Photo : BBC/AFP
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : BBC/AFP
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar
Burkina Faso: Army admits to killing civilians in operation
On 3 August, the army admitted to having killed civilians in a counter-terrorism operation in the southeast few days earlier; 37 fatalities were recorded in a village near the border along Togo. An army statement said the civilians were unfortunate victims amid the operation to neutralise terrorists. (Thiam Ndaiaga, “Burkina Faso army admits killing civilians in counter-terrorist strike,” Reuters, 3 August 2022)
DRC: MONUSCO spokesperson expelled over remarks
On 3 August, the foreign ministry released a statement expelling the spokesperson on the MONUSCO claiming that the UN official had stoked tensions leading to the week-long protests. The government accused the spokesperson of making “indelicate and inappropriate” statements and therefore maintained that the UN official’s presence will not “promote a climate of mutual trust and calm between Congolese institutions and MONUSCO.” (“DR Congo expels UN peacekeeping mission spokesman after protests,” Al Jazeera, 3 August 2022)
The Gambia: Two dead in heaviest rain in 30 years
On 3 August, the government said two people had died after The Gambia recorded its highest ever rainfall in 30 years. The Department of Water said 276mm of rain was recorded after torrential rains started on 30 July, leading to widespread floods. Previously, 1988 witnessed the highest rainfall at 175.4mm. (“Floods affect thousands in Gambia after heaviest rainfall in decades,” News24, 3 August 2022)