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cairo — Sudan's military and allied armed groups have staved off an attack by a paramilitary group and Arab militias on a major city in the western region of Darfur, officials and residents said Saturday.  The attack Friday was the latest by the Arab-dominated Rapid Support Forces against el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province, where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering, many of them having fled fighting elsewhere in Darfur.  The RSF, which has been at war with the military for more than a year, has built forces up in recent months to wrestle control of el-Fasher, the last city still held by the military in the sprawling Darfur region.  Sudan's conflict began in April last year when soaring tensions between the leaders of the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.  The conflict wrecked the country and pushed its population to the brink of famine. It killed more than 14,000 people and wounded thousands more amid reports of widespread sexual violence and other atrocities that rights groups say amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Darfur witnessed some of the worst atrocities in the war, with the RSF taking control of many cities and towns across the region. Human Rights Watch said in a report last week that RSF attacks constituted a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the region's non-Arab population.  The RSF and their allies launched the attack on el-Fasher's eastern side early Friday and clashed with military forces and other armed groups defending the city, said resident Amany Mohamed. She said the military and allied forces have repelled the attack.  "Yesterday was a very difficult day," she said over the phone Saturday. "There were fierce clashes that lasted for six hours."  'The situation is catastrophic' Another resident and activist, Ibtisam al-Doum, fled with her family to a school-turned-shelter on the southern side of the city during heavy fighting Friday. She said she saw hundreds of people escaping on foot to safer areas.  "The situation is catastrophic. We don't know when this will end," she said, speaking from the Jiser al-Jinan shelter. "What's happening is senseless."  The military-led camp and the RSF blamed each other for initiating Friday's fighting.  Local media reported heavy clashes in parts of the city including its power planet. Footage on social media platforms showed army troops and allied forces celebrating and captured fighters in RSF uniform being paraded in the streets.  "Reports of intensifying clashes in the city are deeply alarming," Martin Griffiths, the United Nations relief chief, wrote on X and called for warning parties to de-escalate. "The people of Darfur need more food, not more fighting," he said.  Friday fighting displaces hundreds The International Organization for Migration said the military launched airstrikes Saturday on the RSF positions in the northern and eastern parts of el-Fasher. It said Friday's fighting had forced about 170 households, or about 800 people, from their homes.  The United Nations last month said the RSF had encircled the city and warned an attack would have "devastating consequences" for its 800,000 people.  The RSF and allied Arab militias have launched a series of attacks on el-Fasher and its surroundings in recent weeks, taking several villages on the northern side.  Such attacks "resulted in horrific reports of violence, including sexual violence, children injured and killed, homes set on fire and destruction of critical civilian supplies and infrastructure," Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF, said earlier this month.  "The fighting and growing fear of ethnically motivated violence has driven many families to overcrowded displacement camps such as Zamzam camp and informal gathering sites in and around el-Fasher city," she said. 

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The leader of a recently formed Cambodian opposition party has been charged with inciting social disorder, his lawyer said Saturday, in the third major legal action this month targeting critics of the government of Prime Minister Hun Manet. Sun Chanthy of the Nation Power Party, established late last year, was formally charged Friday by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and sent to pre-trial detention in the northwestern province of Pursat, according to Choung Chou Ngy. He said his client could be sentenced to six months to two years in prison if convicted, and that on Monday he will seek his release on bail.  Cambodia's government has long been accused of using the judicial system to persecute critics and political opponents. The government insists it promotes the rule of law under an electoral democracy, but political parties seen as mounting strong challenges to the ruling Cambodian People's Party have been dissolved by the courts or had their leaders jailed or harassed.  Sun Chanthy, 41, was arrested Thursday at Phnom Penh International Airport after returning from a trip to Japan where he held a meeting with several hundred Cambodian overseas workers. He spoke there about the desire for the government to allow more freedom for opposition parties.  In remarks shown on his Facebook page, he also criticized Hun Manet's government for policies that forced people to fall into debt to banks, while running up the nation's debt to foreign countries.  Sun Chanthy also reportedly criticized the government's system of issuing special cards to poor families that allow them to receive social welfare handouts.  The Justice Ministry said in a statement that he was charged for his remarks about the cards because he had "twisted information" to dishonestly suggest that they would only be distributed to those who join the ruling Cambodian People's Party.  Sun Chanthy's Nation Power Party said his arrest was an act of intimidation that critically affected the country's process of democracy. It called for his unconditional release.  Cambodia under its former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who held power for almost four decades, was widely criticized for human rights abuses that included suppression of freedom of speech and association. He was succeeded last year by his son, Hun Manet, but there have been few signs of political liberalization.  Sun Chanthy's detention comes just days after labor union leader Morm Rithy was sentenced to 18 months in prison by the same court in connection with comments he made during a live broadcast on Facebook two years ago that criticized the arrest of a casino worker.  On May 3, Cambodia's high court upheld the two-year prison sentence of a prominent female labor union leader. Chhim Sithar, president of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld, had originally been convicted in May 2023 of incitement to commit a felony during a long-running strike of workers at a casino resort in Phnom Penh.  Sun Chanthy had been a top leader of the former Cambodia National Rescue Party and was closely associated with its chief Sam Rainsy, the harshest critic and most popular opponent of the Cambodian People's Party for decades. Sam Rainsy has been in exile since 2016 to avoid serving prison sentences on defamation, treason and other charges, which his supporters consider politically motivated.  The Cambodia National Rescue Party had been expected to present a strong challenge to the ruling party in the 2018 general election. But as part of a sweeping crackdown on the opposition before the polls, the high court dissolved the party, and the Cambodian People's Party subsequently won every seat in the National Assembly.  Sun Chanthy joined the Candlelight Party, the successor to the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which was barred from competing in last year's general election on a technicality. He left the Candlelight Party to help form the Nation Power Party in October last year. 

