International
More than 100 women raped and burned alive in DR Congo, says UN
More than 100 female prisoners were raped and then burned alive during a jailbreak in the Congolese city of Goma, according to the UN.
Hundreds of prisoners broke out of Munzenze prison last Monday, after fighters from the M23 rebel group began to take over the city.
Between 165 and 167 women were assaulted by male inmates during the jailbreak, an internal UN document seen by the BBC says.
The report states that most of the women were killed after the inmates set fire to the prison.
The BBC has not been able to verify the reports.
Goma, a major city of more than a million people, was captured after the Rwanda-backed M23 executed a rapid advance through eastern DR Congo.
The city was plunged into chaos, with bodies lying in the streets and missiles reportedly flying over residential homes.
In a separate video, people believed to be the escaped prisoners, filed through Goma’s streets.
The UN says at least 2,900 people were killed during the fighting, with 2,000 bodies buried and another 900 still in the city’s morgues.
Earlier this week, the rebels announced a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.
However, the M23 launched a new offensive on Wednesday, sources say, reportedly capturing the mining town of Nyabibwe.
Nyabibwe is about 100 km (60 miles) from Bukavu – the east’s second-largest city, and the reported target of the rebels’ most recent advance.
The Congolese authorities have enlisted hundreds of civilian volunteers to help defend Bukavu.
Meanwhile, Malawi has announced it will start preparations for a withdrawal of its peacekeeping forces from the country. This follows the killing of three of its soldiers in the fighting around Goma.
They were part of a southern African force, led by South Africa. Although 14 South Africans have been killed, President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to keep his forces in the country.
Back in Goma, where residents are adapting to life under the M23, there are fears of a cholera outbreak.
Stephan Goetghbuer, a regional lead from the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said: “Access to water has been cut for days, corpses have been lying in the streets and waterborne diseases such as cholera are a real threat.
“Some of our cholera treatment centres are full and have been expanded.” (BBC)
International
France braces for another weekend of protests as authorities launch massive security operation
France is bracing for yet another wave of protests this weekend with authorities racing to prevent a repeat of the kind of violence and riots that hit the nation last week.
French authorities will be launching a massive security operation with some 70,000 police officers deployed across the country over the weekend, according to the interior ministry.
Specialist SWAT units, helicopters, armored vehicles, police dogs and water cannons will all be part of the operation. On top of that, the number of French army soldiers that normally patrol Paris as part of the country’s counter-terrorism measures will be increased to free the police from stationary guard duties.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez issued a stark warning on Friday to anyone looking for trouble, saying the government would be “uncompromising with those who engage in destruction.”
Last week’s violence followed weeks of protests over education, dismal job prospects and the cost of living. Initially peaceful and attended mostly by students, the demonstrations quickly turned into the worst wave of deadly, nationwide violence in years.
This week, curfews were imposed in some cities to help maintain calm.
Bracing for Saturday
A large demonstration has been called for Saturday afternoon in Paris and French media are expecting hundreds of thousands of people to attend.
The protest is organized by France’s main student union, UNEF, with one of the country’s biggest trade unions, CGT, announcing it would join. Other groups are expected to attend, including farmers, climate activists and the Yellow Vests, the movement that first emerged in 2018 during the protests over fuel costs.
While the protest in Paris has been authorized by the authorities, French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday banned all non-trade union protests on Saturday as he seeks to control the civil unrest.
But the preparations go well beyond bans and police warnings, especially since last week’s riots sparked criticism of the authorities for not taking the threat seriously enough.
A police officer ties in place a perimeter tape near Chatelet – Les Halles to enforce a curfew, in central Paris on October 20.
A police officer ties in place a perimeter tape near Chatelet – Les Halles to enforce a curfew, in central Paris on October 20.
Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP/Getty Images
The City of Paris announced earlier this week it was clearing public spaces of equipment and materials that could be used to cause damage, including barriers, bins, construction material and other items.
Many of the main tourist sites in the French capital, including world-famous museums like the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie will be closed on Saturday.
Art Basel finished the Paris version of its fair on Friday, two days earlier than scheduled. The Paris National Opera cancelled its performances on Saturday, citing the protests as the reason, and at least two dozen metro stations will also be closed for much of the day, according to Paris municipal authorities.
