The death toll from two al-Shabab bombings in Mogadishu has risen to 121, Somalia’s Health Minister Dr. Ali Haji Adam, said Tuesday. 

In an interview with VOA’s Somali Service, Adam said 10 people have been recorded as missing from the Saturday bombings. He said the National Response Committee appointed by the government also recorded 333 injuries.  

“This morning there are 142 injured people in the hospitals, some of them in the intensive care unit,” he said. 

Adam said the government set up a call center for people who are missing their loved ones to contact. He said the government has also been distributing food and water to the wounded and their relatives who are coming to the hospitals. 

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has appealed to the international community to send doctors to help treat the wounded. 

Adam said Turkey was the first country to respond to the appeal made by the president. 

“We were expecting an air ambulance, carrying medical supplies and doctors (from Turkey) today but it was delayed,” he said. 

He said they are also expecting medical supplies, two ambulances and a trauma team from the World Health Organization.   

Adam said the government also set up a victims’ support fund, to which the government has donated $1 million. Three private companies, Dahabshiil, Hormud and BECO have donated $500,000, $200,000, and $50,000 respectively. 

The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the Saturday explosions. A senior Somali government official who requested not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak with the media told VOA Somali the first explosion was caused by a suicide car bomb that targeted the Ministry of Education. A three-wheeled motorcycle pulling a small trailer full of explosives caused the second blast. 

The rising death toll makes the attack the second deadliest in Somalia’s history. The deadliest bombing occurred on October 14, 2017, when a truck laden with explosives blew up at a major intersection in the capital, killing 587 people and injuring hundreds more.  

The Somali government and the international community condemned the latest incidents.  

President Mohamud described the bombings as a “cruel & cowardly terrorist attack on innocent people by the morally bankrupt & criminal al-Shabab group.”   

In Washington, White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States strongly condemns the “tragic terrorist attack.”  

“We send our deepest condolences to the Somali people and to all those who lost loved ones or were injured by these unconscionable attacks against innocent civilians. The United States remains committed to supporting the federal government of Somalia in its fight to prevent such callous terrorist acts.”  

In New York, a spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is “deeply saddened” by what happened.  

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns these heinous attacks and reiterates that the United Nations stands in solidarity with Somalia against violent extremism,” said Stephane Dujarric.  

Al-Shabab has been fighting to topple the internationally recognized Somali government for more than 15 years. Government troops supported by local militias are currently engaged in an offensive that has succeeded in retaking some areas that were controlled by al-Shabab in central Somalia.
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Somali authorities are scrambling to avert famine from a record drought that has affected near eight million Somalis, half the population.  The largest city in Somalia’s South West state, Baidoa, is bearing the brunt as thousands of families flee starvation in the countryside to displaced camps in the city.  Aid groups and authorities are pleading for international help to prevent further loss of life, as Mohamed Sheikh Nor reports from Baidoa, Somalia.
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Somalia’s government has promised support for victims of the twin bombings in the capital Saturday that killed at least 100 people and injured close to 300 others. Saturday’s attack by al-Shabab comes as security forces have been waging a large-scale offensive against the militants. 

Following an emergency Cabinet meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Hamza Barre said his government will contribute one million dollars to offset the medical bills for victims of the Saturday twin bombings and support families affected.

The government said it will also cover education costs for children whose parents and dependents were affected in the attacks.

Barre also said the government will double down on the offensive against al-Shabab to avenge the lives lost.

“We pledge that we will get revenge for the Somali people and the final decision is to liberate the country from terrorists. So, as we go through pain, I urge Somalis to show patience, stability and resilience for casualties of the ongoing war. We hope in the shortest time to see our country free of explosions, killings and to have freedom of movement in our country,” he said.

The twin bombings came as the Somali National Army, with the backing of clan militias, continue a campaign against al-Shabab in central Somalia.

Rashid Abdi, a security and political analyst from Sahan, a research think tank in Nairobi, says the attacks were a message from al-Shabab to Somalis who are supporting the government offensives.

