Krista's Current News

Deaths, displacement as battle for CAR continues At least 25 people have been killed in a series of clashes between armed groups over one week in escalating violence in the Central African Republic (CAR). The UN said on Tuesday that thousands of people continue to be uprooted and forced to flee for their lives in resurgent fighting between rival factions in various parts of the country. In its weekly report released on Tuesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that preliminary estimates indicate at least 10 people were killed and 50 others wounded in fighting between rival factions in the central town of Bria between September 7-8. In Yokapi, a village in the country's east, around 15 people were killed and some 80 houses torched in a violent confrontation between two communities, OCHA added. OCHA's reported death toll is in addition to at least six people killed since last Thursday in Batangafo, a northwestern town whe

Kenya election re-run marred by insecurity - diplomats Western diplomats have warned of "growing insecurity" in Kenya ahead of Thursday's presidential election re-run, boycotted by the main opposition. Inflammatory rhetoric and attacks on the election commission made it more difficult to hold a legitimate poll, the 20 envoys said. Kenyan prosecutors said opposition leader Raila Odinga's sister would be charged with inciting violence. Mr Odinga has vowed to disrupt Thursday's poll with a mass protest. He says the vote cannot be held before key reforms, including the sacking of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials, are implemented. About 70 people have been killed in violence since the IEBC declared President Uhuru Kenyatta the winner of elections on 8 August. The Supreme Court of Appeal annulled his victory, saying the poll was marred by irregularities and illegalities. And Mr Odinga says nothing has changed since.

Somalia struggles to cope with aftermath of blast Somali health workers are struggling to identify and treat the victims of the country's deadliest attack, as more than 100 people are feared missing. A truck bomb blast on Saturday in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, killed at least 276 people and injured more than 300. Dozens are officially missing, but Al Jazeera has learned that the number could be closer to 100 people. The death toll is expected to rise, with people believed to be buried in the rubble of destroyed buildings. "We expect the death toll will rise today," said Abdirahman Omar Osman, Somalia's information minister, adding that rescuers need extra support because the city's tools cannot move the amount of rubble. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he said: "We are still collecting information from hospitals and relatives of victims. Many people were taken to hospital with very serious injuries. We also have reports of r