Tigrayan rebels seize World Heritage site Lalibela

Locals say Tigrayan forces took over Lalibela without firing a single shot, while the Ethiopian military claims to have captured strategic locations in the regions of Afar and Amhara.

Locals say Tigrayan forces took over Lalibela without firing a single shot, while the Ethiopian military claims to have captured strategic locations in the regions of Afar and Amhara.

Chad's transitional authorities on Tuesday (January 18) released the first of some 250 members of armed groups it has promised to free from prison under an amnesty aimed at fostering dialogue after the battlefield death of President Idriss Deby last April. Justice Minister Ahmat Mahamat Alhabo led a short ceremony at Klessoum prison near the capital N'Djamena, granting the immediate release of 22 detainees convicted of taking up arms against the central government in the past 10 years.

A World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Monday that the global body would postpone a decision on Ethiopia's request to investigate its leader for allegedly supporting rebellious forces fighting the Ethiopian government. WHO Executive Board chair Patrick Amoth made the statement at a meeting of the board in Geneva where current director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' bid for a second term as head of the U.N. agency is due to be discussed.

The coalition fighting in Yemen said Houthi hit several economic facilities in Saudi Arabia. This comes days after the rebels rejected a GCC invitation for talks on the conflict.

Yemen's Houthi rebels say they carried out several attacks on Friday, the largest being on an oil storage and shipping facility in Jiddah. Sunday's F1 Grand Prix there will go ahead as scheduled, say organizers.

Rebels from the M23 groups have attacked army positions near Democratic Republic of Congo's border with Uganda and Rwanda, a local official and a witness have said.

After a ten-year lull, M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo have attacked Congolese soldiers. As a result, tens of thousands of people have fled to neighboring Uganda, fearing renewed violence.

Rebels from the M23 group in DR Congo seized the border town of Bunagana, according to local activists. The Congolese army accused Rwanda of launching an invasion.

Rebels in Tigray said the government in Addis Ababa has launched a "large-scale offensive." The claims could not be independently verified as the Tigray region is under a communications blackout.

M23 rebels have made gains in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, raising fears of a further deterioration of security. The African Union has called for a ceasefire and negotiations to ensure peace.

The scars of the bloody two-year conflict between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces are still fresh and run deep, despite the surprise ceasefire agreement reached in South Africa on Wednesday.