“Al-Shabab, you know, is using this kind of urban terror, first of all, to intimidate and create fear. Because remember, if they conduct this kind of attacks, frequently, people will begin to tell the government, you need to review your strategy. So, this is a way of creating public fear and anxiety and pressure on the government to stop the military campaign,” he said.

But Rashid predicts the attacks will galvanize more Somalis to join the war and ensure al-Shabab is defeated.

He says al-Shabab is also trying to show it still has power despite recent reversals.

“Their back essentially is to the wall,” he said. “More territory has been taken from al-Shabab’s hands in the last four months than in the whole of the last five years. The al-Shabab finances and economic power is being dismantled. So, I think this is an indication that al-Shabab is actually very desperate and wants to show the adversary and the government in particular that it still has the capacity and the will to conduct these sorts of bombs.”

On Sunday, the Somali government said that 100 al-Shabab fighters and leaders had been killed by government forces in the Middle Shabelle region.

Saturday’s bombings in Mogadishu took place near an intersection where another bombing five years ago killed nearly 600 people. That bombing, widely blamed on al-Shabab, is still the deadliest terrorist attack in African history.
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The U.N. Climate Change Conference, known as COP27, starts in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, next week, and climate change activists are pushing major emitters in developed countries to make bigger commitments at the conference.

According to a recent report by the U.N. Environment Program, the international community is still falling far short of the 2015 Paris Agreement goals, with no credible pathway to keep the rise in global temperatures below the key threshold of 1.5 C.

Carbon cutting plans by governments are still inadequate and environmental leaders are asking developed countries to do more.

“Seventy-five percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are from the G20, the biggest twenty economies,” U.N. Environment Executive Director Inger Andersen told VOA in an exclusive interview. “They need to do more. And that is the conversation we need to have at the COP in Sharm el-Sheikh, Africa’s COP as we call it. They need to lean in, both with money but also with their own emissions reduction.”

The conference comes at a time when the Horn of Africa endures record drought and famine warnings in Somalia. Africa produces less than 4% of global emissions yet still suffers the effects of global warming, including food insecurity, increased conflict and more severe weather events.

Thandile Chinyavanhu, a climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace Africa in South Africa, says the effects can be seen all over the continent: “in the Horn of Africa where the fourth failed rainy season is driving famine in the country and similarly in the semi-arid regions of Kenya. We are seeing people in Mauritania and Nigeria affected by floods, where those floods have displaced something like 1.3 million people. And we’ve seen that in South Africa as well.”

As these disasters continue to affect millions, COP27 provides an opportunity for the international community to continue negotiations for global goals that would tackle climate change.

Muhtari Amiku Kano, the Africa Director for Policy and Government Relations at the Nature Conservancy in Nairobi, listed three important investments: technological transfers, capacity building, and in deploying adequate financial resources, “because without these three components, it will just be hot air and talk.”

According to Andersen, the path forward is also clear: “We are seeing that renewable energy; solar, electric vehicles, energy efficient buildings, smart infrastructure is becoming the thing. Let’s accelerate that, let’s just move it right ahead. That’s so obvious.”

Scientists say fighting climate change requires well-coordinated global action where everyone has a role to play. Many promises were made at last year’s COP26 conference in Glasgow and discussions at the Sharm el-Shiekh conference will be followed closely by many.
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October’s Turkish energy deal with Libya’s Government of National Accord is the latest flashpoint in growing tensions between Turkey and Greece. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the effects of the rivalry are spreading in regions of Europe and the Mideast.
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Kenyan President William Ruto said during a meeting Monday with the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) that extrajudicial killings by police in the country must end.

Five police officers who were members of a now-disbanded special services unit went on trial Monday for the murders of Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan and Mohamed Zaid Sami Kidwai — two Indian nationals who advised Ruto’s election campaign — and their taxi driver, Nicodemus Mwania.  

Four other officers had been tried last week in connection with the deaths. 

Ruto wants the IPOA to develop a plan to help end extrajudicial killings in Kenya. 

