Category: Politics

Just a quarter of agreed AU observers in Burundi

NAIROBI: The African Union has deployed less than a quarter of the agreed 200 military and human rights observers to Burundi, amid differences with the country over their role in tackling a festering political crisis, sources close to the AU said Thursday.

“The AU has only deployed 32 human rights observers and 15 military experts out of the 100 due for each category,” one African diplomat told AFP, speaking of “persistent differences” over their rules of deployment.

“The Burundian government wants to first endorse the observers’ reports before sending them on to the AU headquarters, which is something the organisation refuses,” the source explained.

On top of that the African Union wants its observers deployed at the border with Rwanda to be armed, which Bujumbura refuses, he added.

The pan-African organisation feels that “the Burundian government has done everything to delay this mission, even if things seem to be going in the right direction,” the same source said.

International efforts are growing to find an end to the turmoil in Burundi, which has seen hundreds of people killed and a quarter of a million flee the country.

The crisis began with President Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial decision in April 2015 to run for a third term, a vote he won three months later amid an opposition boycott.

A senior Burundi official confirmed that there were problems with the deployment of the AU monitors.

The Burundi government is acting “in good faith” but “it must maintain national sovereignty,” the official told AFP.

According to a second African diplomat, the observers and military experts will be unable to properly carry out the work due to the “constraints” put on them.

The matter will be discussed during a three-day visit by a team from the AU’s Peace and Security Council, which arrived in Burundi on Wednesday.

Five African heads of state secured agreement from Burundi to increase to 200 the strength of its monitoring mission, which has been in place since November 2015.

June 24, 2016
Brexit: Britain votes in divisive EU referendum

Millions of Britons begin voting in historic EU referendum that will shape British-EU ties for generations.

Millions of Britons are heading to the polls to vote on whether the UK will remain a part of the European Union.

A record 46.5 million voters have signed up to weigh in on Thursday’s referendum, which asks: “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”

The divisive referendum has sparked the greatest emergency in the EU’s 60-year history.

The vote pits the Remain campaign, backed by British Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, against the Leave camp, led by the former London mayor, MP Boris Johnson.

Polling stations opened at 7am (06:00 GMT) and will close 10pm (21:00 GMT) local time.

PM Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron cast their ballots early on Thursday at London’s Westminster Central Hall.

Rainstorms were expected to dampen turnout in London and other parts of southern England.

There are no official exit polls because polling experts say the lack of recent comparable votes in Britain could make the results less reliable.

Results from polling will, however, be released shortly after the ballots close.

Too close to call

On the eve of the historic vote, two polls – both conducted over the internet – put the Leave camp ahead by 1 or 2 percent. But a telephone poll gave Remain a sizeable lead of 48 percent, ahead of Leave with 42 percent.

Standing outside a fish-packing plant a day before the referendum, Leave camp leader Boris Johnson argued it was time to take back control of the UK’s industries.

“You take back control and I think it will be a big, big moment for democracy in this country and around Europe,” said Johnson.

Brexit Q&A: All you need to know

Desperate to inject some pro-Europe passion late in the day on Wednesday, the prime minister and his allies made appeals to older voters, urging them to think of their children rather than their own nostalgic views of their country.

“Think of one word that brings it all into one, which is ‘together’, because frankly if we want a bigger economy and more jobs we’re better if we do it together,” said Cameron.

“If we want to fight climate change, we’re better if we do it together. If we want to win against the terrorists and keep our country safe, we’re better if we do it together.”

The Remain camp has said a British exit would be hugely destabilising in terms of security and the economy.

Supporters of the Leave campaign argue that a Brexit would be for the best; much of its campaign focused on tighter border controls and freedom from EU regulations on immigration and the economy.

‘Divisive, vile campaign’

There is also concern about the divisive impact of the campaign, in particular the pro-Brexit camp’s focus on immigration.

The Mirror newspaper, which supports a “Remain” vote, has described it as “the most divisive, vile and unpleasant political campaign in living memory”.

One of the most contentious posters of the campaign was one published by the anti-immigration UK Independence Party (UKIP), showing a long queue of refugees under the headline “Breaking Point”.

The murder of Jo Cox, a passionate pro-European who had campaigned for Syrian refugees, brought only a temporary respite in the campaign.

