Lebanon
A fierce gun battle erupted on the streets of Lebanon’s capital Beirut today during a march organized by the Hezbollah and Amal movements to demand the sacking of the top judge investigating last year’s devastating port explosion. At least six people were killed and dozens wounded, according to the Lebanese Red Cross. The incident underscores fears that Lebanon is unravelling amid an unprecedented economic crisis.
More from Al Jazeera here.
DR Congo
A Brussels court today began to hear the case of five women from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who are suing the Belgian government for crimes against humanity. The women were snatched from their mothers between 1945 and 1950 when they were aged two to four because their fathers were Belgian. During the colonial-era, mixed-race children were disowned by their fathers, not allowed to mix with wider society and placed in orphanages or religious institutions. Belgium’s rule in Congo, which came to an end in 1960, was marked by extraordinary brutality.
More from France 24 here.
Nigeria
Nigeria’s military said today that Abu Musab al-Barnawi, leader of the ISIS affiliate in the country, is dead. The Islamic State West Africa Province began as an offshoot of the Boko Haram armed group and had recently grown in prominence.
More from Sahara Reporters here.