You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Host Esther Githui-Ewart and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis.
Top Stories:
Tension are rising in Ethiopia as the government says more than 166 people were killed during anti-government protests last week. Addis Ababa and other hot spots are being closely guarded by security forces amid an internet shutdown entered its sixth day. Large protests erupted in the capital and spread to the surrounding Oromia region after popular Oromo musician Haacaaluu Hundeessaa was shot and killed by unknown gunmen. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called his killing "an evil act." Hundeessaa's death tapped into grievances fueled by decades of government repression and what the Oromo describe as their historic exclusion from political power. The unrest is the deadliest since Abiy, who is Oromo, took power in 2018 with the promise of wide-ranging reforms.
Seven government soldiers are dead following an ambush in central Mali where at least 32 villagers had been killed by suspected jihadists, according to authorities. The defense ministry says the attack on an army patrol took place Thursday just outside of Gouari village in the Mopti region.
The southern United States is being slammed by an unrelenting surge COVID-19 infections and has recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases on several recent days. Florida recorded more than 11,000 new cases on Saturday, a new single-day high. Nearly three-million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo is self-isolating for 14 days on the advice of doctors after a person in his inner circle tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement released by the government. Akufo-Addo has tested negative but is self-quarantining out of an abundance of caution. Ghana has recorded almost 20,000 coronavirus cases, one of the highest number of cases in sub-Saharan Africa, with at least 117 deaths, according to Reuters.
New Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has ordered that Monday’s inauguration ceremony be scaled down amid a surge of coronavirus cases. COVID-19 cases in Malawi have more than doubled in the past two weeks to reach nearly 1,500 with 16 deaths.
In Nairobi’s Kibera neighborhood, those who depend on day-to-day wages are being hit hardest by the economic effects of the corona-virus pandemic. While Kenya’s government is providing some support, a local charity has formed to pick up the slack. the “Adopt-a-Family” campaign connects well-off Kenyan families with those less fortunate during the COVID-19 outbreak. So far, the initiative has connected more than 400 families.
This month, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as millions of Congolese celebrate the 60th anniversary of independence from Belgium, they are also celebrating the fall of one of the most prominent symbols of the colonization and plunder of their country, King Leopold II. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in America, protesters in Belgian cities have toppled several statues depicting King Leopold, whose violent administration over the Congo free state is responsible for the death of an estimated 10 million people. Last week Belgium’s King Phillipe sent his "deepest regrets" to the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo for the "suffering and humiliation" his nation inflicted while it colonized the region. Professor Adam Hochschild is the author of the critically acclaimed book King Leopold’s Ghost. VOA’s Jackson Mvunganyi spoke to him about how Leopold took interest in Congo.
A54 Sports: In the U.S., professional golf tournaments have restarted. But for professional players and fans of pro golf in southern Africa, real-life tournaments are still on hold. Despite COVID-19 related cancellations players are still finding ways to show off their skills for fun, honor, charity, and even money.
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