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.  Armed men raided the coastal community of Gressier in the western tip of Port-au-Prince late Friday, injuring people, burning cars and attacking homes and other infrastructure as scores of people fled into the nearby mountains following a barrage of gunfire overnight.  It was not immediately known if anyone died.  Videos posted on social media showed people fleeing into the early dawn balancing bags and suitcases on their heads as men clad in sandals and carrying heavy weapons celebrated with gunfire.  "The town is ours," said one man who filmed himself with others who were armed, noting they were in Gressier. "We have no limits."  The attack comes roughly a week after gang attacks in central Port-au-Prince forced more than 3,700 people to flee their homes.  "The situation is critical and catastrophic," Garry Jean-Baptiste, a spokesperson for the SPNH-17 police union, told The Associated Press.  He called Frantz Elbe, director of Haiti's National Police, incapable and incompetent: "Monsieur Elbé has failed."  Jean-Baptiste said the union wants a newly installed transitional presidential council to demand Elbe's resignation and order justice officials to launch an investigation into the crisis.  "Police continue to lose their premises and equipment and officers," he said, adding that at least 30 police stations and substations have been attacked and burned in recent months.  He also accused Elbe and other high-ranking officials of being complicit with gangs.  Elbe did not immediately return a message for comment.  Jean-Baptiste said the officer who was stationed in Gressier "resisted for a while" but was unable to stave off the gang attack given a lack of staff and resources.  "The police could not prevent the worst," he said.  Jean-Baptiste said the attack was planned by gunmen who came from the neighboring communities of Village de Dieu, Martissant and Mariani.  Gressier is in an area controlled by Renel Destina. Best known as "Ti Lapli," he is a leader of the Grand Ravine gang and considered a key ally of Izo, another powerful gang leader, according to the United Nations. The Grand Ravine gang has some 300 members and is accused of killings, kidnappings, rapes and other crimes.  Those fleeing Gressier now join more than 360,000 other Haitians who have been forced to abandon their homes as gangs raze communities in rival territories to control more land. Tens of thousands of Haitians have squeezed into squalid, makeshift shelters, including schools and government buildings abandoned due to gang violence.  The violence surged starting February 29, when gangs launched coordinated attacks. Gunmen have burned police stations, opened fire on the main international airport that remains closed since March 4, and raided Haiti's two biggest prisons, freeing more than 4,000 inmates.  Veteran politician Andre Michel wrote on the social media platform X that the most recent attack targeting Gressier shows "Haiti will not be able to get out from under the gangs without an international force. … We will not be able to secure the country ourselves."  A U.N.-backed deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti has been repeatedly delayed, although some believe the first officers might arrive in late May.  Scores of U.S. military planes have been landing at the shuttered airport in Port-au-Prince in recent weeks, carrying civilian contractors, life-saving supplies, building materials and heavy equipment ahead of the anticipated arrival of a multinational mission. 