Following her killing a week ago, the pound soared as several polls showed gains for the Remain camp, and it has kept its strength since.

“If we destroy the European Union, which for all its faults has nevertheless delivered a tremendous amount of cohesion within our continent, I think the consequences of that are fairly unpredictable. So for that reason, I don’t think that’s something we should wish for,” Conservative MP and Remain campaigner Dominic Grieve told Al Jazeera.

‘Out is out’

EU leaders have warned there will be no turning back from a vote to quit the 28-member bloc.

“Out is out,” European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said in Brussels, dismissing any chances of a post-vote renegotiation of Britain’s EU membership terms.

French President Francois Hollande has said an exit by the UK would be “irreversible”.

The referendum has raised concerns across Europe that a British withdrawal could trigger a domino effect of exit votes and threaten the integrity of the bloc, already under severe strain from Eurozone and migration crises.

Even if it stays, the status quo will not be an option.

“Whatever the result is going to be, we must take a long hard look at the future of the union. We would be foolish if we ignored such a warning signal as the UK referendum,” EU President Donald Tusk warned this week.

Tusk has previously said that a British leave vote could lead to the “destruction of not only the EU but also of Western political civilisation”.

The EU was created after the Second World War as an antidote to the nationalism which had devastated the continent. The movement for unity was led by France and Germany.

June 23, 2016
Moise Katumbi: DR Congo presidential hopeful sentenced to jail

Congolese presidential hopeful Moise Katumbi has been sentenced in absentia to 36 months in prison.

The wealthy businessman, who owns one of Africa’s biggest football clubs, is currently out of Democratic Republic Congo seeking medical treatment.

The 51-year-old was found guilty of illegally selling a property in Lubumbashi, his eastern power base.

He had the backing of seven opposition parties to run for the presidency in elections due to be held in November.

President Joseph Kabila, in power since 2001, is nearing the end of his second term and he is constitutionally obliged to step down by December.

But there is growing political tension as it is not clear if he will relinquish power.
The court in Lubumbashi, DR Congo’s second city, also fined the football tycoon $6m (£4.1m) for illegally selling the property, which a Greek citizen claimed belonged to his family.

Katumbi flew out of the country on 20 May, a day after the authorities issued an arrest warrant for him on separate charges of hiring foreign mercenaries – allegations he denies.

The BBC’s Poly Muzalia in the capital, Kinshasa, says Katumbi’s legal team is likely to appeal against the verdict.

Moise Katumbi was governor of the south-eastern Katanga province for almost a decade.

In September last year he broke ties with the ruling party when he accused President Kabila, his former ally, of wanting to cling to power.

His popularity is partly down to his job as the president of a great source of Congolese pride – football club TP Mazembe.

They are Africa’s reigning football champions, having won the African Champions League for the fifth time in November.

June 23, 2016
AU delegation in Burundi to assess the security situation

A delegation of the Peace and Security Department of the the African Union Commission (AUPSD) arrived in Burundi on Wednesday for a three-day peace mission to assess the security situation in the country.

On their arrival, the AUPSD met with stakeholders of Burundi’s peace process to analyze the situation and find a lasting solution to its problems.

The mission is expected to meet also with the head of state Pierre Nkurunziza, a source told AFP on condition of anonymity. During the three-days, the PSC will also have consultations with government bodies, the opposition and civil society organisations.

Led by the Permanent Representative of the Congo to the AU, Lazare Makayat Safuesse, the mission met with Burundi’s former President Domitien Ndayizeye who reiterated the need for inclusive dialogue.

The peace mission of the AU Peace and Security Council follows that of February embarked upon by five African heads of state to the country.

The AUPSD during the crisis in Burundi had advocated for the sending of 5,000 men to end the cycle of violence. This recommendation was not agreed upon by the summit of heads of state in January after vehement rejection by the Burundi government.

Burundi was plunged in a serious crisis when President Nkurunziza announced his candidacy in April 2015 for a third term before he was re-elected in July. The violence claimed more than 500 lives and forced more than 270,000 Burundians in exile.

June 23, 2016
Museveni sets conditions for new Cabinet at swearing-in

President Museveni yesterday explained why he appointed Opposition members to his Cabinet, and set tough targets for the newly sworn-in ministers.

