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Nigeria's military has announced a reprieve for 66 soldiers who had been sentenced to death for refusing to fight Boko Haram. The soldiers, who were to be killed by a firing squad, will each serve 10 years in prison. They were convicted by court martial over their refusal to drive down a road at night after dozens of colleagues died in a Boko Haram ambush. The sentences were commuted following a review of court martials. The review was ordered by General Tukur Buratai, the country's army chief of staff. Nearly 600 other cases are also being considered. Hundreds of Nigerian soldiers have deserted their posts, complaining that they are not properly equipped to fight Boko Haram, a terror group which has allied itself with the Islamic State group. The group has been waging an insurgency since 2009 and is seeking to create an Islamist state in north-eastern Nigeria. It is responsible for the deaths of about 20,000 people. The reprieves come as a former p...

Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh on Friday declared the formerly secular country an Islamic republic in a move he said was designed to distance the West African state further from its colonial past. The small country joins the ranks of other Islamic republics such as Iran and Afghanistan. "In line with the country’s religious identity and values, I proclaim Gambia as an Islamic state," said Jammeh on state television. "As Muslims are the majority in the country, the Gambia cannot afford to continue the colonial legacy," he added. Gambia’s population of 1.8 million people is 95 percent Muslim, but Jammeh reassured Christians and followers of other faiths that they would be able to worship freely. "Christians will be given their due respect. The way of celebrating Christmas will continue," he said, adding that no one had the right to interfere with others' "way of life". He also warned against trying to impose a dress code ...

A deadly burst of violence in troubled Burundi has stoked fears that the country’s political crisis could escalate into a full-blown conflict, barely a decade after the end of a civil war fought largely along ethnic lines. Dozens of people were killed on Friday after coordinated attacks on three military sites prompted a fierce crackdown by security forces in and around the capital, Bujumbura. The army said 87 people died during and after the attacks, including eight soldiers and 79 people it identified as "enemies" of the government. But other sources said the real toll was significantly higher. Several witnesses quoted by AFP and REUTERS news agencies accused the security forces of extrajudicial killings, describing officers breaking down doors in search of young men and shooting them at close range. Read full story: http://www.france24.com/en/20151214-burundi-crisis-civil-war-pierre-nkurunziza-hrw

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    A federal high court in Abuja has set Monday December 14, 2015 to rule on the bail application in former Chairman of Daar Communications plc Raymond Dokpesi. Dokpesi is being held on charges of contravention of the public procurement act and money laundering charges he has described as false. Two pressure groups, the Peoples Democratic Party National Rebirth Group and the Ethnic Youth Leaders for Peace in Nigeria, on Thursday held a joint peaceful protest to the headquarters office of The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja, demanding the immediate release of high chief Raymond Dokpesi . The groups described the six-count charge preferred against the media mogul as political vendetta being perpetrated by Buhari led federal government. - See more at: http://www.aitonline.tv/post-dokpesi_seeks_bail_as_groups_protest_his_arrest#sthash.bstghQh9.dpuf  A federal high court in Abuja has set Monday December 14, 2015 to rule on the bail ap...

The Fortify Rights group said there are "very worrying trends" among some nationalist movements targeting Muslim minorities [Reuters] A dozen Muslim men from Myanmar have been convicted for their alleged links to a previously unknown armed group and sentenced to five years in prison, following a trial which human rights groups say was tainted by allegations of torture. Fortify Rights, a watchdog group, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that the 12 men from the central region of Mandalay were denied a fair trial, and that elements of anti-Muslim prejudice played a part in their case.  The men, including a 19-year-old labourer, a 34-year-old restaurant worker and a 58-year old merchant, were all found guilty on Monday of undermining national security, after allegedly training with the so-called Myanmar Muslim Army. "I think it's a huge injustice," Matthew Bugher, a Harvard lawyer and Fortify Rights representative in Myanmar, said of the verdict is...