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Protesters took to the streets of the Kenyan capital on Thursday to vent their anger over the death of a blogger in police custody. Albert Ojwang was arrested June 6 in Homa Bay in western Kenya and driven 400 kilometers (248 miles) to Nairobi for what police said was publishing “false information” about a top police official on social media. He subsequently died at the Central Police Station after “hitting his head against the cell wall,” police said. Amnesty International and local activists have questioned that account. The protesters occupied the road in Nairobi leading to the parliamentary building, where the national budget was due to be presented Thursday. At least two cars were set on fire in a street nearby, reports AP. Police on Monday fired tear gas to disperse another protest demanding accountability for Ojwang's death. Authorities have since said an official investigation is underway. Rescuers in South Africa search for the missing after floods leave at least 49 dead President William Ruto in a statement on Wednesday said Ojwang's death was “heartbreaking and unacceptable." “I strongly condemn the actions and omissions, including any negligence or outright criminality, that may have contributed to his untimely death,” Ruto said. The blogger’s death comes almost a year after several activists and protesters were killed and abducted by Kenyan police during finance bill protests. The rallies led to calls for the removal of Ruto, who has been criticized for what some say is his authoritarian streak.

Rescue teams began a third day searching for missing people Thursday after floods devastated parts of South Africa's rural Eastern Cape province and left at least 49 dead. Authorities said they expected the death toll to rise. The missing included four high school students who were swept away when their bus was caught up in the floods near a river on Tuesday. Six students on the bus were confirmed dead, while three were rescued after clinging onto trees and calling out for help, according to the provincial government. The floods hit the province early Tuesday after an extreme cold front brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow to parts of eastern and southern South Africa. Forecasters had warned about the damaging weather last week. Eastern Cape provincial government officials said they believed people were still missing but did not give an exact number. They were working with families to find out who was still unaccounted for, they said. On Wednesday, rescue teams brought bodies out of the water in blue body bags, while witnesses said many people had taken refuge on the top of buildings or in trees. 'The Herds' begins Climate-Themed Journey from Central Africa to the Arctic The floods centered on the town of Mthatha and its surrounding district, which is around 430 kilometers (267 miles) south of the east coast city of Durban. Officials said at least 58 schools and 20 hospitals were damaged, while hundreds of families were left homeless after their houses were submerged under water or washed away by the floods. Critical infrastructure including roads and bridges has been badly damaged, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane said. He said it was one of the worst weather-related disasters his province had experienced. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced he had activated the National Disaster Management Center to help local authorities in the Eastern Cape, while national officials were expected to visit the province on Thursday.

Namibia marked the mass killings of Indigenous people in the early 20th century by former colonial ruler Germany with its first genocide remembrance day on Wednesday. The day was declared a national holiday last year by the government and was commemorated for the first time with a ceremony in the gardens of the national Parliament in the capital, Windhoek. Between 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people were massacred or forced into concentration camps and starved by German colonial forces under the command of Gen. Lothar von Trotha, in what was then German South West Africa.  Namibia votes potentially electing its first female president Germany formally recognized the atrocities as a genocide in 2021 and agreed to pay Namibia 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) over the course of 30 years to fund various projects. Namibia has rejected that and is pushing for more money and formal reparations for the massacres. “Many people from the two communities were forced into concentration camps where they were starved to death and their skulls were taken to Germany for so-called scientific research," Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said at Wednesday's ceremony. “These horrendous acts are now part of our collective history of resistance and resilience.” The killings of Herero and Nama men, women and children have been recognized as the first genocide of the 20th century. Historians say von Trotha, who was sent to German South West Africa to put down an uprising by the Herero people, instructed his troops to wipe out the entire tribe. They say that the majority of the Herero people, about 65,000, were killed as were at least 10,000 Nama. Symbolic candles were lit at Wednesday's remembrance ceremony, which was also attended by leaders and descendants of the Herero and Nama people. Namibia chose May 28 as the day to mark the genocide because it was the date Germany finally gave the order to close down the concentration camps. Germany was the colonial ruler of Namibia from 1884 until 1915, when it gave up the territory to South Africa. Namibia finally gained independence from South Africa in 1990. There have been calls by the affected communities in Namibia for years for the government to declare a remembrance day in honour of those who died.  Horse Therapy Program in Namibia brings joy to children with learning challenges Talks between Germany and Namibia over finding a suitable settlement for Germany's role in the genocide have been going on for a decade. In 2018, Germany also returned more than a dozen skulls and other human remains that were taken from Namibia for pseudo-scientific racial experiments. They had been stored in German hospitals, museums and universities for decades.

