Free Republic

Nigeria can not afford to ignore the festering terrorist attacks by Boko Haram sect and other internal security threats, but had better tackle it headlong to prevent the nation going the way of war-torn Sudan and Darfur. Former Nigeria permanent representative to the United Nations, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, gave the advice yesterday as the guest speaker at a lecture organised by the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CEPACS), University of Ibadan (UI) to commemorate the World Refugee Day. Gambari noted that recent events in the country such as the Boko Haram attacks, the bloody violence being perpetrated by members...

YANGON (AFP) - A United Nations special envoy flew to Myanmar Saturday, as the ruling junta deployed an overwhelming security presence in the nation's biggest city in a campaign to choke off mass protests. UN chief Ban Ki-moon has dispatched Ibrahim Gambari to broker talks between the military and its pro-democracy opponents, who have mounted two weeks of mass nationwide rallies. A violent operation to close down the demonstrations, which has run for four days and claimed at least 13 lives, appeared to have largely succeeded in deterring anti-government campaigners from returning to the streets. Downtown Yangon was largely deserted...