United News of Bangladesh

At least 20 Somali soldiers were killed in an ambush by Islamic extremist militants in southern Somalia, according to a military officer who survived the attack, while the government acknowledged damage to military vehicles but did not report any troop casualties. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab group, which has been fighting Somalia's government for nearly two decades, claimed responsibility for Monday's attack near Jameeca village in the country's south. Somalia's Defence Ministry said government troops killed around 75 militants and wounded 56 others during hours of fighting. Al-Shabab, however, claimed that it had killed 321 soldiers and captured prisoners and military equipment. The casualty figures and claims about captured soldiers and equipment could not be independently verified. Abshir Abdikarim, a military officer travelling with the convoy, told The Associated Press by phone late Tuesday that he had seen at least 20 fellow soldiers dead following the attack. He said the troops had advanced from Leego to Jameeca in Burhakaba district of the Bay region, where they exchanged heavy gunfire with the militants. Some soldiers who had earlier been reported missing reached Baledogle on Tuesday, while others remained unaccounted for, he said. The Defence Ministry described the confrontation as an operation against militant positions, while al-Shabab said its fighters had ambushed a military convoy advancing into territory under its control. According to the ministry, the militants used vehicles loaded with explosives to attack army vehicles, damaging some of them. It did not specify the number of vehicles damaged or address claims that soldiers had been captured. Al-Shabab said it had seized Turkish-supplied armoured vehicles, armed pickup trucks, supply trucks, weapons and ammunition. African Union troops drove al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in 2011, but the group subsequently adapted its tactics, relying on guerrilla warfare, suicide bombings and targeted assassinations. Somali authorities have reported territorial gains in a US-backed military campaign against the militants, although restrictions on access have made it difficult to independently verify those claims. Al-Shabab has continued to operate across large areas of central and southern Somalia. The latest fighting comes amid a separate struggle for control of South West state. Government troops clashed last month near Baidoa with militias loyal to former regional President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, who resigned after federal forces seized the city in March. The Defence Ministry said government forces would continue targeting al-Shabab positions and disrupting efforts by the militants to regroup.

At least 62 people have been killed and 52 others injured in an attack by gunmen on a community in northeastern Nigeria, the country’s emergency agency said Tuesday. The attack took place on Friday in Binnari community in the Karim-Lamido local government area of Taraba state. Thousands of people were also displaced, said Ladan Ayuba, the state head of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The assailants were reportedly bandits, armed criminals who frequently attack civilians across northern Nigeria. NEMA officials said 52 bodies had been recovered so far, including 15 from the Benue River. Taraba police spokesperson Victor Mshelizah said the death toll was not final as recovery operations continued. “We still have men on the ground, and the more we recover bodies, we will put them in account,” he told The Associated Press. Amnesty International Nigeria director Isa Sanusi said the attackers drove people towards the river as they tried to escape. “What happened was that people were chased towards the river, they launched into the river trying to escape the bandits,” Sanusi said. Nigeria is grappling with a complex security crisis involving armed bandits who carry out mass kidnappings for ransom and control illegal mining sites, as well as Islamist militant groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province.

At least 60 Orthodox Christians were killed in two attacks in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, according to the country’s Orthodox Church, which urged authorities to protect civilians and bring the perpetrators to justice. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s Holy Synod said Monday that 14 people were killed in Merti district on October 20 and another 46 in Shirka district on October 24. Both districts are in the Arsi Zone of Oromia. More than 20 people were seriously injured and 20 houses were burned down in the attacks, which the church described as “brutal and merciless massacres.” Oromia regional government spokesperson Hailu Adugna blamed the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) for the attacks, accusing the rebels and their allies of attempting to provoke ethnic and religious conflict to divert attention from military losses in northern Ethiopia. However, he provided no evidence to support the allegations. Adugna expressed sorrow over the deaths and destruction, saying regional authorities had begun taking action against those responsible. He also pledged assistance to the injured and displaced people. The OLA could not be reached for comment. Its leader, Jaal Marroo, denied in an interview with The Associated Press published in February that his fighters target civilians, saying, “Our war is not against the people.” The OLA is one of seven groups in the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, formed in September with the aim of removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. The alliance also includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front and the Amhara Fano National Movement. The church said the attacks violated constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and the right to life. It called on authorities to publicly condemn the killings and take measures to prevent further violence. Oromia, Ethiopia’s largest region with a population of around 40 million, has been experiencing conflict between government forces and the OLA since 2018. Other armed groups and criminal gangs also operate in the region, where civilians face killings, extortion and kidnapping. United Nations investigators have accused the OLA of killings, rape and kidnapping. Human rights monitors have also documented abuses by government forces, including indiscriminate drone strikes, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Sarah Kimani, media manager at Amnesty International, told the AP in January that the organisation had documented summary executions, torture, abductions and rape by both government forces and the OLA. She said internet blackouts and restrictions on independent media and civil society had obscured the extent of civilian suffering. “What we have been able to document now is just the tip of the iceberg,” Kimani said.

