US, EU promise aid to Libya; protests roil Syria; violence sweeps Nigeria

Libya: Neither Muammar Gaddafi nor Libya's beleaguered rebel forces gained much ground this week. In western Libya, Gaddafi's forces continue to indiscriminately shell the city of Misurata; countless civilians have been killed, and the besieged city teeters on the brink of a humanitarian crisis. Two foreign journalists were killed in Misurata on Wednesday night. In the east, meanwhile, rebels are holding their ground near the city of Adjabiya.

The European Union and the United Kingdom announced plans this week to send "military advisers" to help the rebels, and the United States plans to send $25 million worth of surplus equipment - vehicles, radios and the like - to Benghazi. The Libyan governent warned that Western support for the rebels would only drag out the conflict.

Nigeria: President Goodluck Jonathan was re-elected this week with more than 59 per cent of the vote, and his victory promptly touched off unrest across the country's northern areas. More than 200 people have been killed and countless others injured during days of rioting, much of it in Kaduna state, where protesters burned photos of the incumbent president and set churches on fire. Nigeria is largely divided between a Christian south and a Muslim north; Jonathan is a Christian.

Syria: The Syrian cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill to end the country's decades-old emergency law, but anti-government protests have continued across the country, with some of the largest in the central city of Homs. Thousands of people gathered in the city's Clock Square this week; dozens were killed when security forces opened fire on them. Smaller protests were also reported in Baniyas, in northern city; in Aleppo; and at the medical college in Damascus.