Violent unrest continues in Ethiopia’s Oromiya region, a year and a half after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office. Since the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), a separatist rebel group, broke its ceasefire with the Ethiopian government in 2018, ethnic militias have proliferated in Oromiya and the wider country, sparking the displacement and deaths of thousands of people. The violence shows the challenges of trying to achieve democratic reform in a country with a complex ethnic and religious history. Oromo nationalists make up around a third of Ethiopia’s population and fought for autonomy throughout the 20th century. New York Times journalist Declan Walsh’s report draws on interviews with locals, rebels, and government officials in Oromiya, to describe how the ambitions of rival factions within Oromo have fuelled the violence. However, the lack of ethnic cooperation has also undermined efforts on the part of Ahmed’s administration to find peace. The PM has struggled to balance the demands of the independent federal state with the interests of opposition groups while trying to pull the country from chaotic and repressive governance.
Pope Francis has called for both sides of the recent conflict in Sudan to stop fighting and to prioritize a ceasefire. As of last weekend, more than 280 people had been killed when the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces and related militias entered the city of Geneina to clash with armed residents. Doctors also stated that over 800 civilians have been killed since the fighting began.
The husband of Jo Cox, the murdered Labour MP, has criticised the National Film and Television School’s Killing Boris Johnson, which will premiere at Cannes Film Festival this month. The film follows a character who takes a gun to a primary school being visited by Mr Johnson after Downing Street lockdown-breaches were revealed. The character plots to assassinate Mr Johnson, before donning a mask of the former prime minister for the assassination attempt. First-time director Musa Alderson-Clarke said the film reflected his concerns about incoherent governance during the pandemic and warned against normalisation of violence.
Three men have been killed in a shooting in the southern French city of Marseille. Police have discovered a link between the crime and drug trade, bringing the number of drug-related killings in the city to 21 this year. French police have seized weapons and arrested five people following the shooting. Marseille has been described as a "power keg" for crime given the high rates of drug-dealing in the area. Last month regional prefect Frederique Camilleri warned the drug wars in Marseille were "turning into a vendetta".
Real Madrid player Vinícius Jr. racially abused during Spanish La Liga match
CNN
23-05-22 00:13
An investigation has been launched by La Liga following reports of racist abuse directed at Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinícius Jr. during a match against Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium. The incident prompted Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti to suggest that referees should abandon games when racist chanting occurs. Vinícius Jr. was sent off in the final minutes of the game for his part in an altercation with Valencia player Hugo Duro. The player posted a message on Instagram describing the racist abuse he has experienced during the current season, alleging that racism is “normal in La Liga” and that Spanish football has allowed the “image of a racist country” to be exported across the world. La Liga has reported nine separate racist incidents involving Vinícius Jr. to the relevant authorities over the past two seasons. However, it has no power to punish clubs or fans for incidents of racist abuse.
A Pakistani court has ordered the release of Shireen Mazari, an associate of ousted former Prime Minister Imran Khan, from detention on charges of inciting people to violence. Mazari's daughter had petitioned the high court, arguing that her mother's arrest was unlawful. Mazari was a vocal critic of Pakistan's military and Sharif's government, and there are several legal cases pending against her. Mazari's release comes as Sharif's government prosecutes thousands of Khan's followers implicated in anti-government violence.
At least eight people died and 27 others were hurt in a series of mass shootings in the United States over the weekend. In Texas, a gunman killed seven people and injured a further 22 in the Midland-Odessa area on Saturday. The suspect was later shot dead by police outside a cinema. The shooting occurred just weeks after similar incidents in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. In smaller-scale incidents, according to data collated by the Gun Violence Archive, four people were injured in a shooting near a luxury apartment building in Los Angeles, four people were injured at a party in Thomson, Georgia, three teenagers and an adult were shot in Louisville, Kentucky and two people were killed and another two injured outside a nightclub in Kansas City, Missouri. This year to date, there have been at least 327 mass shootings in the US.
Pennsylvania's state House of Representatives is debating gun control measures for the first time since 2018, after Democrats advanced four bills from a House committee last month. The legislation would require long-barrelled guns to be sold with trigger locks; impose financial penalties on gun owners who fail to report stolen or lost firearms; end the so-called gun show loophole, requiring background checks on would-be gun buyers across all sales; and allow a judge to order the temporary seizure of guns if requested by police or family members. Despite the Democrats' one-vote majority in the house, the legislation is expected to face significant opposition from Republican lawmakers.
