Ten people have been killed and 34 injured in fighting between rival ethnic communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern city of Goma, a spokesman for the provincial government said on Tuesday. The clashes broke out when protests against the U.N.’s MONUSCO peacekeeping mission, which some blame for failing to end to worsening insecurity and militia attacks, descended into violence between the two communities. Attacks by armed militias and inter-communal violence in Congo’s restive eastern region have killed over 300 people since the start of the year as government troops and U.N. peacekeepers struggle to bring stability in the mineral-rich region. The governor of North Kivu province, Carly Nzanzu Kasivita, banned all public protests from Monday and called for calm. “From now o...
Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok announced Monday a new cabinet bringing in seven ex-rebel chiefs as ministers, following a peace deal in October aimed to end decades of war. Veteran rebel leader and economist Gibril Ibrahim, of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) – which played a major role in the Darfur conflict – was appointed as Sudan’s new finance minister. “We have reached consensus on over 25 ministries,” Hamdok said, during a press conference in Khartoum. “This line up aims to preserve this country from collapse… we know there will be challenges but we are certain that we will move forward.” Hamdok dissolved the previous cabinet on Sunday to make way for a more inclusive line up in government. Two ministers were selected from the military, with the remaining coming from th...
Katsina has called on villagers and rural dwellers to expose fleeing bandits and their informants to quickly end the spate of banditry attacks in some parts of the state. The Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Masari on Security Matters, Ahmad Katsina, told newsmen the ongoing bombardment of the forests by the joint security operatives has forced a few of the remnants of the bandits who escaped to seek refuge amongst villagers. He appealed to communities to be courageous enough in reporting such suspected movements to security agencies for prompt actions. According to him: “Fighting banditry should be a collective effort between the citizens and the security forces, the security forces without the collaboration of the citizens, would find it difficult, so the best approach is the collaborat...