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Tag: GreatLakesNews

  • Uganda:Opondo dismisses Besigye dialogue reports

    {The government has denied reports that President Museveni is planning a dialogue with former presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye and his Forum for Democratic Change party. }

    This followed Dr Besigye’s confirmation in Soroti District on Tuesday that it is possible for him to have a dialogue with President Museveni.

    Dr Besigye who was addressing a workshop for his party members in Soroti District said that an agreement had been reached to have an audit of the 2016 presidential election results.

    However, the Director of the Uganda Media Centre, Mr Ofwono Opondo dismissed the idea saying neither State House nor government ever mooted a dialogue or an audit of the 2016 polls.

    Mr Opondo insists that there is no dialogue likely to take place between Dr Besigye and President Museveni adding that such talk is “drama and comedy” being preached to Ugandans.

    He challenged Dr Besigye to come out and explain who approached him for a dialogue because Mr Museveni was declared as the winner which fact cannot be changed by anyone.

    “No one from the government has approached the government of Sweden to be the mediator. There is no international country that can interfere in issues concerning the government of Uganda,” Mr Opondo said.

    {{OFWONO OPONDO’S FULL STATEMENT}}

    Response to Dr Warren Smith Kizza Besigye Kifefe’s false claim on dialogue

    For some time now Dr Kizza Besigye, the four-time presidential candidate and loser, and some of his political allies have been going around the country making many false claims. In spite of the clear provocations, false insinuations and misrepresentations of material facts, government had deliberately ignored Mr. Besigye, and he has not on his own found the decency for self-restraint.

    Among the many falsehoods Mr. Besigye has pandered are;

    1.That he won the 2016 presidential elections with 52% votes cast, but that he was cheated

    2.Consequent upon that false claim Besigye has been calling for an independent election audit by an international neutral body

    3.That there should be dialogue between him and President Museveni over these election results and the possibility of varying those results and outcome

    4.Yesterday, in a bizarre twist he added that they (Besigye & group) had been approached by President Museveni over the dialogue and that there was an agreement to audit election results.

    5.That the dialogue should include president Museveni’s possible exit.

    Government today wishes to categorically inform the country as follows; first, we believe that Mr. Besigye is doing all this for political grand-standing, continuous publicity and comedy because the title of presidential candidate ended with elections, and indeed no other former participants in that election goes by that title anymore except him

    The 2016 presidential elections were over and results lawfully and appropriately declared and gazzetted by the Electoral Commission as mandated by the Constitution of Uganda. Those that were dissatisfied with the results went to the Supreme Court in accordance with the established procedures and the Court gave its public verdict, and therefore that matter is settled and won’t be revisited by anybody including the purported foreign countries. So, the claim by Mr. Besigye that there is an agreement presumably between him on one side, and government and President Museveni to audit the election results is not only false but grossly preposterous. No such an audit has been a subject of discussions anywhere within government. Never the less, we hereby challenge Mr. Besigye to publish the results he claims to have so that you the media and public scrutinize his absurd claims government would like to state categorically that neither government nor President Yoweri Museveni has approached Mr. Besigye or anyone else to solicit for dialogue over the election results as Mr. Besigye has falsely claimed.

    There is no mediation efforts by anybody, country, power, local or international institution. We further challenge the Swedish government to come clean on who actually approached it on the said dialogue otherwise it is a hoax.

    It is as laughable, as it as an absurdity for anyone to imagine government can at this point discuss President Museveni’s possible exist as if he was unlawfully in office. It demonstrates the utter bankruptcy and desperation on the part of Mr. Besigye and those he seeks to mislead.

    While it is true that government has been approached by multiple groups mainly local (Inter-religious Council, elders, and women among others) to have dialogue with opposition groups in the country to handle and hopefully resolve some of the outstanding political, social and economic issues facing the country none of the efforts has taken off. As a principle, the NRM government is open to and welcomes all efforts at constructive engagement including talks with those we may have some disagreements, Therefore o, in principle, talking is not an issue.