Sudan's notorious paramilitary group launched a two-day attack on famine-hit camps for displaced people that left more than 100 dead, including 20 children and nine aid workers, in the Darfur region, a UN official said Saturday. The Rapid Support Forces and allied militias launched an offensive on the Zamzam and Abu Shorouk camps and the nearby city of el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province, on Friday, said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan Clementine Nkweta-Salami, AP reports. El-Fasher is under the control of the military, which has fought the RSF since Sudan descended into civil war two years ago, killing more than than 24,000 people, according to the United Nations, though activists say the number is likely far higher. The camps were attacked again on Saturday, Nkweta-Salami said in a statement. She said that nine aid workers were killed “while operating one of the very few remaining health posts still operational” in Zamzam camp. “This represents yet another deadly and unacceptable escalation in a series of brutal attacks on displaced people and aid workers in Sudan since the onset of this conflict nearly two years ago,” she said. Nkweta-Salami didn’t identify the aid workers but Sudan’s Doctors’ Union said in a statement that six medical workers with the Relief International were killed when their hospital in Zamzam came under attack on Friday. South Sudan teetering on the edge of renewed civil war, UN envoy says In a statement Saturday evening, Relief International mourned the death of its nine workers, saying they were killed the previous day in a “targeted attack on all health infrastructure in the region,” including the group’s clinic. The group said the central market in Zamzam along with hundreds of makeshift homes in the camp were destroyed in the attack. The offensive forced about 2,400 people to flee the camps and el-Fasher, according to the General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees, a local group in Darfur. Zamzam and Abu Shouk shelter more than 700,000 people who have been forced to flee their homes across Darfur during past bouts of fighting in the region, Nkweta-Salami said.

Rescue crews in the Dominican Republic on Thursday dug through the remains of a legendary nightclub whose roof collapsed earlier this week, killing at least 184 people, but hope of finding survivors was slim. Meanwhile, dozens of people in the capital of Santo Domingo still searched for their loved ones, growing frustrated upon getting no answers after visiting hospitals and the country's forensic institute. Doctors warned that some of the two dozen patients who remained hospitalized were still not in the clear, especially the eight who were in critical condition. “If the trauma is too great, there's not a lot of time” left to save patients in that condition, said Health Minister Dr. Víctor Atallah. He and other doctors said that injuries include fractures in the skull, femur and pelvis caused by slabs of cement falling on those attending a merengue concert at the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, where more than 200 were injured. The government said Wednesday night that it was moving to a recovery phase focused on finding bodies, but Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations, said crews at the scene were still looking for victims and potential survivors although no one has been found alive since Tuesday afternoon. 98 people killed in Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse “We’re not going to abandon anyone. Our work will continue,” he said. The legendary club was packed with musicians, professional athletes and government officials when dust began falling from the ceiling and into people’s drinks early Tuesday. Minutes later, the roof collapsed. Victims include merengue icon Rubby Pérez, who had been singing to the crowd before the roof fell; former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera; and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi whose brother is seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz. Also killed was a retired United Nations official; saxophonist Luis Solís, who was playing onstage when the roof fell; New York-based fashion designer Martín Polanco; the son and daughter-in-law of the minister of public works; the brother of the vice minister of the Ministry of Youth; and three employees of Grupo Popular, a financial services company, including the president of AFP Popular Bank and his wife. Randolfo Rijo Gómez, director of the country's 911 system, said it received more than 100 calls, with several of those made by people buried under the rubble. He noted that police arrived at the scene in 90 seconds, followed minutes later by first response units. In less than half an hour, 25 soldiers, seven fire brigades and 77 ambulances were activated, he said. Crews used dogs and thermal cameras to search for victims, rescuing 145 survivors from the rubble, authorities said. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse, or when the Jet Set building was last inspected. The government said late Wednesday that once the recovery phase ends, it will launch a thorough investigation. At least 13 dead, 70 injured in roof collapse at Dominican Republic discotheque The club issued a statement saying it was cooperating with authorities. A spokesperson for the family that owns the club told The Associated Press that she passed along questions about potential inspections. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works referred questions to the mayor’s office. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

