U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew into Iraq Monday for a change of command ceremony he says marks the beginning of a new phase in the conflict- in which the United States will gradually reduce its military presence. VOA's Al Pessin is traveli...
Conflict resolution marked the career of former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari who has received this year's Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to secure peace in various regions of the world. In this report from Washington, Senior Correspondent A...
Somalia's Ethiopia-backed transitional government and some opposition figures have formally signed a peace deal reached two months ago at U.N.-led talks in Djibouti. But with the leadership on both sides deeply divided, the pact is not expected to s...
Diplomatic efforts are continuing in an effort to secure a cease-fire in Georgia and the withdrawal of Russian troops from the former Soviet Republic. In this report from Washington, VOA Senior Correspondent Andr de Nesnera looks at what the current...
By Alisha Ryu Nairobi 20 June 2008 The office of the president of Somalia's transitional federal government says there have been misleading reports regarding an agreement President Abdullahi Yusuf signed last month with a private French military com...
By Sonja Pace London 17 June 2008 The U.N. refugee agency says the number of people fleeing violence and repression worldwide has risen to 11.4 million, largely due to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London on UN...
By Lisa Schlein Geneva 21 May 2008 The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, warns extreme poverty, climate change and civil strife are generating more refugees around the world. He says the growing number of refugees and migrants is...
By Cathy Majtenyi IDP Camps in Kenya 17 April 2008 Kenya's post-election violence has left some 150,000 children homeless. The signing of a power-sharing agreement has helped to stabilize the country, but many children still languish in displaced per...
By Phuong Tran Northern Niger 25 February 2008 In West Africa, Niger's ethnic Tuareg fighters have periodically led attacks for almost two decades against the government, demanding more autonomy and a greater share of uranium mining revenues in the d...
By Jim Teeple Jerusalem 01 January 2008 A new report from an Israeli human-rights group says the death toll in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict fell sharply in 2007. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from our Jerusalem bureau. Last year Israeli security forc...