All 25,000 people living in a refugee camp in Sudan’s Darfur region have fled amid fighting between armed militia groups and Sudanese government forces, U.N. officials said Friday.
Many of the refugees have sought shelter in nearby Kutum town or the Zariba area, the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said, but lack water, food and sanitation.
[…]
A UNAMID statement Monday said the violence began after an incident on August 1, when three armed men carjacked the local district commissioner and his driver and shot them dead.
“Subsequently, on the same day armed men surrounded Kassab, looted the market, burnt down the Sudanese Police post in the camp and reportedly killed four persons (three civilians and one police officer) and injured six others,” the statement said.
Security continued to deteriorate over the following days in Kutum town, Kassab camp and another camp, Fataborno, “including fighting between the armed elements and government forces, as well as looting and displacement of civilians,” it said.
Map of Kutum. And a story from IRIN: “Chad: Darfur’s Forgotten Refugees.”
A New York Times editorial on the negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan:
Sooner rather than later, both sides also have to deal with even more fundamental challenges: improving governance, ending human rights violations and eradicating corruption. Sudan and South Sudan are inextricably intertwined. If the two can carry out the [recently announced oil transit] fee deal, they will have a better chance to resolve other critical issues.
AP reports that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged Nigerian security officials to “create an ‘intelligence fusion cell’ that would combine information from the military, spy services, police and other federal, state and local agencies.” The US is apparently ready to enhance its intelligence cooperation with Nigeria.
A video is circulating showing French hostages held by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Djibril Bassole traveled to northern Mali this week to meet with Iyad Ag Ghali, leader of the Islamist militia Ansar al Din.
As rumors of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s death circulate, the Ethiopian government says Meles will return from his sick leave in September. Think Africa Press asks, “What Might A Post-Meles Era Bring?”
Arrests of journalists in Djibouti.
Kenya needs to improve security to ensure that voters are not deterred by recent grenade and gun attacks and threats by a coastal separatist movement to disrupt the election due next March, the head of the electoral commission said on Friday.
What else is happening today?
Sahel Blog 
Christian Association of Nigeria writes Clinton: http://saharareporters.com/news-page/boko-haram-christian-association-nigeria-writes-hillary-clinton
This letter is remarkable both for what it says and what it does not say – there is a growing suspicion and mistrust of the US State Department / United States Government by the Nigerian Christian community.
The reach of Christian leaders in Nigeria shouldn’t be underestimated. Nigerians trust their pastors much more than they trust any Nigerian politician or any US diplomat.
In dealing with Nigeria/Africa, the US often forgets that Nigeria/Africa also has a Christian population. While this could have been excused in the past, in the future it might prove fatal.
I live in Nigeria and it is clear to me that the Christian community’s political clout and economic power is set to rise in future.
Reblogged this on aminukawu and commented:
Yes