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran's hard-liners won most of the remaining seats in an election runoff to give them full control over the country's parliament, authorities said Saturday, while not sharing any details on the turnout.  The result, and that of the previous vote in March, gives hard-liners 233 of the 290 seats in Iran's parliament, according to an Associated Press tally.  Hard-liners seek more cultural and social restrictions based on Islamic sharia, including demanding that women wear the Islamic veil in public. They also express enmity toward the West, particularly the United States.  Those politicians calling for change in the country's government, known broadly as reformists, were generally barred from running in the election. Those calling for radical reforms or for abandoning Iran's theocratic system were also banned or didn't bother to register as candidates.  Vote counting began after the ballots closed late Friday, with the election authority publishing the names of the winners the day after.  Interior minister Ahmad Vahidi said Saturday the election saw "good participation," without elaborating.  "All elected people have had a relatively good and acceptable" number of votes, he said.  The result requires approval by a constitutional watchdog. It is expected next week. The new parliament will begin its job on May 27.  The parliament in Iran plays a secondary role in governing the country though it can intensify pressure on the administration when deciding on the annual budget and other important bills. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say in all important state matters.  In March, a total of 25 million ballots were cast, for a turnout of just under 41%, the lowest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought Islamists to power. 

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

YAOUNDE, CAMEROON   — Chad says it has deployed combat-ready troops to stop armed attacks and maintain peace as the death toll increased to 12 people in post-election violence on Saturday. At least 90 people have sustained severe injuries in the capital, N'djamena.  Chad state TV reports that keeping and using war weapons and firearms is prohibited until further notice by the central African state's military. It noted the prohibition of weapons was imposed after 9 people were killed and upwards of 60 were injured in shootings in N'djamena on Thursday night, after provisional results of the May 6 presidential elections were announced.   Chad's police say three other injured victims died in two hospitals in N'djamena on Friday night. About 30 other civilians were injured in confrontations and shootings, and they were rushed to hospitals, where the government has ordered they be treated at no charge.  Opposition and civil society say several hundred civilians who protested the May 6 presidential election results have been arrested and detained, especially in the capital city and in Moundou, Chad's second-largest city.  Chad's elections management body, known as ANGE, has proclaimed transitional ruler General Mahamat Idriss Deby the winner, with more than 61% of the vote. His main challenger, Succes Masra, is second, scoring 18.53% of the vote. Masra claimed he won, but Deby stole his victory.  Chad's military said among the shooters were armed supporters celebrating Deby's victory. They may have run into a confrontation with armed opposition supporters, Chad's military said Saturday, noting that illegal arms proliferation is rampant in the central African state.  Mbairamadji Desire, president of the N'djamena headquarters of the Rainbow Youth Association for Social Stability in Africa, said he is pleading with armed civilians to drop their weapons and spare Chad from looming civil strife.   Mbairamadji said all Chadians, especially youths, should put down their weapons they are keeping illegally because peace is priceless. He warned that Chad could descend into worsening chaos because it is very difficult for its military to be effective on multiple fronts, including seizing weapons hidden in homes, fighting Boko Haram terrorists who are infiltrating the Lake Chad basin, and stopping violence between farmers and nomadic herders that has worsened all over Chad in recent years. In a message after ANGE proclaimed the results, Deby said he is the democratically elected president of all Chadians, including opposition party leaders who are contesting his victory. Deby said he will do everything possible to strengthen Chad's internal security to guarantee threatened peace and stability.   Hussein Abdoulaye, a political analyst and lecturer at the University of Ndjamena, spoke with VOA via a messaging app from N'djamena.   He said civilians are increasingly aware that Chad's government has a tradition of rigging elections and using the military to crack down on the opposition, but that Chadians know their rights and may use violence if they think the opposition was deprived unfairly of victory.  In several messages shared on social media, including WhatsApp and Facebook, Masra is calling on civilians to calmly mobilize and demonstrate peacefully for what he calls his stolen victory to be restored.   Chad's government and the elections body say candidates have five days from the date of publication of provisional results to file complaints at the constitutional council.    The action could cancel the elections if it establishes that there was massive fraud, including stuffing of ballot boxes and intimidation of civilians at polling stations as the opposition claims.    Definitive results are scheduled to be declared by Chad's Constitutional Council on May 21. 

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

HONG KONG — Eight Chinese cities have joined a program allowing their residents to travel to Hong Kong on their own, rather than as part of a tour group, as part of efforts to boost Hong Kong's economy.  Hong Kong is battling to revive its economy following a national security crackdown and COVID-related controls, which led to many locals and expats leaving the city and caused tourist numbers to dwindle to a fraction of prepandemic levels.  The Individual Visit Scheme began in 2003 as part of a cooperation agreement between mainland China and Hong Kong to boost the city's economy by allowing Chinese residents to apply for individual travel, rather than in a tour group.  Fifty-one cities have already joined the program and will be joined by Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, Hohhot in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Harbin in Heilongjiang Province, Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Lanzhou in Gansu Province, Xining in Qinghai Province, Yinchuan in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.  Hong Kong city leader John Lee said, "These eight cities are all provincial capital cities with large populations, significant economic growth and high spending power."  Although recent official figures showed the territory growing 2.7% in the first quarter compared with the year before, local businesses have described shopping malls as "dead," with low foot traffic and shops covered with "for lease" or "coming up soon" signs.  One lawmaker recently told the city's legislature that more than 20,000 companies had deregistered in the first quarter of 2024, up more than 70% from the same period last year.  China imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020 after months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. In March, authorities enacted another set of security laws that some foreign governments say further undermine rights and freedoms.  The Hong Kong and Chinese governments have repeatedly said the security laws have brought stability.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