The President said some members of his 81-member Cabinet were deliberately picked from the Opposition in order to “maximise political unity” in the country.

He, however, tasked the likes of Uganda Federal Alliance’s Beti Kamya (Kampala minister), Uganda Peoples Congress’ Betty Amongi (Lands) and Democratic Party’s Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi (Youth) to go back to the Opposition and recruit more of their members into the ruling party.

“This Cabinet is aimed at maximising unity of the country; that’s why we brought in a few members of the Opposition,” Mr Museveni said.

“I welcome the few members of the Opposition who have joined us. Go back and bring all those people who are waiting for a messiah. The Jews have been waiting for a messiah for now 2000 years but the messiah has not come.”

Although the President is expected to give written instructions to the ministers in the first Cabinet meeting on Thursday, he highlighted what the new Cabinet should do quickly in order to achieve middle income status within four years as promised in his re-election manifesto.

In order for Uganda to become a middle-income country, Mr Museveni said, “We must aggressively look for investments” and to succeed in this areas, “there are must be no delay in decision-making.”

The President explained that the appointment of the new minister for Investment and Privatisation, Ms Evelyn Anite, whom he described as his “daughter” and one of his “incorruptible youth”, was not by accident, but was by design. He said he wanted reforms and promised to guide her in order to ensure that investments are not hindered.

“I appointed my daughter Anite to the investment docket because I know she is not corrupt,” Mr Museveni said. “I will not tolerate anybody who delays decisions on investment which can be made.”

Though the President has been accused of paying lip service to the fight against corruption, an insidious problem in the country, he listed corruption as the second issue that needs to be addressed in order to make Uganda a middle income country.

Mr Museveni said: “No corruption or conflict of interest. Somebody is in office and he or she is using it for private gain, that era is finished.”
The third issue highlighted by the President is the need to work aggressively to lower the cost of doing business in the country. He explained that investment in the road sector seeks to lower the transport costs and promised that the major projects in the new term will focus on the railway and water transport.

Strict regulation is in the fourth position. The President explained that he appointed Dr Mary Kitutu, whom he described as an expert, to the Environment docket, to ensure that issues of regulations are effectively handled. Although regulation is a wide area, the President only highlighted the need to stop environmental degradation in the country.

“Those building in wetlands must stop,” Mr Museveni said. “Everybody has eyes to see what a wetland is and what is a forest.”

The fourth condition the President gave focused on the need to invest more funds in agriculture sector through the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) programme, noting that 68 per cent of homesteads were still outside the money economy—meaning they are trapped in subsistence farming.

June 22, 2016
Uhuru, Ruto should not have been free during ICC trial – Annan

The Kenyan leaders should not have been free during trial at the Hague, the former UN boss says.

Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has questioned the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to allow President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, Mr William Ruto, to remain free as their cases proceeded.

In an article published by the UK-based Financial Times, Mr Annan also criticised the court for not doing enough to protect witnesses from intimidation.

“The President and Vice-President were the ones in the dock and so they put lots of effort and resources into fighting the case,” Mr Annan said.

ICC has a detention centre located within a Dutch prison complex in Scheveningen, on the outskirts of The Hague.

Among suspects who were detained in the cells in the Netherlands as their cases proceeded are former presidents Charles Taylor (Liberia), Laurent Gbagbo (Cote d’Ivoire) and a former vice-president of DR Congo, Jean-Pierre Bemba, whose sentencing is to be delivered today.

“I remind the Africans that it is wrong for them to say that only African leaders are put into the dock,” Mr Annan wrote in the Financial Times, adding that they “should not pretend that they were the first” or that the process is biased.

Mr Annan oversaw the mediation that led to the formation of a grand coalition government in Kenya after the disputed 2007 presidential election.

The chaos that erupted after PNU’s Mwai Kibaki was announced the winner by the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya led to investigation and prosecution of six Kenyans, among them President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto.

However, all the cases collapsed due to lack of concrete evidence, with the prosecution led by Ms Fatou Bensouda blaming the situation on witness intimidation, bribery and political interference by African leaders.

June 21, 2016
Liberia Needs Leaders with different Experiences-Cummings admonishes youths

Monrovia-Mr. Alexander Cummings, political leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), says Liberia needs new breed of leaders with different experiences, not people wanting to loot the country’s coffers.

