IGIHE

Author: Théophile Niyitegeka

  • Sudan brings home baby of IS fighters slain in Libya

    {Sudanese security agents on Monday brought home a four-month-old baby girl whose parents were killed in Libya while fighting for the jihadist Islamic State group, a security official said.}

    The infant, born to Sudanese parents, was brought to Khartoum after the Libyan Red Crescent alerted Sudan’s powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS).

    “The mother and father of the baby were IS fighters who were killed in Sirte during the fighting to liberate” the city from the group, the Sudanese Media Centre (SMC) reported Brigadier Tijani Ibrahim of NISS as saying.

    The baby’s mother had travelled to Libya in August 2015 along with four other Sudanese girls, the media outlet close to NISS reported Ibrahim as saying.

    “There they joined IS and also married Sudanese men who were members of IS,” he said.

    The baby’s grandfather said the child was brought to Sudan from the Libyan city of Misrata.

    Libyan authorities, who found the baby handed her over to the Libyan Red Crescent, who then contacted NISS to return the infant to Sudan, the SMC report said.

    “I had heard that my daughter had left behind a baby she had from a Sudanese member of IS,” Alithi Yousef told SMC.

    “After what was a complicated operation conducted in coordination with NISS and Libyan officials, we were able to bring back the baby,” he said.
    Sudanese officials say dozens of young Sudanese have joined IS.

    Several groups of students from Sudan — some holding Western passports — are said to have travelled to Syria, Iraq and Libya to join the group.

    Sudanese media has reported the deaths of some of the students while fighting for the group in the three countries.

    Libya’s unity government in December officially announced the end of military operations in Sirte, after its forces retook what was the group’s last major bastion in the country.

    Libya descended into chaos following the NATO-backed ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with rival administrations and militias vying for control of its vast oil wealth.

    The infighting and lawlessness allowed extremist groups such as IS to seize several coastal regions, giving the jihadists a toehold on Europe’s doorstep.

    Source:AFP

  • Nigerians push for clarity on absentee president’s health

    {Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is apparently unwell. Or he might not be. Either way, it’s enough for his health to have increasingly become a national talking point.}

    The 74-year-old former army general had been due to resume work on Monday morning in the capital, Abuja, after a holiday in London.

    But on Sunday evening, his office announced he was to prolong his stay on doctor’s orders, as he was still waiting for the results of medical tests conducted during his stay.

    No further details were given about his condition nor when he would finally return.

    The announcement triggered fresh speculation about the state of Buhari’s health and has done little to convince an already sceptical public that there is no cause for concern.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who has been holding the fort since Buhari left for London two weeks ago, told reporters in Abuja on Monday that his boss was well.

    “The president is hale and hearty. I spoke to the president just this afternoon and we had a warm conversation,” he said.

    “He was interested in knowing about the budget process and how far we have gone and the meeting today with the private sector and the economic recovery growth plan and I informed him about the protest march and feedback about what people are saying about the economy. He is in good shape.”

    Buhari’s office has already had to counter rumours during the trip that he was critically ill and had even died.

    The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seized on the announcement of his extended stay in London, saying Nigerians had a right to know what he was being treated for because he was using public funds.
    “He should tell them (the public) the true state of his health,” a statesman for the PDP was quoted as saying in the Punch newspaper.
    “Medical tests have dates of collection of results. It can’t be open-ended without dates.”
    In Abuja, where protesters had turned out to demonstrate against Buhari’s economic policy and call for solutions to end a crippling recession, there were calls for greater openness.
    “I wonder why the government is not transparent enough about our president’s health,” said one woman, who gave her name only as Mabel. “We are completely in the dark.”
    James Badmus, a lawyer, added: “The issues are clear and straightforward: what exactly is wrong with our president and for how long is he going to be away?
    “Anybody can fall sick but when a president falls sick, it should not be a confidential matter.”

    The health of Nigeria’s head of state has long been a sensitive issue. In 2010, president Umaru Yar’Adua died from a long-standing, but undisclosed kidney condition, while in Saudi Arabia.

    His initial illness and treatment in hospital abroad triggered months of political uncertainty. Yar’Adua’s death brought his deputy, Goodluck Jonathan, to power.

    To be sure, Buhari’s presidency has not hidden the fact that he needed medical treatment: in June 2016, it said he was heading to London for treatment to a persistent inner ear infection.

