Syria, DR Congo, Ethiopia.

Today's three stories you should know.

Mar 20, 2022

Syria

While the world - rightly - talks about Ukrainian refugees, others are still drowning in the Mediterranean. At least 20 people, most of them fleeing the war in Syria, died on Saturday when the boat they were traveling on capsized off the coast of Tunisia, a regular transit point for people trying to make it to European shores. The UN refugee agency says that about 1,300 people fleeing war and poverty drowned in the Mediterranean in 2021. The figure for deaths on the Central Mediterranean route since 2014 is both staggering and heartbreaking. The International Organization for Migration estimates that 18,000 migrants and refugees have died or disappeared.

DR Congo

Fourteen innocent people, including seven children, have been hacked to death at a camp for displaced people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Red Cross. Jean D’Zba Banju, a community leader in the area where the attack happened, blamed the notorious CODECO armed group. A patchwork of competing militia groups operate in eastern Congo, launching frequent attacks from bases deep in the bush. The country has been tormented by instability for the last two decades.

Ethiopia

An Ethiopian court has extended the detention of journalist Amir Aman Kiyaro, who has already been held without charge for more than three months. Amir, who regularly worked for the Associated Press news agency, is absurdly accused of “serving the purposes of a terrorist group” by interviewing its members. The AP said it was “dismayed” by the decision and called for Amir’s immediate release.