The UN Security Council has voted to approve the creation of an African military force to restore northern Mali to government control. The area has been controlled by rebels since an ill-fated coup earlier this year.

The resolution passed in a unanimous vote on Thursday, approving the deployment of an African-led intervention force to be known as AFISMA for a period of one year. The draft authorized the force to take “all necessary measures” to assist the government of Mali in efforts aimed at “recovering the areas in the north of its territory under the control of terrorist, extremist and armed groups.”

“All necessary measures” is diplomatic code for the use of military force.

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Sudanese rebels shot down a military Antonov plane while it was bombing an area in western South Kordofan state, said SPLM-North spokesperson.

In a statement release Monday, Arnu Ngutulu Lodi said that their anti-aircraft machine guns had downed the airplane on Tuesday 11 December around 11.00 am (local time) in Um Karisha area western South Kordofan.

Before to down it the Antonov was bombing Um Dorrain location, he said.

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The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army North (SPLM/A-N) claimed on Tuesday that they defeated an attempt by government forces to wrestle control of a village in South Kordofan state, killing 27 soldiers and capturing 3 prisoners.

A press release by the SPLM/A-N’s official spokesperson Arnu Ngutulu Lodi said that government forces supported by 10 tanks and 100 vehicles some of them mounted with heavy machine guns attempted on Monday to occupy Daldoko village northeast of the state’s provincial capital Kadugli.

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Mali Prime Minister, Cheick Modibo Diarra, has been arrested during the night in his house in Bamako by soldiers under command of captain Amadou Haya Sanogo, that already made a coup d’Etat last march.

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Roman Catholic peacemakers say that eight Senegalese soldiers were freed by rebels in the southern Casamance district.

The Sant’Egidio Community confirmed, in a statement issued in Rome, that the soldiers were released by the rebels to promote peace negotiations.

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Somali government troops backed by African Union (AU) forces, captured the city of Jowhar 90 KMs northwest of Mogadishu, after a brief clash with al-Shabaab fighters, Garowe Online reports.

The allied forces attacked the agriculture-rich district of Jowhar the administrative capital of Middle Shabelle region, which was an al-Shabaab stronghold.

AMISOM spokesman confirmed that on Sunday morning allied forces had a brief battle with the al-Shabaab fighters in Jowhar who later retreated from the city for “strategic reasons”.

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Intense fighting broke out between Puntland Security Forces and militants loyal to al-Shabaab in Sugurre Village, Bari Province leaving 11 people dead and 7 others are recovering, some from life threatening injuries.

A rescue vehicle belonging to Puntland’ s security agents was bombed by the militia. Five people were reported dead at the scene and two agents died on their way to the Bosaso Hospital.

Al-Shabaab confirmed the attack via their twitter handle. They tweeted that they attacked a military base outside of Bosaso and killed 30 soldiers while wounding over a dozen more.

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