Ugandan soldiers among dead in IS-backed attack in DR Congo

BENI, DR Congo

Rebels backed by the Islamic State group have killed two Ugandan soldiers in an attack that also left two civilians and a suspected assailant dead in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said Saturday.

Two truck drivers, a Kenyan, and a Congolese, were shot dead Friday night by IS-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces at a car park in Kasindi, Beni territory, said Barthelemy Kambale, a North Kivu provincial civil servant.

A fifth body was assumed to be an assailant, he told AFP.

The Islamic State group claimed the attack in a statement posted to the messaging app Telegram on Saturday evening.

Kasindi was the scene of a Pentecostal church bombing blamed on the ADF that killed about 15 people in January, and for which IS claimed responsibility.

Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo launched a joint offensive in 2021 against the ADF to drive the militants out of their Congolese strongholds, but attacks have continued.

Originally fielding mainly Muslim Ugandan rebels, the ADF gained a foothold in the region in the 1990s and are accused of killing thousands of civilians.

"The ADF enemy arrived about 22:30 (2030 GMT), our forces blocked the road against the rebels," said Kambale, adding that "two Ugandan soldiers died during the operation."

Three vehicles were burned out, he said.

"People are angry, they burned the body of a dead ADF," said a local civil society representative, asking not to be named.

Twenty-six civilians died overnight Monday into Tuesday in a massacre attributed to the ADF near Oicha town, also in Beni territory, which has been the epicenter of the years-long rampage by the ADF, called Islamic State Central Africa Province by IS.

In Uganda, police said the ADF were behind the killing of a couple on their honeymoon and their safari guide in the nation's Queen Elizabeth National Park on October 17. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.

Numerous militia groups and rebels hold sway in eastern DRC despite the presence of peacekeepers.

Israel strikes Tunnels, Bunkers, 'Advances stage of war'

GAZA STRIP, Palestine 

Israeli warplanes bombed Hamas tunnels and underground bunkers in the northern Gaza Strip, military officials said early Saturday, as part of an expanded ground and air assault to crush the enclave's ruling Hamas militants after its bloody incursion in southern Israel three weeks ago.

Israel Defense Forces said fighter jets struck dozens of underground targets and knocked out key communications infrastructure, causing a near-blackout of information and severing Gaza's estimated 2.3 million residents from contact with the outside world.

“We are advancing in the stages of war. Last night, IDF forces entered the Gaza Strip and expanded ground activity,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at an early Saturday news briefing.

“The forces still remain in the field and are continuing the war‚” said the IDF spokesman, signaling Israel’s sustained ground incursion had likely begun.

Israel had previously made only brief sorties into Gaza during weeks of intense bombardment.

Hagari also said Israel would allow trucks carrying food, water and medicine to enter Gaza on Saturday, indicating a possible pause in bombing, at least along its border with Egypt where small amounts of aid have been arriving.

"Overnight, IDF fighter jets struck Asem Abu Rakaba, the Head of Hamas' Aerial Array," IDF posted on X, formerly Twitter, indicating it may have killed the militant group's air chief.

"Abu Rakaba was responsible for Hamas' UAVs, drones, paragliders, aerial detection and defense," the post continued. "He took part in planning the October 7 massacre and commanded the terrorists who infiltrated Israel on paragliders and was responsible for the drone attacks on IDF posts."

IDF officials also said they downed a surface-to-air missile fired from inside Lebanon at an IDF drone. Spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote on X that the IDF was “attacking the source of the missile launch." Adraee said earlier that an Israeli jet struck a Hezbollah military structure, which had fired missiles toward Israel that landed in Syria.

Hamas on Saturday pledged to confront Israeli attacks with "full force" after Israel's military widened its air and ground attacks on the Palestinian enclave. 

The al-Qassam brigades, an armed wing of Hamas, said early on Saturday its fighters were clashing with Israeli troops in Gaza's northeastern town of Beit Hanoun and in the central area of Al-Bureij.

"Al-Qassam Brigades and all Palestinian resistance forces are fully prepared to confront the aggression with full force and thwart the incursions," it said.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Friday said he had seen reports about Israel expanding its ground operations in Gaza but would not comment on it.