Speaking to group of young people in the chicken Soup Factory community in Gardnerville, he admonished youth of Liberia to work harder to build the nation and to believe that they have a brighter and better future.

“You deserve better. Liberia deserves better and we can do better to change our country and you have to recognize that you have to work harder. I want you to believe you can and that you have a bright and better future but nobody is going to give that to you on a silver platter”, he said.

“I want all of you to believe that you can do better. You don’t have to live the way you are living. You need a leader who has different type of experiences, who is not here to steal all the money but someone who wants to work with you to change this country,” Cummings said.

The Alternative National Congress (ANC) political leader who took the kick-off for a football and kickball tournament Saturday called on Liberians to take interest in the electoral process by exercising their rights through the ballot box.

At its Bentol, convention in April- delegates at the second national convention of the ANC, a new opposition political party, unanimously voted on white ballot Mr. Cummings as their political leader, the man who will lead the Party into elections come 2017.

Cummings worked his way to the top of one of Corporate America’s biggest brands, as the former Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the Coca-Cola Company.

Mr. Cummings has since taken his exit from the company in March, shifting his attention to what inarguably could be his greatest challenge, a pursuit of the Liberian presidency.

Over the past few months, Mr. Cummings has been feeling the pulse of communities and trying to get an understanding of a somewhat rugged political terrain.

Born in Liberia, Mr. Cummings joined Coca-Cola in 1997 as Region Manager, Nigeria. In 2000, he was named President of the Company’s North & West Africa Division. In March 2001, he became President and Chief Operating Officer of the Africa Group, responsible for the Company’s operations in Africa, encompassing a total of 56 countries and territories across the continent. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Cummings held several positions with The Pillsbury Company in the U.S.

In his last role as Vice President of Finance for Pillsbury International, he had financial responsibility for a growing $1.2 billion international branded food business with operating companies in 16 countries. Mr. Cummings holds a B.S. degree in Finance and Economics from Northern Illinois University and an MBA in Finance from Atlanta University.

June 19, 2016
Uganda:Besigye applies to court for bail

The former FDC presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, has applied to the High Court in Kampala, seeking bail.

Dr Besigye, who is currently incarcerated at Luzira prison on treason charges arising out of his alleged swearing-in of himself as president of Uganda, filed his bail application on June 7.

In his application, Dr Besigye, who states that he will represent himself with his current address being Luzira prison, cites about 10 grounds why he wants to be released.

These include being of advanced age of 60 years, uncertainty of when his treason trial will commence, having substantial sureties and non-interference with investigations, among others.

“It’s in the interest of justice that I be admitted to bail as I enjoy a presumption of innocence. I am in a position where the commencement of my trial cannot be ascertained particularly in view of the commitment of judicial resources to the disposal of election petitions around the country and therefore should not be punished by remaining in prison,” Dr Besigye states.

Dr Besigye also said he is a law abiding citizen who meets the criteria of admission to bail and that once released, he would return to court to face trial as and when required.
To that effect, the head of the Criminal Division of the High Court, Justice Wilson Masalu Musene, has been allocated the file.

The hearing of the same bail application has been fixed for July 6 at 9am and court has since issued a production warrant to Luzira prison officials to produce Dr Besigye on that day.

The application comes at a time when Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court had ordered the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and police to expedite and conclude Dr Besigye’s treason investigations so that he can be sent to the High Court.

Prosecution alleges that Dr Besigye and others at large between February 20 and May 11 this year formed an intention to compel by force government to change its measures as to the lawfully established methods of acceding to the office of president of Uganda.

June 17, 2016
Museveni to bail out NRM MPs battling poll petitions in court

President Museveni will meet the legal costs of NRM MPs who are facing petitions challenging their election.

The move is intended to facilitate legal teams for the embattled MPs and save the party from potential by-elections in which it has a record of awful performance.

During a Caucus meeting of NRM MPs at State House on Friday, Government Chief Whip Ruth Nankabirwa told the President that the party may lose seats in the 10th Parliament if he does not come to the financial rescue of those battling petitions in courts.

Mr Museveni subsequently directed the party secretary general, Ms Kasule Lumumba, to compile a list of NRM MPs with petitions in court and compile a budget of the financial requirements. More than 40 NRM MPs are defending their seats in court.

