Politics-News

East African Community (EAC) Heads of State on Tuesday extended the mandate of its regional force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by a further three months to December 8 this year.

The decision arose after the leaders gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for the 22nd Extra-ordinary Summit of the Community, agreeing that three extra months will bring certainty to the security situation as further discussions go on about the actual plan for the troubled eastern DRC.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has said a military offensive against al-Shabab aims to eliminate the al-Qaeda linked group in the next five months.

Correspondents say a promise to eliminate the group is hugely optimistic seeing as it has been around since the early 2000s, is deeply embedded in communities and has adapted its tactics in the face of international military pressure.

Yet thousands of government soldiers have been gathering in a town in central Somalia to take part in a new military campaign against the jihadists.