Israel had gathered 300,000 reservists and troops outside Gaza in preparation for the incursion against the militant group Hamas. Israeli airstrikes have been pummeling Gaza since Hamas' deadly October 7 attack on Israel killing some 1,400 people, including children, and taking more than 200 hostages.

The death toll in Gaza has reached more than 7,000 people, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.

Russia lost at least a brigade trying to capture Avdiivka - Zelensky

KYIV, Ukraine

Russia has lost at least a brigade of troops trying to besiege and capture Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast during its latest offensive, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 27.

Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery on Russian positions on the front-line city of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, on July 27, 2023.

A brigade in the Russian army can include between 2,000 and 8,000 personnel, according to open sources.

"Russia will continue trying to occupy the entire Donbas," Zelensky told U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a phone call. "The invaders made several attempts to surround Avdiivka, but each time, our soldiers stopped them and pushed them back, causing painful losses."

Russia has been intensifying its attacks against Avdiivka, a front-line town a few kilometers north of occupied Donetsk, for several weeks. Moscow has reportedly thrown in extensive force in an effort to encircle the town, suffering heavy losses in manpower and equipment in the process.

Except for the situation on the battlefield, Zelensky and Sunak discussed further support for Ukraine, the country's air defense needs, and the security situation in the Black Sea, according to the Presidential Office.

Zelensky assured Sunak that the temporary Black Sea corridor established by Ukraine after Russia terminated the UN-brokered grain deal would continue operating "despite all threats." The two leaders discussed further steps in implementing insurance for civilian ships.

Ukraine's president also thanked Sunak for the U.K.'s £100 million (about $122 million) military aid package for Ukraine announced on Oct. 11.

The package includes a variety of military equipment that can be used to breach minefields, as well as the provision of the multi-use MSI-DS Terrahawk Paladin, a remote-controlled air-defense system that also has the capability to defend against ground threats.

Russia executing own retreating soldiers, US says

MOSCOW, Russia

Russia is executing soldiers who try to retreat from a bloody offensive in eastern Ukraine, the White House has said.

According to the United States, some of the casualties suffered by Russia near Avdiivka were "on the orders of their own leaders".

Russian and Ukrainian troops have been locked into a fierce battle for the frontline town since mid-October.

Russia is thought to have suffered "significant" losses in this time.

Ukrainian estimates put the number of Russian casualties in Avdiivka at 5,000, while the US says that Russia lost "at least" 125 armoured vehicles and more than a battalion's worth of equipment.

A Ukrainian army spokesperson said that Russian troops were refusing to attack Ukrainian positions near Avdiivka because of heavy losses and that there had been mutinies in some units.

"Russia's mobilised forces remain under-trained, under-equipped and unprepared for combat, as was the case during their failed winter offensive last year," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a briefing on Thursday.

He said that the Russian military "appears to be using what we would call 'human wave' tactics, just throwing masses of these poorly trained soldiers right into the fight."

"No proper equipment, no leadership, no resourcing, no support. It is unsurprising that Russian forces are suffering from poor morale," Mr Kirby added.

Taking Avdiivka - which lies near the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk - would allow Russian troops to push the front line back, making it harder for the Ukrainian forces to make further advances into Donetsk region.

Avdiivka has been all but abandoned by its 30,000 residents as Russian forces continue to pummel it. Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the situation as "particularly tough".

On Thursday, the US announced a new $150m (£123.7m) military assistance package for Ukraine that includes artillery and small-arms ammunition, as well as anti-tank weapons.

However, future aid to Ukraine is in doubt following the election of Republican Mike Johnson as speaker of the US House of Representatives earlier this week.

Mr Johnson - who is on the right wing of the Republican Party - is against further US aid to Ukraine and has previously supported amendments to block it.

The US is the largest military donor to Ukraine, having spent more than $46bn (£37bn) so far, plus tens of billions more in financial and humanitarian aid.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Accusations over Israel-Hamas war at UN General Assembly

UNITED STATES, New York

Representatives from Israel and Arab countries exchanged sharp accusations Thursday at the UN General Assembly, as the body discussed the Israel-Hamas war following the Security Council's failure to take action.

