United News of Bangladesh

Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, came under drone attack for the third consecutive day on Thursday, as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted the city and its main airport, military officials and local media reported. The assault came just a day after Badr Airlines operated the first passenger flight to Khartoum in two years, following extensive repairs to the war-damaged airport. A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said air defenses intercepted the drones before they could cause damage. Both the RSF and the Sudanese army have yet to issue statements on the incident. The RSF has continued its campaign to pressure Sudan’s military as the country’s prolonged conflict — which began in 2023 when the two former allies turned against each other — shows little sign of resolution. Although government forces recaptured Khartoum from the RSF in March, fighting has intensified across other regions, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan, where famine and displacement have reached catastrophic levels. The United Nations and the International Organization for Migration on Thursday urged “urgent international attention on the crisis in Sudan,” calling for an immediate ceasefire, civilian protection, and unrestricted humanitarian access. According to the World Health Organization, at least 40,000 people have been killed since the war began, while around 30 million now depend on humanitarian aid — making Sudan the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has been under siege for more than a year, trapping an estimated 260,000 civilians. “What I witnessed in Darfur and elsewhere this week is a stark reminder of what is at stake: children facing hunger, disease and the collapse of essential services,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban. “Entire communities are surviving in conditions that defy dignity,” he added.  

At least 46 people were killed in a major road accident early Wednesday on a highway in western Uganda, police said, in one of the country’s deadliest crashes in recent years. The crash involved two buses and two other vehicles on the highway to Gulu, a major city in northern Uganda. Police initially reported 63 deaths but later revised the toll, explaining that some people found unconscious at the scene were still alive. Several others were injured in the incident. Police said the accident occurred when two bus drivers, traveling in opposite directions, attempted to overtake other vehicles and collided head-on near the town of Kiryandongo. “In the process, both buses met head-on during the overtaking maneuvers,” the statement said. Fatal road accidents are common in Uganda and across East Africa, where roads are often narrow and poorly maintained. Police frequently cite speeding and careless overtaking as leading causes. In August, a bus carrying mourners in southwestern Kenya overturned, killing at least 25 people. Irene Nakasiita, a Red Cross spokeswoman, described victims with broken limbs and severe bleeding, calling the crash “uncommonly high in magnitude.” She said the scene was too gruesome to share publicly. Most of the injured were receiving treatment at a nearby government hospital. Uganda recorded 5,144 road fatalities in 2024, up from 4,806 in 2023 and 4,534 in 2022, according to official police data. Careless overtaking and speeding accounted for 44.5% of all crashes last year. Road safety campaigners also pointed to weak enforcement of traffic rules, especially for heavy vehicles traveling at night. Joseph Beyanga, known as Joe Walker, said the Kiryandongo crash underscores the ongoing challenges in curbing road carnage. He organizes awareness walks from Kampala into rural areas and plans a memorial walk in November to honor victims of past crashes. Police urged motorists to exercise maximum caution and avoid dangerous overtaking, stressing that such carelessness remains a leading cause of deadly accidents in the country. Source: AP

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the last Ebola patient in Congo’s recent outbreak was discharged over the weekend, with no new cases reported since Sept. 25. Sunday’s update began a 42-day countdown to officially declare the outbreak over if no further cases emerge. The outbreak, first identified on Sept. 4 in the remote Bulape health district of Kasai province, accounted for 64 cases—53 confirmed and 11 probable—and 43 deaths. Only 19 patients survived, including the latest patient discharged on Sunday. “The recovery of the last patient just six weeks after the outbreak was declared is a remarkable achievement,” said Dr. Mohamed Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa, highlighting the role of national expertise, partnerships, and determination in saving lives. The WHO said it would remain in the area, working with the government to maintain vigilance and respond to any potential new cases. This marked the first Ebola outbreak in 18 years in Kasai, where poor road networks have historically made it difficult for health workers to reach patients.

Kenyan authorities have deployed extensive security in the western city of Kisumu ahead of the last public viewing of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s body, following the deaths of five people during earlier funeral events. Military personnel, police officers, and air surveillance teams were stationed Saturday at the city’s soccer stadium, where thousands of mourners had stayed overnight for a chance to pay their respects. Odinga, who died Wednesday in India at the age of 80, was a veteran politician widely respected in Kenya and internationally for his efforts to advance democracy, earning praise from figures including former U.S. President Barack Obama. He is scheduled to be buried Sunday at his family home in Bondo, western Kenya. Supporters have turned out in large numbers since Odinga’s body arrived in the country Thursday. During the first public viewing, police fired live rounds and tear gas, killing three people. On Friday, a stampede after the state funeral service killed two more and injured 163. Widow Ida Odinga urged mourners to grieve peacefully, while his brother Oburu pleaded with the public not to provoke authorities. “Raila should not be teargassed in death. He has been teargassed enough when he was alive,” he said. Odinga ran for Kenya’s presidency five times over three decades, never winning, but remained a key figure in advancing Kenya’s multiparty democracy. His body lay in state at parliament Friday, an honor typically reserved for sitting or former presidents. President William Ruto eulogized Odinga as a patriotic and selfless leader who helped stabilize Kenya. Though the two were political rivals in past elections, including the disputed 2007 vote and 2022 election, they reached a political agreement this year allowing opposition members to join the Cabinet following anti-government protests.

