World Tour: Deadly ethnic conflict in Manipur state, India

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour with World reporter Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE: DRC Flooding — Today’s World Tour begins in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

SOUND: [Woman singing]

Residents are in mourning after flooding in parts of South Kivu province killed over 400 people.

Heavy rainfall that began last week caused flash floods that swept away several buildings and left some major roads impassable in the hard-hit Kalehe territory.

Local authorities said thousands of people remain missing.

SURVIVOR: (Swahili) My whole family has disappeared. My family was swept away by the waters and all my neighbors disappeared everywhere in Nyamukubi, even at my in-laws' house.

This survivor says the floodwaters swept away her family members and neighbors.

The Congolese government observed a day of national mourning on Monday and flew flags at half-mast to honor the victims.

Heavy rains have drenched parts of east Africa, including Uganda and Kenya.

Flooding and landslides have killed more than 130 people in Rwanda.

N.E India violence — Next, to northeast India.

SOUND: [Evacuation]

Some 35,000 people have sought shelter in military camps and elsewhere after deadly ethnic fighting flared in Manipur state. Authorities said 60 people have died in the unrest.

The fighting began last week after members of the majority Christian Kuki tribe protested the dominant Hindu Meitei community’s request for a Scheduled tribe status. That designation gives marginalized communities like the Kukis quotas for education, health, and government jobs.

Both sides have a long history of clashes.

The protests turned violent, with cars and houses set on fire. Authorities reported more than 200 people injured and about 1700 houses burned.

This Kuki tribal leader said a large crowd began attacking his community last week.

TRIBAL LEADER: So we ran away, all of us ran to the jungle and we try to survive.

Military officials said they helped evacuate people from both sides to safety.

Authorities imposed curfews and cut off the internet in the affected districts.

Canada wildfires — We head over to Canada where wildfires have sparked a state of emergency.

SOUND: [Fire truck]

More than 80 wildfires are burning in Alberta, forcing more than 29,000 residents to evacuate.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the province-wide declaration will aid the emergency response.

DANIELLE SMITH: This is not a step we took lightly, but it’s one that will allow the quickest and most effective response.

Firefighters from Ontario and Quebec have also stepped in to help.

Provincial officials say they expect some rain and overcast weather conditions this week, but they warned the hot and dry conditions will return in a few days.

Syria rejoins Arab League — We close today in Syria.

After a 12-year suspension, Syria is now back in the Arab League. Member countries voted Sunday in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, to readmit the country.

The alliance suspended Syria back in 2011 at the start of the civil war under Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit is the Arab League’s secretary general.

ABOUL GHEIT: [Speaking Arabic]

He says here he expects western and European countries to oppose the move, but called it an independent decision.

The vote was not unanimous. Qatar and eight other countries in the 22-member alliance did not send their foreign ministers to the meeting.

Aboul Gheit said Assad can attend the Arab League Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia later this month.

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

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.