GARISSA, Kenya, June 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people, including six soldiers, were killed Tuesday in two separate attacks linked to the al-Shabaab terror group in coastal and eastern Kenya.

The police said the attackers used improvised explosive devices (IED) to target security agencies as they moved on roads, also leaving dozens wounded.

In the first incident, al-Shabaab militants targeted a passenger bus in the eastern county of Mandera by shooting at it to force the driver to stop in vain, the police said. The driver sped off with a deflated tire, saving almost 50 passengers who were on board.

In the eastern county of Garissa, the police said the terror group targeted Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) troops with an explosive device, killing four of them after the vehicle ran over an IED.

The personnel were also attacked by guns, said the police officer, who declined to be identified. A team of National Police Reserve (NPR) that responded was met with resistance, leaving six of the NPR dead.

According to the police, another IED hit a KDF vehicle in the coastal county of Lamu, killing two troops, officials said, adding that the attacks happened almost simultaneously.

This brings the total number of security officers killed in the two terror attacks to 12.

The latest incidents marked the highest casualties so far this year as the terror group keeps moving into Kenya from Somalia where they have been facing onslaught from African Union Transition Mission in Somalia and Somali security forces.

In the recent past, there have been some attacks involving landmines, grenades, or other explosive devices in eastern Kenya. Most of these attacks occurred in eastern Kenya, mainly in Wajir, Garissa, and Mandera counties as well as along the Kenyan coast. - Xinhua

A High Court in Nairobi, Kenya, has frozen 45 bank accounts and 10 mobile money wallets belonging to a Nigerian-owned financial technology firm, Flutterwave

Justice Alfred Mabeya issued the orders on June 7, 2023, freezing the accounts of Flutterwave Payments Technology Ltd after a group of 2,468 Nigerians claimed the firm was used to defraud them of $12.04 million (Sh1.6 billion).

The Nigerian nationals have sued Flutterwave and named six financial institutions that hold the company’s funds as interested parties.

The institutions include five banks—United Bank of Africa, Access Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Equity Bank and Ecobank; and Safaricom, where Flutterwave operates 10 paybill numbers.

“The application is certified as urgent… The application will be served for directions on June 21. In the meantime, prayers two to nine (seeking freezing of bank accounts, bank keys and mobile money wallets) are granted for 14 days only,” Justice Mabeya ruled.

Justice Mabeya ordered the 2,468 Ponzi scheme victims to serve Flutterwave Payment Solutions and the six institutions holding their funds with the court papers.

The parties will appear before him on June 21 for further directions. The judge will also decide whether to extend the freezing orders.

While the court papers do not specify how much money is in the bank accounts and mobile money wallets, the Nigerians, who are seeking Sh1.6 billion, are confident they have billions

Flutterwave has appointed Mahmoud Gitau Jillo Advocates to represent it in the case. By Aina Ojonugwa, THEWILL

GOMA, 13 JUNE 2023 – At least 46 civilians, including 23 children, were killed in an attack on a camp for displaced people in Ituri province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between Sunday night and Monday morning. 

In response, Cecilia Thiam, Save the Children’s Humanitarian Director in the DRC, said:

“We are appalled and devastated by the senseless attack on a displacement camp in northeastern DRC, which claimed the lives of at least 23 children. Survivors have reported seeing bodies strewn across the camp. Child survivors, who escaped in the middle of the night in terror, will have seen things that no child should have to see. Some may have witnessed their parents, friends, and peers being killed.

“This incident is a grave reminder that children continue to bear the brunt of the conflict in northeastern DRC, with horrific violations being committed against them. Children are being killed, sexually assaulted, abducted, and forcibly recruited for use by armed groups. For the children who witnessed or were injured in this incident, their suffering may last for years.

“All parties to the conflict must ensure children are never targets – and the perpetrators of this violence must be held to account and brought to justice. Impunity for child rights violations feed into the narrative that these crimes are acceptable and can create cycles of violence.

“As the number of people injured and children separated due to these attacks continues to grow, Save the Children is calling on donors to immediately release additional funds to help survivors with urgent medical care, cooking supplies for those whose shelters were burned, and support for family tracing and reunification activities for children separated from their caregivers in the chaos.”

Over 26.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the DRC – or about one in every four people - including 14.2 million children. Conflict has been raging in parts of the country for nearly three decades, with children paying the heaviest price.

Save the Children has been present in Ituri Province – one of the country’s most impacted by conflict – since 1998 and runs a range of life-saving programs including in nutrition, hygiene and child protection. Save the Children also runs primary health care through mobile clinics and an advanced health care approach to displaced people in Lala since the last attack on the site in January 2023. Save The Children