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Kenya’s President William Ruto has announced that the government’s controversial tax bill will be withdrawn. It comes after at least 22 people were killed in protests against the bill on Tuesday, according to Kenya’s Human Rights Commission. The organisation has said that the death toll is likely to rise as more information becomes available.
Also, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in DR Congo, known as MONUSCO, has ended its presence in South Kivu province, handing over bases to the authorities. The east of the country, where the peacekeepers are deployed, is still mired in conflict, but DR Congo’s government is pushing for the peacekeeping mission to leave by the end of the year.
Finally, the rainy season has begun in Ivory Coast, and this year it is particularly deadly. Heavy rains are typical around this time of year, but they have become extreme this time, partly due to urbanisation. Heavy rainfall has led to the death of 24 people in less than two weeks and caused the collapse of several buildings in Abidjan and its outskirts.