”Extrajudicial killings must come to an end,” Ruto said. “It is illegal, it is unconstitutional, it offends every principle of the right to life.” 

An August 2022 report by Human Rights Watch found that the failure of Kenyan authorities to address accountability for past abuses by police heightened the risk for more abuse. George Musamali, a security analyst in Kenya, says arresting the officers and trying them is a sign of progress.

“You’ll find that in Kenya, we’ve been having a lot of misuse of this because sometimes you’ll find that people who are innocent, there is no evidence that these people are a danger to national security,” Musamali said. “You’ll find them being eliminated, and this is what we are trying to deal with right now, And I believe the Ruto government will [get] to the bottom of this.” 

Rights groups such as Amnesty International say police abuse could completely end if the inquiries were extended to all other police units.

“Expand the inquiry into other formations,” said Demas Kiprono, campaign manager at Amnesty International. “There are formations that have happened by ATPU [the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit]. There are violations by other police units and formations. There are violations by certain police stations that are notorious.” 

Investigations into the killing last week of Pakistani investigative journalist Arshadi Sharif by Kenyan police are underway. According to the police, Sharif’s murder was a case of mistaken identity. 

Kenya’s director of public prosecution, Noordin Haji, said last week that 12 police officers, most of them senior officials, will face charges for crimes against humanity concerning a crackdown on post-election protests in 2017.

According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, 94 people were killed at the time, and more than 300 were injured.  

In a statement, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk commended Haji’s decision, which the United Nations says is an advance toward accountability for gross human rights violations in Kenya. 

 
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Mounds of plastic waste in his hometown prompted one Zimbabwean man to build a shredder that helps turn the trash into useful items. He plans to move the project to the capital, Harare, where authorities have been struggling to deal with plastic waste dumped on the streets. Columbus Mavhunga reports from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. VOA footage by Blessing Chigwenhembe
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Cameroon says Equatorial Guinea has deported several hundred Cameroonians, some of whom say they were fleeing terrorist and rebel attacks at home. The government of Equatorial Guinea says the deportees were economic migrants and is planning to deport 7,000 Cameroonians in all by the end of the year.

Scores of Cameroonians applauded Monday while welcoming back at least 200 of their citizens who were deported. But the well-wishers are not happy with Equatorial Guinea’s actions. Civilians shouted that by deporting Cameroonians, the oil-rich country is being indifferent to people who have rendered services as mechanics, electricians, bricklayers, miners and other types of workers.

Nguenang Rigobert, one of the deported Cameroonians, says he lost his teaching job in Equatorial Guinea. Nguenang says he, like many Cameroonians in Equatorial Guinea, are victims of what he calls the Cameroon government’s lack of interest in the plight of its citizens outside the country. He says Cameroon should have negotiated for Equatorial Guinea to give Cameroonians more time to acquire resident and work permits.

Nguenang said several dozen of the deported Cameroonians fled their country in part because of its ongoing separatist crisis. Others left because of Boko Haram terrorism in the north.

Some deportees said they were tortured and their property looted in Equatorial Guinea. Others said they spent several nights in detention centers and were freed after agreeing to return to Cameroon unconditionally.

Nouhou Bello, the most senior Cameroon government official in Ocean, the administrative unit where Campo is located, says President Paul Biya asked him to receive the deported civilians and make sure they travel to their towns and villages in peace.

Bello says Cameroonians who have arrived in Campo since Friday have confirmed to government officials that they were in the neighboring state illegally. He says some of the deportees told officials their visas had expired while others acknowledged lacking travel documents when they went to Equatorial Guinea.

Bello called on Cameroonians staying in Equatorial Guinea illegally to return home or risk being locked up.

Earlier in October, the government of Equatorial Guinea said it would embark on a mass deportation of people living illegally in its territory.

Officials said insecurity has mounted due to an influx of about 30,000 economic migrants within the past three years. Equatorial Guinea accused job-seeking youths, especially from Cameroon and Nigeria, of harassment, theft and armed banditry.

