DR Congo, Pakistan, Cameroon
Today's three stories you should know
DR Congo
The death toll from the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record has risen to almost 1,000 people, according to officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). DRC’s National Institute of Public Health said today that 999 deaths have been confirmed since the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus was declared in May. Officials said that as of Monday, 2,473 cases had been recorded and at least 737 patients are currently in hospital. The U.N. health agency says the true scale of the crisis is at least 2 to 4 times higher than the number of documented cases. The response to the emergency has been hampered by striking health workers and the outbreak epicentre’s location in a conflict zone.
More from AP here.
Episode 8 of the Proximities podcast, a discussion I had on the UK’s Novara Live show about the risk of the world standing by and watching another massacre unfold in Sudan, is now live on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
Coming later this week: how the women of Afghanistan are resisting the Taliban.
Pakistan
Pakistani airstrikes on a drug rehabilitation center in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul should be investigated as a war crime, rights group Amnesty International said today. The strikes in March killed at least 269 civilians and injured 122, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. Amnesty said it “found no evidence” that the Omid Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre had any military purpose, and that the strikes violated international law, which protects healthcare facilities. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harboring groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban denies.
More from Reuters here.
Cameroon
Cameroon’s ruling party is to hold a rare meeting of senior leaders as public criticism of aging President Paul Biya’s 45-day absence from the country grows. Biya, who is 93, left Cameroon on June 7 for what the cabinet said was “a brief private stay in Europe” but speculation is mounting about his health. One opposition MP has asked the Constitutional Council to declare the presidency vacant. The ruling RDPC, which described its meeting only as “an important working session,” has insisted the state remains functional. Biya, in power since 1982, is Africa’s oldest president and its second longest-serving leader.
More from CNBC Africa here.