In his State of the Union address Jan. 25, Barack Obama said the US will support those struggling for freedom around the world, and made special note of the recent vote for independence in South Sudan:

Recent events have shown us that what sets us apart must not just be our power—it must also be the purpose behind it. In south Sudan—with our assistance—the people were finally able to vote for independence after years of war. (Applause.) Thousands lined up before dawn. People danced in the streets. One man who lost four of his brothers at war summed up the scene around him: "This was a battlefield for most of my life," he said. "Now we want to be free." (Applause.)

The organization International Christian Concern (ICC) is publicizing revelations in a US embassy cable released by WikiLeaks concerning grave human rights violations in Eritrea. According to ICC, there are currently more than 3,000 Christians imprisoned in Eritrea for practicing their faith. ICC says the leaked document confirms years of the organization's reports about the harsh conditions faced by prisoners in Eritrea.

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is interrogating 12 foreign oil firm executives over bribes worth more than $100 million. Executives from US oil services firms Tidewater, Transocean and Noble Corporation are being held. The panel accuses them and executives of Lagos-based Murphy Shipping of offering bribes to Nigerian officials. Last month, Nigeria dropped charges against Houston-based oil services giant Halliburton and executives—including former US vice president Dick Cheney—after a $35 million settlement. (Bloomberg, Jan. 13)

Three UN peacekeepers in Ivory Coast were injured Jan. 11 when their patrol was ambushed by forces loyal to president Laurent Gbagbo in the main city of Abidjan. The West African country has been divided since the incumbent Gbagbo has refused to cede power to rival Alassane Ouattara following the contested Dec. 28 presidential election. The UN is recognizing Ouattara as the winner. Gbagbo supporters meanwhile told AlJazeera that UN troops fired on them in the violence that followed the elections—a claim the UN denies.

As South Sudan voted in its independence referendum Jan. 9-10, more than 60 were killed in the disputed region of Abyei, in a series of clashes between a local police force made up of Ngok Dinka tribesmen and militias of the nomadic Misseriya tribe, said an official of the Abyei Referendum Forum (ARF). The casualties included about 40 Misseriya tribesmen and 24 Dinka civilians. (Xinhua, Jan. 11)

Violence has rocked the Nigerian city of Jos since a wave of bombings Dec. 24 left 32 dead and some 100 wounded. Riots have pitted Christians against Muslims, with both churches and mosques vandalized, and an estimated 50 more killed. The bombings targeted a Christian market, but also a road leading to a major mosque. Supposed Islamist militants also killed six Christian worshippers in the nearby town of Maiduguri that day. The Joint Military/Police Task Force is patrolling the streets, and is appealing to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama'atul Nasril Islam (JNI) to call off their angry youths.

Somalia's parliament on Oct. 31 voted 297-92 to approve new Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, after several delays due to a constitutional dispute over the confirmation procedure. Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed Sheikh Mahmud had argued that due to the silence of the Somali Transitional Federal Charter on confirmation procedures, Somalia's 1960 Constitution must control, which states that all confirmations must be expressed by open vote. Speaker of Parliament Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden disputed this, pushing for a secret ballot. Supporters of Abdullahi say he may have a better chance than predecessors of controlling Islamist insurgents and pirates the come from the country.

Judges for the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City Sept. 17 upheld a verdict in favor of Royal Dutch Shell PLC in a case brought by families of Ogoni protesters who were executed by the Nigerian government in 1995, apparently in retaliation for speaking out against the oil company. The court ruled that the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) does not apply to corporations, relieving Shell of liability for alleged complicity in human rights abuses in Nigeria. The plaintiffs had accused Shell of enlisting Nigerian military forces to help stop protests in the country, resulting in the violation of human rights among the Ogoni people.