Essomba Innocent is an economic analyst at the National University of Equatorial Guinea. He says in January 2020, the country signaled that it did not want illegal economic migrants in its territory and laid the foundation stone for construction of a border wall with Cameroon.

Essomba says in June 2020, Equatorial Guinea agreed to pause the construction of the controversial wall after Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Central African Republic agreed to voluntarily repatriate their citizens living in Equatorial Guinea illegally. He says people who are being deported should not ask the government of Equatorial Guinea for compensation for goods they acquired when their stay was illegal.

Equatorial Guinea is a tiny central African nation of around 1.5 million people. The International Monetary Fund reports that the nation took in approximately $45 billion in oil revenues between 2000 and 2013, catapulting it from one of the world’s poorest countries to the one with the highest per capita income on the African continent.
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In South Africa the first peace talks between the government of Ethiopia and the leadership of the Tigray region have raised hopes for an end to the nearly two-year-long war. Despite no media access to the talks or to the Tigray region, South Africa’s Ethiopian community remains hopeful of a deal to end the deadly conflict. Linda Givetash reports from Johannesburg.
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The veterinarian and conservationist was kidnapped Friday
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Suspected jihadists have ambushed and killed 13 soldiers in Burkina Faso’s eastern province, security sources told AFP on Sunday, in the latest violence to shake the insurgency-torn west African nation.

Four members of the defense forces were also wounded in Saturday’s attack along the road linking Fada N’Gourma with Natiaboani, one of the sources said.

“Reinforcements have been deployed to secure the zone and carry out a search,” a second source added, confirming the casualty toll. The unit that came under fire had been sent to relieve a detachment from Natiaboani.

The ambush comes after the powerful Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), which is linked to al-Qaida, claimed Friday it carried out an attack on a military base in Djibo, a major northern town that has been under a jihadist blockade for three months.

The army said at least 10 soldiers died and 50 were wounded in that “terrorist” assault on the 14th regiment on Monday.

The army added it killed 18 “terrorists” in mopping-up operations.

GSIM also claimed responsibility for an attack on a supply convoy heading for Djibo on September 26 that left 37 dead – 27 of them soldiers. Dozens of truck drivers are still missing.

That assault helped trigger the latest coup in Burkina just four days later, led by young army Captain Ibrahim Traore.

He became interim president on October 21, vowing to win back territory from jihadists.

It was Burkina’s second coup in eight months, driven by a seven-year insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven nearly 2 million people from their homes.

The new government on Wednesday declared securing the Sahel state’s territory would be top priority.

More than a third of national territory remains outside government control.

The authorities also launched a drive to recruit 50,000 civilian defense volunteers to back up the army as the number of attacks increases.

A U.N. envoy warned this week that 4.9 million people, or a fifth of Burkina’s population, need urgent aid as many “mothers were forced to feed their children with leaves and salt.”
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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.
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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.
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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. 
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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. 
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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.
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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.
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Editor’s note: Here is a fast take on what the international community has been up to this past week, as seen from the United Nations perch.    

Russia and Ukraine trade allegations at Security Council

Russia called three meetings of the Security Council this week to press its allegations against Ukraine and its Western allies that they are building dirty bombs to use against Russia and to deny that Moscow had received drones from Iran in violation of a Security Council resolution. Western countries said the dirty bomb meetings were a waste of time and accused Russia of using the council to promote Kremlin disinformation. They have asked the U.N. to send investigators to Ukraine to examine drone debris to determine their origin.

In a private session, International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Grossi updated the council on his efforts to establish a de-militarized protection zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The Russian-occupied facility has been repeatedly shelled during the conflict and has raised fears of a nuclear incident or accident.

Difficult winter ahead for millions of Syrians

The United Nations appealed Tuesday for more money and access to needy Syrians, as winter sets in and a cholera outbreak strains limited resources. At least 14.6 million people need assistance – more than at any other time during the 11-year civil war. In January, the U.N. Security Council will consider renewing the authorization for the cross-border aid operation from Turkey into northwest Syria. Russia has long sought to end the operation, and the already difficult negotiations will take place against the backdrop of council divisions intensified by the war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, a new study of U.N. contracts in Syria found that a large share of donor funds went to companies owned by individuals with troubling human rights records or associated with the Bashar al-Assad regime. The report, by U.K.-based nongovernmental organization Syrian Legal Development Program and the Observatory of Political and Economic Networks, said nearly half of U.N. procurement funds went to “risky” or “highly risky” suppliers.

