MORE THAN 100,000 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN DISPLACED BY THE LATEST ESCALATION IN EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, UNICEF SAID ON SUNDAY, WARNING THE NUMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE AS VIOLENCE SPREADS.(PHOTO).

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 More than 100,000 children have been displaced by the latest escalation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, UNICEF said on Sunday, warning the numbers are expected to rise as violence spreads. Since Dec. 1, intense fighting has uprooted more than 500,000 people, with children accounting for over 100,000 of those displaced in South Kivu alone, the UN agency said in a statement released Sunday. It said since Dec. 2, hundreds have been killed in the fighting, and children have been among the victims, with four students killed, six injured, and at least seven schools attacked or damaged. The rapid escalation has forced hundreds of thousands of children and families to flee within Congo and into neighboring Burundi and Rwanda, it added. Many people fleeing the violence have crossed into Burundi, with over 50,000 new arrivals reported between Dec. 6 and 11, nearly half of them children, UNICEF said, adding that the numbers are expected to rise as more displaced are identified. “Chi...

AL-SHABAB SAYS ONE OF ITS COMMANDERS KILLED IN DRONE STRIKE. (PHOTO).


 Al-Shabab says one of its commanders killed in drone strike


Militant group al-Shabab said one of its top commanders, Mohamed Mire, was killed in a drone strike near Kunyo Barrow in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle Region, VOA reported.


Al-Shabab did not say when the strike took place but blamed the United States for the killing.


The United States military command in Africa, AFRICOM, late on Thursday confirmed conducting a Dec. 24 airstrike against al-Shabab, killing two militants some 10 kilometers southwest of Kunyo Barrow. The AFRICOM statement did not name the targeted militants but said no civilians were harmed.


“The command will continue to assess the results of the operation and provide additional information as appropriate. Specific details about the units involved and assets used will not be released to ensure operational security,” said AFRICOM, which confirmed the strike was carried out in coordination with the Somali government.


Somalia’s Ministry of Information issued a statement calling the operation “well-planned” and conducted in coordination with international partners with whom it and long been hunting Mire.


Earlier, Lower Shabelle Region Governor Mohamed Ibrahim Barre told VOA’s Horn of Africa Service that the operation occurred two days ago.


Barre said Mire was traveling from the town of Jilib to Kunyo Barrow when he was targeted outside of the town.


Mire was head of al-Shabab’s regions department, the militant group’s equivalent of an interior ministry. He also held multiple other positions within the group.


In July, Somalia’s anti-money laundering committee issued a sanctions list targeting Mire and seven other al-Shabab commanders.


U.S. officials designated Mire a global terrorist in October 2022, describing him as a senior al-Shabab leader responsible for the group’s strategic decision-making and head of the group’s interior wing, overseeing many of the group’s activities in Somalia.


“Somalia remains central to the security environment in East Africa. U.S. Africa Command's forces will continue training, advising and equipping partner forces to degrade al-Shabaab,” AFRICOM said.

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