Ethiopia, Syria, Zimbabwe.

Today's three stories you should know.

Aug 24, 2023

Ethiopia

More than four million people have been forced from their homes in Ethiopia because of conflict and drought, according to the UN’s migration agency. The International Organization for Migration said that two-thirds of people displaced between November last year and June this year were forced to flee due to conflict. A brutal two-year war in the country’s Tigray region ended in November 2022 and the area has been struggling to recover since. The UN says 20 million Ethiopians need food aid.

Syria

Anti-government protests are escalating in southern Syria over a spiralling economic crisis and a decision to cut fuel subsidies. Footage spread on social media showing a banner featuring President Bashar al-Assad being set on fire in the city of Suweida. "We want everyone to come out to the streets across Syria," a man in another clip that was widely shared said. After more than a decade of war, more than 90 percent of the population lives in poverty, according to the UN. Assad’s forces are now back in control of most of the country largely thanks to support from Russia and Iran.

Zimbabwe

Voting in Zimbabwe’s election extended into a second day after the process was hit by delays, including the late delivery of ballot papers to some polling stations. Though the economy is in tatters, the ruling Zanu-PF party will almost certainly extend its 43 years in power. Current President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is 80, replaced longtime autocrat Robert Mugabe after a coup in 2017. Most observers, though, saw Mnangagwa as representing a continuation of essentially the same clique of rulers.