Africa 54 - October 25, 2021|Apparent Coup in Sudan, Violence in Somalia, & Pope Francis on Migrants You are watching Africa 54, your daily news and feature magazine-style program, from the Voice of America. Host Esther Githui-Ewart and a team of correspondents zero in on the big stories making news on the continent and around the world with context and analysis. Top Stories: Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is under house arrest in what appears to be a military coup, according to local TV reports. At least 30 people died and over 100 were injured in intensified fighting between the Somali National Army and its former ally Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama'a (ASWJ) in the Somali state of Galmudug over the weekend, residents and hospital officials said. Pope Francis on Sunday urged the international community to end the practice of returning migrants rescued at sea to Libya and other unsafe countries where he said they suffer “inhumane violence.” Ethiopia conducted two air strikes in Tigray on Sunday as the government intensifies a nearly week-old campaign of aerial bombardment against the rebellious forces who control most of the region.One strike hit the western Tigray area of Mai Tsebri, targeting a training site of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), government spokesperson Legesse Tulu said. The other hit the northern Tigray town of Adwa, targeting a military manufacturing facility controlled by the TPLF, the government said in a statement. Mali's interim authorities will confirm a date for post-coup elections after national reform consultations in December, a representative of a U.N. Security Council delegation said after talks on Sunday.The timeline is a further sign that Mali's military leadership is likely to extend an 18-month transition to constitutional rule that it originally promised would culminate in presidential and legislative elections on Feb. 27, 2022.The U.N. delegation met transitional authorities, political parties and civil society representatives in Bamako over the weekend to assess Mali's progress back to democracy following the August 2020 overthrow of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. In Kenya, campaigns are in high gear for the presidential election in August, 2022. Already there are concerns that once again, the elections will take place in a state of anxiety and unless steps are taken now, there is a likely prospect of yet another disputed election. In an interview with Africa 54 Managing editor, Vincent Makori , Irungu Houghton , Executive Director Amnesty International ,Kenya, says to begin with, Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) nationwide voter registration drive ahead of 2022 polls is raising concerns. Millions of people in the United States are gearing up to get COVID-19 booster shots amid ongoing controversy over vaccine mandates. Michelle Quinn reports. Researchers at a specialized lab in Italy say understanding climate change effects requires recreating them in a controlled environment. So, they built one. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more. The South Korean television show, Squid Game, has become Netflix’s biggest series launch ever, topping 111 million viewers globally. Karina Bafradzhian examines the phenomenon of the Squid Game