"the listening post." taking the fight to al-shabab, forces from the funnion try to cut the armed supply routes. welcome to al jazeera, i'm darren jordon, also coming up, heavy battles between the syrian kurds at the town of kobani. dilma rousseff wins the first round of the brazilian elections, but fails to secure an outright majority. dwindling numbers continue in hong kong, despite a deadline to

clear the streets. >> african union and somali troops have taken over one of al-shabab's last strong holds. the operation on the somali town resulted in the capture of the rebel's radio station. the fight is continuing door to door to clear the town of remaining members. the rebels had control since 2008. >> a somalia joint defensive was launched in march. the group was in control of several up to s and cities, it's been on retreat. the group was forced out of mogadishu. the next blow was the loss of the port of kiss mall in september 2012. the rebel group used to take a portion of the charcoal trade. >> the region's main road leads to mogadishu and parts of kenya.

al-shabab controls much of rural somalia, and connecting government-held towns. katherine soy has been travelling with troops. >> al-shabab has been treating. they have been taking major successes, particularly by taking this along the coast, which is the main aid. the defensive, operation indian ocean, cut off the al-shabab supplies from the ocean. they did it well. a lot of people are saying it's not really time to celebrate just yet. al-shabab takes the weekend, but they come back, and because they have adapted this warfare, it makes it more dangerous. they have blended into the population, their fears that they can cause attacks. when talking to the brigadier

general - when they took the city he said that is not phasing them. they have the technical capacity to separate the fighters from the civilian population. but it's a big concern. syrian kurds pushed back fighters from a hill overlooking the syrian town of kobani. this i.s.i.l. video shows the groups advance towards the town. thousands of kurds fled after fighting between i.s.i.l. and kurdish forces. turkey is monitoring developments. bernard smith has more. >> it's an indication of the desperation of the syrian kurdish fighters in kobani. that it took a female suicide bomber from the ranks of the kurdish fighters to dislodge i.s.i.l. from the south of kobani. the shelling and gun fire

continues. the syrian kurdish fighters manage to hold the line. and they have not been able to penetrate into kobani. we understand the leader of the main syrian kurdish party, he was in ankara, the turkish capital for a meeting with officials. according to reports, he asked for the turks to facilitate the movement of repens through turkish territory into kobani. what the kurds don't want is the turkish military to go into kobani. we are unlikely to see it on soil, on soil that the kurds consider theirs, because they don't want to turks there. what they do want is help with getting weapons through. >> still in syria, and the opposition fighters made gains

in a key area in the provinces and have tan control of al-harra hill where they can push north. >> opposition fighters are on the offensive. they have stormed al-harra hill after hours of fighting, overcoming government efforts to stop them using war planes and missiles. >> translation: we are not terrorists, we are fighting killers, we are defending ourselves. we are rejecting sat irism rejected by the regime. >> o'hara hill is important because it's situated between the syrian provinces of kennett ra and dara. the opposition wants to build a corridor in northern conet ra, which is under its control. >> god willing we'll march

towards bashar al-assad's presidential palace. >> the opposition is taking control of al-harrar, home to an infantry brigade. it was a supply route for neighbouring forces. the opposition says it killed more than 50 soldiers and destroyed tanks. it seized a large quantity of arms. opposition forces say the next is to control troops. on the ground potential fighters fight government troops, and the armed group islamic state of iraq and levant. >> at least five people have been killed in government shelling of fallujah. hospital forces say residential areas are being targeted. the iraqi government has been

trying to force i.s.i.l. fighters out of fallujah. 16 people have been killed in benghazi. following fighting between forces loyal to khalifa haftar. they have been separately batting forces. >> a run off is to be held later this month, choosing the president. the current president failed to win an outright majority, failing to win 41% of the vote. in the con round. aecio neves got 34%. maria silva was leading following the death of eduardo campos, but only achieved 21%. >> reporter: dilma rousseff was basketing in victory, but not enough to be elected. >> translation: this is a simple

message that i have to move forward and continue with each one of the voters to change brazil. but the story of the night was aecio neves who made a late surge to finish a strong second. the message to get the economy going, an attraction and a strong debate, the candidate from the center party mimedz himself on the cusp. >> my candidacy is a great benefit to brazil. i want to make the most of the coming days. in a country where more than half the people are not satisfied with the government but unemployment is at record lows, both candidates will draw out the vision for the country. >> both of them are close in their platforms, political platforms. >> it looks like a first call

conservative and at a social programme. while more than 100 million brazilians cast a ballot. the message was just as loud. many were dissatisfied. the ab essential was 20%, in sao paulo, it was 30%. tens of millions voted for nobody. >> reporter: many brazilians made it clear they neat a little more time. they'll both try to give them something to vote for. >> people in hong kong returned to work after days that have paralyzed part of the city. adrian brown reports. >> the site of civil servants going to work wouldn't ordinarily gerpt interest.