Police fired tear gas as thousands of protesters clashed with security forces in the southern Tunisian city of Gabes on Wednesday, demanding action over worsening air pollution from a nearby phosphate-processing plant. The unrest erupted when demonstrators tried to march toward the industrial complex, located in a restricted military zone. Several protesters and police officers were injured as tensions flared in the city of over 400,000 people, a hub of Tunisia’s phosphate industry. The protest followed a recent gas leak near the state-run Chemical Group of Tunisia (GCT) plant that sent dozens, including children, to hospitals, reigniting anger over decades of unchecked industrial pollution. Residents accuse the plant of poisoning the city’s air and sea, blaming it for high cancer and respiratory illness rates. Despite repeated government promises to relocate or modernize the complex, activists say little has changed. President Kais Saied has ordered an urgent probe, vowing accountability for the failures that led to the leaks.

In Lesotho’s snow-capped mountains, people living with HIV are struggling for survival after sweeping U.S. aid cuts crippled the country’s once-robust health network. Clinics are closing, workers laid off, and patients forced to ration life-saving drugs. For years, Lesotho — one of the world’s hardest-hit nations by HIV — relied heavily on nearly $1 billion in U.S. assistance through USAID and PEPFAR, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The support helped the country reach the UNAIDS 95-95-95 target, with most people aware of their status, in treatment, and virally suppressed. That progress unraveled when President Donald Trump, on his first day of his second term in January, froze foreign aid and dismantled USAID, abruptly cutting programs in more than 130 countries. Lesotho lost nearly a quarter of its PEPFAR funding, halting prevention, testing, and treatment programs and sending health worker’s home. Patients describe the fallout as catastrophic. “Everyone who is HIV-positive in Lesotho is a dead man walking,” said miner Hlaoli Monyamane, who can no longer access a full course of medication. Many now ration pills, skip doses, or abandon treatment altogether. Community health networks — once the backbone of care for sex workers, miners, and mothers — have collapsed. Lisebo Lechela, a sex worker turned HIV activist, saw her USAID-funded clinics shutter overnight. “People still call me for help,” she said, “but I have nothing left to give.” The State Department has since announced a six-month “bridge” program to restore limited HIV services, but health experts warn that rebuilding infrastructure and trust will take much longer. UNAIDS estimates the aid freeze could cause millions of preventable deaths if not fully reversed. Lesotho’s Parliament health chair Mokhothu Makhalanyane said the cuts have set the nation back 15 years, calling it a “wake-up call” for self-reliance. Yet with only 12% of the health budget funded domestically, the country remains deeply dependent on foreign aid. As uncertainty lingers, health workers fear a resurgence of HIV infections and deaths. “Any step backward creates a risk of resurgence,” said Catherine Connor of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. For many Basotho, the fear is already real — clinics are empty, and hope is fading fast.

Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, a towering figure in African politics, has died of a heart attack in India, hospital authorities confirmed on Wednesday. He was 80. Devamatha Hospital in Kerala State said Odinga passed away while undergoing treatment there. Odinga, who contested Kenya’s presidency five times over three decades without success, had signed a political pact with President William Ruto in March. The agreement brought his opposition party into key government policymaking roles, with several of its members joining the cabinet. A veteran campaigner for democracy, justice, and good governance, Odinga was also known for his role in promoting regional diplomacy. He recently lost a bid to become chairperson of the African Union. President Ruto is expected to deliver a national address to officially announce Odinga’s death. Source: AP

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina on Tuesday dissolved the lower house of parliament, escalating a deepening political crisis after a military rebellion forced him to flee and go into hiding. A decree announcing the immediate dissolution of the National Assembly was posted on the presidency’s Facebook page. Rajoelina’s location remains unknown after an elite military unit joined youth-led anti-government protests over the weekend, demanding his resignation in what appeared to be a coup attempt. In a social media address Monday night, he said he had left the country for a “safe place” due to threats to his life but gave no details. The president’s decision came as lawmakers were discussing impeachment proceedings to remove him from office — a process effectively halted by the dissolution of the assembly. Madagascar, which has a long history of coups, now faces its worst political turmoil since 2009, when Rajoelina himself first seized power through a military-backed transition. Recent protests, driven by Gen Z activists, have denounced poverty, corruption, and chronic power and water shortages. The unrest intensified when members of the elite CAPSAT unit defected to the protesters and declared control over the armed forces. Rajoelina has condemned the move as “an illegal attempt to seize power” but called for dialogue and constitutional order to be maintained.

