bye-bye. the battle for ramadi iraq's government calls in shia militia to help it take back the city from i.s.i.l. hello again, i'm felicity barr and this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up e.u. ministers approve a naval mission to target gangs smuggling migrants from libya. burundi's president sacks defense and foreign ministers as his soldiers reclaim the capital at least 48 dead and more

missing after a landslide in north-west columbia plus, a rally in support of macedonia's prime minister after mass protests urging him to go. hello, shia militias are assembling near the iraqi stay of ramadi. iraqi's groups fled the city. hundreds were killed and 25,000 people have fled. zeina khodr has more from baghdad. >> reporter: they were caught in the crossfire and have no place to go. 8,000 were forced to leave ramadi when fighters belonging

from islamic state of iraq and levant advanced into the city. people headed to baghdad are being questioned before enterle capital. the gas saying it wants to make sure no fighters could enter the city. >> reporter: why aren't we allowed to go to baghdad, aren't we in the same country. it's better to die than lead the life anger towards the government runs deep. there's a feeling among people that they have been detroit. >> we spent two days on the road. humiliated at government checkpoints along the way. we can't understand how security retreated and withdrew from ramadi. why did they do that? >> reporter: ramadi, the capital of the iraq sunni heartland belongs to i.s.i.l. at least for now. this video was released by the group. the capital of anbar seems to

have been abandoned after a 3-day offensive pushing government forces out. up to 500 security personnel were killed in the fighting, while others that worked for the government were murdered by i.s.i.l. shia militias are ready to launch a counteroffensive in ramadi, and operate under the government-sanctioned popular mobilization forces. they were responsible for pushing i.s.i.l. from the provinces of salah and others. they have been accused of human rights abuses and many have not returned to their homes. in ramadi the regular army and local police were no match for i.s.i.l., many seen escaping from the city. many blame the government for the fall of the city. >> translation: right now we have few options on the ground. the best is to train and arm local tribes, because they are the only group operating under

the command of the prime minister is the shia coalition. unfortunately reluctance in bringing local sunni tribes on board played a factor, and iraqi forces retreating. >> translation: that decision will alienate many sunni tribes. some leaders said it would consider their involvement an iranian occupation of their province, there's concern. >> it's a sunni area, there's an ethnic dispute before - it's gone about 10 years, and there'll be a clash, definitely, between the tribes and the shia militia. secondly, it's more weakening the central government. why, because it's not the army. >> ramadi was i.s.i.l.'s first major gain after a series of defeats in recent months. the united states which leads

the coalition against i.s.i.l. insists that it is confident that ramadi will be recaptured. that may happen, winning the battle would be harder. in recaptured territories, there's little or no reconciliation between the shi'ite government and the sunnis. >> video posted online shows the center of ramadi a day after i.s.i.l. took control. a black flag is seen being put up by an i.s.i.l. fighter. the grand mosque is pictured against a backdrop of smoke. the picture was released by app activist group sympathetic to i.s.i.l. some u.s. officials have played down the significance of i.s.i.l.'s takeover of ramadi, the state department called it a set back buts has a strategy to win the city back. white house correspondent brent

coulombe explains. >> >> reporter: the u.s. coalition dropped almost 2500 bombs on iraq, trained thousands of soldiers, but it didn't stop the city of ramadi fulling to i.s.i.l. >> there's no denying this is a setback. >> reporter: an official talking point, ramadi was surrounded for so long, it's a surprise it didn't end sooner. u.s. backing a plan to send in sunni militias. that's a step the u.s. has been hesitant to take until now, says an analyst. >> there was a sense that the shia militia was a group we wanted to minimise, not legitimate or work with. we have seen a contending strand of thought which basically is we can't be so picky. and we'll have to recognise that iraq is coming together slowly in terms of the strength of government and the reconstitution of the iraqi army. >> reporter: the state department was asked about reports in the past that shi'a

militias performed atrocities and can it happen again? >> i am not sure what guarantees we are hoping for. we are of the view that militia should be under the command and control of iraqi security forces. >> there's a concern it will heighten sectarian intentions. >> we say any time in public that we don't need the militias. this is a conflict between our tribes and their tribes, and we told them any time that we have enough volunteers and they are waiting, and that's why they are not very welcome u.s. secretary of state john kerry admitted getting arms to the sunnis has been a problem. >> part of the challenge is dealing with anbar, and the tribes, which need more resources, more training, more initial cover from the iraq security forces, and that will be, i am sure the subject of much conversation.