    The claim that Makindye military barracks is full of detained soldiers seeking to mutiny in support of the opposition [sic. Besigye] to bring about speedy and unconstitutional political regime change is false. Again we challenge Besigye to provide the full names of those soldiers, their ranks, and units they came from otherwise he shuts up. This type of false claim by Besigye isn’t entirely new or surprising because he first made it way back in 2001 when he claimed that he enjoyed then 90% political support within the army. Today, as everybody knows Mr. Besigye has been crying that the UPDF and Police is President Museveni’s loyalist outfit to keep him in power, and so it is really difficult to believe which Mr. Besigye is right. We see this as part of futile efforts to sow cracks within the security service.

    On the economy, it is not the first time Mr. Besigye has claimed it is in total ruins. An economy that is in total ruins cannot support the multiple huge infrastructure projects currently underway, and as well at the same time simultaneously support our national recurrent expenditure including paying the public servants and fund our democracy one hundred percent. Obviously, the Uganda economy like that of much of Africa is under-going internal structural strain, and global pressures. The answer is not to run away from governance and leadership, but rather staying firm, and the NRM and its leadership has proven its capability over these past three decades. Just how many times in Mr. Besigye’s view will Uganda’s economy will collapse is hard to tell. To Mr. Besigye and other doomsayers, we can only advise them to organise better after-all the next circle of general elections at which Ugandans shall have an opportunity to renew the mandate of their leaders is only four years away from now.

    Source:Daily Monitor

  • EAC Heads of State summit shelved

    {Presidents of the six countries making up the East African Community who were to gather here for the 18th EAC Ordinary Heads of State Summit Meeting, have postponed their schedule.}

    The Head of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs at East African Community Secretariat, Mr Richard Owora Othieno, said the EAC Heads of State Summit which was to be held in Arusha on the 6th of April, 2017 under the Chairmanship of President John Magufuli, will now be convened at a later date.

    “The 6th of April is a special day for Burundi and therefore the Chairman of the Heads of State Summit agreed to push forward the meeting to a later date,” said Mr Othieno.

    Heads of State who were to meet in Arusha under the Summit Chair, John Magufuli, include President Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi) and for the first time, Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan which is the newest member State in the EAC fold.

    Source:Daily News

  • Congo-Kinshasa: Brazilian Capoeira Heals Wounds in the DRC

    {Rio De Janiero, Brazil — On the earthen floor, to the sound of a single-string percussion instrument called a Berimbau, Congolese children stand in a circle practicing rhythmic movements with their arms and feet and chanting.
    }

    They are doing Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art that merges the practice of sports, acrobatics, music and popular culture.

    This Afro-Brazilian cultural practice, simultaneously a fight and a dance, functions as an affirmation of mutual respect between communities.

    It was started in Brazil by the descendants of African slaves, and in 2014 Capoeira was recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This Afro-Brazilian cultural practice, simultaneously a fight and a dance, functions as an affirmation of mutual respect between communities and individuals promoting social integration and the memory of resistance.

    Capoeira has been used as a powerful tool to help demobilized children and adolescents from armed groups and victims of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). With the practice comes self-confidence, emotional strengthening, community-building, overcoming gender differences, and reducing inequalities.

    Independent Brazilian journalist Fabíola Ortiz and photographer/videomaker Flavio Forner intend to visit in loco how Capoeira is being used with Congolese children in North Kivu.

    Both media professionals recently launched an in-depth reporting project that aims to report on the benefits of this martial art to heal trauma. The duo plan to immerse themselves in the universe of Brazilian Capoeira in the DRC.

    Forner and Ortiz are dedicated to the coverage of development and human rights. They believe in the role of independent in-depth journalism to promote public debate, encourage change and keep the UN Sustainable Development Goals on the global agenda.

    “There is a need for groundbreaking and innovative storytelling approaches to report on conflict and trauma. Information has a powerful role in defusing tension, reducing conflicts, and contributing to the healing process of traumatic events,” said Ortiz.

    Independent journalism may act as unifier in a polarized society and has a pivotal role in conflict prevention, management and resolution, they believe.

