Army neutralizes Boko Haram rustlers in Borno, Yobe

After being driven out of Uganda, the Lord's Resistance Army ran riot in the Central African Republic, where it behaved more like a criminal gang than a terrorist militia. Now the LRA's days seem to be numbered.

This week on The Observers, we investigated an incident in Nia Ouro, Mali on January 4. Residents claimed that men dressed in Malian military uniforms killed four civilians and reduced buildings in the village to ashes. We spoke to an eyewitness, analysed videos taken after the event and cross-referenced satellite imagery to put together the days events.

France says nearly 60 fighters from Islamist militias were killed in the days leading up to the coup. The jihadists were killed by forces involved with Operation Barkhane led by France.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Friday.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

When fiction is portrayed as fact: a French film is hijacked to stir anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Chechnya. In this edition of Truth or Fake, we also debunk yet more claims that President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife have fled the country.

Nigeria is striving to reintegrate former Boko Haram terrorists who have voluntarily laid down their arms and surrendered to the authorities. But in many communities, resentment towards the ex-fighters is still strong.

Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been running high in recent days. Israeli forces have carried out fresh raids in the West Bank after a spate of recent deadly attacks.

The French military left a remote base in northern Mali before dawn for the last time last week, with 100 vehicles forming a miles-long convoy across the barren desert terrain. Helicopters whirred above as air support for hundreds of troops in trucks and armoured cars leaving the camp near the town of Gossi.

A video has done the rounds on social media, claiming to show attempts by the Ukrainian army to enrol young recruits by force. The video depicts men in army fatigues chasing a young man around a residential complex. We tell you why these claims are false.

Days after one of the bloodiest crackdowns on protests against Sudan's military coup, the head of the army has announced the dissolution of the governing sovereign council to make way for a civilian leadership. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan says the military will not participate in talks brokered by the UN and regional blocs, aimed at breaking the stalemate with the civilian opposition. However, Burhan has not specifed any dates, nor mentioned who would replace the army at the negotiating table.

Days after one of the bloodiest crackdowns on protests against Sudan's military coup, the head of the army has announced the dissolution of the governing sovereign council to make way for a civilian leadership. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan says the military will not participate in talks brokered by the UN and regional blocs, aimed at breaking the stalemate with the civilian opposition. However, Burhan has not specifed any dates, nor mentioned who would replace the army at the negotiating table.

Around 300 inmates remained at large on Wednesday (July 6) after a suspected raid by Islamist Boko Haram militants on a prison in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Tuesday (July 5) night, an interior ministry official said. Shuaib Belgore, permanent secretary at the interior ministry, told journalists outside the 900-inmate prison that a security officer was killed during the raid and three others were injured.