Mali, Sudan, Japan.

Today's three stories you should know.

Apr 22, 2023

Mali

At least nine people have been killed and 60 wounded in a triple suicide bomb attack that destroyed 20 buildings near a military camp and airport in central Mali, according to regional officials. All of the dead were civilians, a spokesperson for the regional governor told the Reuters news agency. No group immediately claimed responsibility but Mali is one of several countries in the Sahel region engaged in a long-running and escalating war with armed groups linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda.

Sudan

Several nations are expected to shortly begin evacuating their citizens from Sudan’s capital Khartoum as fighting continues between the military and a powerful paramilitary group. The US, the UK, France and China were reported to be making preparations to get citizens out on military jets, with the US, South Korea and Japan already deploying troops to neighboring countries. Fighting continued today as both sides appeared to ignore a truce called for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.

Japan

Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said today that he was deploying troops in readiness to shoot down a North Korean spy satellite should it encroach on Japanese territory. Hamada’s order comes after Pyongyang announced it was making final preparations to launch its first military reconnaissance satellite. The North has test fired about 100 ballistic missiles since early last year, several of which flew over Japan or fell into the sea off its northern coast. The government of Kim Jong Un says it is launching the satellite in response to provocations from the US and South Korea.