    {{Capoeira in North Kivu}}

    Twice a week, girls at the Heal Africa hospital in central Goma, North Kivu’s capital, are taught Capoeira. Boys at the Transit and Guidance Centre (CTO) run by the Concerted Action for Disadvantaged Young People and Children (CAJED) also learn this martial art. The CTO is a place for helping the reintegration into society of child victims of violence and who have been demobilized from armed gangs.

    This centre for vulnerable children directs its efforts towards demobilizing, supporting and reintegrating children into their families. Partnering with UNICEF since 2003, CAJED has hosted more than 11,000 children removed from armed groups of the DRC.

    Since August 2014, around 40 children join Capoeira classes on a weekly basis. With the support of UNICEF, the Brazilian Embassy in Kinshasa, AMADE-Mondiale and HSH Princess Caroline of Monaco, this initiative led by a Brazilian Master Flavio Saudade introduces children to the practice.

    In a war-torn country with ethnic roots and embedded with commercial interests, it is crucial to rebuild community ties and restore a culture of peace.

    “Capoeira is a social technology developed in Brazil from a cultural tradition of African origin. Its use in conflict zones to reduce violence is a recent phenomenon with encouraging results,” stressed the Brazilian Ambassador to the D.R.C Paulo Uchôa Ribeiro when the initiative started in 2014.

    So far, the initiative has benefitted around 3,000 children, according to Flavio Saudade, a Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF and a Capoeira master.

    “We are trying to address a serious problem: the forced child recruitment. Today I see that Capoeira has a great mission, the one of building a society free of so many violence. We hear testimonies from children who went through forced military trainings and were obliged to kill their parents and commit grave crimes,” said Saudade.

    Instead of carrying an AK-47 rifle, Congolese children are now taught how to play a Berimbau. “How many lives we might save when we teach them how to play an instrument rather than shooting a weapon,” he said.

    Source:All Africa

  • Burundi:Students stand firm despite punishment threat by University administration

    {The Rector of the University of Burundi has announced on 3 April that the signatories of the strike notice will be punished exemplarily due to the swindle and use of false documents. Burundi University students say University officials only want to persecute them instead of finding solutions to their claims.}

    “About 7800 students signed the strike notice scheduled on 6 April. Those who were not available gave us their permission to put their cell phone numbers in the place of their signatures”, says one of the Burundi University students’ representatives. This was said when the Rector of University of Burundi, Gaspard Banyankimbona, accused them of swindle and use of false documents while signing the strike notice sent to Burundi President on 24 March.

    “The Rector wants to persecute us. He said he would punish us exemplarily though he couldn’t indicate which offence we have committed”, says a student at Burundi University. He also accuses Burundi University administration of being complicit in the arrest of students by agents of the intelligence service. “Twelve of our representatives are detained in unknown dungeons”, he says.

    Those students say that the strike will start on 6 April as planned if nothing is done. “Given the absence of consultations and talks between the students and University of Burundi management, nothing will change the deadline set for the strike”, he says.

    Gaspard Banyankimbona, Rector of the Burundi University said the signatories of the strike notice will be punished according to the academic regulations and law. “Some of the signatories do not know the content of the strike notice and start to withdraw their signatures. They were manipulated”, said Banyankimbona.

    For this University official, it is not easy to identify students who are on strike and those who are not because the University of Burundi is composed of three groups of students. He says the first group is made of students who do not receive the scholarship for academic reasons. The second group is composed of students living outside the campus but who receive the scholarship.

    “Both groups say they are ready to receive any kind of funds including the scholarship loan”, says Banyankimbona.

    The Rector of the University of Burundi also says the third group is composed of recalcitrant students living on the campus and fed by the university. He says this group is composed of the signatories of the strike notice who are easy to manipulate because it is a small group including all students’ representatives. “They defend their own interests”, says Banyankimbona.