    It also announced last month that his latest trip would include “routine medical check-ups”.

    But Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) have been unable to shake off persistent rumours that he is more seriously ill than is being made out.

    The PDP claimed during the 2015 election in which Buhari defeated Jonathan that he had terminal prostate cancer — one of a series of smears designed to show he was unfit for office.

    One of Buhari’s spokesmen, Femi Adesina, on Sunday tried to play down the significance of the extension, as Nigerians took to social media to air their theories.

    “I am sure it will get to a point when the president has to disclose the status of his health if it needs to be disclosed,” he said.

    But because of doctor-patient confidentiality, only Buhari himself could reveal what was wrong, he said.

    Nigerians are generally mistrustful of government and its pronouncements. They also have long memories that go back beyond Yar’Adua to military ruler Sani Abacha, who also died in office.

    “My concern is that I hope history is not going to repeat itself,” said one civil servant, who gave his name only as Adam. “The Yar’Adua episode is still fresh in our memory.

    “They told us Yar’Adua was OK.”

    Victor Giwa, of the Advocates for Peoples’ Rights and Justice pressure group, said the public had a right to know if the president was unwell.

    “If they cannot tell us the health status of the president, it shows there are many things they have been hiding from us,” he added.

    Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari attending the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa on January 29, 2016. He will prolong his stay in London pending the result of health tests.

    Source:AFP

  • Life returns to Kulbiyow camp as survivors take their posts

    {At the Kulbiyow military camp in Somalia that was attacked by Al-Shabaab terrorists two week ago, one thing sticks out: a huge crater formed by a powerful car bomb explosion.}

    The blast marked the start of a fierce gun battle that continued for two hours before the attackers retreated and fled.

    When the Nation visited the camp on Monday, only a handful of charred motor vehicle parts remained at the scene of the explosion, about 600 metres from the centre of the camp.

    Most of the soldiers who fought in that battle were at the camp.

    Twenty-one of their colleagues died while 44 others sustained injuries and were airlifted to Nairobi for treatment.

    There is a new officer in charge, Major George Osano, who was deployed to replace Major Denis Girenge, who is being treated at Defence Forces Memorial Hospital in Nairobi.

    Pointing at the crater, Maj Osano explained: “This is the place where one of the VBIEDs (vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices) exploded. It’s our men who destroyed it before it could reach the camp.

    “This big depression shows that the explosion force was downwards because it was hit by a mortar, from above.”

    Remnants of the mortar bomb that did the damage are visible on the ground.

    “The intention was to drive through and get right into the camp so that when it explodes, there is maximum damage.

    “After that, fighters with guns would storm in and face the least resistance,” said Maj Osano.

    He explained that the impact of the explosion sent shockwaves to a radius of 200 metres.

    On the other side of the vast land, about 800 metres from the centre of the camp, are many spots of blood-drenched ground.

    Standing on one spot, Maj Osano explained: “This is where the battle was won. It has been many days, but as you can see, many of their attackers were felled here. You can see how far it is from the camp.”

    He added: “We took them out from far away. We are not in the business of gauging how many were killed, all we do is win the war. They could not go past this place and so they decided to leave.”

    {{Changing tactics }}

    Maj Osano also said: “Most of the attackers are youngsters who have been conscripted by force. We have studied their tactics and so we have also changed [ours] to beat them.

    “And we shall keep going on because we know they have discovered VBIEDs will no longer work.”

    The camp is dotted with bags filled with sand erected around dugouts that are manned by heavily armed soldiers.

    The bags are riddled with bullets that were not able to penetrate through.

    The ground is also littered with spent cartridges, the other only sign of the battle nearly two weeks ago.

    The bunkers are the defence positions and that is also where the soldiers sleep and keep watch.

    This is the area Al-Shabaab militants had planned to reach as they converged on the camp from different directions.

    Then there is the outer ring — a big area of land cleared of all bushes and trees so that any invaders are clearly visible from the defence positions.

    The perimeter of the outer ring is secured with mounds of earth about three meters high.

    This is the area where most of the attackers retreated and further ahead, where the explosions occurred.

    At another corner are drums of fuel for armoured personnel carriers and trucks and also used for powering generators.

    The camp is manned by the C Company of the 15 Kenya Rifles Battalion from Mariakani.

