Burkina Faso
At least 30 people, 11 civilians and 19 soldiers, have been killed after an armed group attacked several villages in northern Burkina Faso, according to the defense ministry. No group has yet claimed responsibility but the western Sahel region has for years been at the center of a conflict between the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and armed groups with links to al-Qaeda and ISIS. The fighting has pushed the region into a humanitarian crisis and millions of people are in need of urgent food aid.
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Ethiopia
Another significant town in Ethiopia has been captured by the TPLF, a former regional government now at war with the federal government in Addis Ababa. Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for its rock-hewn churches, fell without a fight, according to local witnesses. The war, which has now spread from the Tigray region into neighboring Afar and Amhara, has devastated much of northern Ethiopia and the UN says hundreds of thousands of people are on the brink of famine.
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Iran
Ebrahim Raisi, a conservative former judiciary chief, was today sworn in as the new president of Iran. Raisi takes over as Iran struggles with an ailing economy all but crippled by US-led sanctions. The election was met with a shrug in Iran by an electorate apparently unimpressed with the candidates on offer. The 60-year-old, said to be close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, will have to deal with growing discontent from Iranians fed up with high unemployment and rising prices.
More from BBC here.