rebel fighters

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Russian Tanks Enter Ukraine, Sparking Fear of More Fighting

5 truckloads of dead Russian fighters were reportedly driven back to Russia

(Newser) - For months Russia has denied any level of military involvement in eastern Ukraine, but the steady stream of military tanks and vehicles clogging the borders, regular artillery battles in Donetsk, and now sightings of soldiers in green uniforms without insignia all suggest that the ceasefire agreement reached in September has...

Gadhafi Sodomized by Fighter; Burial Tomorrow

Video shows rebel assaulting him with knife or stick

(Newser) - While Libyan rebels say Gadhafi will be buried tomorrow, it appears one freedom-fighter sodomized the former leader during his capture and murder last week. A closer look at video of the scene shows a rebel inserting a stick or knife into Gadhafi's rear end as he is dragged from...

On Road to Benghazi, Only Ill-Prepared Rebels

Outgunned, anti-Gadhafi forces can barely fight back

(Newser) - The protesters-turned-troops that make up the anti-Gadhafi rebellion in Libya may be full of hope and determination, but they are also terribly outgunned and outmanned, and now the disorganized rebellion appears on the verge of collapse, reports the LA Times . Along the 140-mile desert highway from the rebels' new defensive...

Gadhafi Sics Tanks on Women, Children

People are trapped as tanks, troops descend, say witnesses

(Newser) - Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi has sent in tanks in a bid to crush the rebellion in the refinery town of Zawiyah, cutting down women and children, witnesses report. Defeat of rebel forces in the town just 30 miles from Tripoli—already claimed twice by the government—could mark a turning...

After 26-Year War, Sri Lanka Struggles with Peace

Ethnic tensions remain as Tamil rebels lay down arms

(Newser) - The Sri Lankan government finally prevailed in its 26-year civil war with Tamil rebels with a brutal campaign, leaving thousands dead and 300,000 displaced. Now, reports the Wall Street Journal, the country must try living in peace after years of assassinations and abductions from both sides. Tamils "should...

UN Fights to Release Child Soldiers in Chad

Boys as young as 13 held captive by African nation's army

(Newser) - The UN has obtained access to 80 child soldiers, some as young as 13, who have been taken prisoner in Chad near the Sudanese region of Darfur. UNICEF says that the children were captured and paraded before television cameras after a battle in early May between the Chadian army and...

Tamil Tigers Confirm Death of Leader

(Newser) - The defeated Tamil Tigers have admitted that leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is dead, the BBC reports. The rebels declared a week of mourning after their “incomparable leader” was killed while "fighting the military oppression of the Sri Lankan government," a statement said. The Tigers have also renounced violence,...

Sri Lankan Army Seizes Last Big Rebel Base

Loss is latest setback for beleaguered Tamil Tiger separatists

(Newser) - The Sri Lankan army says it has captured the last urban Tamil Tiger base in a surprise morning assault, CNN reports. Soldiers and rebels battled fiercely for the town of Mullaittivu, the latest effort in the army’s recent campaign to capture Tiger areas. The army says the rebels are...

Rwanda Nabs Congo Rebel Leader

Nkunda arrested by country once accused of supporting him

(Newser) - Fearsome rebel leader Laurent Nkunda, the head of a movement that has destabilized the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been arrested over the border in Rwanda. Hundreds of Rwandan troops converged on a mountain village last night inside Congo where the general was stationed, but he crossed the border into...

Surgeon Amputates Using Texted Instructions

Phone helps save Congolese teen

(Newser) - A volunteer surgeon in a Congolese war zone followed texted instructions to perform an amputation that saved a 16-year-old boy's life. The teen's badly injured and infected arm required that his collar bone and shoulder blade be immediately removed, but Dr. David Nott had never conducted such a procedure. He...

Thousands Flee as Congo Ceasefire Fails

Heads of state meet as army, rebels kill dozens

(Newser) - The ceasefire in eastern Congo crumbled yesterday as Tutsi rebels and Hutu militias did battle, leaving dozens of bodies lying in the streets of a town near the Rwandan border and forcing 35,000 residents to flee, the Guardian reports. Hutu residents have accused the rebel army of Laurent Nkunda...

Colombian Rebels Confirm Leader's Death

Marulanda, 78, died of a heart attack 'in arms of his companion'

(Newser) - A top Colombian rebel confirmed the death of FARC chief Manuel Marulanda in a TV interview today. Marulanda died of a heart attack 2 months ago, at age 78, "in the arms of his companion," he said. With "Sureshot" gone, new rebel leader Alfonso Cano may struggle...

Sudanese Rebels Fight for Control of Capital

Sudan says claims victory in rare Khartoum battle

(Newser) - Darfur rebels battled Sudanese soldiers today in a rare bid for control of Sudan's capital, Reuters reports. The military later claimed victory and said just a few militants had reached Khartoum. "Thank God this attempt has been completely defeated," a government spokesman said.

UN Troops Traded Guns for Gold

Pakistani, Indian troops armed rebels in Congo, BBC finds

(Newser) - UN peacekeeping troops sold weapons to guerrilla fighters in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a BBC investigation claims, charging that the UN suppressed the story for political reasons. Pakistani and Indian troops, part of the UN's largest peacekeeping force of 17,000, are said to have traded munitions for gold....

Nations Unite to Save Gorillas
Nations Unite to Save Gorillas
Feb 25, 2008 5:00 AM CST

Nations Unite to Save Gorillas

10-year effort is the first to help dying species

(Newser) - Three African nations where the world's last 720 wild mountain gorillas live are finally working together to save the critically endangered animal, the Guardian reports. Until the 10-year plan was announced last week, mistrust and conflict had kept Rwanda, Uganda and the Congo from collaborating as another 10 apes were...

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