A Swiss woman receiving treatment for Ebola in Nigeria was medically evacuated to Switzerland along with her husband on Monday, officials said, as Nigerian authorities continued monitoring 52 people who had been in contact with her. Nigerian Health Minister Muhammad Pate said the woman, the country’s first confirmed case in the current outbreak, left the capital, Abuja, early Monday with his approval. Her condition had improved significantly, and she was stable, conscious and able to communicate, he said. “This does not mean she is not still infectious, hence the strict protocols in place,” Pate wrote on X. Her husband, a Swiss diplomat stationed in Nigeria, has shown no symptoms. Mohamed Janabi, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa, said the evacuation was arranged because the couple are Swiss citizens. Nigerian medical teams had stabilised the woman after treating her through the acute phase of the illness, he said. Switzerland will take over her treatment and monitor her husband, while Nigeria will continue monitoring the other 52 contacts, Janabi said. “With the evacuation of the patient and her husband, Nigeria currently has no Ebola cases,” he said, stressing that continued vigilance remained essential. Pate said containment measures were still in place and urged Nigerians to remain alert. The woman tested positive for Ebola after returning to Abuja from Uganda. Nigerian authorities said on Friday that they had not yet determined how she contracted the virus. Switzerland’s foreign ministry told The Associated Press that the woman had not visited Congo and was believed to have contracted the infection while travelling to Uganda with her husband. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said the first patients identified in Nigeria and Kenya had both travelled through Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport on October 3. Uganda had previously reported Ebola cases but later declared itself free of the virus. Kenya has recorded nine cases, including two deaths, since confirming its first case earlier this month. On Monday, Kenya released 20 people from quarantine after they had been identified as contacts of the country’s first Ebola patient. Another 98 people were expected to be released starting next Tuesday. “Each of the 20 contacts was assessed against the release criteria, including 21 days without any symptoms since their last exposure,” the Kenyan Ministry of Health said in a statement. The spread of Ebola beyond Congo has heightened longstanding concerns among health authorities about the rapid transmission of the rare Bundibugyo virus. According to the latest figures from Congo’s health ministry, the outbreak has resulted in more than 9,900 cases, including over 4,800 deaths, since it began in May. The WHO has described it as the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak on record and said it was on track to surpass the death toll of the deadliest outbreak, which occurred in West Africa from 2014 to 2016 and killed 11,000 people. Nigeria was among the countries affected by that outbreak, recording 20 cases before the outbreak was declared over after three months.  

At least 24 people were killed and 24 others injured when a bus collided with a truck on Kenya’s main highway on Sunday, police said. The accident occurred just three weeks after another crash on the same highway, which connects the capital, Nairobi, with the coastal city of Mombasa, claimed 17 lives. Paul Kisienya, medical superintendent at Mtito Andei Hospital, which received most of the injured, said 24 people were being treated following the Sunday morning crash. The passengers were returning to Mombasa after attending the funeral of their church pastor in western Kenya when the accident occurred. Violet Mwandonyi, a mother of two, said the bus had just left Mtito Andei town, where the passengers had stopped for breakfast. “I cannot recall what exactly happened. The last thing I remember is that we were all wailing and calling on motorists to come to our rescue. I don't know the fate of my two children who were on the bus,” she said. The exact circumstances of the crash remain unclear. Another passenger, Spenza Mudave, said a truck struck the bus from behind, causing it to overturn. The National Transport Safety Authority had earlier suspected that “improper overtaking” was responsible, based on information indicating that the vehicles had collided head-on. The authority called for road crashes to be declared a “national disaster”. “Road crashes have reached a national emergency level, with about 20,000 crashes claiming over 5,000 lives annually,” it said in a statement. President William Ruto expressed condolences to the families of the victims and ordered inspections of all public service vehicles to ensure compliance with safety requirements and help prevent road accidents. He also urged drivers “to exercise utmost caution and observe traffic rules to safeguard lives.” Speeding and poor road conditions have previously been identified as contributing factors in road accidents in Kenya.  

