Wednesday 9,July 2025 {HMC} At least 31 people were killed and more than 100 others wounded in protests that erupted across Kenya on Monday, a rights group said, as simmering anger against President William Ruto’s government boiled over into clashes between protesters and the police.

The group, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, said on Tuesday that it had also documented at least 532 arrests and two forced disappearances.

The police fired live rounds, rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons at protesters across the country, the group said. From atop deserted overpasses across Nairobi, the capital, officers blasted tear gas canisters at demonstrators congregating below. Some protesters threw rocks at the police, while others danced.

The demonstrations on Monday occurred on Saba Saba Day, which commemorates the start of Kenya’s multiparty democracy movement in 1990. Saba Saba, which in Swahili means “Seven Seven,” refers to the first pro-democracy rallies held in Nairobi.

In a major show of force, armed police officers barricaded and blocked major roads leading to Nairobi’s central business district, leaving normally crowded streets deserted save for a few determined protesters who traveled on foot.

Armed men in civilian clothes could be seen riding in the back of police vehicles and wielding riot shields.

Emmanuel Maranga, a 45-year-old from Kikuyu, said he went to central Nairobi on Monday to demonstrate in the spirit of the Saba Saba protests.

“We can use this Saba Saba to make a reform in this country,” he said, adding: “I’m here for the youngsters. We have to fight for what our parents started.”

Other protesters expressed anger at recent police killings and said that the government was ignoring pleas for accountability and transparency.

Dominic Mbuthia, 32, condemned Mr. Ruto’s government. “He’s not democratic,” Mr. Mbuthia said of the president. “He doesn’t want to listen to the people. He is a dictator.”

Businesses in the center of the capital were shuttered, and hundreds of men, many who said they had been hired as private security, roamed the streets while swinging thick wooden sticks.

Less than two weeks ago, antigovernment protests erupted across the country, killing at least 16 people and wounding hundreds more. Thousands took to the streets a year after nationwide marches against a contentious tax plan left more than 60 people dead. Anger over the death of a blogger in police custody has also fueled protests against Mr. Ruto’s government.

Charles Munyao, a business owner in Nairobi’s central business district, said on Monday that people looted his shops during demonstrations on June 25. Goons, not protesters, he said, had ruined his inventory, and this time, he added, gesturing to some of the men wielding sticks, he needed his own security.

Mr. Munyao blamed the police, who, he said, have not helped him recover any stolen items or lost profits.

“I lost everything,” he said, pointing to a row of closed stores. “If security had been well coordinated, we would not have lost our shops.”

On Tuesday, the United Nations, which denounced the most recent demonstrations, reported that protests had broken out in 16 counties.

Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said in a news conference, “It is essential that legitimate grievances at the root of these protests are addressed.”

After the 2024 protests, dozens of people, including activists and medical workers, were abducted, interrogated and tortured, according to human rights monitors and dozens of activists.

The Kenyan police have denied targeting protesters, and Mr. Ruto has said that those who were abducted had been returned to their families.

Wednesday 9,July 2025 {HMC} Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre held a high-level consultative meeting on Tuesday with hundreds of women from across Mogadishu to emphasize their vital role in shaping Somalia’s future, particularly in areas such as elections, constitutional reform, reconciliation, and national unity.

Speaking at the forum, Prime Minister Hamza reaffirmed his government’s commitment to advancing women’s participation across political, administrative, and social spheres. He praised Somali women for their unwavering patriotism and their contributions to peace, security, and post-conflict reconstruction.

“It is imperative that we liberate the country from the Khawarij threat if we are to realize the Somalia we envision,” the Prime Minister said, using the term “Khawarij” to refer to the al-Shabab militant group. “Somali women are critical to achieving our long-term national goals and reclaiming our country.”
Hamza emphasized that women’s full participation in political life requires protecting every citizen’s right to vote and run for office. He also reiterated the government’s intention to expand employment opportunities for women and protect their constitutional representation.

The event, held under the theme “Defense and Elections,” was organized by the Somali Women’s Center for Security and Peace. It brought together top government officials, including the Minister of Women and Human Rights Development and the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, as well as members of parliament, civil society leaders, and women from diverse sectors.

The forum aimed to foster inclusive dialogue and ensure that women remain central to Somalia’s political and security agenda as the country continues its path toward democratic governance and national stabilization.

Source Hiiraan online

Wednesday 9,July 2025 {HMC} Former Speaker of the Puntland Parliament, Abdirashid Yusuf Jibriil, arrived in Las Anod on Tuesday alongside a delegation representing the Sanaag and Haylaan regions, ahead of the SSC-Khaatumo Regional State Completion Conference scheduled to begin on July 10.

Prior to his arrival, Abdirashid spoke at a gathering in Damale Xaggare, where he declared that the era of administration by either Puntland (Garowe) or Somaliland (Hargeisa) over areas between Buuhoodle and Lasqoray had come to an end. He announced that his Warsangali community has chosen to align with SSC-Khaatumo.

The former speaker accused Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni of preparing 5,000 troops to pressure the people of Sanaag and exploit the region’s natural resources. He asserted that the communities of Sanaag and Haylaan are ready to deliberate and move toward independence from both Somaliland and Puntland.
The SSC-Khaatumo administration’s conference organizing committee welcomed the resolutions from the Damale Xaggare meeting and formally recognized the Sanaag and Haylaan delegates as legitimate participants in the upcoming conference.

However, the development has drawn criticism from elders and intellectuals in the Sanaag region, many of whom publicly rejected Abdirashid’s actions. They accused the SSC-Khaatumo administration of attempting to “invade” territories they consider part of Puntland and blamed the Federal Government for fostering division between the Dhulbahante and Warsangali clans.

Puntland President Said Deni responded firmly, urging SSC-Khaatumo leaders to stay within their own territories and warning against interference in Sanaag. “Sanaag will never be part of the SSC,” Deni said in a statement.

The dispute underscores growing tensions between Puntland, the Federal Government, and the newly recognized SSC-Khaatumo administration over contested territories in northern Somalia. The situation remains volatile as stakeholders prepare for the highly anticipated conference in Las Anod.

Source Hiiraan online

Wednesday 9,July 2025 {HMC} Iran’s government has issued a new death toll for its war with Israel, saying at least 1,060 people were killed and warning that the figure could rise.

Saeed Ohadi, the head of Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, gave the figure in an interview aired by Iranian state television late Monday.

Ohadi warned the death toll may reach 1,100 given how severely some people were wounded.

During the war, Iran downplayed the effects of Israel’s 12-day bombardment of the country, which decimated its air defenses, destroyed military sites and damaged its nuclear facilities. Since a ceasefire took hold, Iran slowly has been acknowledging the breadth of the destruction, though it still has not said how much military materiel it lost.

The Washington-based Human Rights Activists group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, has said 1,190 people were killed, including 436 civilians and 435 security force members. The attacks wounded another 4,475 people, the group said.

Source AP