WHAT? Has Today News Africa reporter Hariana Veras not kept up with the news in Nigeria? Chad? Democratic Republic of the Congo (DCR)? How about Somalia?
Veras described America as the most violent place in the world in a long-winded question about gun control:
REPORTER: “Just a follow up quick, still on gun violence. We have spoke, like between me and some friends, that in this country, and this — I’m making this point because — because we need to remind people that America is the only country on Earth that people die by gun without even being in war. Because — I’m giving this example because in Africa there is countries in have in war, but people doesn’t even have access to gun. It is very hard. Because the government and everybody’s very conscious that the guns can cause a lot of destruction. But in this country it is very normal for everybody to have access to gun, and this needs to be controlled. But what can people like me, common people, can also — what can we do to help control gun in this country?”JEAN-PIERRE: “Well, look, what I can speak to, there are many ways that people can get involved in — in dealing with the gun violence that we’re seeing here.”
Excuse me?
I remember covering Boko Haram regularly when I worked at Breitbart. How long has Africa had child soldiers?
Here are only a few examples. I won’t even get into the violence in Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Honduras, etc.
Hours ago, literally hours ago, reports on the violence in the DCR forced people to move east. Who is causing this? Over 130 armed groups:
More than 130 armed groups operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are creating havoc and terrorizing the population with their brutal, frequent attacks. Whole communities have become uprooted. Millions of displaced people have been consigned to a life of destitution and dependence on international aid.The latest deadly attack occurred in Ituri province on January 19 at the Plaine Savo site for internally displaced people. U.N. refugee agency spokeswoman Eujin Byun says armed men stormed the site and killed two adults and five children.“Many shelters were looted and burned down to the ground. As many as 17,000 people fled to the greater security of the nearby town of Bule. They are now staying in schools, churches, and poorly covered outdoor markets without sufficient food and water,” she said.The UNHCR says more than 200 civilians have been killed in a series of attacks in Ituri in the last six weeks, causing tens of thousands to flee for safety.
How about the Catholic priest who was burned to death in his home after armed men broke into his house:
In Nigeria, Father Isaac Achi was burned to death at his residence in Paikoro, a local government area of Niger state. The armed men had set his house ablaze after a failed break-in at 3 a.m. Another priest who was at the house, identified only as Father Collins, was shot and injured as he tried to escape.An Indigenous priest from the area ordained in 1995, Father Achi recently was the priest in charge of St. Peters and Paul Catholic Church in the Diocese of Minna, Nigeria.
A 2021 UN report found that West Africa has the most child soldiers in the world. These are “soldiers” recruited by the government and armed groups:
For five years the region has seen increased conflicts in which more than 21,000 children have been recruited by government forces and armed groups, says the report. In addition, more than 2,200 children in the region have been victims of sexual violence since 2016, says the report.More than 3,500 children have been abducted, making it the region with the second-highest abductions in the world, said the report.“The numbers and trends are extremely worrying for current and future generations of children,” Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF’s regional director for West and Central Africa told The Associated Press.“Not only have grave violations against children perpetrated by parties to the conflicts not stopped across West and Central Africa, but we have even seen a spike over the past five years, with a 50% increase in the total number of verified grave violations,” she said.
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