The matter has exposed deep divisions in the Security Council, with a total of four resolutions gaining insufficient traction or being blocked by a veto in less than two weeks.

Arab countries are hoping that the General Assembly, which has a different power balance and where no country holds a veto, will be able to act, even if any resolution would be nonbinding.

But the back-and-forth Thursday remained in attack mode, with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who spoke on behalf of 22 Arab countries, accusing Israel of "making Gaza a perpetual hell on Earth."

"The trauma will haunt generations to come," he said, adding that "the right to self-defence is not a license to kill with impunity. Collective punishment is not self-defence, it is a war crime."

Israel's relentless bombardment was launched on October 7 in retaliation for the Hamas attack which Israeli officials say killed 1,400 people. More than 200 others were kidnapped.

The strikes, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, have killed more than 7,000 people -- a toll expected to rise substantially if Israeli troops massed near the border move into the Palestinian territory.

"To stop this madness, you have a chance to do something, to give an important signal. Choose justice, not vengeance," said Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour.

Jordan has circulated a draft resolution that is still under discussion, which is meant to be put to vote on Friday.

The text focuses largely on the humanitarian situation, calling for an "immediate ceasefire" and "unhindered humanitarian access" to the Gaza Strip.

It also calls on all parties to comply with the "protection of civilians," but makes no mention of the Hamas attack.

Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan blasted the text.

"The drafters of the resolution claim to be concerned about peace," he said. "Yet the depraved murderers who initiated this war are not even mentioned in the resolution."

"The only place this resolution belongs is in the dustbin of history," he added.

RSF take control of South Darfur’s Nyala, vow to protect civilians

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Rapid Support Forces (RSF) declared the capture of the 16th Infantry Division’s headquarters in Nyala, South Darfur State, following intense fighting lasting three days against the Sudanese army under the leadership of Second Commander Abdel Rahim Daglo.

Since the beginning of October, the RSF has deployed heavily in Nyala, mobilizing thousands of tribal fighters from Central, West, and East Darfur to support them in overthrowing the army leadership in South Darfur.

The seizure of Nyala on Thursday coincided with the resumption of peace talks in Jeddah between the Sudanese army and the RSF.

A statement issued by the RSF spokesman said that their forces had inflicted heavy losses on the army, with more than 2,000 killed and numerous military vehicles destroyed. The statement also said that the RSF had seized all military equipment at the base.

The seizure of the army headquarters in Nyala means that the RSF now controls the second most populous state in Sudan after Khartoum, with a population of over 3.4 million people. The RSF also controls some states in Kordofan and Darfur.

The command of the 16th Infantry Division is considered the headquarters of the Western Region Command of the Sudanese Army in the Darfur region. The division includes several battalions, including artillery, engineers, and armoured personnel. South Darfur State is important for its strategic location and proximity to South Sudan and Central Africa.

The Sudanese army has not commented on the fall of the 16th Division.

The RSF has broadcast several video clips showing Second Commander Abdel Rahim Daglo and a large number of RSF soldiers walking around locations within the 16th Infantry Division.

In a speech delivered at the army headquarters in Nyala, Abdel Rahim Daglo, urged the inhabitants of the city to return to their homes. He also directed the police and prosecutors to ensure the preservation of security, safeguard civilian assets, offer essential services, and facilitate the reopening of markets and hospitals..

“I direct the Director of the Nyala Police Department, Major General Bashir Adam Issa, to carry out his duties and for the police to exercise all its powers to protect citizens,” Daglo said. “I also call on the prosecutors to return to their positions. I call on the leaders of the native administration and civil society, women and men, to assume their historical responsibility for managing their city. We, the RSF, will strive to provide security for citizens.”

Daglo also called on the armed movements in Darfur to form a joint force with the RSF to secure all states. He urged civilians to report any crime committed against them.

He directed that RSF elements not be deployed outside the locations of the paramilitary forces in the city. He warned that anyone carrying a weapon outside the locations he specified would be dealt with as an enemy. He also ordered the arrest of “remnants of the regime,” their handover to justice, and the freedom of movement of citizens.

