Photo : AP
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : AP
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar
Somalia: 27 Al Shabab fighters killed in US airstrike
On 21 September, the US military said 27 Al Shabab fighters had been killed in an air strike in the Hiran region. The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the deceased were militants attempting to overthrow the West-backed government in Somalia and implement stricter Islamic law. Reuters quoted from the AFRICOM statement: “The defensive strikes allowed the Somali National Army and African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) forces to regain the initiative and continue the operation to disrupt al Shabaab in the Hiraan region of central Somalia.” (“U.S. says it kills 27 al Shabaab militants in Somalia air strike,” Reuters, 22 September 2022)
South Sudan: UN Secretary General seeks report on sexual abuse allegations in UN-run camp
On 22 September, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an urgent report on the revelations of sexual abuse by aid workers in a UN camp in South Sudan. The allegations were revealed by an investigation by Al Jazeera and The New Humanitarian wherein survivors recalled experiences of abuse, including rape of minors, at the hands of aid workers from the World Food Programme, World Vision, International Organization of Migration, and Doctors without Borders (MSF) agencies. Guterres’s spokesperson said: “The Secretary-General is appalled by these allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse which causes irreparable harm to victims and their families.” (“UN boss seeks ‘urgent report’ after S Sudan sex abuse allegations,” Al Jazeera, 22 September 2022)
Ethiopia: EU criticises movement of Eritrean troops into Tigray
On 22 September, BBC reported EU's criticism of the alleged movement of Eritrean troops across the Ethiopian border into Tigray. The EU foreign affairs chief called on all parties to forget military solutions and instead join efforts to benefit all populations. Previously, on 20 September, the US envoy had condemned the fighting and the Eritrean fighters’ crossing into Tigray, after the region’s spokesperson claimed that Eritrean forces were fighting alongside Ethiopian forces in Tigray. (“EU criticises Eritrea's reported offensive in Tigray,” BBC, 22 September 2022)