The Nigerian army says it has killed high-value target commanders of terrorist sect, Boko Haram, ‘fatally wounding’ leader Abubaker Shekau.

In a statement Sani Usman, the army’s spokesman, said after ‘interdiction efforts’ by the Nigerian Air Force on Friday, August 19 “some key leaders of the Boko Haram terrorists have been killed.” Usman also said that a number of other terrorists, including Shekau, former leader of the group, were ‘fatally wounded’.

The air force strike targeted a village within Sambisa forest, a long known Boko Haram stronghold. According to media reports the terrorist group’s commanders had gathered for ‘some sort of celebration.’

“For the army, successfully locating and killing such high-value targets my’s brutal tactics in the area have seen it accused of mass violation is a triumph for its intelligence gathering efforts which have often been overshadowed by its seeming adoption of excessive force against locals in the troubled northeast as part of efforts to fight Boko Haram.

But while news of a major airstrike killing Boko Haram’s leaders follows the recent trend as the army has gained ground on the sect, it’s not the first time Nigeria’s army has claimed to have killed Shekau. In the past, the Boko Haram leader has often come out weeks later to debunk claims of his death through video and audio messages. As a result, the latest claim has been received with some skepticism.

If true, the army’s announcement signals an end to a long chase. Shekau has been hunted for years since Boko Haram, under his leadership, notably became more violent, killing over 20,000 people. In 2012, he was added to the US State Department’s specially designated global terrorists list with a bounty of about US$ 7 million placed on him.

His influence in the group was undercut at the start of August after Islamic State announced Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new leader of Boko Haram. In response, Shekau is believed to have led a breakaway faction of Boko Haram.

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South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar is in Khartoum for medical treatment, days after fleeing to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following deadly clashes last month.

“Sudan has received, lately, Dr Riek Machar, for pure humanitarian reasons, especially his need for treatment and medical care,” Sudan’s Information Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman said.

“Dr Riek Machar’s health is stable currently and he will remain in the country under comprehensive healthcare until he leaves for a destination of his choice,” Osman told state media.

Hundreds died last month – and tens of thousands were displaced – when forces loyal to Machar clashed with President Salva Kiir’s government troops in South Sudan’s capital, Juba.

Following the fierce fighting, Machar withdrew to the bush with his forces and was later replaced as vice president by party rival Taban Deng Gai.

Sudan’s announcement of Machar’s presence in the Sudanese capital on Tuesday comes just a day after Deng wrapped up his first official visit to Khartoum.

Aides of Machar confirmed last week that he had left South Sudan and was in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. It was also reported that Machar had a leg injury, though it was not believed to be serious.

South Sudan was founded with optimistic celebrations in the capital on July 9, 2011, after it gained independence from Sudan in a referendum that passed with nearly 100 percent of the vote.

Two years later, a brutal civil war broke out between supporters of newly-formed South Sudan’s President Kiir and Machar. The two sides reached a peace deal in 2015, under which Machar returned to Juba to resume his role as vice president, but last month’s fighting threatened to send the country back to all-out civil war.

The UN Security Council voted on Friday to authorise sending an extra 4,000 troops to the country to bolster the existing UN mission.

South Sudan officials said they were considering the UN proposal.

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Eight people have been arrested in Burundi for ‘defaming’ government leaders and institutions on Facebook and Twitter.

According to police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye the eight were arrested on August 20 in the capital, Bujumbura, while meeting to write messages to spread via social media sites.

Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza has survived protests and a coup attempt since he announced last April that he was seeking to extend his decade-long rule.

He subsequently won elections, which were rejected by his critics as a sham.

More than 400 people have been killed in unrest since April 2015.

The use of social media to spur dissent has sent shock waves to several governments in Africa, with many including Uganda incapacitating platforms like Twitter and Facebook during elections.

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China is building its first overseas naval base and military outpost at the small port town of Obock in the Republic of Djibouti on ground originally intended for use by the US Army.

The Chinese base on a 364,000 square meter (90 acre) plot will house supply stores; barracks for a small force of Chinese marines or Special Forces; maintenance facilities for aircraft and ships and weapons sites.

Obock or Obok is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Tadjoura, where it opens out into the Gulf of Aden.

China refers to the Obock naval base as a ‘support facility’ and said they don’t have plans of building large bases such as those the US military favors. It also denies the base is ratcheting up tensions with the US whose Camp Lemonnier, the largest US military base in Africa, is located only eight miles away.

Camp Lemonnier currently houses over 4,000 US troops and is used for Special Forces and drone operations against jihadist groups in the region.

The Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China claims its Obock base will ‘better uphold international responsibilities and duties, and to protect China’s legal interests’.

China’s push into the world stage starting in Africa is part of President Xi Jinping’s foreign-policy priorities, based on the strategy of ‘steadily advancing overseas base construction’.

As part of this strategy, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) first used commercial ports that were built or financed by Chinese companies for resupply and recreation. The Obock naval base is the first departure from this standard model.

Ironically, the base was first developed by the US in 2009 under the government of then Djiboutian Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita. In 2014, however, the new government led by pro-China President Ismail Omar Guelleh kicked-out the Americans and welcomed the Chinese.

The increasingly despotic Guelleh, who is relentlessly suppressing dissent, has received billions of dollars from China for Djibouti’s development. China is also financing a two proposed airports, a railroad, a port terminal expansion, fuel and water pipelines, a natural gas liquefaction plant and highway upgrades.

Some media reports claim China also funded Guelleh’s campaign for an unprecedented fourth term in office after he amended the Constitution that previously limited a President’s service to two terms.

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