Major South African shopping mall closes due to protest and violence
Maponya Mall in Soweto, Johannesburg, has been closed as protests erupt following the violent murder of an e-hailing driver.
The death toll from Monday's anti-government protests in Kenya has risen to 31, the state-funded Human Rights Commission reported Tuesday. This is the highest single-day death toll since the demonstrations began earlier this year. More than 50 people have reportedly died in the past two weeks.
Another 107 people were injured and more than 500 were arrested amid widespread destruction of property, including supermarkets. The arrest figures largely matched those released by the Kenyan police. The death toll did not specify whether it included security forces.
Protests, led by youth and civil society groups, have rocked Kenya for weeks. Fueled by anger over police brutality, alleged government corruption, and the rising cost of living, many demonstrators have called for the resignation of Kenyan President William Ruto. Ruto has not commented on Monday's violence or the rising death toll.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Kenyan authorities to address the root causes of the protests. His spokesperson, Ravina Skamdasini, renewed calls for "calm and restraint, and full respect for freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly."
Tensions in Kenya have escalated since the death of a blogger in police custody last month and the point-blank shooting of a protester on June 17. On June 25, thousands of people demonstrated across the country in protest.
Some businesses reported significant losses due to looting during the unrest. Kenyan Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen urged police last week to "shoot on sight" anyone who approached police stations during the protests. Kenya's National Commission on Cohesion and Integration urged politicians on Tuesday to avoid inflaming ethnic divisions and condemned the police for their excessive use of force.
