# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A new terrorist group has pledged allegiance to Isis as it continues to expand its presence in East Africa.

A group calling itself "Jahba East Africa" announced its alliance on Thursday, hailing a "new era" in the region.

In a statement, militants gave bayah (an oath of allegiance) to Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and recognised him as the "rightful Khalifa (leader) of all Muslims".

The group's name is previously unknown but there were hints in the statement that its supporters may previously have been part of al-Shabaab.

Jahba East Africa criticised the group, which is linked to al-Qaeda and controls swathes of Somalia, as well as launching attacks in Kenya and other countries in the region.

"We in Jahba East Africa are advising all East Africans to leave al-Shabaab and their sponsor groups, like Al-Muhajiroun, Al-Hijra and Ansar Islam," the statement said.

"Like Al-Shabaab the sponsor groups have not understood the binding obligation of the Khalifah (caliphate).

"We are telling the mujahideen in East Africa that al-Shabaab has now become a psychological and physical prison.

"To pledge bayah to Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is freedom for the mujahideen in East Africa and opportunity to wage jihad according to the Sunnah against the enemies of Allah."

A spokesperson said the group was "newly created" and comprised of militants fighting in Somalia, including Kenyans, Tanzanians and Ugandans.

He said militants had been detained for pledging allegiance to Isis, adding that the statement was "on behalf all the East Africans in al-Shabaab and those that seek to open new up fronts in East Africa".

There have been rumours of internal disputes between supporters of Isis and al-Qaeda within al-Shabaab for years, culminating in the reported creation of a pro-Islamic State faction.

Pressure to switch allegiance from al-Qaeda grew when Nigerian insurgents Boko Haram joined Isis in March last year and released a message urging its fellow sub-Saharan jihadists to do the same.

Isis leaders are understood to have approached al-Shabaab leaders themselves to make an alliance and released a series of propaganda videos calling for the creation of "Wilayat Somalia" - Somalia province.

A memo was reportedly circulated among al-Shabaab fighters in September saying that its allegiance to al-Qaeda would not change and warning of punishments under Islamic law for any dissenters.

The move to silence pro-Isis elements appears to have failed. In a newly-created Twitter account, Jahba East Africa were calling on jihadists to join them on Friday, adding: "A new era will come to East Africa soon InshaAllah (God willing)."

Isis uses pledges of allegiance by existing terrorist and insurgent groups to establish franchises around the world.

Libya's Shura Council of Islamic Youth, for example, became Wilayat Barqa, while Egyptian jihadists Ansar Bait al-Maqdis were rebranded as Wilayat Sinai.

Groups in Southeast Asia, the Caucasus, West Africa, Algeria and Gaza have also declared their allegiance to become part of the "global caliphate".

The US Africa Command warned that the number of Isis fighters in Libya had doubled to between 4,000 and 6,000 in the last year as it seeks to expand.

American drone and air strikes have targeted jihadists in the country, as well as in other African countries where jihadists are launching insurgencies.

Al-Shabaab and other insurgents in Somalia are being fought by an African Union mission (Amisom) and United Nations coalition (Unosom), which includes British troops.

Reuse content

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
New terrorist group pledges allegiance to Isis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A new terrorist group has pledged allegiance to Isis as it continues to expand its presence in East Africa. A group calling itself "Jahba East Africa" announced its alliance on Thursday, hailing a "new era" in the region.

# data[].attributes.headline
Thousands March in South Africa to Demand Jacob Zuma’s Resignation

# data[].attributes.subject
Thousands March in South Africa to Demand Jacob Zuma’s Resignation

# data[].attributes.body
Location: South Africa
The president of South Africa, Zuma, fired his minister of finance which sparked protests from the people. Some of the protests involved a human chain or gathering outside a building
Link to article

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Egypt
Summary: In a primarily Muslim country, Egypt, there has been attacks on several christian establishments causing worry. Upon these happening, people have feared going to church, and additionally nervous about the Pope making an appearance in the near future.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
TANTA, Egypt - Rattling a country already wrestling with a faltering economy and deepening political malaise, two suicide bombings that killed 44 people at Coptic churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday raised the specter of increased sectarian bloodshed led by Islamic State militants.