    Students of the University of Burundi are resolute to go on strike as planned

    Source:Iwacu

  • Floods hit again Bujumbura northern areas

    {The torrential rain that fell in the afternoon of 2 April claimed the life of one kid and caused a lot of damage. Floods have inundated houses and infrastructures in Kamenge northern neighborhood of the capital Bujumbura. The victims demand that the drainage channels be rehabilitated.}

    Houses, schools, shops, roads, Kamenge market… were struck by floods due to the torrential rain that has fallen on 2 April in the northern neighborhoods of the Burundian capital Bujumbura. “Some of our belongings were taken away by the floods”, says a resident of Heha neighborhood in Kamenge area in the northern part of the capital. She also says students did not attend classes. “Their school kits were also damaged”, she says. At Kamenge II Fundamental School, students stayed at home. “We could not attend classes as floods had inundated our schools”, says a young pupil met at that school.

    Jean Marie Nshimirimana, a local chief of Heha neighborhood, says the heavy rain caused the destruction of dozens of houses. “All houses located near the Nyabagere River were affected by this disaster”, he says. Nshimirimana also says the residents of the locality are trying to help each other remove the mud around their homes”, he says.

    Inhabitants of the locality demand the rehabilitation of the drainage channels and the Nyabagere River, the main cause of these floods especially whenever a heavy rain falls. “As the channels were too small, all rainwater from the mountains took away trees and all dirt which blocked them and caused the inundation of homes”, says Bonaventure Nkeshimana, local chief of Kavumu neighborhood in Kamenge zone.

    Work in progress to rehabilitate rivers

    Eddy-Paul Hakizimana, Administrator of Ntahangwa commune in the capital Bujumbura, says one kid was taken away by Nyabagere River. “He was with his mother on a motorcycle. While they were crossing the Nyabagere River bridge, the motorcycle slipped and fell into the river. Thanks to the intervention of the nearby residents, two people were saved but the kid was already taken away. We are still looking for his body”, says Hakizimana.

    The Administrator says works are in progress to rehabilitate the Nyabagere, Gasenyi and Kinyankonge Rivers in the northern areas of the capital Bujumbura in order to prevent other floods from causing additional damage.

    On 17 March 2017, six people died including five children of the same family and hundreds of houses were destroyed following the heavy rains. About 250 families were made homeless and sheltered in the Bumwe Fundamental School in Buterere zone in Ntahangwa commune in the north of Bujumbura.

    In February 2014, severe floods caused a lot of damage and claimed over 100 human lives in Gatunguru zone, in northern Bujumbura. The main cause was the poor construction of the drainage channels of the Gasenyi River.

    Pupils did not attend classes due to floods that hit their classrooms.

    Source:Iwacu

  • Pope Francis calls for peace in DRC

    {Pope Francis on Sunday called for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, urging an end to the bloodshed in the troubled Kasai region.}

    “News continues to arrive of bloody clashes in Kasai in the Democratic Republic of Congo – fighting which drags in victims and displaced persons,” the pontiff told some 20 000 faithful at a mass in Carpi, the northern Italian city that was hit by two deadly earthquakes in 2012.

    “I urge everybody to pray for peace, that the hearts of those behind these crimes do not remain enslaved by hatred and violence,” the pope said.

    At least 400 people have died in six months of unrest which has hit the provinces of Kasai-Central, Kasai, Kasai-West and Lomami.

    The remote region has been plagued by violence since mid-August, when government forces killed Kamwina Nsapu, a tribal chief and militia leader who had rebelled against President Joseph Kabila’s central government.

    Congolese church leaders and the papal representative in Kinshasa on Thursday urged the DRC’s security forces, widely accused of brutal treatment of opponents, to refrain from using disproportionate force during operations.

    Last month, the police accused rebels of killing 39 officers in Kasai, and last week the bodies of two UN contractors were found after they were kidnapped in Kasai-Central.

    The two foreigners were kidnapped by unidentified assailants on March 12 along with four Congolese accompanying them.

    Pope Francis also said that the people of Colombia were in his thoughts after a huge mudslide in the town of Mocoa on Saturday killed some 200 people, a disaster which left him “profoundly saddened”.