 At least 13 people died and more than 70 were injured after a roof fell at a discotheque in the capital of the Dominican Republic early Tuesday, authorities said. Crews were searching for potential survivors in the rubble at Jet Set in Santo Domingo, said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations. “We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble,” he said. Among the injured is merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof collapsed, officials said. President Luis Abinader wrote on X that all rescue agencies are “working tirelessly” to help those affected. 5 killed as under-construction elevated road collapses in Bangkok “We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred,” he wrote. At one hospital where the injured were taken, an official stood outside reading aloud the names of survivors as a crowd gathered around her and yelled out the names of their loved ones. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse.

The number of confirmed deaths from severe flooding in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, rose to 33 on Monday, as emergency teams worked to evacuate and assist hundreds of residents trapped in their homes. Congolese Interior Minister Jacquemin Shabani said 10 additional deaths were confirmed as of Sunday evening, adding to the 23 fatalities reported a day earlier. The flooding began after days of heavy rain last week, which caused the Ndjili River to overflow on Friday, inundating vast parts of the city and cutting access to over half of it. Although water levels began to recede by Monday morning, several key roads remained blocked, limiting traffic flow. Many Kinshasa residents have criticized the government for its delayed response to the disaster. Officials stated that most of the casualties occurred due to collapsing walls as the floods hit. At least 16 dead in flooding and tornadoes as storms slash from Texas to Ohio The city’s main road connecting the airport and linking Kinshasa to the rest of the country was heavily damaged, but Governor Daniel Bumba assured that it would reopen to all vehicles within 72 hours. Floodwaters also disrupted access to drinking water in at least 16 of the city's communes, with water treatment facilities among the damaged infrastructure, the Interior Ministry said. Authorities have established at least four emergency shelters across Kinshasa to house the displaced, now numbering in the hundreds. President Félix Tshisekedi was expected to visit affected communities and hospitals treating the injured on Monday. Massive march storm to bring blizzards, tornadoes, flooding, and fires across US This disaster echoes a similar tragedy in 2022 when flooding killed more than 100 people in the capital. It also comes as the country grapples with a worsening humanitarian crisis in its eastern region, more than 2,600 kilometers away, where fighting with armed rebel groups has intensified since February. Source: With input from agency 

Senegal's parliament approved revisions to a law passed under the former president that granted amnesty for offences committed during deadly opposition protests in the West African country. The law was passed in March 2024, shortly before the presidential election, and granted amnesty for offences by both security forces and protesters during violent demonstrations between 2021 and 2024. Rights group Amnesty International said at least 65 people were killed during the clashes. Rights groups and lawyers criticized the law because it prevented any prosecution of the sponsors and perpetrators of the violence. The protests were triggered by concerns that the president at the time, Macky Sall, was attempting to muzzle his opponents and seek a third term in office despite being prevented by the constitution. Sall denied seeking a third term. The protests were exacerbated by the arrests in 2023 of the top opposition figures Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko on charges that were largely seen as politically motivated. Faye and Sonko were released in March 2024 after the amnesty law took effect less than two weeks before the presidential election. Faye was catapulted into the presidency when Sonko — who was barred from running due to a previous conviction — backed the political novice and Faye easily beat the candidate backed by Sall. Sudan aid groups say 54 killed in military airstrike On Wednesday, Senegalese lawmakers adopted a revision of the law removing amnesty for specific crimes including murder, torture and forced disappearance. The measure passed by a vote of 126-20. Aissata Tall Sall, the leader of the opposition coalition Takku Wallu Senegal, criticized the measure as a "law of settling scores that risks further dividing the Senegalese, instead of reconciling them.” “The new law does not seek revenge but justice,” Ismaïla Diallo, a lawmaker for the ruling PASTEF party, said.

