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Flooding displaces thousands in western Ethiopia

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Heavy flooding in western Ethiopia has displaced around 16,000 people, local media reported on Monday. The floods, caused by intense rainfall, affected four districts in the Gambella region, according to the state-owned Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC). The floods damaged homes and agricultural fields, leaving the community in urgent need of aid, the regional communication bureau reported. The displaced individuals have been relocated to safer, drier areas. Authorities, along with relevant stakeholders, are working to address the situation, said Gatbel Moon, a local disaster risk management official. This flooding is part of a recurring issue in the region, as August is the rainy season in Ethiopia, frequently resulting in severe floods in Gambella and other areas.

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Ex-Gambian President Jammeh’s accused hit squad general detained

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The Gambian military has announced the detention of former General Bora Colley, who is accused of being part of a hit squad targeting opponents of exiled former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. According to a statement from the Gambian Armed Forces (GAF), Colley was detained on August 9 after voluntarily surrendering to the GAF Military Police at Yundum Barracks. The statement noted that intelligence services had been monitoring Colley’s residence in Banjul on the day of his arrest. Colley is currently in custody and cooperating with Military Police during the investigation. Colley is alleged to have been a member of the “Junglers,” a hit squad established by Jammeh to “suppress the Gambian people, silence opposition, and carry out execution orders” between 2003 and 2006. Yahya Jammeh’s Rule Yahya Jammeh took power in Gambia through a military coup on July 22, 1994, and ruled the country for 22 years. During his presidency, Jammeh was accused of various human rights violations, including torture, rape, and executions. He lost the presidential election to Adama Barrow on December 1, 2016. Jammeh initially refused to accept the election results and rejected calls to step down. He declared a 90-day state of emergency on January 17, 2017, but eventually left the country for Equatorial Guinea on January 21, 2017, after pressure mounted. Jammeh announced in May that he would return to Gambia.

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Hamas calls for urgent meeting of Arab League

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 The Palestinian resistance group Hamas called Sunday on the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to hold an urgent meeting on Israel’s ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip. It emphasized the need to “make effective decisions that lead to halting the aggression and ongoing genocide against our people in the Gaza Strip and to cut any political, commercial or normalization relations with the Zionist occupation.” Hamas also called for “the implementation of the decisions made at the joint Arab and Islamic summit which took place in Riyadh on Nov. 11 last year to break the siege and deliver aid and relief to our besieged people in the Gaza Strip.” In addition, it called on the UN Security Council to “hold an emergency session and make a decision that obliges the occupation (Israel) to stop the aggression and genocide and to cease its blatant violations of laws and treaties, which have become an effective recipe for destabilizing regional and international security and peace.” Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas. The Israeli onslaught has since killed nearly 39,800 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 92,000 others, according to local health authorities. More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine. Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

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DR Congo releases 527 prisoners to address overcrowding.

Africa /

On August 10, 2024, Constant Mutamba, the Minister of Justice of the Democratic Republic of Congo, announced the release of nearly 527 prisoners from the Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa. Mutamba also delivered 2,000 mattresses, part of a 7,000-mattress order, to improve conditions for inmates. He emphasized the government’s commitment to the rule of law and pledged further releases of unjustly detained prisoners. He assured that no prisoner would sleep on the floor as new beds are being manufactured and the prison’s health center and several pavilions are being renovated. A new prison is also planned for Maluku. The government previously announced plans to release at least 7,000 inmates from Makala, the country’s largest jail, which, designed for 1,500 inmates in 1957, now holds over 15,000 people under notoriously poor conditions.

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Stolen helicopter crashes into Australian hotel, pilot killed

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 A stolen helicopter crashed into a hotel in Australia on Monday, killing the pilot. The incident occurred at around 2.00 a.m. (1600GMT, Sunday) in far north Queensland, when the helicopter hit the hotel roof, forcing the evacuation of around 400 people. No one was injured as one of the chopper’s blades fell on the walkway and another in the hotel pool. According to the owners, the helicopter was stolen before the pilot’s “unauthorized flight,” ABC News reported. The pilot was alone during the flight and has yet to be identified. Nautilus Aviation, which owns the chopper, has confirmed that its pilots were not involved in the incident.