An NFL game between Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints is set to take place at the Stade de France just outside of the capital on Sunday. While the match is scheduled to go ahead, a Steelers fan event in Paris was cancelled by the NFL.
During last weekend’s riots, at least two people died and multiple others suffered serious injuries, including two people who lost their hands. French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said some 2,700 people were held for questioning and 232 have been incarcerated in connection to the riots. (CNN)
There are grave fears for the passengers of a private plane that suddenly vanished mid-flight, sparking a major search off the coast of the US.
US authorities say the Gulfstream G100 lost contact with air traffic control about 2am local time on Saturday (4pm Saturday AET) while flying from L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda to Boston Logan International Airport.
The US Coast Guard said the Federal Aviation Administration alerted it after contact was lost with the aircraft – which plummeted from 23,500 feet to 11,000 feet in just three minutes, according to FlightAware data.
“We are praying for a safe outcome,” a spokesperson for Latitude Air Ambulance, which operates the missing plane, told City News.
A search is now under way off Nantucket in the air and on water as crews work to locate the missing jet, the Coast Guard said. Data from FlightRadar24 showed a number of aircraft searching south of the island.
Six people are missing after a private jet vanished, sparking a major search off the coast of Nantucket in the US.
The plane was en route from Bermuda to Boston when it vanished.
“Air & surface crews have launched in search of the aircraft. Updates will be provided here as info becomes available,” the Coast Guard Northeast District said on X.
The plane was carrying out a medical evacuation in Bermuda – a British overseas territory in the north Atlantic Ocean, according to Clarence Togeretz, Director of Flight Operations at Latitude Air Ambulance.
“We always get rather concerned when our crew doesn’t report to us in a timely manner,” he told NBC News.
“But I will say that again, optimistically and positively, that doesn’t mean that the worst has happened.”
Seventeen people were killed when eight gunmen stormed a bar close to Johannesburg on Saturday evening, with 15 more injured.
In a separate shooting in the early hours of Sunday morning, 10 people were killed outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town and a further 11 were injured.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world and has struggled to contain gang-related gun violence in recent years. Police have not indicated a motive for either of the latest attacks.
In Johannesburg, gunmen opened fire on customers outside the bar before continuing the attack inside and torching two vehicles before fleeing.
Police said thirteen men and four women were killed.
Deputy provincial police commissioner Maj Gen Fred Kekana said the attack may have been a retaliation for an incident last month, in which one person was killed and another wounded, according to AFP news agency.
Speaking at the scene, he said police had clear pictures and in some cases names for the suspects.
In Cape Town, five victims died at the scene and a further five people died in hospital.
No arrests had been made in either case on Sunday morning.
The two mass shootings came days after 11 people were killed in the city of Duban when gunmen stormed a house in the KwaMakhutha township.
Illegal weapons are prevalent in South Africa and gun violence has been a persistent problem for decades, with about 60 murders recorded every day in the country of 62 million.
But a recent spate of mass shootings has raised fears that the problem is deepening, with violence often linked to turf wars between gangs engaged in drug trafficking and illegal mining.
In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa called organised crime “the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development”.
Earlier this year the military was deployed alongside police in areas with the highest murder rates in an effort to reduce armed violence.
On Saturday a tenth woman’s body was found in Ekurhuleni, to the east of Johannesburg, with local police saying they were unable to rule out a serial killer operating in the area with similarities between the deaths. (BBC)
-
Features2 days agoMmesoma Umeorini: When Love Turns Deadly, and a Young Woman Pays With Her Life
-
Features2 days ago
Why Igbos Celebrate New Yam Festival Worldwide: The History, Cultural Significance and Lessons For The Younger Generation
-
News1 day ago
Kogi Police Probe Alleged Murder-Suicide Involving Two Officers
-
News12 hours ago
BREAKING: Tension as Video Shows Islamic Group Members Allegedly Calling for AK-47 to Kill Christians in Enugu, Jos
-
News3 days ago
Mbah: Why We Built 268 Smart Green Schools Across Enugu State
-
News1 day ago
NCDC Reports Two Suspected Ebola Cases as Contacts Rise to 53
-
News3 days ago
Anambra Police Arrest Suspect Over Murder of 23-Year-Old Woman in Uga
-
News1 day ago
Enugu Traders Pledge Support for Mbah’s Second Term, Cite Market Reforms