Aid organisations in Sudan reported on Tuesday that at least 54 people were killed in a military airstrike on a local market in the country’s western region. The attack on Monday targeted the village of Tora, causing a large fire, as stated by Adam Rejal, a spokesperson for the General Coordination, a local organisation assisting displaced people in Darfur. Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah, a spokesman for the Sudanese military, denied targeting civilians, describing the allegations as “incorrect” and claiming they are often made when the military exercises its constitutional and legal right to address hostile threats. South Sudan teetering on the edge of renewed civil war, UN envoy says The airstrike severely damaged much of the weekly market in Tora, which lies 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province. Support Darfur Victims, a local group aiding those affected by the Darfur conflict, released graphic video footage that appeared to show burnt structures and charred bodies on the ground. More than half of the deceased were women, according to a casualty list provided by Rejal. The list also showed that at least 23 people were injured and seven went missing. Rejal described the strike as “a crime against humanity and a clear violation of all international and humanitarian laws and conventions.” El-Fasher is under the control of the Sudanese military, despite daily attacks from the rival paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The strike on Monday is the latest in a series of deadly attacks in the ongoing war, which began in April 2023 when tensions between the military and the RSF escalated into full-scale conflict across Sudan. The war has devastated the capital and other urban areas, claiming over 28,000 lives, displacing millions, and forcing some families to resort to eating grass to survive as famine spreads throughout the country. Some estimates suggest a much higher death toll. Sudan’s military retakes govt headquarters The conflict has been marked by atrocities such as mass rape and ethnically motivated killings, which are considered war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in the western region of Darfur, according to the United Nations and international human rights groups. The Sudanese military has made gradual advances against the RSF in recent months, including regaining control of most key strategic and government buildings in the capital, Khartoum, in March, including the Republican Palace, which housed the pre-war government.

South Sudan is teetering on the edge of renewed civil war, the top UN official in the world’s youngest nation warned on Monday, lamenting the government’s sudden postponement of the latest peace effort. Calling the situation unfolding in the country “dire,” Nicholas Haysom said international efforts to broker a peaceful solution can only succeed if President Salva Kiir and his rival-turned-vice president, Riek Machar, are willing to engage “and put the interests of their people ahead of their own.” There were high hopes when oil-rich South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a long conflict. But the country slid into a civil war in December 2013 largely based on ethnic divisions when forces loyal to Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, battled those loyal to Machar, an ethnic Nuer. More than 400,000 people were killed in the war, which ended with a 2018 peace agreement that brought Kiir and Machar together in a government of national unity. Under the agreement, elections were supposed to be held in February 2023, but they were postponed until December 2024 — and again until 2026. The latest tensions stem from fighting in the country’s north between government troops and a rebel militia, known as the White Army, which is widely believed to be allied with Machar. South Africa president denies white persecution Earlier this month, a South Sudanese general was among several people killed when a United Nations helicopter on a mission to evacuate government troops from the town of Nasir, the scene of the fighting in Upper Nile state, came under fire. Days earlier on March 4, the White Army overran the military garrison in Nasir and government troops responded by surrounding Machar’s home in the capital, Juba, and arresting several of his key allies. Haysom said tensions and violence were escalating “particularly as we grow closer to elections and as political competition increases, sharpens between the principal players.” He said Kiir and Machar don’t trust each other enough to display the leadership needed to implement the 2018 peace deal and move to a future that would see a stable and democratic South Sudan. “Rampant misinformation, disinformation and hate speech is also ratcheting up tensions and driving ethnic divisions, and fear,” Haysom said. “Given this grim situation,” he said, “we are left with no other conclusion but to assess that South Sudan is teetering on the edge of a relapse into civil war.” Haysom, who heads the nearly 18,000-member U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, warned that a relapse into open war would lead to the same horrors that ravaged the country, especially in 2013 and 2016. He said the UN takes the threat of the “ethnic transformation” of the conflict very seriously. To try to prevent a new civil war, the UN special envoy said the peacekeeping mission is engaging in intense shuttle diplomacy with international and regional partners, including the African Union. Haysom said the collective message of the regional and international community is for Kiir and Machar to meet to resolve their differences, return to the 2018 peace deal, adhere to the ceasefire, release detained officials and resolve tensions “through dialogue rather than military confrontation.”