Photo : Alexis Huguet | AFP
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Alexis Huguet | AFP
IN BRIEF
By Apoorva Sudhakar
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At least 10 killed in bomb blast in Kasindi
On 15 January, an army spokesperson said 10 people had been killed and 39 injured in a bomb blast in a Protestant church in Kasindi city along the Ugandan border. The spokesperson suspected that the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), affiliated to the Islamic State, carried out the attack. Following this, the IS claimed responsibility on the same day. Meanwhile, Congolese and Ugandan forces continue their joint operations that were launched in November 2021, against the ADF. (“Several killed in DR Congo church bomb attack,” Al Jazeera, 15 January 2023)
Burkina Faso: Search launched to find over 50 abducted women
On 16 January, the Sahel regional governor said a search operation had been launched to trace over 50 women who had been abducted in the Soum province in the north between 12 and 13 January. Unidentified armed men abducted the women who were picking fruits outside a village, 15 kilometres from Arbinda town. Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for “the immediate and unconditional release” and urged “the national authorities to promptly conduct an effective, impartial and independent investigation to identify those responsible and hold them to account.” (“Burkina Faso: 50 women abducted by suspected rebels,” Al Jazeera, 16 January 2023)