The Nigerian army says it has recaptured a town held by Boko Haram since January 3, after a "fierce battle".

The army said in a tweet, mopping up operations were continuing in Baga, in the northeast of Nigeria.

Defence spokesperson Chris Olukolade claimed that "a large number of terrorists" drowned in Lake Chad as they tried to flee bombardment from air force jets.

Baga's captue by Boko Haram saw an ankown number killed by the militants, with locals saying over 2,000 people may have died.

An attack on a hotel near Somalia's presidential palace on Friday, has killed at least 11 people and injured the deputy prime minister.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack on the Central Hotel, which was hit by two car bombs and stormed by heavily armed fighters and suicide bombers.

The death toll could be as many as 20 people, with reports of the attack still emerging. Amongst those reportedly killed is the deputy mayor of Mogadishu, with several other high ranking government officials present at the hotel when it was attacked. Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Omar Arte is currently in hospital.

Myanmar's government has asked China to help prevent "terrorist attacks" from Chinese territory.

Martial law was declared in the Kokang region earlier this week, after clashed between the MNDAA, who are ethnic Han Chinese and the Burmese army, the Tatmadaw.

An official from the office of Myanmar President Thein Sein, intimated attacks came from across the border.

"It is necessary to co-operate…on the understanding that terrorist attacks on Myanmar are not allowed from Chinese territory," Hmuu Zaw said.

Libya and Egypt asked the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to lift an arms embargo to allow the countries to build their armies to combat the Islamic State Militants.

The Security Council met to discuss footage of Egyptian citizens being beheaded by Islamic State militants in Libya.

"Libya needs a decisive stance from the international community to help us build or national army's capacity and this would come through a lifting of the embargo on weapons ... so as to deal with this rampant terrorism," said the Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Dayri at the Security Council.

Myanmar’s government has declared martial law in the eastern region of Kokang, after fighting broke out between the Tatmadaw and an ethnic Kokang militant group called the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).

At least 47 Myanmar soldiers and 26 MNDAA fighters have been killed since then, according to the state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, and thousands have fled across the border into China.

A Red Cross convoy, which was transporting displaced civilians, was attacked by unknown gunmen on Tuesday, leaving two volunteers injured.

"We haven’t had such an attack before," said Red Cross spokeswoman Shwe Cin Myint to Reuters. "This would be the very first."