Less than a week after peace talks between the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and the Burmese government ended unsuccessfully, the Burmese army began a large scale troop redeployment, sending fresh soldiers to relieve those already based at the Kachin frontlines, the Kachin News Group learned.

Troops from Light Infantry Division No. 99 based in Meiktila in Mandalay division, who were fighting the Kachin Independence Army’s battalion 1, 12 and 27 in the Manwin, Nam Hkam and Manje area, were recently replaced with fresh troops from Military Operation Command (MOC) No. 1 based in Kyaukme and MOC No. 16 based in Theinni (or Hsenwi), said a senior official from the KIA.

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At least 40 people have been killed on Thursday in clashes between Somaliland forces and a separatist tribal militia in Somaliland’s disputed border region of Buhoodle.

Five soldiers from the Somaliland army were among the victims of the Buhoodle incident, which lies near the Somaliland-Ethiopian border.

The violence there flared up after a tribal separatist militia held a meeting in the historical town of Taleeh, once the base of Sayid Abdullah Hassan, a religious fanatic and the late 19th century version of Osama bin Ladden, in which they declared the formation of a semi-autonomous state. President Ahmed Silanyo said his government would not tolerate the disintegration of Somaliland during an emergency meeting of both Houses of parliament. An army unit was dispatched to the nearby town of Buhoodle and the conference in Taleeh came to an end.

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The Malian government has accused Al-Qaeda of backing Tuareg rebels who fought troops over a town in the northeast in the latest push in their insurgency.

The rebels, many of whom recently returned from fighting in Libya, last week announced a fresh offensive in their quest for greater autonomy for their nomadic desert tribe, and on Tuesday attacked the town of Aguelhoc.

In a statement Thursday, the defence ministry said the Aguelhoc assault was carried out by “AQIM jihadis, MNLA forces and others”.

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At least 22 people were killed in clashes between Shiite Muslim rebels and fighters from a Sunni Islamist group in a province under rebel control in rugged northern Yemen, tribal sources said on Thursday.

A source close to the Shiite rebels known as Houthis said fighters from a Sunni group known as the Salafi attacked the rebels overnight in Hajja and in the Kataf area of Saada province, an area that has seen intense sectarian fighting in recent months.

“We blocked the attack in under an hour and 13 people died in Hajja and nine in Kataf,” said the Houthi source.

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Stability is back to Rada’a, a 150 kilometers city south east of Sana’a, after al-Qaeda militants left the city which they captured last week, locals told Yemen Post. They said that life returned to its nature, markets, institutions and services centers were reopened, emphasizing that teachers, students and workers resume practicing their normal life.

“Radaa was stabilized and secured as a result of efforts exerted by tribal leaders and dignitaries” said Mohammad Saad, a resident of Rada’a.

The fighters left the town in exchange for the release of their fellow relatives, after forming a committee of 35 dignitaries from seven different Yemeni cities.

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From guns to roses, life for close to 700 militants from nine separatist groups in Assam turned full circle on Tuesday when they laid down arms to join the mainstream in the presence of Union home minister P Chidambaram.

In one of northeast India’s biggest surrender ceremonies in Assam’s main city of Guwahati, a total of 676 militants laid down weapons and in return received roses from the home minister.

“Leave the past behind and look at the future positively. We assure that each one of you would be treated equally and be able to lead a life of dignity and honour,” Chidambaram said.

The nine groups are part of two major ethnic groups - the tribal Kukis in eastern Assam and the Adivasis inhabiting the northern and western parts of Assam.

Among the major groups that surrendered were the Kuki Revolutionary Army, the Hmar People’s Convention, the Birsa Commando Force, and the Adivasi Cobra Militant of Assam.

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Diehard supporters of slain Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi seized control Monday of “the entire city of Bani Walid,” a local official said, prompting the deployment of National Transitional Council forces to regain the town.

“The loyalists of Qaddafi took control of the entire city of Bani Walid,” said M’barek al-Fotmani, a former member of the ruling National Transitional Council in the desert oasis, 170 kilometers (110 miles) southwest of Tripoli.

The resident, who did not want to be named, said four people were killed and 20 wounded in the fighting. He said the sides were using heavy weaponry including 106 mm anti-tank weapons.

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