The attacks constituted one of the deadliest days of violence against Christians in Egypt in decades and presented a challenge to the authority of the country's leader, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who promptly declared a three-month state of emergency.

Security is the central promise of Mr. Sisi, a strongman leader who returned on Friday from a triumphant visit to the United States, where President Trump hailed him as a bulwark against Islamist violence. Mr. Trump made it clear that he was willing to overlook the record of mass detention, torture and extrajudicial killings during Mr. Sisi's rule in favor of his ability to combat the Islamic State and defend minority Christians.

On Sunday, Mr. Sisi found himself back on the defensive, deploying troops to protect churches across the country weeks before a planned visit by Pope Francis. Mr. Sisi rushed to assure Christians, who have traditionally been among his most vocal supporters and now fear that he cannot protect them against extremists.

"I won't say those who fell are Christian or Muslim," Mr. Sisi said in a speech shown on state television on Sunday night. "I will say that they're Egyptian."

One attack on Sunday struck at St. Mark's Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic Church in Alexandria, where the bomber blew himself up at the church gates as the Coptic patriarch, Pope Tawadros II, led a Palm Sunday service inside.

The other struck in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, where the attacker slipped past security to the front pews of the church and blew himself up, turning a religious celebration of joy into a ghastly scene of bloodshed and death.

The Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attacks through its Aamaq news agency, signaled in December its intention to step up attacks on Christians when a suicide bombing at a major Cairo church killed at least 28 people. In February, hundreds of Christians fled their homes in north Sinai after a concerted campaign of assassination and intimidation in the area.

Although Mr. Sisi had already stepped up security at churches, Sunday's bloodshed underscores the difficulty of stopping suicide attacks. More starkly, it highlighted the failure of Egypt's powerful intelligence agencies to anticipate a coordinated wave of devastating attacks.

The explosion in Tanta, about 50 miles north of Cairo, occurred at St. George's church, where the authorities had already sealed the main door to prevent attacks. The bomber managed to slip past security measures, including a metal detector, at one of the side doors, and blew himself up near the altar. At least 27 people were killed and 78 others injured, officials said.

Children, their parents and deacons - lay Christians who help with the service - accounted for many of the dead.

Hours later, victims' relatives stood silently outside the city morgue, waiting to identify and collect the remains of their loved ones. The Rev. Daniel Maher, a priest who had been leading the Mass, was still wearing his bloodstained white vestments. The priest said he had not been harmed in the attack, but he lost his son, Bishoy, who was to get married later this year.

"What can I say? Thank God," he said in a cracking voice.

Next to the priest, a young woman sat on the sidewalk, sobbing as a group of women tried to comfort her. "God, what did he do to deserve this?" she asked, bemoaning the loss of her own loved one.

The second attack occurred just over two hours later in the coastal city of Alexandria, where a suicide bomber tried to enter St. Mark's Cathedral.

Surveillance footage, later aired on a private Egyptian television channel, showed a man wearing a bulky jacket being directed into a metal detector at the church gates, where he paused to be searched by a police officer. A moment later, a giant blast rang out. At least 17 people were killed, including a district police chief and a police officer, and an additional 48 were wounded, according to the Health Ministry.

Pope Tawadros, who is due to meet with Pope Francis during his visit to Egypt at the end of this month, was not injured in the blast. He later issued a statement saying that "these acts will not harm the unity and cohesion of the people."

Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 90 million people, who are mostly Sunni Muslim, and have long complained of discrimination and sporadic violence at the hands of extremists. Christian leaders were vocal supporters of Mr. Sisi after he came to power in 2013 when the military ousted the elected president, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Many Christians see Mr. Sisi as their defender, but Sunday's events underscored how difficult it is for him to deliver on that promise, and raised pressing questions about security arrangements for Pope Francis' visit on April 28 and 29.

