DR Congo, Mali, Hong Kong.

Today's three stories you should know.

Mar 11, 2023

DR Congo

ISIS today claimed responsibility for killing more than 35 people and wounding dozens in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The announcement tallies with statements from authorities in DRC who said at least 45 people were killed last week in several attacks on different villages by the ISIS-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces group. The ISIS statement said it had killed “Christians” with guns and knives and burned down their villages. It also published images of homes ablaze. DRC has for years been beset by conflict with more than 100 armed groups jostling for territory and resources. It is one of the most under-reported conflicts in the world.

Mali

Mali’s military rulers have suspended a constitutional referendum, which was supposed to be a key step on a promised transition to elections and democracy. The military took power in a coup in 2020 and followed it up with another one in 2021 to consolidate its grip by removing civilian leaders from a transitional government. The country has been in crisis for more than a decade after a revolt in the north developed in a full-blown rebellion. The government has recently begun dismantling relations with former colonial power France and forging closer ties with Russia.

Hong Kong

There can no pretence that the freedoms China promised for Hong Kong when it was handed back by Britain, its former colonial ruler, in 1997 remain. Three former organizers of an annual vigil in remembrance of China’s 1989 massacre of pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square have been jailed for four and a half months. The trio - Chow Hang-tung, Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong - had refused to give information on others involved in the event. The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China group of which they were a part was closed under a controversial national security law imposed by Beijing.