Tag: GreatLakesNews

{Police reinforced by the army are fighting running battles with a group of irate Christians in Arua that reportedly massed overnight in an attempt to evict Arua Diocese Bishop Sabino Odoki.}

Heavy gunshots rang throughout the night at Ediofe, the seat of the diocese, about 3 kilometres west of Arua town.

The District Police Commander Jonathan Musinguzi is commanding the ongoing operation.

Security forces overnight evicted some people who had, since the burial three weeks ago of the diocese’s Emeritus Bishop Frederick Drandua, camped at the graveside inside Ediofe cathedral. They claimed to be mourning and protecting the burial site amid reports that some unnamed people planned to tamper with it.

Their expulsion was followed by mayhem outside the cathedral, with Christians razing the makeshift structure for Sunday masses since the cathedral is undergoing renovation.

The church bells tolled in a coded invite for Christians to gather. Police is still firing teargas, but different youth groups are gathered at the football pitch of the nearby Ediofe Primary School; at Yitia, the River Enyau-side trading centre; and, behind the diocese.

Some 15 people suspects have been taken into custody by police. It’s unclear if the bishop is still at his residence.

Relations between Bishop Odoki and sections of the clergy and Christians have been bad for long, with suspension of a number of senior priests, but deteriorated drastically when his predecessor Frederick Drandua fell ill and died on September 1, 2016.

The aggrieved Christians accused the bishop of treating his predecessor badly in his hour of need after the diocese failed to raise money, and allegedly declined guarantee, for his treatment in Italy. Drandua, who served as the ordinary of Arua diocese for 23 years, was widely revered in West Nile.

His death evoked emotions and anger, and angry Christians reportedly pelted Bishop Odoki, Gulu Archbishop John Baptist Odama and Arua Diocese Vicar general with stones during the burial.

Odoki reported the attackers to President Museveni a week ago, calling them “terrorists”. This branding worsened an already dangerous situation.

The bishop, however, says his haters are motivated by tribal sentiments since he does not hail from Arua.

The police barricade the road leading to Ediofe Church that also connects to Radio Pacis. Photo by Felix Warom Okello

{Kenya has rebutted Somalia’s claim that negotiations to resolve the maritime boundary dispute between the two had been exhausted before it moved to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).}

In their second bid to oppose the case, Kenya’s legal team argued all the meetings between the two countries over the issue were only preparatory and were meant to draw up agenda for discussion.

British lawyer, Prof Vaughan Lowe told the Court that Somalia did not in inform Kenya that it was getting fatigued with the talks, and only, suddenly went to Court.

“Objectively, there is no evidence that the parties had reached deadlock on the negotiations. Subjectively, Kenya remained committed to negotiations. It remains open to date,” Kenya argued.

Somalia sued Kenya in August 2014 before the ICJ seeking a determination of the actual flow of a sea boundary between the two countries.

Mogadishu wants the Court to help determine whether the borderline should flow eastwards as demanded by Kenya or diagonally to the south from the land border as it wants, insisting “diplomatic negotiations, in which their respective views have been fully exchanged, have failed to resolve this disagreement.”

Kenya’s Attorney-General Githu Muigai said the Somali case should be dropped because it was introducing an element of uncertainty in the relations between the two countries as well as the general cooperation for maritime security in the region.

“Maritime boundary delimitation requires sensitive bilateral negotiations. After a volatile transitional period, preliminary negotiations began in 2014, but they were cut short by Somalia…This dispute is a test in our new era in our bilateral relations.”

“Kenya does not want deadlock or perpetual uncertainty. We want a solution that will contribute to permanent peace in the region.”

The disputed area is thought to have rich deposits of oil, but Prof Muigai said Kenya had suspended any exploratory activities as a sign of commitment to await a solution, through negotiations.

On Tuesday, Somalia insisted that it was Kenya which pulled the plug on negotiations after it failed to turn up for a meeting in Mogadishu in August of 2014.

Those talks were part of a MoU the two countries signed in 2009 to specifically deal with the dispute through negotiations and with guidance from the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Kenya agrees that there had been two meetings in 2014 up to July 2014, but which were only at “technical level” and meant to boost confidence between the two sides that there was a solution on the horizon.

The said that meeting which was to happen in August failed because Kenya did not show up citing, in court documents, that its delegation would not be assured of safety. Somalia accused Kenya of a no-show without explanation, but Nairobi argues even the third meeting was only about “bridging the gap of differences between the two sides.