At least 22 people were killed when a bus collided with a truck on Kenya’s main highway on Sunday, police said. The accident occurred just three weeks after another crash on the same highway, which connects the capital, Nairobi, with the coastal city of Mombasa, claimed 17 lives. Several people were injured in Sunday morning’s collision and were receiving medical treatment, police said. The passengers were reportedly returning from a funeral when the crash took place. Makueni County Commissioner Abdullahi Khalif said the death toll could rise. The cause of the accident has yet to be established. Speeding and poor road conditions have previously been identified as contributing factors in road accidents in Kenya. Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority said the section of the highway where the latest crash occurred had been designated an “accident black spot.” It added that recommendations had been made to address safety concerns along the stretch.

Hundreds of Ethiopians crossed into Kenya on Thursday amid gunfire and chaotic scenes in the border town of Moyale, Kenyan police said. A police officer escaped injury after a bullet struck a metal bar supporting a tent at the football ground of the Moyale police station, according to a police report. A woman was shot in the neck and taken to a private hospital in Moyale, where the bullet was removed. She was in stable condition, the report said. Another bullet shattered a window at La-Tahsan Hotel. Police did not identify where the gunfire originated. In a separate security brief issued on Thursday, police said hundreds of Ethiopians had entered Kenya through several points in Moyale, including Sessi, Kore, Biashara, Foundation and Miti. The crossings began on Wednesday, with women, children and young people accounting for most of the arrivals, the brief said. According to Kenyan police, the Ethiopians were fleeing tensions between leaders of Ethiopia’s Oromia and Somali regional states. The Kenya Red Cross said it was arranging temporary shelters and distributing essential supplies, including cereal and porridge flour, to those arriving from Ethiopia. “The response will initially reach 1,000 households,” the organisation said in a statement. Gunfire was heard on the Ethiopian side of the border from around 5:50am on Thursday and continued afterward, according to the police brief.

A human rights commission has called for tighter oversight of technologies used by criminal organisations in Latin America, warning that satellite internet, drones and online platforms are facilitating illegal mining and other activities that threaten forests and remote communities. The call was made Tuesday by the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights, known as REDESCA, which operates under the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The move reflects growing concerns over how criminal networks are using technology to coordinate operations, monitor territories and extend their activities into remote areas. REDESCA urged governments to strengthen controls on the transfer and use of these technologies and called on companies to assess whether their products and services could be misused by criminal groups. The statement came as a United Nations conference on transnational organised crime was underway in Vienna, where governments are considering launching negotiations on an agreement to combat environmental crimes, including illegal mining, logging and wildlife trafficking. More than a dozen Indigenous representatives from Amazonian countries are attending the Oct 19-23 gathering, calling for stronger international action against criminal networks threatening their forests and communities. REDESCA said satellite internet services, including Elon Musk's Starlink, have been used in illegal mining operations to coordinate logistics, payments and movements in remote areas lacking conventional communications infrastructure. Drones are also being deployed by armed groups and criminal organisations for surveillance and territorial control in areas associated with illicit economic activities, the office said. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, which monitors political violence worldwide, recorded around 670 incidents involving weaponised drones across Latin America since 2018, according to an August report by the organisation. More than 72% of the incidents occurred between January 2025 and August 2026. The figures indicate the growing use of armed drones across the region but are not limited to environmental crimes. REDESCA also drew attention to the use of social media to advertise mercury, a toxic metal used in illegal gold mining that can contaminate waterways and accumulate in fish consumed by local communities. Public prosecutors documented 108 TikTok posts promoting mercury for illegal gold mining, which collectively received more than 5.8 million views, according to REDESCA. The office did not identify the country or investigation involved when responding to questions from The Associated Press. REDESCA said publicly documented cases also included drones flying over Indigenous communities amid disputes related to illegal logging, as well as the use of weaponised drones to intimidate Indigenous civilians. However, it cautioned that the available evidence does not always establish a direct link between these incidents and activities related to environmental protection. Technology also helps communities protect forests The same technologies exploited by criminal groups can also help Indigenous communities safeguard their territories. Satellite imagery, GPS mapping and drones can help detect deforestation and illegal mining, enabling communities to gather evidence of incursions while potentially reducing their exposure to armed groups. REDESCA called on governments to improve oversight of technology transfers and investigate their illicit use. It also urged technology and telecommunications companies to evaluate the risk of their products and services being diverted to criminal organisations. The office further warned that the development and operation of advanced technologies have environmental consequences, including energy and water consumption, mineral extraction and electronic waste. It stressed that governments should support community-led environmental monitoring while ensuring that responsibility for protecting territories remains with public authorities.

