World Tour - Ambush in the DRC, and protests in Brazil

MEGAN BASHAM, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with Africa reporter Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Rwandan rebel attack in DRC—We start today here in Africa.

AUDIO: [GUNSHOTS]

At least 17 people were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday when a group of 60 Rwandan fighters ambushed a convoy of civilians and park rangers in Virunga National Park. The attackers appeared to be part of a rebel group linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The park is Africa’s oldest nature preserve and home to a population of endangered mountain gorillas. It spans the borders of three countries and has faced repeated attacks by local armed groups as well as incursions by smugglers, poachers, and kidnappers.

Yemen separatists declare self-rule—Next we go to the Middle East.

AUDIO: [MAN SPEAKING ARABIC]

Separatist fighters in Yemen declared self-rule on Sunday. The Southern Transitional Council, or STC, declared a state of emergency and deployed its troops in the southern port city of Aden.

That violates a peace deal the group signed with the Yemeni government last fall. The government, the STC, and several other groups banded together in an uneasy coalition to fight Houthi rebels. The Houthis seized control of Yemen’s capital in 2015, sparking a bloody conflict and humanitarian crisis.

A spokesman for the STC said the government wasn’t doing enough to manage the crisis.

SPOKESMAN: That is why the STC is right now compelled to take action into their own hands.

The Yemeni government warned that the move undermined the peace process and would have “dangerous and catastrophic consequences.”

Brazil’s justice minister resigns—Next we go to South America.

AUDIO: [POTS AND PANS]

Hundreds of Brazilians banged pots and pans in protest after Brazil’s minister of justice resigned on Friday. Sergio Moro oversaw the country’s biggest anti-corruption probe and was extremely popular. His probe exposed billions of dollars in bribes and landed many powerful businessmen and politicians in jail.

But last week, President Jair Bolsonaro fired the federal police chief—one of Moro’s closest political allies. Police are currently investigating Bolsonaro’s son in connection with a money-laundering scheme.

AUDIO: [MORO SPEAKING PORTUGUESE]

Moro said the president wanted a chief who would give him inside information on police investigations. He called that unacceptable political interference and resigned in protest.

Dutch students sail back home from Caribbean—And finally, we end today in Europe.

AUDIO: [CHEERING]

Dutch teens chanted and whooped as they landed in the Netherlands on Sunday. In early March, the group of 25 high school students set off on a sail-study program in the Caribbean. After completing the program, they planned to fly home from Cuba. 

But then the coronavirus shut down most air travel. So the students’ instructors and the ship’s crew decided to sail the 100 year old vessel back to the Netherlands. The 4,000 mile trip took five weeks. One student said flexibility was key.

STUDENT: I learned so much, not only sailing but also a little bit of cooking … just so much different stuff.

Relieved family members and friends gathered to watch the schooner glide into the harbor. They set off flares and cheered to welcome the students home.

That’s this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

(AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File) In this Feb. 20, 2020 file photo, Houthi rebel fighters display their weapons during a gathering aimed at mobilizing more fighters for the Iranian-backed Houthi movement, in Sanaa, Yemen. 

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