BRIDGEABLE GAPS

“The parties were still operating on the basis that there were bridgeable gaps between them…” Kenya said in turn criticising Mogadishu of going to court just three days after the meeting failed.

The Kenyan legal team argued the Court lacked jurisdiction since both Kenya and Mogadishu had agreed on an alternative dispute settlement.

Prof Lowe for example argued that when Kenya joined the UN, it indicated in 1965 that it would agree to the Court’s general jurisdiction only as long as there were no alternative methods of resolving disagreements.

“There is no reason to suggest that the parties were ignorant of their obligations when they signed on the agreement. The MoU stipulated a method and a time, after the CLOS (UN Commission for the Limitation of Continental Shelf) determination for delimitation. That time hadn’t arrived,” Prof Lowe said.

“At the time when the rest of the world is moving for non-judicial methods of dispute settlement, Somalia seems to be swimming in the opposite direction. Somalia cannot simply ignore its obligations to the MoU.”

Mogadishu had on Tuesday refuted the argument that the 2009 deal prevented it from resorting to courts, saying the agreement was not even specific about the boundary but was to deal with the limits of each country’s continental shelf.

Somalia is basing its arguments on Articles 15, 74 and 83 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which both countries ratified in 1989.

The cited articles state that where two states share coasts adjacent or opposite each other, neither state should extend territorial boundaries beyond the median line “every point of which is equidistant from the nearest points on the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial seas of each of the two states is measured” except where there is an agreement to do so.

In Kenya’s situation, it means Somalia wants the boundary to extend diagonally to the south at Kiunga into the sea, and not eastwards as it is today. But that may also affect Kenya’s sea border with Tanzania.

The area in contest is about 100,000 square kilometres, forming a triangle east of the Kenya coast. In 2009, Kenya and Somalia reached an MoU, which was then deposited to the UN in 2011.

The agreement had stated that the border would run east along the line of latitude although further negotiations were to be held through the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

This agreement also stated that maritime boundary adjustments would only occur after the commission had established the outer limits of shelf and that both sides would avoid courts as much as possible over the matter.

{The Red Cross Society governing body has suspended the Vice President and Acting President, Dr Zainab Gama, the Arusha Regional Chairperson, Mr Christopher Nzela, and revoked membership of five others.}

The five whose membership has been revoked are Mr Sufian Juma, Ms Ashura Nyagongo, Mr Omari Tokolyabe, Mr Nassoro Said and Mr Mawazo Halfan, all from Mzizima branch. The governing body has at the same time appointed Mr Mwadini Jecha as Acting TRCS president with effect from September 16.

According to TRCS, recent series of attacks from press and social media of fabricated stories have been misleading the general public and damaging the reputation of the society and its leadership.

“For the benefit of the well being of the Society, our esteemed public and partners, the governing Board of the Society has been forced to take these actions in order to address this most disturbing situation,” an advert in one of the local media read in part.

The TRCS cautioned the general public that it will not be responsible for any business transacted by Dr Gama, Mr Nzela and the other five members.

TRCS was established in the country by a parliamentary Act of 1962 No. 71, as an auxiliary organ with the mandate to supplement public authorities in humanitarian work.

The society is an independent, voluntary humanitarian organisation which is affiliated to the world wide Red Cross Movement-the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC) as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC.

Last month, some members of the TRCS sought audience and intervention of President John Magufuli, alleging embezzlement, maladministration and misuse of the humanitarian organization’s properties.

Apparently, the members blame the organisation’s leadership for laxity and failure to punish officials involved in the misappropriation of funds and properties of TRCS.

They alleged that the institution’s top brass was also selling the institution’s properties without the members’ consent and appointing consulting firms without following proper procedures

{UN probe team draws up lists of suspects behind alleged human rights violations amounting to crimes against humanity.}

Burundi’s government is behind systematic human rights abuses, including executions and torture, a new report by UN investigators has said, adding that some instances of these “gross human rights violations amount to crimes against humanity”.

Responding on Tuesday’s report, Burundi accused the UN of bias, saying its investigators were “politically motivated” and their conclusions based on anonymous and unverifiable sources.

The three independent investigators were tasked by the UN Human Rights Council in January with probing rights abuses in Burundi since it descended into violence in April 2015 over President Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial decision to run for a third term – a vote he won in July of the same year.

