Jason Patinkin

Rohingya Refugees Face Malnutrition

Aid workers are providing hot meals, and treating malnourished children, but mothers need more support to keep their children well fed

Rohingya Refugees Brace for Rainy Days

May and June bring cyclones and floods to southeastern Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled ethnic cleansing in Myanmar live in low-lying, crowded camps across the border. Aid groups warn of landslides, floods and disease outbreaks. Jason Patinkin was at the camps and spoke to refugees and aid workers frantically preparing for the storms.

Rohingya Refugees Brace for Rainy Days Ahead

May and June bring cyclones and monsoons to southeastern Bangladesh; aid groups warn harsh weather will cause landslides, floods, and disease outbreaks in refugee camps

Rohingya Refugees Brace for Rainy Days Ahead

May and June bring cyclones and floods to southeastern Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled ethnic cleansing in Myanmar live in low-lying, crowded camps across the border. Aid groups warn of landslides, floods, and disease outbreaks. Jason Patinkin was at the camps and spoke to refugees and aid workers frantically preparing for the oncoming storms.

US Presses Regional Bloc to Act on South Sudan Cease-fire Violations

IGAD has overseen four years of unsuccessful peace efforts but has yet to follow through on threats of sanctions or make details of most violations public

Trafficked and Abused, Chimps Find Home in Sierra Leone Sanctuary 

Sierra Leone's Sanctuary for Trafficked Chimpanzees

For more than 20 years, the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone has taken in chimpanzees orphaned and abused by the illegal pet trade. But the challenges don't stop there for this endangered species. For VOA, Jason Patinkin visited the sanctuary near the Sierra Leone capital of Freetown and has this report.

Once a Hostage, Sri Lankan Sailor Now Helps Battle Somali Pirates

Sarath Surasena felt called to return to Somalia to train country's nascent coast guard, after two harrowing years in captivity

Puntland Police on Alert as Somalia Terror Threat Moves North

For years, Somalia's northern Puntland state has been more stable than the country's volatile south, but that picture may be changing. Police in Puntland remain on alert amid a string of attacks over the past year by Al-Shabab and another group of fighters who have joined the Islamic State terror group. For VOA, Jason Patinkin reports from Puntland city of Bossaso.

Puntland Police on Alert as Somalia Terror Threat Moves North

Authorities on guard to protect regional economic hub of Bossaso from attacks by al-Shabab, Islamic State

Sierra Leone Front-runners to Contest Runoff After First-Round Stalemate

16 candidates failed to clinch the 55 percent of votes necessary to win in the first round

Sierra Leone Election Front-Runners to Contest Runoff After First-round Stalemate

Nither of the two front-runners secured an outright majority in the first round, the electoral commission said on Tuesday

Sierra Leone Political Parties Look to Likely Run-off

Sierra Leone's main opposition party took a slight lead in the country's presidential race with 75 percent of votes counted

No Clear Leader in Sierra Leone Vote With Quarter of Ballots Counted

Observers criticized country's police for intimidating opposition members before and after vote

Sierra Leone Roiled by Unrest After Polls Close

'I want every Sierra Leonean to behave themselves ... so that we can have a peaceful election once in our lifetime,' presidential candidate Julius Maada Bio says at Sierra Leone People's Party headquarters in Freetown

Sierra Leone Election

Sierra Leone Votes for New President

Citizens went to polls Wednesday to choose a new president, parliament, and local councilors

Sierra Leone Votes for New President, Parliament

Sierra Leone heads to the polls Wednesday to elect a new president, members of parliament and local council representatives. Incumbent President Ernest Bai Koroma is ineligible to run having served two terms, and a new opposition party sees an opportunity to redraw the political landscape. For VOA, Jason Patinkin reports from the campaign trail in Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone to Vote for New President, Parliament

New opposition party seeks to upset longstanding rivalry between country's two largest political parties

Congo Watches for Rebels Among South Sudan Refugees

As Congo's army arrests suspected fighters, refugees say innocent young men are being caught up in the crackdown