In addition, a field commander of the RSF told Sudan Tribune that Daglo initiated negotiations early this month with a large number of officers and soldiers in order to stop the fighting within the ranks of the army in South Darfur state.

“His efforts culminated in convincing a large number of soldiers to join his forces, the last of whom was a group that sided with the RSF yesterday, Wednesday,” the commander said.

It was revealed that SRF deputy commander contacted local leaders from the Misseriya tribe to persuade the commander of the 16th Infantry Division and one of its sons, Major General Hussein Mohamed Jawdat, to hand over command, but to no avail.

“What happened today is a natural result of the intransigence of the army commander in Nyala and his rejection of the option of extradition,” the commander said.

US strikes two sites used by Iranian forces in Syria - Pentagon

WASHINGTON, US

The US military launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said, in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against US bases and personnel in the region that began early last week.

The US strikes reflect the Biden administration’s determination to maintain a delicate balance. The US wants to hit Iranian-backed groups suspected of targeting the US as strongly as possible to deter future aggression, possibly fueled by Israel’s war against Hamas, while also working to avoid inflaming the region and provoking a wider conflict.

Information about the specific targets and other details were not yet provided.

According to the Pentagon, there have been at least 12 attacks on US bases and personnel in Iraq and four in Syria since Oct. 17. Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said 21 US personnel were injured in two of those assaults that used drones to target Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq and Al-Tanf Garrison in Syria.

In a statement, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the “precision self-defense strikes are a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on October 17.”

He said President Joe Biden directed the narrowly tailored strikes “to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests.” And he added that the operation was separate and distinct from Israel’s war against Hamasa.

Austin said the US does not seek a broader conflict, but if Iranian proxy groups continue, the US won’t hesitate to take additional action to protect its forces.

According to the Pentagon, all the US personnel hurt in the militant attacks received minor injuries and all returned to duty. In addition, a contractor suffered a cardiac arrest and died while seeking shelter from a possible drone attack.

The retaliatory strikes came as no surprise. Officials at the Pentagon and the White House have made it clear for the past week that the US would respond, with Ryder saying again Thursday that it would be “at the time and place of our choosing.”

“I think we’ve been crystal clear that we maintain the inherent right of defending our troops and we will take all necessary measures to protect our forces and our interests overseas,” he told reporters during a Pentagon briefing earlier in the day.

The latest spate of strikes by the Iranian-linked groups came in the wake of a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital, triggering protests in a number of Muslim nations.

The Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in retaliation for the devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel nearly three weeks ago, but Israel has denied responsibility for the Al-Ahli hospital blast and the US has said its intelligence assessment found that Tel Aviv was not to blame.

The US, including the Pentagon, has repeatedly said any strike response by America would be directly tied to the attacks on the troops, and not connected to the war between Israel and Hamas. Such retaliation and strikes against Iranian targets in Syria after similar attacks on US bases are routine.

In March, for example, the US struck sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after an Iranian-linked attack killed a US contractor and wounded seven other Americans in northeast Syria.

American F-15 fighter jets flying out of Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar struck several locations around Deir Ezzor.

US officials have routinely stressed that the American response is designed to be proportional, and is aimed at deterring strikes against US personnel who are focused on the fight against the Daesh group.

US officials have not publicly tied the recent string of attacks in Syria and Iraq to the violence in Gaza, but Iranian officials have openly criticized the US for providing weapons to Israel that have been used to strike Gaza, resulting in civilian death.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, has beefed up air defenses in the region to protect US forces. The US has said it is sending several batteries of Patriot missile systems, a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and additional fighter jets.

The THAAD is being sent from Fort Bliss, Texas, and the Patriot batteries are from Fort Liberty in North Carolina and Fort Sill in Oklahoma. An Avenger air defense system from Fort Liberty is also being sent.

Officials have said as much as two battalions of Patriots are being deployed. A battalion can include at least three Patriot batteries, which each have six to eight launchers.

Ryder said Thursday that about 900 troops have deployed or are in the process of going to the Middle East region, including those associated with the air defense systems.