in hong kong it was a significant moment, perhaps a turning point after days of unrest. the leader warned of unspecified police action after government workers were not able to return to their desk. outside the office complex, the barricades remain. far fewer protesters, a leader admits the movement is losing momentum. this is the first one, we don't know when it will end. it's a long-term challenge or battle. >> the government's ultimatum to clear the streets has gone unheeded. but the barriers were pushed aside outside the office of hong kong's beleaguered leader to allow a delivery of food to police. last week there were seller thousand protesters, today under a scorching sun, just a determined handful. >> with the amount of people here, we have no bargaining

powers. there's less than 10 people here. so the police pretty much can do what they want. the president of hong kong's legs lature, a powerful politician, has appealed for restraint. we hope that the government will not take drastic measures to evacuate this place by force. >> with government workers able to return to the desks, the crisiseesed for now. many of the students are wary and divided over whether to continue the action. the protesters are angry at china's plans to vet candidates when hong kong holds elections in 2017. beijing says the campaign is doomed. still to come - warning of an impending famine in south sudan.

latest from juba. plus... >> i'm adam raney in south-west mexico with classmates and family members of 43 missing students. they have taken over highways and we tell you what their demands are. >> protestors are gathering... >> there's an air of tension right now... >> the crowd chanting for democracy...

>> this is another significant development... >> we have an exclusive story tonight, and we go live...

welcome back. live... a reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. somalia and african union troops have taken over one of the al-shabab's last strongholds. there was little resistance. al-shabab controlled the area for the past six years. syrian forces pushed back

fighters from the islamic state of iraq and levant from a crucial mill near the town of kobani, thousands of kurds fled between i.s.i.l. and kurdish forces. a run-off will be held between brazil's next presidents. and the current president failed to win an outright majority, and dilma rousseff will face aecio neves. in new mexico, it's unclear whether the discovery of mass grave and the disappearance of dozens of students are related. from guerrero state we have this report. >> reporter: the army can't get through. classmates and family members of 43 missing students took over a highway in sworn guerrero state blocking the traffic. the government ignored the pleas for the safe return of the students. rather than engage in a fight.

this officer ordered the men back. a sign that the government doesn't want to escalate a tense situation. minutes later, a burst of action. protesters took over a toll booth and ran off workers. they collected funds for the families of the students. the students and family members say they'll take over highways and toll booths until demand is met. they don't believe the bodies unearthed contain the remains of students. they feel abandoned by the president peno nieto who has avoided talking about the case. >> we call an peno nieto to demand that the government of the state hand over the men. most are in their first or second year in a rural teachers

college. they were seen as taking away by police, who authorities say they were working for criminal groups. fearing reprisals, this mother wouldn't give her name. >> nothing they told us is true. we don't believe it. we know the governor has them. >> the governor didn't respond to the request for an interview. he has not confirmed the bodies for the mass graves are the missing students. a member of the national human rights commission told al jazeera that the remains were those of the missing youth. it's all the rumours and speculation. federal experts are conducting tests, something that could take days. family members accustomed to violence and corruption will only trust independent experts abroad. >> victims of the former haitian leader jean-claude duvalier are vowing to continue to seek

justice for his crimes despite his death. he died as a heart attack. he is was known as baby doc. he was blamed for a rein of terror. human rights watch estimates that jean-claude duvalier ordered the deaths of 20,000 and 30,000 hatians. andy gallagher is at port-au-prince. >> reaction here at port-au-prince is muted. the news of jean-claude duvalier's death hasn't made it into the newspapers, it's simply almost been ignored. it's quiet. when you come to the square and talk to people, many will tell you privately that live under jean-claude duvalier was better. the economy was healthier. they were fed, and they put roofs over their head, many were

respectful. those that won't be happy are human rights activists that fought long and hard. jean-claude duvalier has not been seen in february. the case against him came to a stand still. many of the members are in power, in the martelly government. including his son. we don't know when the funeral will take place or whether it will be a state funeral. people not reacting with the fervor we expect and many supporting and missing the days of jean-claude duvalier. aid agencies warn if the nine month conflict in south sudan continues, a famine will arrive to the barrel of a gun. the warning comes from oxfam as a nine month long conflict continues. it will increase by a million in the first three months of 2016. on top of 3 million that are already starving.

10,000 have died since the conflict began in december last year. 1.4 million have been displaced and place an uncertain future. fighting pushed up food prices, many had livestock stolen. current approach to peace talks filed. pt international community needs to put pressure to end the fighting. let's talk to kathleen rutledge, a director of an aid agency. >> aid agencies are giving dire warnings that parts of south sudan could fall into famine, how bad is the situation on the ground, do you think? >> currently, by the end of the year, we are projecting that 50,000 children will die of malnutrition unless something is done, and something can be done. since december, in the last nine months of conflict, as you

