Somalia, China, Tanzania.

Today's three stories you should know.

Jan 04, 2023

I hope everybody had a great holiday season and New Year. It’s good to be back.

Bests,

Barry.

Somalia

At least 35 people, including nine members of one family, have been killed in a twin car bombing in the Somali province of Hiraan, according to police. The al-Shabab armed group, at war with the country’s government for more than a decade, claimed responsibility. A local district commissioner said that his home and the home of an MP were the presumed targets of the blasts. Shabab has lost territory in recent months after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced a huge offensive against the group. The rebels appear to have stepped up hit-and-run attacks in response.

China

The World Health Organization (WHO) today accused China of downplaying the extent of its growing Covid outbreak. “We believe that the current numbers being published from China under-represent the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions, particularly in terms of death,” Mike Ryan, WHO’s emergencies director, said. Some health experts are estimating that up to one million people could die in China this year if the surge in cases isn’t arrested.

Tanzania

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has scrapped a six-year-ban on opposition rallies. The ban was introduced in 2016 by Hassan’s predecessor John Magufuli, whose rule was marked by authoritarianism. The main opposition party, Chadema, welcomed the development, and rights group Amnesty International said it was a “welcome step in the right direction.” Magufuli died in 2021 and Hassan is serving out the remainder of his term. She has been variously accused of carrying on some of his draconian practices and praised for overturning other authoritarian decisions.