WARSAW, Poland — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk traveled Saturday to the country's border with Belarus, which is also the European Union's external border with the autocratic state, and pledged to do more to strengthen security along its entire eastern frontier. Tusk accused Belarus, Russia's ally, of intensifying what he called a “hybrid war” against the West by encouraging migrants to try to cross into the EU. He vowed that Poland would spare no expense on its border security. “I know that there are more and more illegal crossings every day,” Tusk told reporters at the border, where he met with Polish army soldiers, border guard officers and police. He also cited “the growing threat resulting from the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the uncertain geopolitical situation.” The visit to the border, Tusk's first since he took office in December, comes after a Polish judge defected to Belarus this month. He claimed he was facing persecution in Poland, a democracy. Officials have denounced him as a traitor, and he is being investigated on suspicion of espionage. Tusk replaced a national conservative party at odds with the EU over rule-of-law issues. That party, Law and Justice, took a strong stance against migration in a way that set it at odds with other European allies when it first took power in 2015. Since then, though, the general mood against migration across Europe has toughened. While Tusk does not use some of the harsh anti-migrant rhetoric of his predecessors, he, too, is opposed to unregulated migration. “This is not only Poland’s internal border, but also the border of the European Union. Therefore, I have no doubt that all of Europe will have to — and I know that we will achieve this — invest in its security by investing in Poland’s eastern border and in the security of our border,” Tusk said. He added that he made a declaration to the commanders of the security forces at the border that “there are no limits on resources when it comes to Poland’s security.” The visit comes weeks ahead of next month's elections for the European Parliament, and Tusk seemed intent on sending a message to voters that his political party, Civic Coalition, favors border security and supports the uniformed officers there. “I came today primarily so that both commanders and their subordinates have no doubt that the Polish state and the Polish government are with them in every situation, here at the border," he said. A crisis erupted along the EU's eastern border with Belarus in 2021 when large numbers of migrants from the Middle East and Africa began arriving there. The EU accused Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of encouraging the migration to destabilize the EU after it imposed sanctions on the country for an election widely viewed as fraudulent. Poland's previous government responded to the crisis by constructing a tall steel wall.

MALMO, Sweden — The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel. Competition organizer European Broadcasting Union said Swedish police were investigating “a complaint made by a female member of the production crew” against Dutch performer Joost Klein. The organizer said it wouldn't be appropriate for Klein to participate at the event in Malmo while the legal process was underway. Although Eurovision's motto is “united by music,” this year’s event has proven exceptionally divisive. Israel's participation has attracted large pro-Palestinian demonstrations, with protesters saying the country should be excluded because of its conduct in the war in the Gaza Strip. Klein, a 26-year-old Dutch singer and rapper, had been a favorite of bookmakers and fans with his song “Europapa." He failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and the EBU had said it was investigating an “incident.” Although rumors had been flying that the incident was connected to Israel’s delegation, organizers said that it “did not involve any other performer or delegation member.” Dutch broadcaster AVROTOS, one of dozens of public broadcasters that collectively fund and broadcast the contest, said that it “finds the disqualification disproportionate and is shocked by the decision.” “We deeply regret this and will come back to this later,” AVROTOS said in a statement. It all makes for a messy climax to an event that draws both adoration and derision with its campy, kitschy ethos and passion for pop. Thousands of people gathered in central Malmo on Saturday to march for the second time this week through Sweden’s third-largest city, which has a large Muslim population, to demand a boycott of Israel and a cease-fire in the seven-month war. In Finland, a group of about 40 protesters stormed the headquarters of public broadcaster YLE on Saturday morning, demanding it withdraw from the song contest because of Israel's participation. Several kilometers from the city center at the Malmo Arena, 25 acts — narrowed from 37 entrants by two semifinal runoffs — are scheduled to perform three-minute songs in front of a live audience of thousands and an estimated 180 million viewers around the world. Tensions and nerves were palpable in the hours before the final. Several artists were absent from the Olympics-style artists’ entrance at the start of the final dress rehearsal, although all but Ireland’s Bambie Thug went on to perform. The Irish performer issued a statement saying the absence was due to a situation “which I felt needed urgent attention from the EBU” and telling fans: “I hope to see you on the stage later.” French singer Slimane cut short his song “Mon Amour” at the dress rehearsal to give a speech urging people to be “united by music, yes — but with love, for peace.”

