Ahmed Maeleninine, an Omani-born leader of Islamic State, was killed in U.S. airstrikes against the terror group in Somalia earlier this month, officials of the Puntland region said Wednesday. Maeleninine was the main target of the Feb. 1 airstrike against Islamic State hideouts in the semi-autonomous region of northern Somalia. In an interview with VOA Somali, the Puntland state minister for presidency, Abdifitah Mohamed Abdinur, said Somalia and its international security partners had been watching Maeleninine’s movements in the region…The U.S. Africa Command confirmed late Tuesday that Maeleninine and 13 other operatives linked to the Islamic State were killed in the Feb. 1 operation, which it said was run in coordination with the Somali government. In a statement, AFRICOM described Maeleninine as a “recruiter, financier, and external operations leader responsible for the deployment of jihadists into the United States and across Europe.”…IS has increased its presence in Somalia over the past several years, while IS-Somalia has become a key cog in the IS financial network, funneling money to affiliates in Afghanistan and elsewhere in Africa. VOA

Sudan has said a final deal has been agreed with Russia to establish a naval base on the war-torn country’s Red Sea coast, saying there were “no obstacles” to it…Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali Youssef said on Wednesday a deal had been signed and they were in “complete agreement” with Russia over the establishment of the port. He said what remained was only the ratification of the deal. The US, China and France already have a naval presence in the seas off the Horn of Africa – a key strategic and trading route…The port agreement, which was to last for 25 years, had been for Russia to establish a naval logistics hub, with warships including nuclear-powered vessels, and up to 300 personnel. The Red Sea provides a strategic route that is vital to global commerce as well as a defence and geopolitical hotspot. Russian interests in Port Sudan are said to have grown amid fears of losing its military assets in Syria. The new government in Syria last month terminated a treaty granting Russia a long-term lease for a port where Russia has had its only foreign naval base. BBC

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) renewed its attack on the Zamzam camp for displaced persons in North Darfur state on Wednesday, as the governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minawi, called on those able to bear arms to defend the displaced. The fighting has prompted a desperate plea from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) for safe passage for civilians trapped in the crossfire. The RSF launched a violent attack on the camp on Tuesday, committing widespread abuses against civilians, burning down the main market and looting vehicles and property of the displaced. The attacking force was repelled by the army, the Joint Force and the Popular Resistance…Minawi’s call came as the RSF and Arab tribal militias launched a new attack on the Zamzam camp southwest of El Fasher for the second day in a row, leaving a large number of victims…The displaced fear that the RSF, if it takes control of the Zamzam camp, will commit crimes of ethnic cleansing and genocide, as happened in the city of Geneina in West Darfur state, because the RSF claims that the residents of the camp belong to the joint force that is leading bloody confrontations inside El Fasher. Sudan Tribune

Junk bonds are bonds that carry a higher risk of default than most bonds issued by corporations and governments. A bond is a debt or promise to pay investors interest payments along with the return of invested principal in exchange for buying the bond. Junk bonds represent bonds issued by companies that are financially struggling and have a high risk of defaulting or not paying their interest payments or repaying the principal to investors.

Junk bonds are also called high-yield bonds since the higher yield is needed to help offset any risk of default.