As forensics specialists combed through bloodstained wreckage at the site of the two church bombings, security officials found and defused explosive devices at other locations in Alexandria and Tanta, the state news media reported. Two devices were found at the Sidi Abdel Rahim Mosque in Tanta, home to one of the most famous Sufi Muslim shrines in the city, and another was found at the Collège St. Marc, an all-boys school in downtown Alexandria.

Hours later, Mr. Sisi convened a meeting of the National Defense Council, which includes the prime minister and commanders of the Egyptian armed forces, in response to the bombings. He then declared a three-month state of emergency, though it was not immediately clear what extra powers he required, given that his government enjoys largely unfettered powers, has already imprisoned or exiled thousands of political opponents, and oversees a Parliament that is dominated by his supporters.

In his televised speech, Mr. Sisi indicated that news media coverage of attacks that embarrass his authority could be restricted. "The media discourse has to be responsible," he said. "It's not acceptable to have the incident aired repeatedly on television stations all day."

Egyptians are used to such moves. The country was officially under a state of emergency for all of Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, and again for three months in 2013.

When Pope Francis arrives in Egypt, he will find a country where the Islamic State is intent on driving a wedge between Islam and Christianity.

The pontiff offered his condolences to the Copts and all Egyptians, and in his statement from Rome he referred to the Coptic patriarch as his "brother." Francis' scheduled visit to Egypt has been billed as the latest step in a long-running effort to forge stronger ties between the Roman Catholic Church and Muslim leaders.

Relations became strained in 2011 when Francis's predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, denounced what he called "a strategy of violence that has Christians as a target" after a bombing at a church in Alexandria killed at least 23 people.

Francis has sought to rebuild ties with Muslim clerics since becoming pope in 2013. And last year he welcomed to the Vatican Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al Azhar, a 1,000-year-old mosque and university that is revered by Sunni Muslims

In Egypt, the pontiff is to visit with Mr. Sisi; the leadership of the Coptic Orthodox Church; and the grand imam.

The grand imam condemned Sunday's attacks as a "despicable terrorist bombing that targeted the lives of innocents."

For many Christians, though, the attacks at the start of the Holy Week before Easter are a harbinger of worse to come.

"I think people will not only be too scared to be inside a church, they will be too scared to pass by one now," said Mina Mansy, a prominent Christian rights activist. "This will continue to happen because the state is not interested in protecting Christians, or anyone else for that matter. The police's only job is to crush political opponents. They don't care about the real terrorists."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Egypt Declares State of Emergency, as Attacks Undercut Promise of Security

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
TANTA, Egypt - Rattling a country already wrestling with a faltering economy and deepening political malaise, two suicide bombings that killed 44 people at Coptic churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday raised the specter of increased sectarian bloodshed led by Islamic State militants.

# data[].attributes.headline
South African Court Ends Ban on Sale of Rhinoceros Horns

# data[].attributes.subject
South African Court Ends Ban on Sale of Rhinoceros Horns

# data[].attributes.body
Location: South Africa
Summary: This article was about the poaching of rhinos for their horns. Rhinos numbers are drastically going down over the years of rhino hunting. The rhinos may become extinct if this is not stopped. The goal is to make it illegal so if hunters do kill rhinos for their horns they will be punished.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/world/africa/south-africa-rhinoceros-horns-rhinos.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fafrica&action=click&contentCollection=africa%C2%AEion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=10&pgtype=sectionfront.

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Nigeria
Summary: Justice Adedayo Oyebanji ordered the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) to place written warnings on Fanta and Sprite bottles against drinking them with vitamin C. People believe the (NAFDAC) is to blame for failing health standards.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/28/africa/nigeria-coca-cola-case/index.html

# data[].attributes.headline
Namibia's Caprivi Strip: Africa forbidden zone now a wildlife wonderland

# data[].attributes.subject
Namibia's Caprivi Strip: Africa forbidden zone now a wildlife wonderland

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Namibia
Sumary: This article discusses the renewal and rejuvenation of the Caprivi Strip near Botswana. They have done a lot to preserve wildlife there and protect them. Also, they have provided small amounts of lodging and travel services so people can enjoy it's beauty.
Article Link

