Month: October 2022

The African Union on Sunday said it was worried about the deteriorating security situation in the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where rebels have made fresh gains.

In a joint statement, AU Chairman Macky Sall and AU Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said expressed “extreme concern” at the failing security and appealed for calm and dialogue.

They called “on all the parties to establish an immediate cease-fire, respect international law, the safety and security of civilians,” the statement said.

The M23 rebels seized more territory in the vast, mineral-rich DRC on Saturday, prompting the U.N. peacekeeping mission to increase its “troop alert level” and boost support for the army.

The latest advance came as diplomatic relations between neighbors DRC and Rwanda worsened. The authorities in Kinshasa, who accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, on Saturday announced the Rwandan ambassador would be expelled, a move Kigali said was regrettable.

The AU urged all the parties to engage “in a constructive dialogue” to ensure peace in the troubled region.

M23, a mostly Congolese Tutsi group, resumed fighting in late 2021 after lying dormant for years, accusing the government of having failed to honor an agreement over the demobilization of its fighters.

It has since captured swaths of territory in North Kivu, including the key town of Bunagana on the Ugandan border in June.
…

your ad here

There has been huge increase in death toll from the two successive car bombings in Somalia Saturday.

At least 100 were killed and close to 300 others were injured in the two car bombings according to Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Mohamud made the announcement after visiting the site of the attack in the early hours of Sunday. He appealed to the international community to send doctors and medical supplies to treat the wounded.

Mohamud urged the public to go to the hospitals and donate blood for those injured in the attack.

He also vowed to give free education to the children left behind by the victims killed in Saturday’s attacks as well as the children of deceased victims of other al-Shabab attacks.

The car bombings targeted the Education Ministry, located at one of the busiest intersections in the capital.

In a tweet before visiting the site, Mohamud condemned the attack, saying it was a “cruel & cowardly terrorist attack on innocent people by the morally bankrupt & criminal Al-Shabab group.”

He vowed the attack will not discourage efforts by the government and the country’s people.

“Our government & brave people will continue to defend #Somalia against evil,” he tweeted.

Among those killed in the explosions is local journalist Mohamed Isse Koona. VOA Somali reporter Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle, and Reuters photojournalist Feisal Omar were wounded in the explosions.

The attack took place at Zobe junction, site of the October 14, 2017, truck bombing, the deadliest single day terror attack in Africa, which killed and injured 1,000 people. In that attack al-Shabab did not claim responsibility, although an al-Shabab operative was convicted and later executed for coordinating the attack.

This time al-Shabab immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings.

This latest attack comes as government forces supported by local fighters continue multifront offensives to recover territories from the group in south-central Somalia.
…

your ad here

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has given Rwandan ambassador Vincent Karenga 48-hours to leave the country in retaliation for Rwanda’s alleged support of the M23 rebels in the Congo’s eastern provinces. 

“This is, in part, due to the persistence of (Karenga’s) country to attack the DRC and to support the terrorist movements of the M23,” government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said in a televised statement Saturday evening. 

The rebel group, which Congo authorities accuse Rwanda of backing but Rwanda denies, seized the town of Kiwanja in eastern Congo Saturday, effectively cutting North Kivu’s capital Goma off from the upper half of the province. 

Three Kiwanja residents told Reuters that droves of fighters entered the town without significant resistance after a short spat of gunfire Saturday morning. 

A U.N. intervention brigade, which has been supporting government forces, said in a statement that four peacekeepers were wounded in the fighting. The statement did not comment on the fate of the town. 

“Attacks against U.N. peacekeepers may constitute war crimes,” it said. “(The mission) calls on this rebel group to immediately cease all belligerence and warns that it stands ready to respond vigorously in the event of further aggression.”

The Congolese army contingent protecting the town had departed the previous day, residents said. The army has conducted strategic retreats from populated areas to move fighting away from towns and protect civilians. 

Kivu Security Tracker, which maps unrest in eastern Congo, said the army retreated Saturday from positions at Rumangabo, their largest camp in the area, and that M23 had surrounded the local U.N. peacekeeper camp and the Virunga National Park. 

Saidi Balikwisha Emil, a member of North Kivu’s provincial parliament, said in a WhatsApp message: “The fall of Kiwanja and elsewhere is a national disgrace, especially for those of us who spend entire days on social networks casting aspersions on our army.” 

“Kiwanja (is) an important entity that opens the direct way to Goma,” he added. 

Neither General Sylvain Ekenge, the army’s national spokesman, nor Colonel Ndjike Kaiko, the army’s spokesman for North Kivu, immediately responded to calls and messages requesting comment. 

Unrest in North Kivu has broken months of relative calm in eastern Congo after the resumption of clashes between the army and the M23 militants. 

Army forces have clashed with rebel fighters several times since fighting resumed Oct. 20, killing at least four civilians and forcing more than 23,000 people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations. Both groups have accused the other of initiating the violence.  

