World Tour: Violence increases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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

AUDIO: [Walking villagers]

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: DRC unrest — We start today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where residents are fleeing intensifying violence.

Thousands of people clutching their belongings joined others in cars and on motorcycles to journey towards Goma, the largest city in the eastern region.

Fighting has increased between Congo’s army and the M23 rebel group—one of at least 120 rebel groups active in the region.

The rebels blocked the two main roads into Goma.

Olive Luanda was among the fleeing residents.

LUANDA: [Speaking Swahili]

She says here that she wants the war to end because people are suffering too much.

Aid group Save the Children says the latest fighting has displaced at least 78,000 children so far this month.

South Africa this week announced it will deploy at least 2,900 soldiers to Congo as part of a southern African mission.

Ecuador euthanasia — Next to Ecuador where the Constitutional Court last week decriminalized euthanasia.

The ruling follows a lawsuit by Paola Roldan—a terminally ill woman diagnosed with ALS. She argued she should be allowed to choose when she dies.

ROLDAN: [Speaking Spanish]

Roldan saying here she was weeping and rejoicing at the ruling.

The court gave lawmakers up to 12 months to draft regulations for the procedure. But Roldan received expedited permission to take her life.

The ruling has sparked mixed reactions in the country.

ESTRELLA: [Speaking Spanish]

Fausto Estrella, a retired teacher in Ecuador says people aren’t masters of their lives, and only God should end a person’s life.

Ecuador joins Colombia as the only other Latin American country to legalize euthanasia.

AUDIO: [Street protesters]

Greece same-sex unions — In Greece, over 1500 protesters gathered in Athens on Sunday to oppose approval of a same-sex marriage bill.

Greece’s conservative government is sponsoring the bill that will require approval from opposition parties to become law. The proposed legislation seeks to allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.

Many who oppose the bill have called it a threat to traditional family values.

Chara Gianantonaki joined the protest.

GIANANTONAKI: [Speaking Greek]

She says the bill’s proponents want to destroy what has remained sacred in the country. She added that protesters like herself draw the line when it comes to children.

The bill’s approval could make Greece the first majority Orthodox country to legalize same-sex marriage.

AUDIO: [Music and fireworks]

Lunar New Year celebrations — We close today with fireworks in Hong Kong as spectators on the territory and elsewhere marked the Lunar New Year.

The colorful display over Victoria Harbor lasted for 23 minutes. It marked the first time Hong Kong has celebrated the Lunar New Year with fireworks since the COVID-19 pandemic.

AUDIO: [Dancing]

In China, crowds gathered to watch the dragon dance, martial arts, and acrobatic performances in Beijing.

WOMAN: [Speaking Mandarin]

This Beijing resident says the performances make her forget the pandemic ever stopped such events.

AUDIO: [Performance]

Asian communities in London’s Chinatown, in Madrid, and other major cities also entertained spectators.

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

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