World Tour - Troop retreat in Ethiopia

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

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Tigray forces withdraw from other regions—We start today here in Africa.

AUDIO: [Woman crying]

Officials in Ethiopia’s Tigray region say two dozen people died last week when government forces attacked the town of Alamata. The drone strike targeted a market filled with shoppers.

But fighting in and around Tigray could soon be coming to an end.

On Monday, the leader of Tigray’s rebel forces said he had ordered his fighters to withdraw from neighboring provinces in hopes of opening the door to broader diplomacy.

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington welcomed the news.

PRICE: We have long, as you know, urged the cessation of hostilities including the return of the TPLF forces to Tigray. We have long urged backing humanitarian access I spoke to, we have long urged ending human rights abuses and violations and for a negotiated resolution to the conflict.

As part of ceasefire negotiations, Tigray leaders are calling for a no-fly zone over the region. They also want an international arms embargo imposed on Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea.

Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict since fighting began in November 2020. Some parts of Tigray are facing famine conditions due to a government blockade of the region.

Philippines cleanup effort begins—Next we go to Southeast Asia.

AUDIO: [Sound of squeaking door, nail gun]

Cleanup efforts are underway in the Philippines after a massive typhoon hit the country Friday. Typhoon Rai made a direct hit on the archipelago, uprooting trees and tearing buildings to shreds. The Philippine Red Cross reported “complete carnage” along the coast.

Nearly 400 people died.

AUDIO: [Man speaking Tagalog]

This man appealed to the government for help, saying no one in his town escaped the storm’s wrath. Residents are in desperate need of drinking water and food.

Chile elects a new president—Next we go to South America.

AUDIO: [Sound of cheering]

Supporters of Chile’s president elect celebrated Monday as Gabriel Boric made his first official visit to the presidential palace.

AUDIO: [Man speaking Spanish]

After meeting with outgoing President Sebastian Pinera, Boric said he expected the country to have an orderly transition of power. Boric beat Pinera with nearly 56 percent of the vote.

At 35 years old, Boric is the youngest president ever elected in Chile. He will be one of the youngest in the world when he takes office in March.

Boric’s campaign platform centered on the promise to create a “welfare state.” In his victory speech, he said he would expand social rights in Chile with “fiscal responsibility.”

But Boric’s ties to Chile's Communist Party have many in the country nervous. Chile suffered social and economic hardships in the early 1970s under the former Marxist President Salvador Allende.

Kiwis train to help stranded whales—And finally, we end today in Polynesia.

AUDIO: [Sound of splashing, walking, talking]

Volunteers in New Zealand are using a nearly 5,000 pound rubber whale to learn how to rescue a real one. Louisa Hawkes is with Project Jonah New Zealand.

AUDIO: We have four and a half thousand trained marine animal medics all over the country ready to go when the next stranding happens in their region.

About 300 whales beach themselves on the country’s shores every year. That’s one of the highest whale stranding rates in the world.

The training includes teaching volunteers how to wrestle a 17-foot long pilot whale replica onto a mat between two inflatable pontoons.

AUDIO: There’s a lot of stuff you don’t think about, it's not rocket science, it's pretty practical steps you can do so if anyone comes across an animal that needs help, they can help. You know it’s a no brainer really.

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

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