Kenya, Sudan, Myanmar.

Today's three stories you should know.

Apr 23, 2023

Kenya

A grisly story is developing in Kenya. Police said today that they have exhumed the bodies of 47 cult members who believed they would meet Jesus if they starved themselves to death. The pastor of the Good News International Church, Paul Makenzi, was already under arrest after another four members of the church starved to death last week. A tip-off had prompted police to raid Makenzi’s property where they found 15 emaciated people, including the four who later died. They started digging up the property on Friday. Makenzi is now on hunger strike in prison.

Sudan

Foreigners are cutting and running from Sudan as ferocious fighting continues in the capital Khartoum and other parts of the country. The US and the UK announced today that they had sent troops into the country to evacuate diplomats. Other nations, including France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Egypt, Pakistan and Canada have either completed evacuation operations or are in the process of executing them. For Sudanese civilians, however, there are no such evacuations. Al Jazeera today published a report on the dilemma Khartoum’s residents face in deciding whether to stay or flee.

Myanmar

A top election official has been murdered in Myanmar in an attack carried out by rebels opposed to military rule. Sai Kyaw Thu, deputy director-general of the military-appointed Union Election Commission, was shot in his car in the city of Yangon, according to the army intelligence office and an armed group that claimed responsibility. An insurgency has raged in Myanmar since the military toppled a democratically-elected government and jailed its leaders in February 2021.