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Tanzanian police arrest key opposition leaders amid heightened tensions

Africa /

Police in Tanzania arrested several key opposition figures Sunday in the southern highlands city of Mbeya. Those arrested include former presidential candidate Tundu Lissu. Lissu, a leading figure in the Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) party, was reportedly beaten severely by police before being taken to an undisclosed location, according to party officials. The arrests took place ahead of World Youth Day celebrations, which Chadema’s youth wing, Bavicha, had planned to mark with a public gathering.  Authorities swiftly moved to prevent the event, citing concerns over potential unrest.  The crackdown came at a time when President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been pursuing a reconciliation process with the opposition, raising questions about the sincerity of these efforts. Freeman Mbowe, Chadema’s chairman, condemned the arrests and the police’s actions.  “We strongly condemn the police for arresting our top party leaders, including those from the Chadema Youth Council, Bavicha,” Mbowe said.  He demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained. Lissu, who survived a 2017 assassination attempt, has been a vocal critic of the government. His recent declaration to challenge President Samia in the 2025 elections has heightened tensions. Reports suggest that Lissu and Chadema’s Secretary General, John Mnyika, were separated from other detainees, with eyewitnesses claiming that Lissu was brutally beaten before being taken away. Human rights advocate Onesmo Ole Ngurumwa warned that the government’s actions threaten to undermine national unity and democratic reforms as the country approaches local elections in October. “What is happening in Mbeya is a bad sign that we could revert to the dark days. If political meetings are banned, young people might create social movements outside the party system, which are much harder to deal with,” he said.

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Israeli airstrike on Gaza school kills 100 during prayer

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At least 100 Palestinians were killed early Saturday when the Israeli military bombed the Al-Taba’een school in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. The school was housing displaced residents. Dozens were injured in the attack. Israeli military aircraft targeted the school while worshippers were performing the fajr (dawn) prayer, the Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported. The Government Media Office in Gaza condemned the school “massacre,” saying that the attack is “part of a broader campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people.” In a statement, the media office said: “The occupation army directly targeted displaced civilians while performing fajr (dawn) prayers, (which) led to a rapid rise in the number of casualties.” It placed “full responsibility for the massacre on the Israeli occupation and the US administration.” The media office also urged the international community and global organizations to “put pressure on Israel to stop the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing of civilians and displaced people in the Gaza Strip.” Meanwhile, the Israeli army claimed the school contained an “operating military headquarters” for the Palestinian group Hamas. It claimed that “several steps were taken to minimize the risk of civilian harm.” With the bombing of Al-Taba’een School, the total number of schools targeted by the Israeli army in Gaza City over the past week has increased to six, according to an Anadolu tally. Despite appeals on Thursday from mediators, including Egypt, the US, and Qatar, to stop hostilities, reach a cease-fire, and a hostage exchange agreement, Israel persists with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip. This escalation came amid threats of retaliation by Lebanon’s Hezbollah group following the assassination of its top commander, Fuad Shukr, in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut on July 30 and Iran’s threats to retaliate after the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in the capital Tehran on July 31, an attack attributed to Tel Aviv. The Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 39,700 people since last October following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas. More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine. Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

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ECOWAS Sending 1,200 troops to Sierra Leone

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has announced that it will send 1,200 troops to Sierra Leone. According to a written statement by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the ECOWAS Chairperson Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Tinubu met with the chiefs of staff of member countries in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa stated during the meeting that ECOWAS has decided to deploy 1,200 troops to Sierra Leone and that the member countries have pledged to support this effort. Coup Attempt in Sierra Leone On November 26, 2023, a group attacked an armory at the Wilberforce Barracks in Freetown, followed by an assault on a nearby prison. In the prison attack, 2,200 inmates escaped, leading to a partial curfew being imposed across the country. Military spokesperson Issa Bangura reported that in the attack on the Wilberforce Barracks, 19 people, including 13 soldiers and one police officer, lost their lives, and 8 others were injured. Sierra Leone’s Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor A. Bah, described the attacks on the barracks and the prison as a “coup attempt.” Several individuals, including military personnel and police officers, have been detained in connection with the coup attempt. Among the suspects, 12, including a bodyguard of former President Ernest Bai Koroma, have been charged with “treason.” Koroma traveled to Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, after Sierra Leone’s High Court permitted him to go abroad for medical treatment.

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