At least 153 people were killed in a drone strike on a market in Abyei, a disputed border region between Sudan and South Sudan, after the attack hit a nearby fuel depot and triggered a fire that continued to burn on Tuesday, a local official said. Yohanna Akol Ngor, caretaker information minister of the Abyei administration, blamed Sudan’s military for Monday’s attack on Amiet Market, located north of Abyei town. “We have recorded 153 deaths,” Akol told The Associated Press by phone on Tuesday, adding that the death toll was continuing to rise as the fire raged. The motive behind the attack remained unclear, and the AP could not independently verify who was responsible. Sudan’s military did not respond to a request for comment. Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, said more than 20 injured people had been taken to Ameth Bek Hospital, where its medical teams were working alongside staff from South Sudan’s Health Ministry. “So far we received over 20 patients, including several critical cases. Patients with burns were also admitted,” said Dr Christian Lindauer, MSF’s medical activities manager at the hospital. South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry also blamed Sudan’s military, saying the strike hit several locations within the market, causing civilian casualties and extensive damage to property. The ministry said it had summoned Sudan’s ambassador to protest the attack and urged Khartoum to “refrain from any actions that endanger civilian lives and property.” It also called for disputes over Abyei to be resolved through diplomatic channels. Akol said the drone strike took place at around 11am on Monday, targeting a fuel depot that supplied local businesses. “It is a horrible and shocking situation,” he said. MSF called on all parties to halt attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, voicing concern over people's ability to safely access healthcare and other essential services. Amiet Market serves as a major trading hub for the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities. The attack comes as Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continue to fight a war that began in April 2023, devastating large parts of Sudan and threatening stability along its borders. The oil-rich Abyei region has long been disputed between Sudan and South Sudan. Its status remained unresolved under a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of civil war and was still unsettled when South Sudan gained independence in 2011. A proposed referendum on the region’s future stalled over disagreements about voter eligibility. The majority Ngok Dinka community supports joining South Sudan, while Misseriya nomads, who use the area’s pastures, favour remaining part of Sudan. Abyei has also witnessed deadly communal violence, including land-related clashes between the Ngok Dinka and neighbouring Twic Dinka communities.

Kenya's Ebola cases increased to eight on Sunday after another person, identified as a contact of the first patient, tested positive while in quarantine. Health Ministry Director-General Dr Patrick Amoth said the latest case involved a 49-year-old patient attendant who had cared for the first Ebola patient. The initial patient died at Nairobi Hospital on October 5, two days after arriving in Kenya from Congo via Uganda. Amoth said people in quarantine were being tested after developing symptoms. He added that the other six patients were in stable condition after receiving supportive treatment. Authorities identified around 130 contacts, including health workers, following the death of the first patient on October 5. Of them, 128 remain in quarantine. Ebola is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood and vomit, or through contaminated materials and surfaces such as bedding and clothing. Congo has been facing its deadliest outbreak, with at least 4,000 deaths since May. Kenya's first case involved a 40-year-old Kenyan man who travelled from Congo through Uganda and arrived in the country on October 3. A relative took him to hospital, where he died on October 5. Three of his close relatives have since tested positive for the virus. Three health workers have also contracted Ebola. Meanwhile, neighbouring Tanzania has tightened border screening measures and introduced mandatory health declarations and 21-day monitoring for travellers arriving from high-risk countries. Kenya's initial case exposed gaps in screening at border checkpoints. Authorities have since strengthened screening measures and established an emergency hotline for people who suspect they may have come into contact with an Ebola patient or develop symptoms. The country has also designated a gate at Nairobi's main airport for all flights arriving from 10 countries identified as being at the centre of the Ebola outbreak.