At least eight people were killed in Somalia's capital on Thursday (November 25) when Islamist militants launched a suicide attack on a U.N. security convoy using a vehicle laden with explosives, officials and witnesses said. The Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the huge blast which rocked Mogadishu and injured at least 23 people, including school students, sending a column of smoke above the city. Gunfire echoed around the scene, witnesses said. It was not immediately clear if any U.N. personnel were among those killed or injured in the huge blast, which targeted the U.N. convoy as it passed near the site of a school.

Although US military withdrawal raises the risk of terrorist activity, experts say the Taliban will likely value pursuing international recognition of their rule over harboring militants.

Ten captives taken by extremists in Nigeria are freed. The group had been held by ISWAP militants, who have killed hostages in the past. Also, we look at the tourism industry in Ethiopia ahead of June 21 regional elections. The sector has been hit hard by the conflict in the Tigray region and the Covid-19 pandemic. And we see how a Chinese-funded harbour in Sierra Leone is stirring environmental fears. NIGERIA

Since 2017, the insurgency raging in northern Mozambique has cost close to 3,000 lives and displaced more than 700,000 people. On March 23, 2021, militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) group attacked the town of Palma, prompting French energy group Total to shut down its operations in the region, despite having invested more than $20 billion dollars in a liquefied natural gas project there. As this mega-project is put on hold, and the company’s staff withdrawn – at least until stability is reestablished – the Mozambican government is largely refusing outside military assistance.

Mozambican forces claim to have retaken the ransacked town of Palma from armed Islamist fighters. Despite this success, a glaring refugee crisis looms as regional bodies dither on providing military support.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has seen an increase in terror attacks, mainly in the north and east of the country. So-called Western education has become the target of jihadist groups. Students and teachers are regularly intimidated, with some even raped or killed. Amid the threat, more than 2,000 schools have closed, preventing more than 300,000 pupils from getting an education, according to the Ministry of Education. On the ground and in IDP camps, NGOs and unions are trying to provide psychological support to traumatised teachers and children. Our correspondents report.

The proliferation of small arms and ammunition across various parts of Nigeria has resulted in violence, kidnappings, armed robbery, mass killings, and socio-economic upheavals.⁣ ⁣ Nigeria's porous borders mean that weapons flow easily into the country from neighbouring nations, while suppliers of locally-made weapons have a field day delivering firearms virtually anywhere in the country.⁣

Voters in Palestine are now set to take part in three separate elections between May and August this year. The polls could pose a threat to President Mahmud Abbas. Islamist Hamas party has welcomed the decision.

At least four people have been killed and 15 wounded in a series of shootings in Austria's capital. The Interior Ministry said the attack was carried out by at least one "Islamist terrorist."

In a move that would have been almost unthinkable under ousted Islamist president Omar al-Bashir, Sudanese designers organise a series of mixed-gender fashion shows to present their new lines.

A wave of independence swept across Africa sixty years ago. This week it’s been the turn of Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to mark their independence. But amid the celebrations there is also time to reflect, regret even mourn what has taken place since gaining self-rule. Somalia, for instance, has seen the state split, a civil war, imposition of sharia law and a rise in piracy and Islamist terrorism.

Some 52 young people were shot dead or beheaded in the country's north as an Islamist insurgency gains strength. Local and national security services as well as foreign mercenaries have been unable to stop the militants.