Four Egyptian farmers died in a five-hour gun battle in southern Egypt when rival families clashed over water rights. The battle erupted over access to an irrigation canal between cotton fields. Both sides used automatic weapons and three other people were wounded in the skirmish. authorities say such incidents are not unusual in impoverished southern Egypt, which is dominated by heavily armed clans that often engage in vendettas. – Staff reporter
Floods wreak havoc in West Africa
Floods after heavy rain across West Africa have damaged infrastructure, destroyed the homes and crops of up to 130 000 people, and caused more than 20 deaths, according to Hervé Ludovic de Lys, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. T he heavy rain affected 61 000 people in Ghana, 24 500 in Togo, 33 000 in Niger and 4 200 in Burkina Faso. E ven so, the toll is much lower than this time last year when by mid-September floods had affected 800 000 people across West Africa according to the UN. – Irin News