Israeli troops briefly raid northern Gaza to ‘prepare’ for an expected full-scale incursion

By Najib Jobain and Amy Teibel,RAFAH Gaza Strip

Israeli troops and tanks briefly raided northern Gaza overnight, the military said Thursday, engaging with Hamas fighters and targeting anti-tank weapons in order to “prepare the battlefield” before an expected ground invasion.

An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires a shell from southern Israel towards the Gaza Strip, in a position near the Israel-Gaza border, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. 

The third Israeli raid since the war began came after more than two weeks of devastating airstrikes that have left thousands of dead, and more than 1 million displaced from their homes, in the small, densely-populated territory.

The U.S. military, meanwhile, launched airstrikes early Friday on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Pentagon said, in retaliation for drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases and personnel in the region that began early last week.

Arab leaders made a joint plea Thursday for a cease-fire to end civilian suffering and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, where Israel has imposed a suffocating siege ever since Hamas’ rampage and hostage-taking in southern Israel ignited the war. Residents are running out of food, water and medicine, and U.N. workers have barely any fuel left to support relief missions.

The rising death toll in Gaza is unprecedented in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Thursday more than 7,000 Palestinians have died in the fighting, a figure that could not be independently verified. Even greater loss of life could come if Israel launches a ground offensive aimed at crushing Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007 and survived four previous wars with Israel.

More than 1,400 people in Israel, mostly civilians, were slain during the initial Hamas attack, according to the Israeli government.

The damage to Gaza from nearly three weeks of bombardment showed in satellite photos of several locations taken before the war and again in recent days.

Entire rows of residential buildings simply disappear in the photos, reduced to smears of dust and rubble. A complex of 13 high-rises by the sea was pounded to dust near Gaza City’s al-Shati refugee camp, leaving only a few tottering bits of facade. Just down the street, hardly anything remained in what had been a neighborhood of low-built homes on winding lanes, according to the photos by Maxar Technologies.

New strikes Thursday leveled more than eight homes belonging to an extended family, killing at least 15 people in the southern city of Khan Younis. In the chaotic wasteland of crumbled concrete and twisted metal, rescuers lifted the body of a boy from beneath a slab.

The Israeli military said an airstrike killed one of two masterminds of the Oct. 7 massacre, Shadi Barud, the head of Hamas’ intelligence unit. The military says it only strikes militant targets and accuses Hamas of operating among civilians in an attempt to protect its fighters.

Palestinian militants have fired thousands of rockets into Israel since the war began. One struck a residential building in the central city of Petah Tikva, without wounding anyone.

Hamas’ military wing said Thursday that Israeli bombardment has so far killed about 50 of the at least 224 hostages the militants abducted during its Oct. 7 assault. There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials, who have denied previous, similar claims.

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in central Israel, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.

Family members and Jewish groups are trying to keep the spotlight on the hostages’ plight. In Paris, 30 empty baby strollers were displayed in front of the Eiffel Tower — each with a photo of one of the children taken from Israel. A day earlier, blindfolded teddy bears with photos of the abducted children were placed in front of a fountain in Tel Aviv.

The conflict has threatened to ignite a wider war across the region.

Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed ally of Hamas in Lebanon, has repeatedly traded fire with Israel along the border. The United States has sent to the region two aircraft carrier strike groups, along with additional fighter jets and other weaponry and personnel.

In a statement Thursday night, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes in eastern Syria were “a response to a series of ongoing and mostly unsuccessful attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups that began on Oct. 17.”

He said President Joe Biden directed the narrowly tailored strikes “to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel and its interests.” He added that the operation was separate and distinct from Israel’s war against Hamas.

Israel has vowed to crush Hamas’ capacity to govern Gaza or threaten Israel again but also says it doesn’t want to reoccupy the territory, from which it withdrew soldiers and settlers in 2005. That could prove a daunting challenge, since Hamas is deeply rooted in Gaza, with political and charity organizations as well as a formidable armed wing.

Benny Gantz, a retired general and a member of Israel’s war Cabinet, said any possible ground offensive would be only “one stage in a long-term process that includes security, political and social aspects that will take years.”

“The campaign will soon ramp up with greater force,” he added.