UNEP: Greenhouse gases need to be drastically cut by 2030

Ten days before leaders meet at the COP27 climate review conference in Egypt, the U.N. Environment Program warned Thursday that the window for preventing a climate catastrophe is quickly closing. The agency’s latest Emissions Gap Report says greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by 45% by 2030 to stop climate change. UNEP says the world is falling far short of the Paris climate agreement goals, with no credible pathway for limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.

Rights expert calls for new strategy on Myanmar

The U.N. special rapporteur for Myanmar warns that unless the international community changes how it deals with the military junta in that country, the already catastrophic situation will only get worse. Tom Andrews told VOA in an interview this week that countries should form a coalition to implement a coordinated strategy to deprive the military of arms, fuel for their aircraft, financing and the legitimacy the junta seeks.

He singled out Myanmar’s civil society, human rights defenders and journalists as “heroes” who are risking their lives to document atrocities and deserve international support. The junta, he said, has committed crimes against humanity and war crimes.

More atrocities without peace in Ethiopia’s Tigray

A commission of independent U.N. experts examining rights violations and atrocities in the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region said Friday that without an end to the fighting, the risk of further atrocity crimes is growing. The U.N. International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia said that Ethiopian, Eritrean and Tigrayan forces have all committed violations in the hostilities that began two years ago, several of which rise to war crimes and crimes against humanity.  

Read more on the humanitarian crisis in Tigray:

WHO: Blockade of Humanitarian Aid to Tigray Puts Millions at Risk of Deadly Diseases

In brief

—  The International Organization for Migration said Monday that at least 5,684 migrants have died on European migration routes since the start of 2021. The agency said the numbers of deaths are rising on routes across the Mediterranean, on land borders to Europe and within the continent. The IOM said this highlights the need for more legal and safe pathways for migration.

— As protests across Iran enter their seventh week, the U.N. said Friday it is increasingly concerned about reports of increasing fatalities. Spokesman Stephane Dujarric condemned “all incidents that have resulted in death or serious injury to protestors” and reiterated that security forces must “avoid all unnecessary or disproportionate use of force against peaceful protestors.” The U.N. has called for accountability and for the Iranian authorities to respect human rights, women’s rights and the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and freedom of association.

—  The U.N. has expressed concern about outbreaks of cholera and watery diarrhea in at least 29 countries this year, including most recently, Haiti, Syria, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. The situation is even more worrying, as the World Health Organization said recently there is a shortage of cholera vaccines due to the high number of outbreaks.

Good news

On Thursday, the governments of Lebanon and Israel signed separate letters with the United States delineating the maritime border, ending a yearslong dispute. The signing took place at the U.N. peacekeeping premises in south Lebanon. The letters will be deposited with the United Nations. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the agreement can promote increased regional stability and enhanced prosperity for both nations. The deal between the two enemies that have fought multiple wars removes a hurdle to each country being able to exploit hydrocarbon fields along the border.

Quote of note

“A war without witnesses, as you know, can be terrible.” 

Radhika Coomaraswamy, a member of the three-person U.N. International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia to reporters Friday on the need for access to conflict areas in northern Ethiopia.

What we are watching next week

On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council will hold an informal meeting on the weeks of protests in Iran sparked by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The United States and Albania have called the meeting to highlight “the ongoing repression of women and girls and members of religious and ethnic minority groups in Iran.” Briefers will include Nobel Laureate and human rights defender Shirin Ebadi and Javaid Rehman, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Iran.
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The U.N.’s refugee agency said Friday that destruction from flooding has displaced more than 3.4 million people in west and central Africa.

