International News
World Coming To An End’: Kenyan Town Copes With Life Underwater
Abdi Hussein sat alone on a Kenyan road strewn with ramshackle tents bound with plastic strings and covered with tarpaulins, peering into the sea of rust-coloured flood water.
The deluge had claimed his livelihood, his home and his wife, leaving the 32-year-old bereft as he pondered what was left of his life.
“It has been like the world is coming to an end,” he told AFP, his forehead resting on his palm.
“The water kept rising and rising and it swallowed everything.
Garissa town in eastern Kenya is no stranger to rain-related disasters, but its residents told AFP that the ongoing monsoon has brought a catastrophic level of flooding that shocked them.
Kenya is grappling with floods that have killed 257 people across the East African nation, following weeks of torrential rainfall scientists have linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon.
Almost 55,000 households have been displaced, with the rains submerging entire villages, blocking roads and hampering delivery of basic goods.
The downpour inundated five dams, unleashing massive overflows of water downstream across Garissa, Tana River and Lamu — a region home to more than 1.5 million people.
“We haven’t seen much rain ourselves but our biggest undoing is living downstream,” said Mwanajuma Raha, whose house was torn down by the deluge that also swept away all her possessions.
Unrelenting
At 27, Suleiman Vuya Abdulahi has been displaced by floods seven times,
including when he was just an infant.
But nothing prepared the soft-spoken farmer with tired brown eyes for this year’s disaster.
Marooned and unable to swim, he spent days on a rooftop, barely above the water, waiting anxiously for help as he watched the rains take over the land.
Displaced in November for three months, he had barely picked up the pieces of his life before the monsoons forced him to leave home again.
“We, ordinary citizens, are really struggling,” he told AFP.
Some people are refusing to leave their homes for fear of seeing them looted, choosing to live on rooftops and wading or swimming to nearby roads when they need food supplies.
The main road into Garissa, a key commercial hub near the border with Somalia, has been cut off, forcing all deliveries to be made by air or boat and causing prices to soar.
“We have never seen such a thing in our region,” said 64-year-old village elder Boya Ali Karani, now sleeping on the roadside after the rains destroyed his house.
No food, no sleep
At the makeshift pier outside Garissa, motorboats — which used to ferry tourists on Lake Naivasha more than 400 kilometres (250 miles) away — are in constant demand as they cart people and supply desperately needed food.
But the journey can be deadly, with a packed passenger boat capsizing last month. Seven bodies, including that of a schoolgirl, have been retrieved. A dozen people are still missing.
Boatman Mohamed Mansur Ali, 36, who was involved in the rescue operation, said the work was “very difficult.”
“First, you don’t get any sleep and it is very tiring because you arrive at work at 6:00 am and finish work at 6:00 pm,” he told AFP.
“You could be resting but then again get a call about a patient who needs to go to the hospital.”
The authorities have put some restrictions in place since the accident, with the navy stationed at the pier to ensure every passenger wears a life jacket and boats are not overloaded.
There are fears that the crisis could worsen as the rains continue, with the massive Masinga dam in central Kenya already at “historic” highs.
Daud Ahmed Shalle, the regional coordinator for the Kenya Red Cross, said the situation was “dire” in the 11 camps housing nearly 6,500 families in Garissa county.
“We have a lot of people in the… camps whose basic need, or most pressing need right now, is lack of food,” he told AFP.
Campaigners have called for more financing to tackle the crisis, pointing out that the worst affected communities are the ones contributing the least to extreme weather phenomena.
“The impact of climate change on communities is irreversible and will only worsen, leading to a continuous rise in the global demand for humanitarian assistance,” said Melaku Yirga, East and Southern Africa regional director for US development charity Mercy Corps.
Enzo Maresca is believed to have signed a three-year deal to replace outgoing Man City manager Pep Guardiola, after it was revealed that the legendary head coach will be leaving the Etihad at the end of the season.
Speculation around Guardiola’s departure date has been rife as the season draws to a close, despite the Catalan having one year left on his contract.
According to report, Man City’s sponsors were among those to have been told that Guardiola will be calling time on a remarkable trophy-ladened spell on Sunday.
The report also shared that Maresca, Guardiola’s former assistant, was a front-runner for the vacant spot at the dugout, with Fabrizio Romano confirming on Tuesday morning that the ex-Chelsea manager will be taking over.
The Italian head coach has been out of work since his mutual departure from Stamford Bridge under strained circumstances on January 1.
But even before his acrimonious mid-season exit, Maresca has been viewed as a long-term successor to Guardiola following their stint working together at Man City.
The 46-year-old served as Guardiola’s assistant between 2022 and 2023 after previously coaching Man City’s youth sides, before departing to earn Championship promotion with Leicester.