The overnight raid into Gaza was the largest of several known brief incursions. The military said soldiers and tanks killed fighters and destroyed tunnels and anti-tank missile launching positions. The military said no Israelis were wounded. There was no immediate confirmation of any Palestinian casualties.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a military spokesman, said the incursion was “part of our preparations for the next stages of the war.”

Israel also said it also carried out around 250 airstrikes across Gaza in the last 24 hours, targeting tunnel shafts, rocket launchers and other militant infrastructure. Its reported targeting could not be independently verified.

The figure of 7,000 deaths reported by the Gaza Health Ministry is more than three times the number of Palestinians killed in the six-week-long Gaza war in 2014. The ministry’s toll includes more than 2,900 minors and more than 1,500 women.

After Biden said he had “no confidence” in Gaza’s casualty figures, the Health Ministry on Thursday countered by releasing a more than 200-page document listing the names of 6,747 dead, including ages and gender. It said another 281 dead had not been identified and that hundreds still missing under rubble were not included in the count.

The warning by the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, over depleting fuel supplies raised alarm that the humanitarian crisis could quickly worsen. Israel is still barring deliveries of fuel — needed to power generators — saying it believes Hamas will take it for military use.

About 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have fled their homes, with nearly half of them crowding into U.N. shelters. Hundreds of thousands remain in northern Gaza, despite Israel ordering them to evacuate to the south and saying that those who remain might be considered “accomplices” of Hamas.

In recent days, Israel has let more than 70 trucks with aid enter from Egypt.

“This is a small amount of what is required, a drop in the ocean,” said William Schomburg, an official with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza. “We are trying to establish a pipeline.”

Elsewhere, Egyptian state-run media outlet Al Qahera News reported early Friday that an explosion hit the Egyptian resort town of Taba, which is near the border with Israel. Five people were wounded. The cause of the blast was not immediately clear, and The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the details.

Nine Arab countries — including key U.S. allies and nations that have signed peace or normalization deals with Israel — issued a joint statement Thursday calling for an immediate cease-fire and an end to the targeting and death of civilians.

“The right to self defense by the United Nations Charter does not justify blatant violations of humanitarian and international law,“ said the statement, signed by Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli authorities detained 86 Palestinians, including five women, in multiple raids overnight, bringing the total detained there to more than 1,400, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, which represents former and current prisoners. At least 104 Palestinians have been killed in violence in the West Bank.

Zimbabwe journalists ordered to delete photos of VP collapsing at rally

By Columbus Mavhunga, HARARE Zimbabwe

Media watchdogs and journalists in Zimbabwe are fuming after members of the vice presidential security detail ordered journalists to delete photos and video of Second Vice President Kembo Mohadi collapsing at a campaign rally Saturday.

As Mohadi was airlifted to an unknown destination for medical attention, the security detail rounded up journalists and ordered them to wipe out recordings of the event.

Journalists from private and government-controlled media who were covering the Zanu-PF rally where Mohadi collapsed refused to speak openly about the dramatic event in Gutu province, which is about a three-hour drive south of Harare.

One journalist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that soon after Mohadi collapsed at the podium, security agents and some Zanu-PF officials rushed to where journalists were gathered.

“We were asked to delete our footage,” the journalist said. “Some phones of some journalists were taken for further checks, especially from those from the private media.

The phones were taken for 10 to 15 minutes.

“Soon after then, the security was always on journalists … checking the stories that they are going to write,” he said. “Some of the officials said, ‘There's no story about the collapse of V.P.’ ”

The journalist criticized the security officials’ actions.

“We have the right to our phones for privacy,” he said, “and also we have the right to inform the nation.”

Tabani Moyo, head of the Media Institute of Southern Africa, agreed, saying, “A story of that nature is of national interest. For them to round up journalists and request them to delete footage of a situation of a public figure who has collapsed in front of a rally, I think it is unfortunate.”

Five days later, there is still no news on Mohadi’s condition, or even an acknowledgement from government sources that he might be unwell.

Contacted by VOA, both Zanu-PF officials and Jenfan Muswere, Zimbabwe’s minister of information, refused to comment on the incident.

Perfect Hlongwane, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, called the incident a “sad and unfortunate violation.”

