US, EU promise aid to Libya; protests roil Syria; violence sweeps Nigeria
Libya: Neither Muammar Gaddafi nor Libya's beleaguered
rebel forces gained much ground this week. In western Libya, Gaddafi's
forces continue to
indiscriminately shell the city of Misurata;
countless civilians have been killed, and the besieged city teeters on
the brink of a humanitarian crisis. Two foreign journalists were killed
in Misurata on Wednesday night. In the east, meanwhile, rebels are
holding their ground near the city of Adjabiya.
The European Union and the United Kingdom
announced plans this week
to send "military advisers" to help the rebels, and the United States
plans to send $25 million worth of surplus equipment - vehicles, radios
and the like - to Benghazi. The Libyan governent warned that Western
support for the rebels would only drag out the conflict.
Nigeria: President Goodluck Jonathan
was re-elected this week
with more than 59 per cent of the vote, and his victory promptly
touched off unrest across the country's northern areas. More than
200 people have been killed
and countless others injured during days of rioting, much of it in
Kaduna state, where protesters burned photos of the incumbent president
and set churches on fire. Nigeria is largely divided between a Christian
south and a Muslim north; Jonathan is a Christian.
Syria: The Syrian cabinet
on Tuesday approved a bill
to end the country's decades-old emergency law, but anti-government
protests have continued across the country, with some of the largest in
the central city of Homs. Thousands of people gathered in the city's
Clock Square this week; dozens were killed when security forces opened
fire on them. Smaller protests were also reported in Baniyas, in
northern city; in Aleppo; and at the medical college in Damascus.