When it formed in 2012, M23 was the newest in a series of ethnic Tutsi-led insurgencies to rise against Congolese forces. 
…

your ad here

A new Zulu King was formally enthroned as the head of South Africa’s most influential traditional monarchy at a colorful ceremony Saturday attended by tens of thousands. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa handed over a giant framed certificate officially recognizing the 48-year-old new ruler Misuzulu Zulu in the coastal city of Durban. 

“Our king, is indeed officially the King of the Zulu nation and the only king of the Zulu nation,” said Ramaphosa to loud applause at an 85,000-seater soccer stadium. 

The king vowed to promote “peace and reconciliation” and to “be a catalyst” for development. 

The coronation of the ruler of the country’s richest monarchy comes after a year of bitter feuding over the royal succession that has spilled into the courts. 

Misuzulu ascended the throne once held by his late father, Goodwill Zwelithini, who died in March 2021—after more than 50 years on the throne. 

The crowning which followed a traditional coronation ceremony in August, is the first South Africa has witnessed in more than half a century. 

“This historic moment only comes once in a lifetime, many of us will never see this historic moment again,” said Ramaphosa. 

Although the title of king does not bestow executive power, the monarchs wield great moral influence over more than 11 million Zulus, who make up nearly a fifth of South Africa’s population of 60 million people. 

Amabutho, or royal regiments, clad in traditional skirts, leopard skin tops, and carrying shields and sticks chanted songs of praise for their king. 

Singing and blowing whistles as they slowly glided around the pitch, women wore broad-brimmed Zulu hats and traditional wraps. 

Young girls, some bare breasted, in equally brightly colored pleated skirts and beads, excitedly danced and ululated in the Moses Mabhida Stadium, built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament. 

‘Great day for’ Zulus 

Londolo Zungu, 49, was among the women at the party. “We are very happy, more than happy, we are supporting the king 100 percent,” she told AFP. 

Khaya Ndwandwe, a Zulu historian, said government’s recognition of Misuzulu as “the real king of the Zulu people” means “now the king will be more than protected.” 

“It’s a day of great joy for the Zulu people,” said Ndwandwe.  

The ceremony was given rolling live coverage on all of South Africa’s largest television stations and media outlets. 

A long grey feather stuck out from the king’s hair, while a bunch of black feathers were arranged on the back of his head as he sat on a throne covered in leopard skin.    

Head of the Anglican church in South Africa Archbishop Thabo Makgoba dabbed holy oil on the king’s hands, face and head as crowds looked on. 

“As you embark upon your reign as king … I believe you are being called to step up and emulate the highest traditions of your ancestors,” said Makgoba. 

In his acceptance speech, the king pledged to work for progress as the world grapples with “poverty, unemployment, trust deficit in government and traditional leadership structures, climate change disasters, economic meltdown.” 

Among the delegates were King Mswati III of Africa’s last absolute monarchy, Eswatini, who also is an uncle to the new Zulu king.  

Two of South Africa’s ex-presidents, Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki, were present as well. 

Zulu kings are descendants of King Shaka, the 19th-century leader still revered for having united a large swath of the country as the Zulu nation, which fought bloody battles against the British colonizers. 

King Zwelithini, who died after more than 50 years in charge, left six wives and at least 28 children. 

Misuzulu is the first son of Zwelithini’s third wife, who he designated as regent in his will.  

The queen, however, died suddenly a month after Zwelithini, leaving a will naming Misuzulu as the next king—a development that did not go down well with other family members.  

The new monarch’s first name means “strengthening the Zulus,” but his path to the crown has not been smooth. 
…

your ad here

A journalist was among those killed, and media workers and first responders were injured in a double car bombing Saturday in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.

The dual car bomb blasts took place near the Ministry of Education and targeted the busy Zobe intersection in Mogadishu. The second blast detonated as first responders and local media arrived on the scene.

Somali police spokesperson Sadiq Dodishe said, “scores of people were killed in the attack.”

He said they could not immediately determine the number of fatalities or how many people had been injured in both blasts. Dodishe said they will share that information with the media as soon as an ongoing assessment concludes.

Multiple witnesses who spoke with VOA put the death toll as high as 20.

Witnesses say the first car bomb detonated at the checkpoint of the Ministry of Education.  

The second blast occurred within minutes as people who rushed to help the wounded gathered, and ambulances arrived to transport the victims, one witness, who owns a shop nearby, told VOA on the condition of anonymity.

A police officer, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said there are massive casualties from the attack, but it is too early to say how many have been killed or injured.

He confirmed that a local journalist, Mohamed Isse Konan, who worked for Universal TV, was among those killed.

 

The journalist’s station confirmed the death in a post to its Facebook page Saturday.