“It is not just a violation of journalistic rights, but it is also a violation of the constitution itself,” Hlongwane said. “We want to call on government officials to say that they must actually be in the forefront to ensure that the constitution itself is upheld.”

Speaking Wednesday, First Vice President Constantino Chiwenga did not comment on Mohadi’s collapse but said Zimbabwe respects all human rights and freedoms.

Chiwenga made his comments at a rally against sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe in the early 2000s by the United States and the European Union on grounds of election rigging and human rights abuses.

Nigeria retains 40th spot in latest FIFA world ranking

By Osoro Nyawangah, MWANZA Tanzania

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have kept the 40th position in the latest world ranking released by the Fédération of Internationale Football Association (FIFA) on Friday, 26 October 2023.

Nigeria had dropped from 39th to 40th in the previous FIFA world ranking published on 21 September despite recording a 6-0 win against São Tomé and Principe in their final 2023 AFCON qualifier.

The team, however, retained their position in the latest world ranking which was published on the website of FIFA after playing a 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia and beating Mozambique 3-2 during the last international break.

Also in Africa, the Super Eagles did not change position as they remained at number six.

FIFA 2022 World Cup semi-finalist Morocco are the number one team in Africa and are followed by African Cup of Nations champions, Senegal.

In third place is Tunisia, Algeria are fourth and Egypt occupy the fifth position on the continent.

Lesotho, group opponents of the Super Eagles in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, suffered a drop in the ranking from 151 to 153.

The other teams in the Super Eagles World Cup qualifying group, South Africa dropped from 63 to 64 and Zimbabwe retained the 125th position.

Nigeria’s other World Cup qualifying group opponents, Benin Republic are still 93rd while Rwanda suffered a slight drop in the ranking from 139 to 140.

Meanwhile, there are no changes in the World's top ten, which is made up solely of European and South American teams.

FIFA 2022 World Cup winners Argentina remain at the top with France in second and Brazil third.

The Three Lions of England are in fourth spot and Belgium complete the top five.

In East African zone, Zambia is 86th, Uganda 89th, Kenya positioned in 102 while Tanzania is in 130th. 

Rwanda is in 135th position followed by Ethiopia in 142 position and Burundi in 145th place.

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola world ranking will be published by FIFA on 30 November, 2023.

11		MAR	1677.79	5.44
18		SEN	1613.21	9.23
28		TUN	1535.76	9.56
34		ALG	1504.19	17.47
35		EGY	1500.67	10.33
40		NGA	1480.8	-13.52
42		CMR	1470.21	-29.09
45		CIV	1449.95	8.46
50		BFA	1433.91	-0.90
53		MLI	1430.75	-18.30
60		GHA	1396.01	-4.01
66		RSA	1350.08	-0.28
70		COD	1338.61	4.69
71		CPV	1337.05	1.00
79		GUI	1305.92	15.45
82		GAB	1296.74	-8.73
86		ZAM	1280.52	15.37
89		UGA	1257.3	-3.39
92		BEN	1240.45	-7.02
94		EQG	1232.78	17.12
102		KEN	1200.18	-2.08
103		CGO	1197.89	-10.90
105		MTN	1194.28	-3.30
106		NAM	1190.49	26.36
110		MAD	1181.21	-19.53
113		GNB	1172.3	13.53
117		SLE	1161.79	1.48
118		ANG	1158.57	-0.24
119		MOZ	1154.64	-8.92
120		GAM	1150.99	13.42
121		LBY	1145.82	-10.92
122		CTA	1145.69	28.72
123		NIG	1142.57	-5.96
126		ZIM	1138.56	0.00
127		MWI	1134.64	-10.33
128		SDN	1132.62	5.28
129		TOG	1129.81	0.89
130		TAN	1125.89	6.00
131		COM	1111.89	-11.29
135		RWA	1100.67	7.01
142		ETH	1072.99	-18.20
144		SWZ	1069.89	-1.00
145		BDI	1069.71	-5.56
148		LBR	1049.94	0.28
150		LES	1046.02	-15.38
152		BOT	1037.31	-17.12
163		SSD	993.36	9.37
180		MRI	932.02	0.00
181		CHA	930.22	0.00
184		STP	906.7	-1.48