The report by the UN Independent Investigation on Burundi (UNIIB) said that “gross human rights violations have and are taking place, committed primarily by state agents and those linked to them”.

The UN human rights office has verified 564 cases of executions between April 26, 2015 and August 30, 2016, the investigators, who made two trips to Burundi and conducted 227 interviews, said.

They added, however, that this was “clearly a conservative estimate”.

A list of suspects will be handed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and be available in the event of any prosecutions, the investigators said.

The government denied all the allegations.

“@UNHumanRights did not respect the usual rules by releasing the report without the response of @BurundiGov,” the president’s communications chief Willy Nyamitwe tweeted.

The government has sent the UN rights commissioner a 40-page rebuttal, he added.

{{Death-lists}}

The investigators said they had received evidence of rape, disappearances, mass arrests as well as torture and murder, and that there were probably many thousands of victims.

“UNIIB found that the large majority of victims have been identified as people who were opposed or perceived to be opposed to the third mandate of President Nkurunziza or of members of opposition parties,” it said.

UNIIB said a former senior army officer told investigators of the existence of lists of people to be eliminated.

Witnesses named 12 senior members of the security forces – who report directly to top officials in the government – responsible for disappearances. Some of the people who said they had been tortured reported being held in secret jails, including at the homes of the president and a government minister.

The government denied the existence of such death-lists and said the accusations came from “those who want to sow division and the panic within the defence and security corps”.

“It is deplorable that the experts believed such gratuitous and diversionist assertions,” it said.

{{Sexual violence}}

According to the UNIIB report, the bodies of some people who were summarily executed were transported across the Ruzizi river and buried in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It listed 17 types of torture used by the security forces, ranging from attaching weights to the testicles, to forcing a victim to sit on broken glass, or to stay next to the dead body of a relative.

Many women fleeing the country were subjected to sexual violence by the members of the youth wing of the ruling party, Imbonerakure, border guards and unidentified men, the report said. Women opposed to the president’s third term were also subjected to extreme sexual violence, it added.

More than 250,000 people fled to neighbouring countries in the wake of the violence, according to figures by the UN’s refugee agency.

Satellite imagery suggested the existence of mass graves, but the government did not respond to an offer to investigate the sites, the report said.

Burundi has set up three commissions of inquiry to look into human rights allegations, but the report accused the government of “blatantly failing” to investigate.

{East Africa Community leaders have invited American firms to invest in the region, touting mega infrastructure projects as the key attraction.}

Deputy President William Ruto, Presidents Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) and Ethiopia Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn also urged the United States to stop negative publicity against the region by issuing travel advisories for those who wish to travel to the EAC.

They said that five member states have invested heavily in infrastructure projects among them roads, railway, hotels as well as travel had improved drastically.

They told the US private sector that the region was among the best places to invest in the world.

Said President Museveni: “East Africa is the place to invest. It is the place to be. Security is good. But you should stop this travel advisory issues.”

Speaking during a meeting with US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, the leaders also urged the US to act fast on introducing direct flights to East Africa.

They expressed the stand during a meeting of Heads of State and Chief Executive Officers from the US and East Africa, at Westin Hotel, New York.

The leaders said the negative advisories have hampered investments and the growth of tourism in East Africa.

{{Pockets of strife }}

Mr Ruto followed the cue saying travel advisories were not a measure to end insecurity.

He said pockets of strife in neighbouring countries in the region should not give the US a reason to give a blanket ban.

“You have more legitimate reason to invest in East Africa. We have the requisite infrastructure; what we need is direct flights to the region to make it easy for investors to get there,” Mr Ruto said.

He added: “We should reconsider issues of travel advisories because the region is safe. You need to speak to your ambassadors there.”

Mr Kagame said the region had plenty of areas for investment, some untapped, for the private sector.

He said leaders in the region had facilitated easy movement of people through a single entry visa.

Mr Desalegn said the region was developing infrastructure that linked the countries.

He said investments in clean energy, oil and gas was critical for the development of East Africa.

Mr Desalegn said there were avenues for investors to partner with businesspeople in the region in agro-processing and value addition.

To make steps towards Industrialisation, the Ethiopian PM said, electricity production was key.

Ms Pritzker said she was concerned with the issue of travel advisories. She said she encourages more American businesspeople to invest in the region.

She said the value of travel and tourism was clear because it improves economies, creates jobs and helps reduce poverty.