    Kenya Defence Forces soldiers launch a propelled bomb inside their Kulbiyow camp in Somalia on February 6, 2017. The camp was attacked by Al-Shabaab militants two weeks ago.

    Source:Daily Nation

  • Tanzania:Defence forces on call to embrace industrial economy

    {Defense and security organs were yesterday told to embrace the government championed industrial economy, through setting up of factories to add value to locally produced raw materials.}

    “Why should we import uniforms for members of the armed forces and yet we produce cotton in large quantities? Even if it means producing garments from locally available sisal, let it be so,” President John Magufuli ordered in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

    He said it was high time the security organs embarked on manufacturing of goods for the domestic market to avoid turning Tanzania into a “dumping ground” for cheap imports.“You could as well give specifications of your garments to textile industries to produce the uniforms, domestically.

    Other countries in Africa are doing the same and they even produce their equipment, why not us,” he queried. Dr Magufuli was confident as well that the security organs could produce dynamites required by the forces rather than relying on imports.

    The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces issued the order at the swearing-in of the newly appointed Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) General Venance Mabeyo and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General James Mwakibolwa.

    At the event, Inspector General of Police (IGP) also swore in the new Director of Criminal Investigations Commissioner of Police (CP) Boaz Mikomwanga. Dr Magufuli instructed the newly confirmed Commissioner General of Prisons to ensure prisoners, particularly those serving long sentences, work and produce for the nation through participation in infrastructure projects.

    President Magufuli on the other hand explained that the firstphase construction of the 300-kilometre Central Railway line to standard gauge will be implemented using local funds.

    It will be undertaken in 30 months from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro. “I am quite sure that prisoners can be used to crash stones and take part in other tasks in the project. A total of two trillion will be used for the project to be undertaken by Turkish and Portuguese contractors.

    “The current train travels at an average of 30 kilometres per hour but the envisaged standard gauge railway (SGR) train will have a speed of between 160 and 180 kilometres per hour,” he explained.

    According to President Magufuli, the SGR in Tanzania will have the capacity to carry 38 tonnes per axle compared to 25 tonnes in other East African nations. He revealed as well that the tender for construction of the second phase of the SGR covering Morogoro to Dodoma will be floated in April, this year.

    At the occasion, Dr Magufuli urged the new Tanzanian envoy to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Ambassador Paul Mella to attract more cargo from the landlocked country to pass through the port of Dar es Salaam.

    President Magufuli also challenged the Ambassador Shelukindo, who has been posted to Paris, France, to woo investors from the European country.

    Speaking after the swearingin ceremony, the former CDF, General Davis Mwamunyange said he was happy to have served in TPDF, rising from a junior army officer to the highest position.

    “The army has won esteem from the public and we did a good job in peace keeping missions in DRC, Lebanon and Darfur,” the soft-spoken army general recalled.

    Source:Daily News

  • Remains of DRC’s main opposition leader expected in Kinshasa this weekend

    {The body of the main opposition leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo Etienne Tshisekedi is expected in the capital Kinshasa this weekend.}

    His party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) said on Monday that his body will be repatriated from Brussels in Belgium where he died last Wednesday.

    “The body of President Tshisekedi could be repatriated to Kinshasa earliest by Friday,” Valentin Mubake, one of the leaders of the party in charge of the funeral said.

    “After the arrival of the body, the final programme for the funeral will be known” and may take place on Sunday, Mubake added.

    The DRC government created a commission last week to plan a dignified funeral in coordination with the family and the UDPS party.

    “A commission is working hard at the Ministry of the Interior for a funeral worthy of a former prime minister and former deputy speaker of the National Assembly in the person of Mr. Etienne Tshisekedi,” spokesperson for the DRC government, Lambert Mende told AFP last Friday.

    84-year-old Tshisekedi left Congo for medical check-up in Brussels where he died.

    He left during ongoing negotiations on the establishment of a peaceful transition of power after a series of crisis caused by the continuous hold of power by Joseph Kabila.

    Kabila’s term expired on December 20, 2016, but remains in office as president pending an election to appoint his successor.

    Source:Africa News

  • Burundi: UN experts say situation worsening for NGOs

    {Civic groups and rights defenders in Burundi face growing repression amid sporadic violence stemming from the president’s disputed third term, a group of United Nations human rights experts said Monday.}

    The U.N. experts believe actions by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s government against civil society are “alarming in view of the overall situation for human rights defenders in the country,” a statement from the U.N. office in Geneva said.