Maresca then went on to win the Uefa Conference League and the Club World Cup with Chelsea during his 18-month spell in west London.
Guardiola is set to celebrate his time in English football with an open-top bus parade in Manchester after winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this season, but until Monday night, the manager had been notably vague over his future plans.
But before news broke of his shock exit, Guardiola had been keen to tamp down any suggestions that he would be commemorated with any fanfare.
‘The club don’t have to do anything, honestly,’ Guardiola, who has yet to officially confirm his departure, said. ‘The important thing in our lives is that when you look back, you can look with a big smile and say “that was good”.
‘Bernardo (Silva) and John (Stones) can feel that. We spoke about it over the last few days. When you’re old, a grandfather, you can look at the memories. That is the most important thing in life.’
Tired of addressing his contractual situation, Guardiola added with a dose of sarcasm: ‘Whatever happens at the end of the season – and when I extend my contract for three more years – I can look back and say, “how nice has that been?”
‘That is the most important thing by far. Most of the people who lived this time here together can feel it.’
Mikel Arteta says he will be the “biggest ever” Bournemouth fan when the Cherries take on Manchester City on Tuesday.
Arsenal moved a step closer to winning their first Premier League title since 2003-04 after a narrow 1-0 win over Burnley on Monday.
Kai Havertz’s first-half header was enough for Arteta’s side to secure all three points at Emirates Stadium, moving them five clear of City ahead of the final day.
City have a game in hand, which is their trip to the Vitality Stadium, where Pep Guardiola’s side must win if they are to stay alive in the title race.
Arteta revealed he will be watching City’s fixture against Bournemouth, though he will not be in contact with Cherries boss Andoni Iraola.
When asked if he will be a Bournemouth fan on Tuesday, Arteta said: “The biggest ever.
“For Andoni [Iraola] and all the players, and all the people who are supporters of Bournemouth, I think we all are. We know that means, they get our support.
“I don’t think he [Iraola] needs it [a message]. What he’s done in that football club, the transformation, and what they are playing for, I don’t think they need anything else.
“When you look at how Burnley played today, the spirit that they showed, how difficult they made it, so imagine [on Tuesday].”
Since losing 2-1 to City, Arsenal are the only side to win all of their matches (4/4) and also the only side not to concede a goal in the Premier League.
Arsenal have kept 32 clean sheets this season, six more than any other side in Europe’s top five leagues in all competitions.
On Arsenal’s defence, Arteta added: “I think the desire that every single player shows in their defensive duties, their behaviours, the way they work for each other is phenomenal.
“It’s a lot of work, put in by all the coaches as well, and we all know the importance of that and how many results and wins we have because of that.”
Brazil superstar Neymar was handed a dramatic recall to the country’s World Cup squad on Monday, returning to the national team after a near three-year absence.
The inclusion of Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances, was the biggest surprise in the 26-man squad named by coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Ancelotti announced Neymar’s selection at a gala ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, with loud cheers ringing out as the veteran attacker’s call-up was confirmed.
Speculation has raged for months over whether the 34-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker would force his way back into the national team set-up.
The forward, a veteran of the 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cups, had not played for Brazil since suffering a knee injury during a World Cup qualifying game against Uruguay in 2023.
A mixture of injuries and poor form had left him outside the national team setup, with Ancelotti citing concerns over his fitness after leaving him out of Brazil’s squad for March friendlies against France and Croatia.
However, Neymar, who rejoined boyhood club Santos in January after an injury-ravaged stint in Saudi Arabia, has now earned Ancelotti’s stamp of approval for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Brazil, who are chasing a record sixth World Cup crown, open their World Cup campaign against Morocco on June 13 before playing Haiti and Scotland in Group C.
Brazil World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool/ENG), Ederson (Fenerbahce/TUR), Weverton (Gremio/BRA)
Defenders
Alex Sandro (Flamengo/BRA), Danilo (Flamengo/BRA), Leo Pereira (Flamengo/BRA), Bremer (Juventus/ITA), Douglas Santos (Zenit St Petersburg/RUS), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal/ENG), Ibanez (Al-Ahli/KSA), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Wesley (Roma/ITA)
Midfielders
Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle/ENG), Casemiro (Manchester United/ENG), Danilo (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad/KSA), and Lucas Paqueta (Flamengo/BRA).
Forwards
Endrick (Lyon/FRA), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal/ENG), Igor Thiago (Brentford/ENG), Luiz Henrique (Zenit/RUS), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United/ENG), Neymar (Santos/BRA), Raphinha (Barcelona/ESP), Rayan (Bournemouth/ENG), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid/ESP)
AFP
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