“What’s Going On” Tallies Notable News Headlines From Across The Continent — The Good, The Bad, And The Horrible — As A Way Of Ensuring That We All Become A More Sagacious African Generation. With This Column, We’re Hoping To Disseminate The Latest Happenings In Our Socio-Political Climate From Across The Continent, Whilst Starting A Conversation About What’s Important For Us To All Discuss. From Political Affairs To Socio-Economic Issues, ‘What’s Going On’ Will Discuss Just That.

SUDAN REFUGEES ENTER ETHIOPIA AMID UNREST

Following the war that broke out between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 15, hundreds of refugees—consisting of citizens and residents of Sudan—have fled the country and crossed the border into Ethiopia. The fighting has claimed the lives of at least 700 people, most of them civilians and wounded thousands.

Multiple truce deals have been declared and quickly violated as gun battles and air strikes flared on Sunday in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital. The latest ceasefire efforts came from Saudi Arabia and the United States. “The United States stands with the people of Sudan—and we are acting to support their commitment to a future of peace and opportunity,” President Joe Biden said in a statement on May 4. “Today, I issued a new Executive Order that expands U.S. authorities to respond to the violence that began on April 15 with sanctions that hold individuals responsible for threatening the peace, security, and stability of Sudan; undermining Sudan’s democratic transition; using violence against civilians; or committing serious human rights abuses.”

Surreality of Khartoum. Totally empty streets. A homeless man sings alone amidst sounds of shelling and gun fighting. A stray dog comes along and sits besides him. He tries to comfort the dog by patting on him. #Sudan pic.twitter.com/rWfeF8I2WM

— Usamah Mohamed (@simsimt) May 5, 2023

With the eyes of the world on Sudan, some citizens and foreign nationals are caught in the middle of the war, hiding in their homes amid shortages of water, food, medicines and other essentials.

AUTOPSIES RULE OUT ORGAN HARVESTING IN KENYA CULT DEATHS

According to government pathologists, autopsies performed on 112 bodies of cult members unearthed from shallow graves in Kenya’s coastal Kilifi County have excluded the possibility of organ harvesting. The verdict is that some of the victims died due to starvation, strangulation and suffocation.

The victims were members of the Paul Mackenzie Nthenge-led Good News International Church. In April, at least 109 bodies were retrieved from mass graves in the Shakahola forest, with Nthenge believed to have encouraged his followers to starve themselves to gain salvation. Nthenge appeared in court on Tuesday (May 2) and could face “possible terrorism charges,” according to his lawyer George Kariuki.

Kenyan police are expected to excavate more graves in their search for additional victims. Mackenzie is currently in police custody, pending investigation. To investigate the deaths of these Christian cult followers, President William Ruto has established a commission of inquiry.

DR CONGO MOURN AFTERMATH OF DEADLY FLOODS

According to officials, the death toll from the floods that ravaged two villages in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to more than 400. The government has also declared Monday as a day of national mourning in memory of the dead and missing.

On Thursday, May 4, the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi in Kalehe territory, South Kivu province, were submerged after days of torrential rain caused landslides and rivers to leave their banks. The disaster came two days after floods killed at least 131 people and destroyed thousands of homes in neighbouring Rwanda.

“It is the worst flood we have ever had,” civil society representative Christian Zihindula Bazibuhe said, adding that bodies were still floating on Lake Kivu. António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), stated on Saturday during a visit to Burundi that it was “a new illustration of an acceleration of climate change and its dramatic consequences for countries that are not involved in global warming” of the planet.

NIGER SOLDIERS DIE IN MINE EXPLOSION

The Nigerien National Guard (GNN) reported on Sunday that seven Nigerien soldiers were killed when their vehicle exploded on a mine in the western region of Tillabéri, where jihadist groups regularly operate.

“A vehicle of the weekly supply escort mission hit a mine late this morning, about 6km from the village of Samira, in the department of Gothèye, near the border with Burkina Faso,” said a statement on state television from the GNN, which is attached to the Interior Ministry and is at the forefront of the anti-jihadist fight. The village of Samira has been home to Niger’s only industrial gold mine since 2004.

Africanews reports that the Nigerien government has been fighting jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) there since February 2022, in an operation called Niya with more than 2,000 men. Niger is also facing deadly actions by Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) in its south-eastern part.

Featured Image Credits/The NATIVE