World Tour - Autocrats in Europe

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

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Bandits attack train in Nigeria—We start today here in Africa.

AUDIO: [Sound of walking on gravel, voices]

Nearly 200 people are missing in northwest Nigeria after armed bandits attacked a train traveling from the capital, Abuja, to the city of Kaduna.

The attackers placed explosives on the track to stop the train and then opened fire on the carriages. Eight people died, and 186 escaped unharmed. The remaining 176 passengers still haven’t been found.

Officials blamed the attack on criminal gangs. Violence against civilians in northwest Nigeria has grown rapidly in the last few months due to a lack of government security in the area.

Many of the attacks target Christian villages. Church leaders in the area have called on communities to prepare to defend themselves.

‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero sentenced to 25 years in prison—Next we go to Rwanda.

AUDIO: [Man speaking Kigali]

The country’s Court of Appeal upheld a 25-year prison sentence handed down last year to outspoken government critic Paul Rusesabagina. In Monday’s ruling, the appeals court judge said the sentence fit “the weight of his crimes.”

Rusesabagina rose to international fame for his role in saving more than 1,200 people during the 1994 Rwandan genocide by sheltering them in the hotel he managed.

After that, Rusesabagina became a fierce critic of President Paul Kagame. Last year, officials accused Rusesabagina and 20 others of backing an armed rebel group blamed for deadly attacks in 2018 and 2019.

His family and supporters denounced his arrest and trial as a sham designed to silence a political opponent.

Viktor Orban reelected in Hungary—Next we go to Europe.

AUDIO: [Singing followed by cheering]

Hungarian President Viktor Orban won reelection Sunday in a landslide. He joined his supporters in singing the country’s national anthem after results were announced.

ORBAN: [Man speaking Hungarian, crowd laughing]

Orban told supporters his win was so big it could perhaps be seen from the moon, but certainly from Brussels. That was a dig at the European Union. It has criticized Orban’s autocratic government for crackdowns on free speech and the media.

Although Hungary is a member of the EU, Orban maintains close ties with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. He has refused to allow weapons headed for Ukraine to cross Hungarian territory, earning the ire of his European allies.

AUDIO: [Man speaking Serbian]

In another election on Sunday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also won a landslide victory. Serbia is not an EU member but depends on the bloc for its financial stability. Even so, Vucic has allied himself with Moscow and Beijing and has increasingly adopted their autocratic tendencies.

Political unrest in Sri Lanka—And finally, we end today in South Asia.

AUDIO: [Sound of protest, chanting]

Thousands of protesters swarmed the parliament building in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, on Tuesday. They are demanding the prime minister resign amid the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.

For several months, Sri Lankans have endured long lines to buy fuel, cooking gas, food, and medicine. Inflation surged to nearly 20 percent last month. Fuel shortages have also led to power cuts, with some lasting almost eight hours each day.

Sri Lanka’s economy depends on tourism and has taken a beating during the global pandemic. The government is struggling to pay for imports of basic supplies because of its huge debts and dwindling foreign reserves.

That has prompted the government to turn to India and China for loans.

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

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