Kenya, Afghanistan, DR Congo.

Today's three stories you should know.

Mar 27, 2023

Kenya

Police fired teargas and water cannons in Kenya’s capital Nairobi today as thousands of anti-government protesters poured into the streets for the second week running despite a police ban on the march. Opposition leader Raila Odinga and his party, Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition, say they organized the demonstrations to protest the high cost of living and call for the resignation of President William Ruto who they say illegitimately won elections last year. Last week, protests in Nairobi and other cities turned violent. One person was killed and more than 200 were arrested.

Afghanistan

At least six people were killed and several wounded after a suicide bomber blew himself up near the foreign ministry in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul today. The city’s police spokesman Khalid Zadran said the attacker was spotted at a checkpoint and shot by police but that his explosives then detonated. Zadran said that at least three members of the Taliban’s security forces were wounded in the explosion. Though there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the ISIS affiliate group in Afghanistan has carried out a series of bombing attacks since the Taliban came to power in 2021.

DR Congo

A militia in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has executed at least 17 hostages it captured yesterday, according to local sources. The "hostages are dead, they have been executed by the CODECO militia," a local leader, Toko Kagbanese, told the AFP news agency. CODECO, a particularly notorious militia, is one of scores of armed groups operating in east Congo, where they fight for territory, resources and, in some cases, to protect their communities. CODECO has been blamed for a series of massacres in recent days in which at least 30 people, including children, have been killed.