# data[].attributes.headline
African Rainforests continue to face challenges.

# data[].attributes.subject
African Rainforests continue to face challenges.

# data[].attributes.body
Location: The Congo Basin and West Africa
Summary: The article talks about the different problems the rainforests in Africa are facing. For example, deforestation, hunting, logging ,mining ,and climate change. are some problems seen
DeCapua, Joe. “African Rainforests Continue to Face Challenges.” VOA, VOA, 5 Jan. 2012, www.voanews.com/a/decapua-africa-rainforests-6jan12-136821648/159413.html. Accessed 10 Apr. 2017.

# data[].attributes.headline
Yellow Fever Is Completely Preventable, So Why Are Millions At Risk?

# data[].attributes.subject
Yellow Fever Is Completely Preventable, So Why Are Millions At Risk?

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo
Summary: Yellow fever require a vaccination and then you are safe from it for life. But there are shortages in the vaccinations due to the developing countries spending money elsewhere. Since money is not going to vaccines less are being produced. This means if a epidemic or pandemic occurs many people can die due to the lack of vaccinations. Yellow fever is spread by mosquitoes who have bit infected monkeys and then humans. If the area is densely populated then it is easy to spread. Yellow fever can lead to high fever, bleeding from the nose, eyes and mouth, kidney failure, and liver damage. 50% of people who experiences these symptoms die.

Link

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Kenya
Summary: The Mau Mau is a tribe in Kenya and they rebelled against the British who ruled over Kenya (it used to be a british colony) and it turned into one of the most bloodiest wars in Kenya.
Link to article

# data[].attributes.headline
Meningitis outbreak in Nigeria kills more than 300

# data[].attributes.subject
Meningitis outbreak in Nigeria kills more than 300

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Nigeria
Summary: A new type of meningitis showed up in Nigeria and hundreds died from this epidemic, but the vaccine supply is relatively low. Organizations and other countries are working to provide more vaccines to prevent this epidemic that started in February of this year.
Link to article

# data[].attributes.body
Location: South Africa
Summary: This article talks about Nelson Mandela and all his accomplishments he achieved. The author mentions that Mandela served 26 years in prison for his peaceful riots and later became the first
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=MSIC&sw=w&u=nbwvikings&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CRCGXGN573365717&it=r&asid=a2b77db811cd5c55e6dd3c5fd13254bd

# data[].attributes.headline
meningitis Outbreak in Nigeria Kills more than 300

# data[].attributes.subject
meningitis Outbreak in Nigeria Kills more than 300

# data[].attributes.body
location: Nigeria
Summary: Meningitis broke out in Africa across 15 states broke out but the worst was in Nigeria. They do not have enough vaccines for everyone even after receiving 1.3 million. There have been 2,000 suspected cases and only 109 have survived. Outbreaks are very common in this dry season. 10% of the patients die within 48 hours after having symptoms of meningitis.

Link to article

# data[].attributes.headline
Suicide Bombers Kill 44 at Palm Sunday Services in Egypt 

# data[].attributes.subject
Suicide Bombers Kill 44 at Palm Sunday Services in Egypt 

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Tanta, Egypt
Summary: This article talks about three different suicide bombers in Tanta, Egypt. Two were at different Coptic Churches, and one was at the hospital in Alexandria that held injured victims.
Link to article

# data[].attributes.body
Location: South Sudan
Summary: Duop is a young African boy who was drafted into a militia at the age of nine. He finally returns home around the age of 16, but he is no longer the same, innocent child because he has witnessed gruesome deaths and experienced extreme violence.
Link to article

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Summary: Warlords and other business groups in Congo are illegally extracting minerals from wars zones and using them in products sold by their company. Trump is looking to put in an order that will suspend the minerals rule for two years.
Link to Article

# data[].attributes.headline
Death Toll Rises in Ethiopian Trash Dump Landslide

# data[].attributes.subject
Death Toll Rises in Ethiopian Trash Dump Landslide

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Ethiopia
Summary: 113 people have died from the landslide that occurred on  March 12. Many of these people were living in makeshift homes on top of the landfill. The government is taking full responsibility for the incident and helping the families who were harmed. This is the second in the past few years, there was a similar one in Shenzhen, China that killed 58.
Link to article