UNHCR said Friday that Nigeria’s worst floods in a decade have killed hundreds, displaced 1.3 million residents and affected over 2.8 million people in the west African nation of 218 million.

Survivors had to scurry to higher ground as water submerged farmland and infrastructure. Many have been living in camps for the internally displaced that were set up to help people fleeing simmering violence in the region, among other troubles.

“The climate crisis is happening now – destroying livelihoods, disrupting food security, aggravating conflicts over scarce resources and driving displacement,” UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado said. “The link between climate shocks and displacement is clear and growing.”

The agency noted that the government in Chad, where floodwaters affected more than 1 million people, has declared a state of emergency. Floods also have killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands in in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, UNHCR said.

The downpours in West Africa contrast with the worst drought in 40 years in the Horn of Africa.

Nigeria records flooding every year, often as a result of inadequate infrastructure and non-adherence to environmental guidelines. Authorities in September blamed this year’s floods on water overflowing from some local rivers, unusual rainfalls and the release of excess water from the Lagdo dam in neighboring Cameroon’s northern region.
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Nigerian security forces dismantled a terror cell and arrested 35 suspected members of the militant group Islamic State West Africa Province, including five commanders, Nigerian daily newspapers reported Friday.

Abuja, the capital, remained on guard, with some shops closing temporarily as a precaution.

Australian and Canadian embassies in the city were the latest to issue terror warnings; U.S. and British embassies on Sunday had told their citizens to be on alert and avoid crowds across Nigeria but especially in Abuja.

The foreign missions said government buildings, places of worship, schools, markets, shopping malls, bars and hotels were among possible terrorist targets.

The U.S. State Department ordered family members of U.S. employees to leave the Nigerian capital.

Security guards patrolled Friday near a huge shopping complex in Abuja’s Jabi district. The complex had closed Thursday because of security threats.

Workers and shoppers were not allowed into the premises, and the street was blocked off to car and foot traffic.

Abuja Police Public Relations Officer Josephine Adeh said authorities were stepping up security measures.

“We’re doing all we can. … We’ve strengthened our security, even though there’s no cause for concern, no cause for alarm. We don’t have any threat in our country,” she said.

Concerns about terror attacks have been growing in Nigeria. Militant groups have been pushing their operations beyond bases where they have been active for years.

In June, authorities blamed Islamic State West Africa Province for a church attack in southwest Nigeria that killed 40 worshippers.

One month later, the group claimed responsibility for attacking a correctional facility in Abuja and freeing hundreds of inmates. While hundreds of the escapees have been recaptured, many others remain on the loose, including more than 60 high-profile terror suspects.

Security analyst Chidi Omeje said authorities were trying to assure citizens of their safety.

“Our government on its part, naturally you should expect them to play down the situation,” Omeje said. “Every government would like to project a good image of itself.”

But Omeje said citizens must take the foreign missions’ warnings very seriously.

“Citizens must at this point begin to think for themselves what to do, because I don’t want to believe that America, the U.K. and all other countries who have come up with this alert are just being mischievous. These are countries that have robust intelligence assets. We should not play with what they’re informing us.”
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The search for sustainable peace in South Sudan hit another obstacle this week as infighting erupted within the ruling SPLM party. Riek Machar, the country’s first vice president, was expelled from his position as SPLM vice chairman. The dismissal pours cold water on years of efforts to heal rifts among South Sudan’s top leaders – the same rifts that caused the country’s civil war.

Riek Machar was the party’s first vice chairman, a spot that placed him in a strategic position to claim the SPLM presidency if President Salva Kiir, who is also SPLM chairman, were to opt out of party politics.

Kuol Atem, SPLM secretary for political affairs, said this week that Machar and party Secretary General Pagan Amum have been taken off the party register because they are trying to build up their own parties.

“Though his office is just less than 200 meters away from the SPLM national secretariat and the same distance from the President Saliva Kiir’s, he continues to organize his party as we are all eyewitness to that effect. Comrade Pagan is busy with Real SPLM Party, abroad and the Rome process; and SPLM is being held hostage.”

