Libyan city of Benghazi dreams of brighter future after war

THE HAGUE: The trial of a Malian jihadist accused of demolishing Timbuktu's fabled shrines and unleashing a reign of terror begins at the International Criminal Court on Tuesday. Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, 42, has been charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, rape and sexual slavery.

The trial of 14 suspected accomplices for the January 2015 jihadist attacks, gets underway at the Palais de Justice in Paris.

"It feels like the closing of a five-year long chapter in our lives," says Alek Skarlatos, one of three Americans who, along with a French-American, Mark Moogalian, helped foil a terror attack on a French high-speed train travelling from Amsterdam to Paris in August 2015. The trial of Ayoub El Khazzani, the perpetrator of the failed attack, opened Monday in Paris.

Residents of the northeastern Nigerian city Maiduguri have been struggling with a power blackout for a week after jihadists blew up supply lines, causing significant disruption.

The acting chief of the US Capitol police urged for security measures to remain in place amid ongoing threats by extremists. Several people were killed when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in January.

South Africa has deployed troops in Mozambique following a jihadist attack on the northern town of Palma. This comes as French energy giant Total withdraws all staff from the region.

Bikers of Libya's Mediterranean city of Benghazi, the cradle of its 2011 revolution and a one-time Islamist bastion, rev up their motors to show another side to their war-scarred country. In a cocktail of gleaming chrome and rumbling engines, dozens of heavy-duty motorbike enthusiasts in their leathers tear up the asphalt in regular parades through the streets of the wind-strewn city.

Thousands took to the streets of Burkina Faso's capital on Saturday (July 3) to call for a tougher government response to a wave of jihadist attacks that has destabilized the West African country in recent years. Some had travelled hundreds of kilometres to attend the opposition-led demonstration in Ouagadougou, where protesters waved the red and green Burkinabe flag and blew whistles.

Ethnic Amhara militias are mobilising along the western and southern borders of Ethiopia's Tigray region as rebel forces go ahead with a new offensive. After withdrawing most soldiers last month, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said his troops will repel any attacks by 'enemies'.

At least 30 jihadists have been killed by Rwandan forces who were deployed to Mozambique. Rwanda is just one of several countries that sent troops to the country after a recent uptick in activity by Shabaab Islamist militants. Also, Tunisia has received foreign aid to help battle Covid-19. The country's hospitals are overwhelmed and running out of oxygen. Finally, FRANCE 24 speaks to Christine Amisi, one of Africa's top doctors in efforts to help rape survivors.