# data[].attributes.headline
Would a legal market for rhino horn deter poachers?

# data[].attributes.subject
Would a legal market for rhino horn deter poachers?

# data[].attributes.body
Location: South Africa
Summary: South Africa has made it legal to trade rhino horns and has brought about many mixed opinions from the public and organizations about if it will promote or deter poachers.
Link to article

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Tunisia
Summary: Before the Arab spring, many people were abused and tortured for their religion and culture. Many women were held captive and abused daily. Now people are bringing their abuse cases to court to try to get justice. Some cases are accepted and tried but for some cases nothing happens
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/gic/NewsDetailsPage/NewsDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=true&displayGroupName=News&currPage=&scanId=&query=&source=&prodId=GIC&search_within_results=&p=GIC%3AOVIC&mode=view&catId=&u=nbwvikings&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CA474013443&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&commentary=true

# data[].attributes.headline
Egypt Declares State of Emergency, as Attacks Undercut Promise of Security

# data[].attributes.subject
Egypt Declares State of Emergency, as Attacks Undercut Promise of Security

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Egypt
Summary: A primarily Muslim country, Egypt, has declared a state of emergency due to the attacks on several christian churches. These attacks lead to the fear of going to church

# data[].attributes.body
Location: South Africa and Botswana
Bessie Head was an author who wrote about women and black rights in short stories. These stories influenced  many people to go against racism and discrimination especially in South Africa and Botswana.
Link to article.

Link to picture.

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Uganda
Summary: Overall, Uganda is very different compared to other countries in Africa, but also very similar. The family roles are very similar; the women are in charge of the housework, while the men provide. The parents usually provide for the children, while the aunt and uncles pick out who their nieces and nephews will marry. Boys in the rural areas are forced to leave their homes at the age of 15 and build their own huts. Education in Uganda is very similar the education system in Great Britain. The rural families tend to not send their kids to school, but urban families do to private schools. The children are responsible to pay for their own uniforms and books. All in all, Uganda has some interesting and different cultural values.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19A0zK67yE1LoUAulf2MCqZBOo8PBUjalYitrRdDjHMg/edit#

# data[].attributes.headline
'Blood Diamonds' arrest sheds light over grim African trade

# data[].attributes.subject
'Blood Diamonds' arrest sheds light over grim African trade

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Near Kenema, Sierra Leone
Summary: My article talks about how Michel Desaedeleer was arrested because he profited from the trade of "blood diamonds" and he was apart of illegally mining diamonds illegally in Sierra Leone. The people in Sierra Leone had to mine for the diamonds too and he just took the profits from it.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/31/europe/blood-diamonds/

# data[].attributes.headline
As drought sweeps Kenya, herders invade farms and old wounds are reopened

# data[].attributes.subject
As drought sweeps Kenya, herders invade farms and old wounds are reopened

# data[].attributes.body
Location: Kenya
Summary: The historical migrations of herders, which have been heightened by a drought, along with political provocation have caused heightened violence with farmers in Kenya. Although some collaborations have resulted in a lessening of the mayhem, more action is needed to stop the crisis.

Link to article

# data[].attributes.body
Location Egypt:
Summary: The canal was built by foreign nations in Europe, used frequently by the Egyptians, and wanted back by the builders. They (Britain, France, and Israel) wanted full control of the canal and invaded Egypt to try and gain it. The United States and the Soviet Union called of the threatening countries in hope to prevent a deadly war.
Link to article

# data[].attributes.headline
South Sudan’s people are starving, and fighters are blocking aid

# data[].attributes.subject
South Sudan’s people are starving, and fighters are blocking aid

# data[].attributes.body
Location: South Sudan
Summary: The declaration of famine in South Sudan in February should have brought aid flooding into the region. Instead, not enough aid is reaching the people and the famine is intensifying.
Link to article