Though associated with the SPLM in Opposition (SPLM-IO), Machar insists that SPLM-IO is not a registered party and thus he never ditched the mother party as claimed by Atem.

Puok Both Baluang is the acting press secretary in the Office of First Vice President.

“The decision made by President Salva Kiir faction to dismiss comrade Riek Machar and comrade Pagan Amum, from SPLM and also…as first deputy chair of the party and secretary general of the party, it is unconstitutional based on the SPLM constitution. They are elected members. Such dismissal or replacement is only possible if there is a national convention of SPLM, not a faction.

There are 14 registered political parties in South Sudan, according to records at the Political Parties Council. However, in reality there are more than 50 parties operating in Juba alone.

That includes several factions of the SPLM, including Machar’s, Amum’s and President Kiir’s. The last, which is the original SPLM party, is known as SPLM-in-Government.

It was a split between Kiir and Machar that triggered South Sudan’s six-year civil war in December 2013.

Abraham Kuol Nyuon, an associate professor of political science at the University of Juba, says the removal of Machar and Amum from their positions in the main party is ultimately a dispute over which faction is legitimate.

“So this removal is about the ownership of the party symbol, it is about the ownership of the emblem and it is about the ownership of the party of SPLM.”

Analysts say parties with the SPLM tag will likely have an advantage with voters in the next elections, slated for late 2024.

South Sudan is currently run by a transitional government, which recently extended its mandate by another two years.

Professor Kuol says the country should expect such bickering at party levels in the run up to the elections.
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South African investigators have arrested the former head of the country’s national power provider, Eskom, on corruption charges. South African analysts say while this is a significant step toward tackling state graft, it won’t fix the country’s worsening energy crisis.

Matshela Koko, the former head of state power provider Eskom, was charged Thursday with multiple counts related to corruption, fraud and money laundering.

The lawyer leading the charge for the National Prosecuting Authority, Andrea Johnson, said in a statement, “This arrest is about accountability and rule of law … it is imperative for the country and its people that we serve without fear, favor or prejudice.”

Koko’s wife, two stepdaughters and other officials under his tenure also were charged in the complex case, which involves more than $121 million in power station construction contracts.

Analysts say the charges show growing momentum in efforts to tackle widespread corruption in state institutions.

“I think what this sends out is [the message] that if you are in a position of power and authority and you commit corruption, that the precedent has been clearly set that you can and will be held accountable,” said Gareth Newham, head of justice and violence prevention for the Institute of Security Studies in Pretoria. “So, it’s a very important principle that has now been established, and one of those lacking for too long in South Africa.”

Eskom was just one institution targeted in state graft — called state capture — under the nearly decade-long tenure of former president Jacob Zuma that was investigated by a judicial inquiry.

Among the inquiry’s recommendations was to strengthen the National Prosecuting Authority.

Current President Cyril Ramaphosa has done just that, by adding an independent directorate to the authority and giving it more resources, as part of his anti-corruption mandate.

Newham said the investigation into Koko exemplifies the potential of a strengthened public prosecutor.

“I think it shows that the hard work that has been undertaken within the National Prosecuting Authorities since the beginning of 2019 is starting to pay off,” he said.

Koko has maintained his innocence, and his arrest doesn’t mean a political win for Ramaphosa.

Analysts point out that other high-ranking officials implicated in the graft inquiry continue to hold offices under Ramaphosa’s watch.

“He has the authority as the president of the country, as the leader of the administration to remove certain people now on all levels of government… which he’s not doing,” said Ina Gouws, a political scientist at the University of the Free State.“If he’s waiting for the National Prosecuting Authority to do his job for him, when it comes to getting rid of caterers who are implicated in corruption, then you can imagine how badly that goes for the country.”

The trial, set to take place in March, will not fix Eskom and the country’s energy crisis.

The utility is billions of dollars in debt and implementing daily blackouts due to breakdowns at power stations.

“The recovery of funds from the likes of people that have been arrested recently is quite frankly, trivial at this stage,” said Clyde Mallinson, an independent energy expert. “If Eskom had an infinite budget, as we speak, and if they had an infinite amount of coal, we would still be where we sit at the moment, because it’s time that we’ve lost.”