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina said he fled the country fearing for his life following a military rebellion, but stopped short of announcing his resignation in a late-night address broadcast on social media Monday. The president’s message — his first public appearance since the uprising began — came after weeks of Gen Z-led anti-government protests that escalated dramatically on Saturday when an elite military unit, the CAPSAT, joined the demonstrations and called for Rajoelina and his ministers to step down. “I was forced to find a safe place to protect my life,” Rajoelina said in the speech, which was delayed for hours after soldiers reportedly tried to seize control of state television buildings. The message was eventually aired on the presidency’s official Facebook page. Rajoelina described the events as “an illegal attempt to seize power” and called for dialogue “to find a way out of this situation,” urging all sides to respect the constitution. He did not disclose how or where he left Madagascar, though reports suggested he was flown out on a French military aircraft — a claim France has not confirmed. The protests, which began on September 25 over severe water and electricity shortages, have grown into a broader movement accusing Rajoelina’s administration of corruption, mismanagement, and repression. The situation marks the most serious unrest in the Indian Ocean island nation of 31 million since Rajoelina himself first rose to power in 2009 after a military-backed coup — led by the same CAPSAT unit that has now turned against him. Military claims control Colonel Michael Randrianirina, a CAPSAT commander, said the unit had “responded to the people’s calls” and now controlled all branches of the armed forces. He denied staging a coup, saying instead that “it’s up to the Madagascan people to decide what happens next.” The defense minister reportedly accepted CAPSAT’s new appointee to lead the military. Randrianirina added that CAPSAT troops had exchanged gunfire with loyalist forces during weekend clashes that left one soldier dead, though large-scale fighting was avoided. Soldiers riding armored vehicles were greeted by cheering crowds in the capital, Antananarivo. Growing international concern The United States Embassy in Antananarivo urged American citizens to remain indoors, describing the situation as “highly volatile and unpredictable.” The African Union also appealed for calm and restraint. The United Nations said at least 22 people had been killed and dozens injured since the protests began, criticizing authorities for their “violent response” to what were initially peaceful demonstrations. The government has disputed the UN’s figures. The movement’s leaders — mostly young people who identify as “Gen Z Madagascar” — have cited poverty, rising living costs, lack of education access, and corruption as their main grievances. Their movement has drawn inspiration from mass protests in Nepal and Sri Lanka that toppled governments in recent years. Nighttime curfews remain in force across Antananarivo and the northern port city of Antsiranana. A recurring political cycle Madagascar, a former French colony, has endured repeated political crises since independence in 1960. Rajoelina, 51, initially came to power following the 2009 coup that ousted then-President Marc Ravalomanana. He was elected president in 2018 and re-elected in 2023 in a vote boycotted by the opposition. Adding to the turmoil, Madagascar’s former prime minister and one of Rajoelina’s top advisers reportedly fled to Mauritius early Sunday. The Mauritian government confirmed their arrival but expressed displeasure that the private aircraft had landed on its soil without prior authorization.  

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina on Sunday said an attempted coup is underway in the Indian Ocean nation, a day after members of an elite army unit joined youth-led demonstrations calling for his resignation. Rajoelina’s office did not provide details on who is behind the coup, and no immediate signs of violence were reported on the streets, although there was a visible military presence. Col. Michael Randrianirina, a commander of the elite CAPSAT unit, denied a coup had occurred but claimed that the unit had taken control of Madagascar’s armed forces and installed Gen. Demosthene Pikulas as the new military leader. “We responded to the people’s call,” Randrianirina told reporters. Pikulas, speaking alongside him, did not clarify whether Rajoelina had been asked to step down, but CAPSAT appeared to hold significant authority. The protests, led by a youth group called “Gen Z Madagascar,” have shaken the country over the past three weeks, leaving at least 22 people dead and dozens injured, according to the United Nations, though the government disputes the toll. Rajoelina’s office said he “wishes to inform the nation and the international community that an attempt to seize power illegally and by force has been initiated,” condemning it as a threat to constitutional order and national sovereignty. CAPSAT played a key role in the 2009 military-backed coup that first brought Rajoelina to power as head of a transitional government. The situation escalated on Saturday when CAPSAT soldiers joined protests, calling for Rajoelina and his officials to resign. Randrianirina said his troops had exchanged fire with security forces attempting to disperse demonstrators, resulting in the death of one soldier. The protests, which began last month over electricity and water outages, have evolved into broader demonstrations against the government, citing issues such as poverty, the cost of living, corruption, and limited access to education. Civic groups and trade unions have joined the movement, prompting curfews in the capital, Antananarivo, and other major cities. Rajoelina, 51, first rose to power after the 2009 coup that ousted then-President Marc Ravalomanana. He was elected president in 2018 and re-elected in 2023 in a vote boycotted by opposition parties. On Sept. 29, he attempted to appease protesters by dismissing his entire government, including the prime minister, but demonstrations have continued. The U.S. Embassy in Madagascar advised American citizens to shelter in place amid the “highly volatile and unpredictable” situation, while the African Union called on all parties, civilian and military, to exercise restraint. The Gen Z-led protests were inspired by social movements in Nepal and Sri Lanka and have grown into one of the largest uprisings Madagascar has seen in years, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with the government and leadership of Rajoelina.