Africa
Many Ethiopians arrested:
Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, the Oromo, on Saturday celebrated the annual Thanksgiving festival of Irreecha amid tight security and a significantly smaller crowd due to political tensions and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hundreds of people were arrested ahead of the festival, some accused by authorities of plotting terror attacks and a new wave of unrest. (AP)
Laureate calls for justice:
Congolese Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Denis Mukwege says an international criminal tribunal is urgently needed to prosecute mass atrocities, including widespread sexual violence, that continue to go unpunished in his country.
Crimes against humanity, war crimes, and even crimes of genocide are committed with impunity in Congo, despite a damning report issued 10 years ago, Mukwege told The Associated Press in an interview via the internet from the Panzi Hospital he founded in Bukavu in eastern Congo to treat survivors of sexual violence. (AP)
Uganda to help build roads:
Uganda’s government said Tuesday it would help finance projects to surface over 200 kilometers (124 miles) of road inside neighboring Congo as part of plans to boost trade between the countries.
Uganda will contribute about 20% of the project value while the rest will be met by Congo’s government in an envisaged public-private partnership, Ugandan Works and Transport Minister Gen Katumba Wamala told The Associated Press. (AP)
Botswana extends emergency:
Botswana has extended its state of emergency for a further six months to combat the spread of COVID-19.
The southern African country will maintain several restrictions, including limits to international travelers and tourism, in contrast to neighboring South Africa and Zimbabwe, which are opening up their economies. (AP)
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Zimbabwe to reopen schools:
Zimbabwe’s schools Monday reopened for pupils in two grades as part of a gradual process that will see all pupils return to class by early November.
But many teachers did not report for work, as their union demanded that the government should first pay them a COVID-19 allowance and improve their salaries and working conditions. (AP)