At least two journalists were injured, including Abdulkadir Mohamed Abdulle, a freelancer who works with VOA’s Somali Service, and Reuters photojournalist Feisal Omar, according to Abdulle’s colleagues and the Somali Journalists’ Syndicate.

One of Abdulle’s relatives told VOA the journalist was hit in the abdomen by shrapnel and sustained other injuries, including the loss of at least two fingers, but that his condition is stable.  

 

THE SJS said on Twitter that Omar is having emergency surgery to remove shrapnel from his chest and stomach.   

Abdulle had previously survived a 2017 bombing in Mogadishu, the statement by SJS said.

VOA Acting Director Yolanda Lopez said Saturday she was “devastated” to learn that one of the broadcaster’s freelance journalists had been injured, and she condemned acts of violence that “endanger the lives of VOA reporters while covering news events.”

 

“The bravery and courage of our journalists – and their dedication that takes them wherever the story leads them – often means that they put themselves in harm’s way,” Lopez said in a statement. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation there on the ground and will provide support to our colleague as he recovers from his injuries.”

Abdulkadir Abdirahman, founder of the Aamin Ambulance Service said that two of his staff were injured in the second blast. “A driver and a first aid worker had been injured in the second blast as they arrived to transport the wounded.”

 

“It was a deafening and huge blast that sent plumes of smoke into the sky. The walls of the ministry building, and several other surrounding buildings [were] destroyed,” eyewitness Cabdullahi Osman, a driver of a three-wheeled motorized taxi, told VOA.

 

Briefing the media about the attack, a police spokesperson said the security forces foiled the attackers’ plan to enter the building.

 

“The purpose of the attack was to target and destroy an educational center that was serving Somali students, but the brave national army, who were tipped about the terrorist plot, prevented it,” he said.

 

The al-Qaida-affiliated Islamist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the deadly attack and said it had struck one of the Somali government ministries in Mogadishu.

Police spokesperson Dodishe told a news conference in Mogadishu that the terrorist group targeted civilians, including women, children and the elderly.

He said the cowardly terrorists targeted civilians with bomb blasts and they killed mothers with babies on their backs. He said that reveals the heinous action of the terrorists. 

The Somali Journalist Syndicate called for those responsible to be “held accountable.”

“Today we are shocked and outraged by this heinous attack that killed our colleague,” said SJS President Mohamed Ibrahim in a statement.

Koona, 29, is the second journalist killed so far in Somalia this year, the SJS said. It added that the prominent journalist left behind his wife and young son.

Somalia is considered the most dangerous county for media in Africa, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders. Al-Shabab is the main killer of journalists in the country, with more than 50 killed since 2010, the RSF says.

A five-day national conference on combating violent extremism concluded Saturday in Mogadishu. Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, regional leaders and religious scholars attended the closing ceremony of the conference.

The Somali president recently announced a “total war” against al-Shabab militants. At the closing ceremony he said that everyone who pays money to al-Shabab knows they are responsible for every explosion, every bullet fired and for all the destruction of every water well.

Prime Minister Barre said al-Shabab misrepresents the Islamic religion and praised religious scholars’ efforts to overcome the deadly al-Shabab ideology.

After the conference, Somali religious scholars issued a communique that called out al-Shabab and denounced their ideology. The scholars announced it is forbidden in Islam to pay money to al-Shabab.

Somalia has been grappling with security threats for years, with al-Shabab being one of the main threats in the Horn of Africa nation.

Since at least 2007, al-Shabaab has waged a deadly campaign against the Somali government and international forces that has claimed thousands of lives.

 

Ahmed Mohamed contributed to this report. Some information came from Reuters.
…

your ad here

Two car bomb explosions at the education ministry in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu killed or wounded scores of people on Saturday, police and the state news agency said.

It was not known who was behind the blasts but the Islamist group al-Shabab frequently carries out bombings and gun attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere.

“Two car bombs hit the walls of the ministry,” police captain Nur Farah said.

The first explosion hit the ministry then the second blast occurred as ambulances arrived and people gathered to help the victims, Farah told Reuters.

A police officer guarding the ministry, who gave his name as Hassan, told Reuters he saw at least 12 bodies and more than 20 people wounded.

State news agency SONNA, said the blasts had caused “scores of civilian casualties including independent journalist Mohamed Isse Kona.”

A Reuters journalist near the blast site said the two explosions occurred within minutes of each other and smashed windows in the vicinity. Blood from victims of the blasts covered the tarmac just outside the building, he said.

“The second blast burnt our ambulance as we came to transport the casualties from the first blast,” Abdikadir Abdirahman of the Aamin Ambulance Service told Reuters.

A driver and a first aid worker had been injured in the blast, he said.

Al-Qaida-allied al-Shabab, which has been fighting in Somalia for more than a decade, is seeking to topple the central government and establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of sharia law.
…

your ad here