battle. The army successfully neutralized all 45 bandits.” Nigeria is battling a  complex security crisis  from different armed groups, especially in the north of the country. The United States has  sent troops  to the West African nation to help advise its military on the fight against insecurity. Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups are  Boko Haram  and its breakaway faction, which is affiliated with the Islamic S...
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Militants kill 15 soldiers in northern Benin attack

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Militants killed 15 soldiers and wounded five more at a military camp in ‌northern Benin, an army spokesperson said on Friday, as ‌violence spreads in the West African region. Fighters linked to al Qaeda and ​Islamic State have been rapidly increasing their attacks on the borderlands between Niger, Benin and Nigeria, turning remote transit corridors into active conflict zones. Al Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al‑Islam wal‑Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility ‌for the latest attack ⁠in Benin which it said took place in the northern village of Kofouno on Wednesday. The “attack ⁠resulted in the loss of 15 of our personnel and five wounded, whose lives are not in danger,” Benin armed forces ​spokesperson Colonel ​James Johnson said. The army killed ​at least four of ‌the “terrorists” and destroyed several of their motorcycles when they were retreating, Johnson added. He denied JNIM’s claim that it controlled the Kofouno camp. Benin rarely comments on jihadist violence in the north, t...
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Ukraine, Russia exchange 200 POWs each in latest swap

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Ukraine and Russia exchanged 200 prisoners of war each on Thursday in their latest swap, ​officials on both sides said, despite a ‌deadlock in U.S.-backed negotiations to end the four-year conflict. Kyiv and Moscow have carried out regular POW exchanges throughout the ​war, committing during recent talks in Geneva to ​a new round of such swaps even ⁠as negotiations remain stuck over the question of ​territory. “Every time our people come home, it proves ​that Ukraine is working to bring everyone back. No one is forgotten,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X. “We involve mediators. ​I am grateful to everyone who helps Ukraine. ​I thank the United States for its support in making ‌this ⁠exchange possible.” Some of the POWs freed on Thursday were captured as far back as Moscow’s siege of Mariupol in early 2022, Zelenskiy added. Tearful ​relatives greeted loved ​ones – many ⁠of them draped in Ukrainian flags – as they emerged from a ​bus that had arrived at an undis...
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Nepal votes in first general election since Gen Z protests overturned government

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By Paavan MATHEMA and Anup OJHA, with Aishwarya KUMAR in Jhapa AFP Nepal voted on Thursday for a new parliament in a high-stakes showdown between an entrenched old guard and a powerful youth movement, six months after deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government. Queues began at dawn on the streets of the capital Kathmandu and in the usually sleepy eastern town of Jhapa, the site of a head-to-head contest between two key prime ministerial hopefuls. Photo: Social Media “I came here early to vote, we have to exercise our rights. Nepalis have been waiting for change for so long, from one system to another,” said Nilanta Shakya, 60, waiting to cast her ballot at a college in Kathmandu. “I hope there is a meaningful change this time,” she added. Key figures contesting for power include the Marxist former prime minister seeking a return to office, a rapper-turned-mayor bidding for the youth vote, and the newly elected leader of the powerful Nepali Congress party. Nearly 19...
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Sudan accuses Ethiopia for the first time of involvement in its civil war

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Sudan has accused Ethiopia of allowing drones to be launched from its territory into Sudan to carry out attacks in February and March, the first time it has directly ​accused its powerful neighbour of involvement in the three-year civil war. The Sudanese foreign ministry ‌statement, released late on Monday, is the latest sign that one of the world’s deadliest conflicts between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is drawing in regional powers from Africa and beyond. A spokesperson for ​the Ethiopian prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ​Reuters has not independently verified the launching of attack drones from Ethiopia. The ⁠Sudanese army has been fighting the paramilitary RSF in a conflict that has threatened to ​fracture the country and has driven millions of people to flee their homes. The statement did not ​specify where the alleged attacks had taken place, but the southeastern Blue Nile state, which borders Ethiopia, has seen...
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Nearly 170 people killed in attack in South Sudan’s Ruweng

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By DENG MACHOL, Associated Press At least 169 people were killed after insurgents raided a village in a remote area of South Sudan, a local official said Monday, It’s the latest bout of sporadic violence that has left the country teetering on the verge of full-blown civil war. The victims, including 90 civilians, were attacked on Sunday in Abiemnom county, said James Monyluak, information minister for the administrative area of Ruweng. He said women and children were among the dead, in addition to dozens of combatants. The U.N. Mission in South Sudan, known as UNMISS, said in a statement that 1,000 people sought shelter at its base after the attack. “Such violence places civilians at grave risk and must stop immediately,” Anita Kiki Gbeho, a UNMISS official, said in a statement. “I urge all involved to cease hostilities without delay and engage in constructive dialogue to address their grievances.” “Our peacekeepers will continue to do everything within their capabilities to prot...
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