Attacker of Ugandan Olympian Dies from Injuries in Kenyan Hospital

The man who attacked Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei has died from injuries sustained during the assault, according to the Kenyan hospital where he was receiving treatment. The attacker, identified as Dickson Ndiema Marangach, had poured petrol over Cheptegei at her home in western Kenya on September 1, leading to her death from severe burns.

Cheptegei, a mother of two, suffered 80 percent burns and succumbed to her injuries last week. Marangach, who incurred 30 percent burns during the attack, was treated in the intensive care unit at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret. He died on Monday at 7:50 pm local time (16:50 GMT), hospital spokesperson Daniel Lang’at confirmed.

Police investigations revealed that Marangach had snuck into Cheptegei’s home in Endebess, near the Ugandan border, while she attended church with her two children. The dispute between Marangach and Cheptegei reportedly stemmed from property disagreements. According to her father, Joseph Cheptegei, Marangach purchased five liters of petrol before hiding in a chicken coop and launching the deadly attack.

The United Nations condemned the murder, with Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, highlighting the global issue of gender-based violence. “This is one of the most prevalent human rights violations worldwide and must be addressed accordingly,” Dujarric said.

UN Condemns Deadly Burkina Faso Terror Attack, 200 Killed

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned a brutal terror attack that claimed around 200 lives in Barsalogho, Burkina Faso, over the weekend, leaving 140 others injured.

The attack was carried out by the Al Qaeda-affiliated group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), which has been expanding its control in northern Burkina Faso.

This group, originating from Mali, has contributed to the region’s worsening security situation, which led to two military coups in 2022.

Residents of Barsalogho were reportedly digging trenches to defend the town from assaults when the militants attacked. Many of the wounded were evacuated to healthcare facilities in the nearby city of Kaya.

In a statement, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric shared that the Secretary-General expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and the people of Burkina Faso, reaffirming the UN’s support for the transitional government’s fight against terrorism.

“The secretary-general expresses his solidarity with the authorities and urges them to bring the perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice,” Dujarric said.

The UN’s humanitarian teams on the ground described the situation as dire, with an estimated 90,000 displaced people living in Barsalogho as of 2023.

The region is struggling with severe hunger and limited aid access, as insecurity has made it difficult to deliver relief. Helicopter transport has been the primary means of reaching the area since 2022.

UN: Flooding from Sudan dam collapse worsens humanitarian crisis

No fewer than 20 villages in eastern Sudan have reportedly been “destroyed”, with 70 impacted overall, after floodwaters burst through a major dam, according to UN humanitarians.

The UN humanitarians said that the situation has added to the suffering of communities already devastated by the ongoing war between rival militaries.

The Arba’at Dam, located around 38 kilometers (24 miles) northwest of Port Sudan, collapsed on Sunday, damaging roads, electricity, and telecommunication networks, making it difficult to assess the situation, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported.

Authorities estimate that around 50,000 people living on the western side of the dam have been severely affected, while the impact on the eastern banks is still being assessed.

Provincial and federal government teams on the ground are working to open roads and conduct search and rescue operations.

“The government delegation reported that about 70 villages around Arba’at Dam have reportedly been affected by the flash flooding of which 20 villages have been destroyed,” OCHA said in a statement on Tuesday.

At least 30 fatalities have been confirmed, as of Monday, but the actual number of casualties is feared to be much higher.

Severe damage to infrastructure has also been reported, including the collapse of 84 borehole wells and 70 schools have been fully or partially destroyed. Over 10,000 livestock are also missing.

The Arba’at Dam is the primary source of freshwater for the key city of Port Sudan.

It handles the majority of the country’s international trade and has been a hub for humanitarian operations since the outbreak of war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April last year.

An inter-agency team led by OCHA has been deployed to the impacted areas and is coordinating with partners and authorities to support a full assessment.

“A helicopter is urgently required to assist with aerial assessment as some areas are impassable by road due to flooding,” OCHA said.

The aircraft would also boost search and rescue efforts, as some residents are said to have been trapped in the mountains where they fled for safety, while others are still marooned by floodwater, it added.

Since the onset of the rains in June, floods have wreaked havoc across many parts of Sudan, with the most affected regions being in North and West Darfur, and the River Nile states.

Even before the dam collapsed, more than 310,000 people had been impacted by flooding across the country, adding to the misery inflicted by the brutal fighting, now in its seventeenth month.

More than 12 million people have been displaced from their homes, both within Sudan and outside its borders.

The war has also decimated livelihoods and destroyed crops, leading to severe food shortages and now famine in several parts of the country.