As the party was mulling over the proposal on Friday, NRM’s Busiro South MP Peter Sematimba was kicked out of Parliament after High Court ruled that he lacked the minimum academic qualifications for an MP. According to sources who attended the Caucus meeting, the members also resolved to initiate an arbitration process between NRM-leaning independents like Kabakumba Matsiko, who have filed petitions against official party MPs. Kabakumba is challenging the election of NRM’s Ernest Kiiza for Masindi Municipality seat.

Ms Nakanbirwa yesterday confirmed the President’s pledge to bail out MPs on petitions but declined to divulge further details, saying her office was still compiling the list.

“I was reminding the President of what he promised, to help MPs who were flag bearers of the party but are facing petitions in court. Our numbers in Parliament may diminish if we keep on losing cases and by-elections are more [politically] costly,” Ms Nankabirwa said.

At the same Caucus meeting, MPs expressed misgivings about the Cabinet line-up announced on Monday.

Banyoro on key cabinet position

Buyaga West MP Barnabas Tinkasiimire said Bunyoro is not happy with the removal of 88-year-old Henry Muganwa Kajura as Deputy Prime Minister and not replacing him with another from the region.

“I only delivered a message from the Banyoro who are saying that they have been having a deputy Prime Minister and that is what they want. I know it is his prerogative to appoint Cabinet but this is the demand from the people who elected him,” Mr Tinkasimiire said in an interview yesterday.

Lango NRM MPs voiced similar frustration that the President side-stepped them and appointed UPC’s Oyam County South MP Betty Amongi as Lands Minister.
Karamoja MPs raised similar issues complaining about the transfer of First Lady Janet Museveni from the Karamoja Affairs position and replacing her with John Byabagambi. Ms Janet was appointed minister of Education and Sports in the new cabinet.

Mr Museveni promised to meet the grumbling MPs and explain how he selected the Cabinet.

However, NRM’s Nankabirwa said: “What is happening happens all the time the President names Cabinet. It is next to impossible to satisfy everyone. There will always be a section of people that is complaining. We just need to sensitise our people that there are many positions which are equally important as Cabinet.”

June 12, 2016
Uganda: 30 held over ‘coup plot’ against Museveni

Soldiers and an opposition MP among those suspected of planning an armed uprising against President Yoweri Museveni.

At least 30 people, including serving soldiers and an opposition MP, have been arrested on suspicion of plotting to overthrow Uganda’s government, the country’s army has said.

Army spokesman Colonel Paddy Ankunda told the AFP news agency on Friday that the group was suspected of planning an armed uprising against President Yoweri Museveni, himself a former rebel who seized power 30 years ago.

“We and the police are investigating the matter,” Ankunda said.

The detainees were “linked to a rebel group”, Ankunda added, declining, however, to give any further details.

He said most of those arrested were soldiers, adding that at least one member of parliament and one opposition politician had also been arrested.

The only detainee named by the spokesman was Michael Kabaziguruka, an MP from the main opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, whose leader Kizza Besigye is in custody on treason charges.

Besigye, who cried foul after coming second to Museveni in February’s presidential election, was arrested last month for holding a mock swearing-in ceremony.

He was previously charged with treason in 2005 but the case was eventually abandoned.

FDC spokesman Ssemujju Nganda went to visit Kabaziguruka after his arrest.

“He told me he was questioned on rebel links, which he didn’t know about,” said Nganda, adding that other party supporters “are under detention on the same claim”.

A long-standing opponent of Museveni, Besigye has been frequently jailed, placed under house arrest, accused of both treason and rape, tear-gassed, beaten and hospitalised over the years.

LRA ‘no longer a threat to Uganda’

In a separate development, Ankunda said Uganda plans to withdraw its troops from a mission in Central African Republic whose goal is to hunt down members of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group.

Ankunda told AP news agency that the rebel group no longer poses a threat to Uganda.

He said authorities have notified the African Union of plans to withdraw the troops before the end of this year.

About 2,500 Ugandan soldiers are operating in the jungles of Central African Republic under the AU mission. They are supported by US special forces.

Joseph Kony, the LRA leader, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. The group is infamous for recruiting boys to fight and taking girls as sex slaves.

June 11, 2016