Photo : BBC/Reuters
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : BBC/Reuters
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Kinshasa blames Kigali for M23’s capture of Congolese town
On 13 June, the military said it would defend the country’s territory after M23 rebels claimed the capture of Bunagana town in North Kivu province, along the border with Uganda. The province’s military governor’s spokesperson accused Rwanda for and termed the town’s capture “no less than an invasion.” The development comes after the DRC and Rwanda engaged in a series of accusations of cross-border firing amid escalation of tensions. Previously, on 11 June, the UN had condemned attacks against civilians and called for ceasing violence. Meanwhile, Uganda’s resident district commissioner for Kisoro district said the latest violence led to the arrival of 30,000 Congolese asylum seekers in Uganda. (“M23 rebels seize key DRC town, Congolese military blames Rwanda,” Al Jazeera, 13 June 2022; “UN urges ‘immediate’ halt to cross-border clashes in eastern DRC,” Al Jazeera, 11 June 2022)
UK-Rwanda: Appeals court gives permission for asylum seekers to be deported
On 13 June, the UK’s Court of Appeal approved the High Court’s decision to commence the deportation of the first batch of asylum seekers to Rwanda and also said further appeals could not be filed against the decision. On 10 June, the High Court rejected attempts to block the first flight; several activists criticised the UK’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda over concerns of human trafficking. On 14 June, the number of asylum seekers to be deported reportedly fell to less than ten. (“UK court says flight taking asylum seekers to Rwanda can go ahead,” Al Jazeera, 13 June 2022)
Burkina Faso: Several killed in two different attacks in the north
On 13 June, Al Jazeera reported a government spokesperson’s statement that at least 50 people had been killed in an attack spanning between 11 June and 12 June in a village in northern Burkina Faso. The exact death toll has not been released; various media sources have reported a varied number of casualties with some pinning the same at over 100. The UN and the EU condemned the attack and the latter called for an investigation to understand the circumstances of the killing. The latest attack comes after gunmen killed 11 military policemen in the same region on 9 June. (“UK court says flight taking asylum seekers to Rwanda can go ahead,” Al Jazeera, 13 June 2022; “Eleven military policemen killed in northern Burkina Faso,” Al Jazeera, 10 June 2022)