said, 1.4 million left their homes, everything they had and have been living in communities that did not have enough food. the communities get everything that they have, and they have early. of food early. there's no question that beginning in the driest season, in october/november, there'll be a spike in malnutrition and people might die. >> figures of staggering. 40% have food shortages, many struggle to feed themselves. >> exactly. we are seeing women who are married that i met in the programme. she fled from a location. walked for two weeks with her children, arrived in a community where they gave her what they could. she is going for 24 hours without food, so her children are able to eat. people resorted to eating seeds

that they planted and that grew last year, we resort to eating leaves. there's no question that now the hunger gap, the pitch of the dry season is yet to come. they are already on the brink of survival. so tear fund and other agencies work in south sudan to prevent and help people recover from malnutrition. we work with children under five. we help to provide emergency feeding. we work with 140,000 people across south sudan. agencies like tear fund and other agencies can be stopped. it doesn't have to be this way. a little boy that i met... yes. >> i was going to say, what message is your agency, tear fund, trying to send to the international community, in terms of what help is needed for all the people you just mentioned? >> yes. exactly. we just say that a little boy

whose skin was falling off his body, he is one of many children, three times the number of children in this country who is on the brink of fighting for life and death. he does not have to die. if there are more resources that are possible, the community international community is great at providing resources and it can present a further loss of life and peace. we need peace and stability in this country. >> let me get a final naught from you. what about the government of south sudan, are they helping or allowing aid agencies like yours to get on with their work? >> i would say it's a complex situation. like most chronic emergencies, there are challenges. there are possibilities and the ability to respond.

it's not a hopeless situation if we are able to respond soon. >> thank you for your time. >> now, the first person to be diagnosed in the united states with ebola remains in a critical condition on life support. 10 people who came in contact with a man in late september are in quarantine. a u.s. cameraman who caught the virus in liberia has been taken to hospital in nebraska. more than 3,000 people have died from the virus, most across west africa. >> the bottom line is that we are stopping ebola in its tracks in dallas. we are working throughout the u.s. to increase the level of tracking for any possible cases so if patient cool in, they can be isolated. we are surging to stop ebola at the source so we don't have to deal with it in the

coming years. al jazeera demands the release of its journalists in egypt. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed have been detained for 282 days. they are accused of aiding the out laud muslim brotherhood and are appealing against convictions. a former karate champion is in pole position to become president for the second time. boyko borisov was the prime minister until last year. his center-right party the single largest party in parliament, without a majority. more than 700,000 indians work in the middle east, but fighting in iraq and instability forced some to return home, deep in debt and scarred by their experiences. >> these three friend grew up and went to basra and iraq. they lived in bad conditions, slept on the floor and were

beaten by iraqi neighbours. the latest conflict in iraq began. >> translation: we returned from work to have lunch and found a bomb that fell into the camp. someone called the owner who had it collected by the police. >> reporter: as the fighting drew closer, they returned home. they owe local employment agents between 1,000 and $3,000. there's no work in the village. villages like these with limited employment opportunities are looking for skilled and unskilled labour. 500 of 4,000 residents have gone to the middle east. some are burdened with debt and scars of abuse. they had no idea where they were sent. not imagining it was to a conflict zone. those sending workers to iraq

operated in the shadows. willing to take risks. >> it is creating a larger service, paying $2,000, $3,000. the head of the village says the problem is ongoing. ads promising high-paying jobs regularly appear in local newspapers. we spoke to an employment agent recruiting people to work in iraq. the agencies said the waiting period would be two or three months and travel would be via dubai for 2,000 $3,000. options are limited. they have a family to raise and debts to repay. there's a big problem now in iraq and libya. if he wasn't. he would go back to work.

there's others like ramesh. people willing to risk their lives. zimbabwe's 16th international film festival is showcasing films and movies. >> reporter: the red carpet, the movie theatre, people making sure they have what they need to enjoy the show. it's not a camp, but the zimbabwe film festival is a chance for artists to show off their work. this year's opening film is directed by the mozambique's first president. his widow came to see the show. and for young film-makers, it's a chance to learn. >> you get to peat people from different countries, getting them to engage and take about

film. now we wait all year. just for this one moment. >> 57 films from 32 countries will be shown during the festival. films about love, hope, betrayal, revenge and politics. there are issues that artists are reluctant to tackle. criticizing government officials. film-makers hope that that changes one day. some are trying to push the boundaries, and tell the story of zimbabwe's ups and downs. >> we need to get the political environment to accept that my criticising you doesn't mean i don't like you, i hate you. i suppose i love you. i know it's hard to get people to understand. it's because we want the best for the country. being the best is being self critical. film-makers get no funding. there's a sense of excitement in

the industry. what is a festival without home-grown music to celebrate that. and you can keep up to date with the news on the website. there it is on your screens, aljazeera.com. >> the rwandan genocide began twenty years ago. in 100 days, almost one million people were killed. today, rwanda is thriving. as the president credited with stoping the slaughter and putting the country back together, paul kagame is also accused of brutally suppressing dissent. so is kagame a savior or a dictator? we sent journalist sorious samura to find out. >> for centuries the tribes of this country lived together without tribal atrocities, and