    A number of groups have been banned and a new bill passed by the national assembly last December compels local NGOs to obtain authorization from the interior minister for any activity and to transfer funds of foreign origin through the central bank.

    “Disturbingly, these measures take particular aim at human rights defenders and independent civil society, and are being used to unduly obstruct and criminalize their work on broad and often fallacious grounds,” the statement said, quoting the U.N. experts, who urged Burundi’s government to end impunity and collaborate with a U.N. team investigating alleged rights violations, including murder and forced disappearances often blamed on Burundi’s security agencies.

    Last October Burundi’s government banned three U.N. human rights investigators from entering the country following the release of a report that cited massive rights violations allegedly perpetrated by security agencies.

    The U.N. statement Monday said rights defenders who have not fled Burundi are under relentless intimidation, threat of arbitrary detention, torture and disappearance. The group cited the example of Marie-Claudette Kwizera, former treasurer of the group Ligue ITEKA, who disappeared in December 2015 and is still missing.

    Hundreds have died in Burundi since Nkurunziza pursued and won a third term that many said was unconstitutional. Burundi has seen violent street protests, forced disappearances and assassinations since the ruling party announced Nkurunziza’s candidacy in April 2015.

    Source:AP

  • RNP, Scottish Police seek to form synergy to eliminate GBV and child abuse

    {The British High Commissioner to Rwanda, William Gelling and two Scottish Senior Police officers, yesterday, met with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana, yesterday, and discussed ways of how Rwanda and Scotland police forces can partner especially in fighting Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Child Abuse.}

    The two officers, who are in the country on a four-day study tour are Superintendent Shaun McKillop, who heads the International Development and Innovation Unit and Senior Inspector Iain Ward of ‘Officer-Africa.’

    They are in the country to learn more about Rwanda’s approach towards fighting GBV and to establish a working relation between Rwanda and Scottish Police institutions, and complement each other in the already existing mechanisms.

    In his brief to the delegation, IGP Gasana said: “We are going to learn more from each other on best practices in fighting GBV and child abuse, especially through trainings and knowledge transfer.”

    He said that Rwanda has a multi-sectorial approach towards fighting the vices where all stakeholders are brought on board to devise and implement strategies from the policy level down to handling of victims.

    “RNP as an institution charged with law enforcement, we use community policing so as to reach out to the public and make them own the process of fighting GBV and child abuse. Besides that, we have scaled up Isange One Stop Centers across the country, put up gender desks in all districts and established a child help line and GBV toll-free lines; with these mechanisms, we have seen the public being more responsive against GBV and child abuse,” said IGP Gasana.

    Isange, which also has a toll-free line – 3029 – offers free medical, psychological and legal services to victims of GBV and child abuse.

    The child help line is 116 and 3512 for GBV.

    On a larger scale, the Police Chief enlightened the delegation on several mechanisms in place including Rwanda being the host country for the Secretariat of the Regional Centre of Excellence against GBV and child abuse, and the Isange model that was adopted by the Interpol’s 84th AGM as one of the best models of preventing and responding to gender-based violence and child abuse.

    Supt McKillop on his part, said; “Rwanda could actually be the centre where countries could come and learn from… we are keen to share what we have achieved.”

    He singled out Isange One Stop Centers as an initiative of great interest to them.

    “We have interest in looking at the end-to-end process; this means from the time a victim reports to the police, the investigations, the legal aspect and how the victim is reintegrated in the society,” Supt McKillop said.

    Regarding enhancing cooperation between the Scotland and Rwanda Police forces, McKillop said that Scotland Police may consider to send its experts to Rwanda to discuss on the subject matter particularly areas of “enhanced cooperation.”

    The delegation later visited Isange One Stop Centre at Kacyiru District Hospital, and Regional Centre of Excellence against GBV and child abuse, where they were explained on how they operate.

    At the Regional Centre of Excellence against GBV and Child Abuse, the Executive Director, Chief Supt. Lynder Nkurunga said that the center came into existence as a result of the resolution of Kigali International Conference Declaration (KICD) member states, who unanimously agreed to establish the coordination office in Kigali.

    The facility currently serves as regional centre for research, data collection, documentation and training, among others.

    The delegation will also visit the rehabilitation centre and other Isange centres in the Southern Province.

    Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana.

