At first it seemed the country had been spared the worst. But then neighbouring South Africa discovered a highly infectious new variant.
For years, Islamist militants have terrorized the Cabo Delgado province in Mozambique, killing and displacing thousands. This week, they attacked a town called Palma, which hosts international oil and gas companies, killing dozens. ISIS claimed responsibility. Special correspondent Neha Wadekar and her team were among the first to access the region and speak to survivors. They have this report.
For more than three years, northern Mozambique has been ravaged by violence and destruction, as a local Islamic insurgency has grown in intensity and brutality. More than 1,300 civilians have been killed, according to one estimate, and some 668,000 have been internally displaced — nearly half of whom are children. Journalists are not usually granted access to the area, but Neha Wadekar accompanied an aid group to Cabo Delgado in November and was able to speak to survivors of the brutal campaign. Wadekar spoke with host Scott Simon about the victims she met on her trip, the origins of the violence and the criticism that has been leveled against the government in Mozambique. Below are excerpts from the conversation, edited in parts for clarity and length.
One of the first inside looks into the conflict in Mozambique, where armed militants are ravaging villages, decapitating residents, and leaving children traumatized and displaced.
COVID-19 is further complicating a global fight to end female genital cutting. Read my work from northern Kenya, with photos by Will Swanson and support from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
The Hologic Panther can help test more blood samples more quickly, allowing HIV positive patients to know their viral loads so they can better manage their conditions.
I spoke with hosts Carli and Laura for their podcast, Unconventional Dyad, where psychology and psychoanalysis meets social justice, feminism, politics, climate change, critical theory, graduate student mental health, and the arts.
American politics have long influenced abortion rights abroad, but health care providers in Kenya say no U.S. president has done more damage to their cause than Donald Trump. The Trump administration’s iteration of the Global Gag Rule is exceptionally severe, pulling millions in funding from groups that prevent unsafe abortions and protect women’s health. Meanwhile, local anti-abortion activists are borrowing tactics from American groups like Operation Rescue, designed to shame local abortion providers and the patients they serve. Read my investigation with Mother Jones and Type Investigations.
‘When we lose our fear, they lose their power!’ Meet the women fighting back against police brutality in Kenya.
Start listening at 12:23 mins to hear my radio report for IRE Radio World Report with John Burke on the factors contributing to high rates of early child marriage in Kenya, including climate change and COVID19.