Police in Kenya hurl tear gas at protesters angry about gender-based violence

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Police in Kenya’s capital hurled tear gas canisters Tuesday at hundreds of protesters angry about gender-based violence and femicide, or the killing of women, and arrested an unknown number of people.

Protesters chanting “Stop femicide” were dispersed by police in a public park in Nairobi where they had gathered and later engaged in running battles along the streets. Several protesters were injured in the confrontation Tuesday.

One activist, Mwikali Mueni, told The Associated Press that she suffered a neck injury from uniformed police officers and was heading to the hospital.

“It is very sad that I was injured while championing for women not to be injured or killed. If the president is serious about ending femicide, let him start by taking action on the officers who have brutalized us today,” she said.

Kenya has a silent epidemic of gender-based violence. Police said in October that 97 women had been killed since August, most of them by their male partners.

Last month, President William Ruto committed more than $700,000 for a campaign to end femicide after meeting with elected female leaders.

A U.N. report released in November to mark the start of a separate 16-day global campaign said that Africa recorded the highest rate of partner-related femicide in 2023.

There has been a series of anti-femicide protests in Kenya and on Nov. 25 during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, police used tear gas to disperse a handful of protesters who had braved the bad weather.

Kenya was among several African countries elected to the U.N. human rights council on Oct. 9.

The police crackdown on protesters on Tuesday during Human Rights Day has been criticized by activists.

“Why are we being beaten and tear-gassed, yet we are peaceful? We will keep coming to the streets till the day women will stop being slaughtered like animals,” activist Mariam Chande told journalists.

Activists questioned how law enforcement agencies have handled femicide cases, protesting the escape from police cells of a suspect who confessed to killing 42 women after dismembered bodies were found stuffed in plastic sacks and dumped in a flooded quarry.

Protesters run from a cloud of tear gas fired by anti-riot police during the march against the rising cases of femicide, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Demonstrators chant during the march against the rising cases of femicide, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Demonstrators run from a cloud of tear gas fired by anti riot police during the march against the rising cases of femicide, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Kenya anti-riot police arrest a protester during the march against the rising cases of femicide, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Protesters chant during a march against the rising cases of femicide, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A woman runs from a cloud of tear gas fired by anti-riot police during the march against the rising cases of femicide, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Protesters run from a cloud of tear gas fired by anti-riot police during the march against the rising cases of femicide, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A woman shouts as Kenya anti riot police arrest her during a march against the rising cases of femicide, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A protester shouts as she holds a placard during a march against the rising cases of femicide, in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers on Saturday recovered the body of an Indonesian woman who was caught in a volcanic eruption at Mount Dukono on Indonesia 's remote island of Halmahera a day earlier, as search operations continued to find the bodies of two Singaporeans, officials said.

The slain hikers were among 20 who set out to ascend the 1,355-meter (4,445-foot) volcano in defiance of safety restrictions and became stranded when Dukono erupted early Friday, spewing a thick ash column that rose about 10 kilometers (6 miles) into the air.

The woman, identified by authorities only as Enjel and known as a local hiker, was located Saturday afternoon, about 50 meters (165 feet) from the rim of the main crater, said Iwan Ramdani, who heads local Search and Rescue Office. The location of the bodies of two Singaporean climbers remains unknown, and rescue teams are continuing operations amid high volcanic activity, he said.

“The rescue efforts went through a situation that required careful calculation and a well-planned evacuation strategy,” Ramdani said, “We took into account the potential escalation of volcanic activity as well as the safety of all personnel.”

Hours after the eruption, 17 climbers had been safely evacuated, including seven Singaporean nationals and two Indonesians who eventually joined the rescue operation and provided information on climbing routes of the victims before the eruption. Ten of those evacuated suffered minor burn injuries.

The search operation that involved more than 100 personnel supported by drones resumed early Saturday, focusing on a 700 square-meter (7,500 square-foot) area where clues were found during earlier searches, despite hazardous terrain and continuing eruptions, according to Ramdani.

He said rescuers were prioritizing safety because Dukono’s volcanic activity remains elevated.

“The main challenge in this search effort is that we are racing against ongoing eruptions,” Ramdani said in a video statement, “When the authorities declare conditions safe, we move closer to the crater area, but when an eruption occurs, we must immediately secure all search personnel from potential danger.”

Indonesia’s volcanology agency reported multiple eruptions from early Saturday through late morning, including ash columns rising as high as 3,000 meters (nearly 10,000 feet) above the crater. Lava bursts were also observed overnight from a monitoring post near the volcano.

Mount Dukono has been on the second-highest alert level status since 2008. Authorities enforced a four-kilometer (2.5-mile) exclusion zone around the active crater in December 2024.

Local authorities formally closed all hiking routes to Mount Dukono in April and reinforced the ban following Friday’s incident. The National Disaster Management Agency warned that entering restricted zones could result in legal sanctions.

The agency urged climbers and tour operators to comply with safety recommendations, noting that similar restrictions apply to dozens of other active volcanoes across the country currently at elevated alert levels.

Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more than 270 million people, sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is home to more than 120 active volcanoes.

In this photo released by the Badan Geologi, the geological agency of Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mount Dukono releases volcanic materials during an eruption in North Halmahera, Indonesia, Friday, May 8, 2026. (Badan Geologi via AP)