>> the u.s. says it will continue to launch air strikes, insisting their strategy of letting iraqis leave the fight is not flawed. it needs more time. e.u. is to launch a mission to stop people smugglers sending thousands of migrants across the mediterranean to europe. at a meeting in brussels man was approved to send warships to raid boats used by smugglers. jacky rowland reports. >> reporter: the european union is sometimes considered slow but on the subject of migration it acted quickly, starting an offensive in the mediterranean

against people smugglers. the european union is sometimes accused of slow. on the subject of migration it reacted quickly. it started a military operation against people smugglers. >> hopefully at the next foreign affairs council in june, we may be ready to adopt a launch. hopefully we can launch operations in the coming weeks. in the meantime, the work in the security council of of the yairtions will continue. >> images like these spurred leaders into action. it involves civilians and intelligence. the u.n. security council will need permission if it is to seize and destroy ships. >> it's about networks, border control and migration. the european union is working on how to respond to this.

one of the problems is that there might be foreign fighters, terrorists trying to hide, to blend in among the migrants a key stage on the route for the people smugglers is libya. the libyan security forces uncovered a suspected hideout for would-be migrants. the plan depends on libyan cooperation. many factions are opposed to military intervention. agreeing is one thing, deciding what to do about thousands of migrants that reached europe is another question. most countries agrees that the e.u. needs to share the burden, some nations do not want to accept a quota of refugees. hundreds have died at sea, and the main sailing season is yet to begin. over the summer months, thousands are expected to attempt the journey. the political and moral

challenge facing europe is huge. u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon called on south-east asia's government, rescuing migrants believed to have been abandoned at sea. those that made it to sure in indonesia have been housed in shelters lacking facilities. malaysia indonesia and thailand are turning away boat lands of migrants. myanmar's government is explaining its position. >> our position is clear. we said at the start, to demand the peacekeeper - if they are coming from myanmar, and have have ... burundi's president pierre nkurunziza sacked three members of his cabinet including the

foreign minister after a failed coup against him last week. police fired gunshots in parts of the capital, where people have been back out, protesting against the president, running for a third term in office. there are calls to postpone the election after growing unrest. haru mutasa was out with the protesters earlier. >> some of the protesters came to negotiate. they want to move forward. the police say they cannot. the soldiers thought it was better to let them through. that's why they couldn't get far, the barbed wire.

put there by the soldiers. they had to make a turn into another road. there they are up there. some said "let's go this way." it's not clear where they are going. they are saying they had a right to protest. they are going to keep doing this each and every day. they say they don't care if the soldiers or the police try to stop them. they don't want the president to run tens of thousands of burundian refugees fled across the border to a refugee camp at tanzania. several have died because of cholera at the camp in the village of kaduna. families with young children are said to be sleeping rough. it's estimated more than 100,000 fled burundi, most heading south to tanzania. still to come on the programme. end of the ceasefire in yemen, the saudi-led coalition launches

more air strikes, but says it won't target ports or airports. >> i'm emma haywood in underground london where there are plans to transform this un unused station which ones served an a bunker to winston churchill.

hello, welcome back. a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. video posted online shows the center of ramadi a day after i.s.i.l. took control of the strategic city. the iraqi government called in shia militias backed by iran to

retake the city of i.s.i.l. after its own forces fled. european ministers approved plans to launch a naval mission against people smuggling networks operating across the mediterranean. there has been gunfire in parts of burundi's capital, involving more protests against president pierre nkurunziza. he sacked three members of his cabinet involved in the coup attempt police in columbia say a landslide killed at least 48 people. heavy rain caused rain in the north-west province to burst its banks, triggering the disaster. many homes have been destroyed and a search under way for residents missing more from al jazeera's alessandro in the capital bogota for us. bring us up to date with the latest situation.

>> rescues operations continue in the area. 48 are dead. bodies have been taken to try to keep the bodies in refrigerated room, which the town doesn't have for the bodies to be identified tonight and through the day tomorrow. likely we know 37 people have been injured. they are in hospital around the town and two major cities which are hours away from the place of the tragedy. also we know a temporary shelter has been set up for those that survived and lost their houses. at least 31 houses have been destroyed, and one village according to the mayor, has been erased by - from the map.

so these people will find a shelter in the temporary camp in a coffee farm not far from sound. >> how serious is the situation, the disaster is president santos has already visited the region. >> president santos arrived there a couple of hours ago. he satisfy -- surveyed the area from a rescue helicopter and looked at the area. everyone is health on to help the people in this tragedy. no one expected this to happen. yes, there were heavy rains in the past few days but nothing like this ever happened in this region. now, there are a lot of poor people and in the village many of the houses were shacks. this is not one of the poorest regions in the country. the former president is from there. this is a place where people go

on vacation. so there are things to try to help the people, and we are seeing the government do everything they can. in the past in 2010, when there has been landslides. the government has been accused of slow in the rescue operations, trying to show that this time will be different. >> thank you, joining us from bogota. thank you. saudi-led coalition air strikes have resumed in southern yemen, beginning again shortly after a 5-day humanitarian ceasefire expired. there's ha been renewed fighting across the country. hashem ahelbarra reports. >> reporter: fighters opposed to the houthis are on the offensive. it's the central province, seized by houthi fighters a few months ago. it's recently become a houthi base in their push to capture the southern cities, including

aden. fighting resumed after the humanitarian ceasefire expired sunday night. houthis are shelling government troops in tiaz and aden. as the war goes on, millions of yemenis face hard times. this province is not the only area grappling with fuel, food and water shortages. the united nations and the international community are pushing for another truce to aid can reach the war wounded. the iranian navy is escorting a cargo ship, said to contain tons of humanitarian aid. saudi arabia accuses iran of helping the houthis. >> all in all we need a serious concerted international effort to deal with yemen. and to deal with this humanitarian crisis, and, of course, the political solution