{Police have launch investigations into the death of a foreigner whose body was found in his hotel room in Kileleshwa, on Tuesday night.}

Mr Alzaben Fahad Mohammed, a Saudi Arabian national, checked into the Dusit Hotel along Riverside last week.

The hotel’s security manager Nicholas Wahinya said the deceased, aged 40, was found inside Room 318 at around 8.30pm.

The body had no visible injuries.

{The Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, yesterday received 1bn/- for Kagera earthquake victims as development partners have pledged to provide technology on disaster preparedness.}

The 1bn/- contribution was from public servants and public institutions and other stakeholders for people in Kagera Region who were affected by the earthquake, which occurred on September 10.

Chief Secretary (CS), Ambassador John Kijazi, presented the cheque to the PM in Dar es Salaam yesterday, saying the sum was raised by public servants as the exercise to collect more donations was still going on.

“We believe that the money will to some extent support the victims though it cannot cater for all their needs due to the massive damage caused by the earthquake.

But it can do some good,” he remarked. Earlier yesterday morning, the premier received 40m/- as relief aid to victims of the earthquake, assuring Tanzanians that the money will go directly to sufferers and their families.

Mr Majaliwa said victims should stop worrying as there was close monitoring of the contributions, adding that each of them has been recorded. The China Hennan International Cooperation Group Company Limited (CHICCO) and Indian Business Forum (IBF) each gave 20m/- as the prime minister assured all registered victims of assistance as proper procedures for such exercise were in place.

The tremor, which occurred on September 10 and measuring at 5.7 on the Richter scale, killed 17 and left 440 others injured. The quake also destroyed 2,063 houses while 14,081 others were damaged.

The premier said the construction of the two secondary schools – Ihungo and Nyakato – that were completely damaged by the 5.7 scale quake has also commenced yesterday, promising that students will resume their studies soon.

Mr Majaliwa commended all people who contributed relief aid, including cash donations to assist the victims, adding that the door was still open for more contributions as there was a lot to be done in the area.

He further said that the contributions were of great assistance in addressing the earthquake impacts, reiterating that all the support should be sent through the Prime Minister’s Office and the Kagera Regional Commissioner (RC), which had only one committee dealing with the matter.

From Bukoba, Pius Rugonzibwa reports that Tanzania has received a number of offers from development partners and international institutions that are set to impart technologies on quake and related emergency preparedness.

The offers have come in as the government is also set to deploy a team of experts for special psychological and mental rehabilitation to the staff of the institutions affected by the tremor.

Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training Minister, Professor Joyce Ndalichako, told the ‘Daily News’ in an exclusive interview here on Monday that the challenges from the quake have come together with a number of opportunities the country should embrace.

She said her ministry had initiated special tasks with some partners on the emergency preparedness arrangements, adding that although the country had its local experts, it was crucial for it to be well-equipped with more skilled and experienced experts.

“We have already received commitments from a number of international partners on this crucial subject, which badly need to be able to contain these calamities more effectively in the future.

And on Wednesday (today), we are going to have another session with some of them,” she said. On the treatment of staff and students in various schools that suffered psychological torture as a result of the quake, Prof Ndalichako said experts from the University of Dar es Salaam will be asked to conduct training of trainers who will undertake the rehabilitation programme.

She admitted that although the arrangement was new, the country had trained many experts in the field and that it was the right time they were fully utilised to provide a remedy to the affected members, particularly in the learning institutions – to start with. Counselling services have been deemed important for schools that were badly injured by the tremor – to pave a way for more learning and teaching programmes, she affirmed.

While final expert opinions are awaited from the Geology Survey of Tanzania (GST) whose experts have camped here since the occurrence of the earthquake, the minister said that it has been decided that all damaged infrastructure will be rehabilitated and built afresh, using technology able to overcome quake effects.

“All the agencies have been thoroughly involved in this arrangement and already the Tanzania Building Agency has promised to comply through its chief executive officer,” said the minister. Another agency, Ardhi University has also been asked to prepare designs of the required buildings to suit the demand.

Prof Ndalichako expressed her disappointment with the Kagera Regional Education Office for failing to furnish her with reliable data on the affected schools in the entire region, ordering officers to work on the matter and hand her a detailed report by yesterday evening.

However, she said from the available data, at least ten schools were completely or seriously damaged, including the popular Ihungo, Nyakato and Rugambwa secondary schools.

Already, a team of around 100 engineers and technicians from the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) has been deployed at the schools for site clearance ready for their fresh construction each expected to cost more than 5bn/-.