  • 7 costly money mistakes you shouldn’t make this year

    {With every new year comes a goal to be accountable for; people make resolutions to be better, live a better lifestyle, change a bad habit, have a better relationship, start a new project and so many other things. But one area people forget is to be accountable financially.}

    People keep making terrible money mistakes year after year, and if you must make certain progress in life, you must be accountable financially.

    {{These are some of the ways you can do that }}

    1. Stop having a rough estimate of where your money is going. Always be accountable to how you spend your money, and what every dime is spent on.

    2. Those little expenses that you feel don’t matter, actually matter. They take tons of your money, but you don’t get to notice because they are so little.

    3. Don’t spend your income without planning. Have a planned financial life.

    4. Stop borrowing, and learn to live within your means.

    5. Don’t spend to impress people, and don’t make the mistake of going into debt for trivial things like festivities and celebrations.

    6. Stop procrastinating when it comes to savings. Make savings a lifestyle. Don’t choose to save whatever is left at the end of the month, else you wouldn’t have anything to save. Plan on saving a certain percentage from the beginning of the month.

    7. Stop living from paycheck to paycheck. Try to have a multiple stream of income.

    Try not to make these mistakes this year, and be more accountable to how you use your resources.

  • RNP details circumstances of dismissed officers

    {The Rwanda National Police wishes to provide details regarding the circumstances under which police officers were dismissed. The Cabinet dismissed 198 Police Officers of different ranks as a result of professional malpractice including lack of discipline, corruption, and other criminal offenses.}

    This decision was the culmination of an extensive process that managed a large number of cases, some dating as far back as 2013.

    The implicated officers had been sentenced and had served different punitive measures including prison sentences. In accordance with RNP statutory and code of conduct regulations, the concerned individuals could not get reintegrated into the force upon completion of these sentences.

    Those dismissed included one Superintendent, four Chief Inspectors, 23 Inspectors, 38 Assistant Inspectors, 65 Non-Commissioned Officers, and 67 Police Constables.

    “It is a process that starts from the RNP to the Ministry of Jusstice and then the Cabinet,” the RNP spokesperson ACP Theos Badege said. “It is meant to provide due process to ensure that the implicated officers really committed the offenses they are accused of.”

    ACP Badege noted that in dismissing the officers the RNP is ensuring force discipline and professionalism and is enforcing the national policy of zero tolerance for corruption. He stressed that: “The momentum against professional misconduct remains strong” and those found guilty of crimes, or of violating the police code of conduct, will face consequences, with decisive measures that include “dismissal from the force.” he concluded.

    RNP spokesperson ACP Theos Badege

  • 6 huge relationship mistakes many women make

    {There are certain mistakes both men and women make that can affect even the cutest relationship. In this article however, I want to concentrate on huge relationship mistakes most women make.}

    Below are 6 huge relationship mistakes most women make

    {{1. Too hard to satisfy }}

    You make yourself a difficult person to live with when you make yourself too difficult to please. I am not saying you shouldn’t have standards but trying to be a perfectionist will hurt your relationship because no man is perfect. Every one comes with flaws including you.

    {{2. You don’t know your value }}

    Men would treat you poorly if you don’t know your value as a woman. You do not your value as a woman if you go for men who are unavailable, you let a man treat you bad and still stay, you are afraid to ask for what you want in a relationship and you feel you aren’t good enough for him.

    {{3. You don’t give }}

    Some women expect their man to always give them the things they want but never bother to give their man. This is wrong. Love is about giving and you can’t claim to love him if you aren’t willing to give him. Take your man out on a date and buy him gifts regularly too. Love is about giving.

    {{4. You don’t accept him for who he is}}

    Nothing turns a man off like meeting a woman who tries to change major things about him. Before you try changing your man into someone else, you should ask yourself if you would be willing to do same too if he wants to change you? You should learn to accept your partner for who he is. If you can’t accept him for who he is, then don’t date him.

    {{5. You don’t appreciate things he does for you }}

    Your man owes you nothing so don’t go into a relationship thinking a man owes you the world just because you are a woman. It’s important you appreciate the things he does for you no matter how little it is. Having an attitude of entitlement is a huge mistake many women make.

    {{6. You create too much drama }}

    Nothing tires a man fast than being in a relationship with a woman who creates too much drama. You can handle issues in your relationship without having to be dramatic about it.