While the public may welcome the prospect of accountability for corruption at Eskom, Mallinson said they can’t expect the blackouts to end any time soon.
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World health officials say conflict and an ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid to northern Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region are putting the lives and health of millions of people at risk

The World Health Organization says 13.1 million people in parts of Ethiopia need health care and humanitarian assistance. More than 5.2 million are in Tigray.

Since conflict between the Ethiopian government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front began nearly two years ago, Tigray has been in a de facto blockade. A recent five-month truce was shattered two months ago, cutting off road and air access, as well as humanitarian aid.

Ilham Abdelhai Nour is Ethiopia team lead for the WHO’s Incident Management System and Emergencies Operations. She says 89% of Tigray’s population is food insecure and 29% of children under five are acutely malnourished.

“Malnourished children are usually very sick. They need urgent treatment. Some of them will need hospitalization and around-the-clock care. When they get sick, they tend to get a severe disease. They tend to die as well.”

She adds that 55% of pregnant and breastfeeding women also are acutely malnourished and risk getting sick and dying as well.

Director of the Health Emergencies interventions Altaf Musani notes only nine percent of health facilities in Tigray are fully functional. He says routine immunization has fallen below 10% this year, putting children at high risk of vaccine-preventable diseases.

He says that is particularly dangerous now when drought-affected areas of Ethiopia are reporting outbreaks of cholera and more than 6,000 cases of measles nationally have been confirmed.

“In Tigray and in parts surrounding it—and we have learned this from COVID—diseases do not know borders,” said Musani. “They do not respect those borders. So, whether it is measles, malaria, or suspect cases of anthrax, these things will move. And hence our ability as a system at large to detect and contain them is vital. In the case of northern Ethiopia, those systems are either stretched or non-existent.”

Musani says the WHO knows what diseases exist and what must be done to treat and prevent people from getting ill. However, he says, the WHO has limited access to Tigray.

He says the WHO is not able to get life-saving vaccines, fuel, and essential medicine into the area. He says those and other supplies that could make the difference between life and death cannot be brought into the area. And that, he says, is deeply worrying.
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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is planning on replacing its naira currency to reduce excess cash, inflation and crime. Although the currency could be in circulation as early as mid-December, Nigerians will have until the end of January to exchange the old bills, after which they will cease to be legal tender.  

This is the first time Nigeria will have changed the design of its currency in two decades.  

The bank will redesign and print new bills for the 200, 500 and 1,000 naira denominations, CBN governor Godwin Emefiele told journalists during a news conference in Abuja.   

The action is part of authorities’ efforts to halt the slide of the country’s official tender, which has lost more than 35 percent of its value in the past year. The CBN said the measure will help tackle the issue of counterfeit notes and recall large amounts of money outside the bank’s control.   

It will also stifle access to money used as ransom by terrorists and kidnappers. These kidnap-for-ransom gangs often demand huge sums, usually delivered to them in cash.   

Emefiele pointed out that the currency in circulation had more than doubled since 2015, a “worrisome trend that cannot continue to be allowed.”  

Authorities say now more than 85% of the total money in circulation is outside the vaults of banks.   

But while some analysts praise the move — saying it could address excessive flow and stashing of cash ahead of the elections next February — others, like economic expert Emeka Okengu, say it is ill-timed.   

Okengu argued that, “You don’t stop counterfeiting by changing the currency, you do so by finding those involved and getting them arrested. This is not the time. Eighty percent of Nigeria is under water both economically and financially.” He pointed out that the change was too close to the general elections and that, “If they waited for twenty years, nothing stops them from waiting another six months.”  

Security expert Senator Iroegbu also questioned the decision.   

“The reason they gave on the surface sounds genuine,” Iroegbu told VOA, “But when you look at it holistically you begin to ask questions. How practical is this and why now? Most times they always cite insecurity. What is the benefit of such exercise on security? This policy will only affect the poor masses.” 
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