is the only solution, that is why we believe inter-yemeni dialogue should take place. un u.n. auspices. talks are underway in the saudi arabian capital riyadh. key yemeni factions are expected to reach agreement on how to end the conflict. the houthis are not taking part. they dismiss the riyadh gathering as irrelevant. the united states, which is fighting al qaeda in yemen fears more instability in the power vacuum, if it exists. >> without a political settlement or a government that can continue to move the parties towards the conclusion of the transition, then that would be difficult. i'm optimistic that the yemeni people, when given a chance, all parties will sit and come to a common agreement. >> the united nations invited all political parties to met in -- to met in geneva to negotiate a deal. yemen's warring factions failed

on how to move forward. government loyalists say all decisions made by the houthis, after taking over power should be scrapped. calls rejected by the houthi rebels, who insist they have the backing of the people there has been a huge rally support, macedonia's prime minister nikola gruevski in the capital, a day after a mass protest against him. thousands turned out for the counter march, which was similar in size to sunday's opposition rally. nikola gruevski's opponents demanded his resignation after he was accused of involvement in corruption and wire tapping of opponents. >> reporter: this is a message to macedonia by the prime minister. in holding this rally he is saying that he is not going anywhere the macedonia is strongly behind him, that the

opposition allegations are lies that despite being rocked by scandalous allegations of corruption, and the major resignation, he intends to stay on, and hear you can see the support that he has in front of him. at the same time not far from here we have the opposition camp that intends to stay outside the officers until he leaves. all the while we expect more negotiations, the two sides may come together in strasburg on tuesday. at the moment neither side will back down of the the opposition wants mr nikola gruevski gone he intends to stay on. >>st president obama announced the government is to block the transfer of military weapons to state and local police departments. it comes after militarization of

police departments, especially in baltimore and other cities. after 14 years the u.s. is winding down foreign wars. so much of equipment used in iraq and afghanistan is finding its way on to american streets. >> you will be subject to u.s. streets. >> in ferguson after the death of a black man sparked protests. armoured trucks and heavily armed police officers sparked a response. it opened the debate of militarization of police. >> there's a difference between military and local law enforcement. we don't want the lines blurred. >> reporter: under 1033, equipment and gear no longer wanted by military is passed on to police. alabama have 10 grenade launchers. among the military equipment passed on includes 432

mine-resistant armoured vehicles. 435 vehicles. more than 44 night vision pieces. 533 planes and helicopters, and 94,000 machine-guns capable of firing in sustained bursts. >> the idea that officers are armed and brait with a military mind-set are problematic. you put them together with procure without accountability for cost overruns or ensuring that these weapons are used for the purposes that they are specified for. none of that is happening. >> heads of police around the country are reviewing tactics on how to rebuild trust with local communities. the white house believes looking less by the army is an important first step. staying in the u.s. 170 biker gang members have been

charged with engaging in organised crime after a shoot-out in texas leaving nine dead. 18 were injured this the incident which took place in broad day late at a sfrount in waco. it's believed as many as five gangs fought each other with knives and guns. >> a disturbance happened in the restaurant. it started in the rest room quickly escalated to the outdoor patio bar area. shots were fired in the restaurant by rival biker gang members, at each other. we have wounded inside. we have people stabbed. we had people shot and we had people beat. that disturbance moved in to the parking lot quickly. our officers responded very quickly and appropriately. as we pulled up on the scene, the shooting at individual bikers from bikers turned towards us.

our officers took fire and responded appropriately, returning fire. >> it is the oldest underground network in the world. part of london's disused metro system is offered for commercial use. it's hoped some of the ghost stations could be turned to restaurants, art galleries and a theatre. from a subterranean london here is emma haywood. >> reporter: more than 20 meters below the surface the underground network is evolving. new routes leaving the past behind. down street station closed, too close to other stations, passenger numbers dwindled. during the world war ii, they became the corridors of power. prime minister churchill used the station to meet his war

cabinet and slept here sometimes, safe from german bombing. the site was top secret, where decisions could be made and messages sent. >> there would have been 25 or so administrative staff protected by soldiers, a military escort down here as well. it would have been a working place, a busy place. >> you get a real sense of history coming into the now empty tunnels. at one time they would have been packed with people. now, you can still hear the piccadilly line trains rumbling along. part of this site is still used by the transport network. some of it, along with several other former stations are put out to tender for commercial use. >> this is a unique space within london, a station not used by passengers since may 1932. it's where churchill's war cabinet met. it's in the heart of mayfair. it's a unique location, history and space.

>> decades after down street's demise, this part of history could be revived. the echos of the past will never be far away. more on many of our stories at the website. usual address - max domi. aljazeera.com. this is "techknow." we're going to explore the intersection of hardware and humanity and we're doing it in a unique way. >> oh my god. >> this is a story of science by scientists. tonight the digital divide. the promise of the