117 Dead Amid Ongoing Violence in South Africa
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Riots, looting and violence broke out in South Africa over the past week after former South African President Jacob Zuma was imprisoned on July 7 for refusing to testify in a corruption inquiry. An official said Thursday that the chaos had resulted in over 2,200 arrests and 117 deaths. The same day, the South African government deployed 25,000 troops to quell the riots. On Friday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the violence had been “planned and coordinated” and that “we will not allow anarchy and mayhem to just unfold in our country.” Zuma, who will begin serving a 15-month prison sentence, has been a figure in South African politics since 1959, when he joined the African National Congress party that fought apartheid and has governed the country since 1994. While many call him a freedom fighter, Zuma has also faced corruption charges throughout his political career.
News coverage was mostly balanced across the American political spectrum. Some opinion coverage in right-rated outlets compared South African violence to American racial tensions.
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