PANAMA CITY — Panama is on the verge of a dramatic change to its immigration policy that could reverberate from the dense Darien jungle to the U.S. border. President-elect Jose Raul Mulino says he will shut down a migration route used by more than 500,000 people last year. Until now, Panama has helped speedily bus the migrants across its territory so they can continue their journey north. Whether Mulino can reduce migration through a sparsely populated region with little government presence is unknown, experts say. “Panama and our Darien are not a transit route. It is our border,” Mulino said after his victory with 34% of the vote in Sunday’s election was formalized Thursday evening. As he had suggested during his campaign, the 64-year-old lawyer and former security minister said he would try to end “the Darien odyssey that does not have a reason to exist.” The migrant route through the narrow isthmus grew exponentially in popularity in recent years with the help of organized crime in Colombia, making it an affordable, if dangerous, land route for hundreds of thousands. It grew as countries such as Mexico, under pressure from the U.S. government, imposed visa restrictions on various nationalities, including Venezuelans and just this week Peruvians, to stop migrants flying into the country just to continue to the U.S. border. But masses of people took the challenge and set out on foot through the jungle-clad Colombian-Panamanian border. A crossing that initially could take a week or more eventually was whittled down to two or three days as the path became more established and entrepreneurial locals established a range of support services. It remains a risky route, however. Reports of sexual assaults have continued to rise; some migrants are killed by bandits in robberies, and others drown trying to cross rushing rivers. Even so, some 147,000 migrants have already entered Panama through Darien this year. Previous attempts to close routes around the world have simply shifted traffic to riskier paths. “People migrate for many reasons and frequently don't have safe, orderly and legal ways to do it,” said Giuseppe Loprete, chief of mission in Panama for the U.N.'s International Organization for Immigration. “When the legal routes are not accessible, migrants run the risk of turning to criminal networks, traffickers and dangerous routes, tricked by disinformation.” Loprete said the U.N. agency's representatives in Panama would meet with Mulino's team once its members are named to learn the specifics of the president's plans. If Mulino could be even partially effective, it could produce a notable, but likely temporary, impact. As with the visa restrictions that unintentionally steered migrants to the overland route through Panama, if the factors pushing migrants to leave their countries remain, they will find other routes. One could be the dangerous sea routes from Colombia to Panama. In a local radio interview Thursday, Mulino said the idea of shutting down the migration flow is more philosophical than a physical obstacle. “Because when we start to deport people here in an immediate deportation plan, the interest for sneaking through Panama will decrease,” he said. By the time the fourth plane loaded with migrants takes off, “I assure you they are going to say that going through Panama is not attractive because they are deporting you.” Julio Alonso, a Panamanian security expert, said what Mulino could realistically achieve is unknown. “This would be a radical change to Panamanian policy in terms of migration to avoid more deaths and organized crime using the route,” he said. Among the challenges will be how it would work operationally along such an open and uncontrolled border. “In Panama, there is no kind of suppression with this situation, just free passage, humanitarian aid that didn't manage to reduce the number of assaults, rapes, homicides and deaths along the Darien route,” Alonso said. Mulino's proposal is “a dissuasive measure, yes, [but] whether it can be completely executed we will see.” It's also unlikely that much could be accomplished without a lot of cooperation and coordination with Colombia and other countries, he said. Adam Isacson, an analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, said that “without considering the risk of returning migrants to dangerous situations, in mathematical terms I don't know how they hope to massively deport" migrants. "A daily plane, which would be extremely expensive, would only repatriate around 10% of the flow (about 1,000 to 1,200 per day). The United States only manages to do about 130 flights monthly in the entire world,” Isacson said.

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JOHANNESBURG — A man was rescued from the rubble five days after a deadly building collapse in South Africa in what Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said was "nothing short of a miracle." Officials said in a statement that of 81 people who were on site when the five-story building collapsed on Monday in the city of George, east of Cape Town, 13 were confirmed dead, 29 were alive and 39 were still unaccounted for. In a post on social media platform X, Winde said on Saturday the survivor had been successfully extracted from the debris after 116 hours. After Monday's collapse, rescuers used cranes, drills and their bare hands to try to reach those trapped. Rescue operations were continuing.