World Tour: El Salvador gang crackdown

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Next up on The World and Everything in It: WORLD Tour with Onize Ohikere, our reporter in Nigeria.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: DRC unrest — We begin today’s World Tour in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

AUDIO: [Protesters singing]

Residents in the eastern provincial capital of Goma marched for peace Monday, singing, carrying candles, and holding banners.

That’s after authorities blamed a rebel group for killing more than 270 people last week in the town of Kishishe.

Goma resident Amani Jordan attended the march.

JORDAN: [in French] …we are looking for peace with the neighbors but they don't want to give us peace…

He says here the Congolese want peace, but their neighbors refuse to give peace.

Authorities have blamed last week’s deaths on M23, one of dozens of rebel groups plaguing the restive eastern region. The group claimed only eight people died in the attack.

M23 rebels seized Goma a decade ago. Authorities integrated many of the fighters into the military after a peace deal. But the group reemerged last November, accusing the government of failing to live up to its end of the deal.

Congo has accused Rwanda of backing the rebel group, an allegation Rwanda has denied.

W.Africa police force — We head over to western Africa, where leaders have agreed to create a regional security force.

That decision comes as the region battles jihadism and a spate of coups.

AUDIO: [Applause]

During a summit in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, the leaders said restructuring their security architecture would allow them to take care of their own security instead of relying on aid from external actors like the United Nations, France, and Russia.

Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso have all experienced coups in the past two years.

Omar Alieu Touray is president of the regional Economic Community of West African States.

TOURAY: The leaders have decided to ensure that the transition stays on course in all 3 countries.

Touray said the regional defense chiefs will hash out the details of the force in the second half of 2023. He added that funding would go beyond voluntary contributions.

El Salvador crackdown - Next, to El Salvador.

AUDIO: [Security troops]

This weekend, some 10,000 Salvadoran army troops surrounded the populous city of Soyapango, on the outskirts of the capital.

The operation is part of a state of emergency that President Nayib Bukele declared this spring amid a surge in gang violence.

The troops searched everyone coming in or leaving the city to arrest suspected gang members.

Gustavo Villatoro is El Salvador’s security minister.

AUDIO: [Speaking Spanish]

He says here that authorities are targeting 40 strategic points in the city to track down gang members… according to intelligence information.

Officials have detained more than 58,000 suspected gang members since March. But aid groups have questioned the heavy-handed tactics and suspect false arrests.

China eased restrictions — Finally, we end today in China, where authorities have taken a hint from recent protests.

AUDIO: [Traffic sounds]

In the capital of Beijing and other major cities, public transport has stopped requiring negative COVID-19 test results to board.

In Shanghai, residents also don’t need to show test results to enter outdoor venues like parks. And in Urumqi—the capital of China’s Xinjiang region—ski resorts have reopened and restaurants can now resume takeout services.

AUDIO: [Protesters chanting]

Rare protests over COVID-19 restrictions began last month after 10 people died in a residential fire in Urumqi, where lockdowns are common.

China has maintained a “zero- COVID” strategy even as other countries have lifted strict restrictions.

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

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