(By Bonny Apunyu)

At least 3,000 Ethiopian troops have entered Somalia reportedly for an attack on al-Shabab militants, witnesses said according to VOA.

According to VOA, residents of the southwestern Gedo region said troops with tanks and armored vehicles began crossing the border Monday and have been seen in the town of Luq.Earlier, authorities in the region reportedly told VOA that forces are being mobilized for an offensive in areas still controlled by al-Shabab, including the group's last major stronghold, the town of Bardere.

Church of Uganda Archbishop Stanley Ntagali has criticised the US for legalizing same sex marriages, Daily Monitor reported Wednesday.

At least 14 people were killed in an attack by al-Shabab militants early Tuesday in Mandera county in Kenya close to the border with Somalia, VOA quoted Kenyan officials as saying the swift response of security forces prevented greater tragedy.

USA has beaten Japan 5-2 in Women’s World Cup in Canada becoming the first nation to win the tournament three times.

Llyod opened the evening  with 3 goals then followed by neat goal from Holiday. A goal from Health made it 5-1 in the second half. US’s Captain Lloyd completed the fastest hat-trick in Women's World Cup history with a wonder goal on 16 minutes.

Japan’s Yuki Ogimi and a Julie Johnston own goal gave Japan a lifeline, but a Tobin Heath tap-in sealed it on 53 minutes.

Two Ugandan nationals, Malcom Lukwiya and Emmanuel were arrested July 1 in Kenya in connection with a syndicate which is recruiting youth to join Syria’s ISIS terrorists, Kenyan police said according to Sunday Monitor.

Sunday Monitor says the pair were arrested at a hideout in Kabete, in Kenyan capital Nairobi, after allegedly sneaking into the country following the killing of a top Muslim cleric Sheikh Hassan Kirya in their home country.

At least six UN peacekeepers were killed by militants in Mali's restive northern region, the UN mission in Mali, MINUSMA, said Thursday according to Xinhua. MINUSMA reportedly said five others were also wounded when a UN convoy was ambushed in the morning near the city of Timbuktu.

The UN mission said the wounded were being evacuated while reinforcements including helicopters had been sent to the area. Two UN vehicles were reportedly destroyed in the attack, said the mission. However, Xinhua says the identity of the attackers could not be confirmed at the moment.

Nearly 150 people have been killed by suspected Boko Haram militants in northeastern Nigerian villages, witnesses said Thursday. AFP quoted witnesses  as saying the rebels mowed down men and children while they prayed in mosques and shot women preparing food at home.

Dozens of militants reportedly stormed three remote villages in the flashpoint Borno state on Wednesday evening, setting houses ablaze in the bloodiest day of attacks by the extremist group since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in May.

The United Nations said Tuesday that nearly 10,000 Burundians fled the country over the weekend before Burundi closed its borders ahead of controversial and violence-wracked elections in the troubled central African nation, according to Daily Monitor.

At least 34 are believed to be dead so far after a boat carrying 173 passengers capsized in central Philippines minutes after leaving port, CCN reported on Thursday.

CNN quoted  the Red Cross as saying the vessel had departed Ormoc City, Leyte Province bound for Camotes Island, east of Cebu on Thursday when the disaster occurred.

Philippine National Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon told CNN he understood the boat overturned because of heavy winds.

At least 15 Egyptian soldiers were killed by a car bomb  in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in one of several attacks Wednesday against the army, a security official said according to AFP.

Africa Review says Egyptian troops often come under attack in the Sinai, where jihadists linked to the Islamic State group are waging a bloody insurgency."More than 70 terrorist elements waged simultaneous attacks against five security checkpoints in North Sinai," the army spokesman said in a statement on his Facebook page.