    The pontiff always said he was praying for Venezuela and Paraguay amid growing political unrest in both countries.

    Source”AFP

  • Ugandans struggle to register as refugees in Yumbe

    {Chaos ensued at Bidibidi Zone III Settlement in Kululu Sub-county, Yumbe District as hundreds of Ugandans struggled to be registered as South Sudan refugees.}

    Those who tried to be registered as refugees, according to reportedly wanted to access free relief items like food since most of them struggle to make ends meet.

    The office of the Prime Minister (OPM) is currently registering refugees in Bidibidi Zone III.

    However, chaos erupted after officials from OPM identified and blocked them from being registered.

    An eyewitness who preferred anonymity said Ugandans who masqueraded as refugees were exposed after failing to answer basic questions related to physical features, languages, norms and cultures of South Sudan people.

    Mr Robert Baryamwesiga, the settlement commandant said some of the natives who wanted to register as refugees acquired cards fraudulently.

    “Accessing the cards is not a problem because the cards are many. Some refugees sell them to the Ugandans and go back to South Sudan. Buying these cards doesn’t qualify a person to be a refugee. Registering as a refugee doesn’t mean that you will become a rich person,” he said.

    Mr Musiho Abubaker the Yumbe District police commander said on Monday: “The police had to fire live bullets in air to disperse the rowdy residents. We never registered cases of assault and no arrests were made in connection to the incidence.” the DPC said.

    Some of the refugees from South Sudan being registered in Adjumani District. Photo by Felix Warom Okello.

    Source:Daily Monitor

  • Thomas Staal to discuss terrorism with Kenya

    {A senior official of the US Agency for International Development (USAid) is scheduled to visit Kenya this week in one of the first high-level, direct contacts between Washington and Nairobi since President Trump’s inauguration in January.
    }

    While in Nairobi, USAid counsellor Thomas Staal will review humanitarian activities in East Africa and meet with Kenyan officials to “discuss US efforts to counter violent extremism,” the State Department said.

    Mr Staal began his visit to the region on April 1 with a stop in Ethiopia, where he was expected to “promote ‘Power Africa,’ an initiative to improve access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa,” the State Department said.

    Talks on the $9.7 billion Obama administration initiative may signal willingness on the part of the Trump team to continue efforts to leverage US private-sector investment in electrification projects in Kenya and five other sub-Saharan countries.

    CONNECTIONS

    Power Africa aims to enable 60 million new electricity connections.

    President Trump has yet to specify his approach to Power Africa.

    In Ethiopia, Mr Staal was also expected to hold talks on USAid’s response to the East African drought.

    After his visit to Kenya, Mr Staal is scheduled to travel to South Sudan to discuss responses to the famine affecting parts of that country.

    Mr Staal is a veteran USAid official, having worked for the agency since 1988 in a number of capacities.

    Prior to becoming USAid counsellor, he served as the agency’s senior faculty member at the National War College.

    USAid official David Harden (left) with Isiolo Governor Godana Doyo during an inspection tour of project sites funded by USAid in Oldonyiro, Isiolo County on October 25, 2016. USAid counsellor Thomas Staal is expected in the country for talks with Kenyan officials.

    Source:Daily Nation

  • Tanzania:Opposition flaws mar EALA polls

    {Flaws in nomination process by opposition camp marred the much-awaited elections of the country’s representatives to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), due for today.}

    The Bunge administration revealed here yesterday that it had failed to approve nominees fronted by oppo-sition Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADE-MA) and Civic United Front (CUF).

    The National Assembly is this morning scheduled to vote for the country’s nine envoys to the regional legislative body for the 2017-2021 period, but just hours to the polls, only 12 candidates from Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) have been cleared for the elections.

    The Clerk of the National Assembly, Dr Thom-as Kashilila, said in a statement here yesterday that Chadema and CUF, which qualify from among the op-position wing to field candidates in the elections, failed to adhere to regulations governing the election, among others, overlooking women in the process.

    “The endorsement of candidates from group C (op-position parties) could not be done due to observed weaknesses in the nomination documents, which breach Article 50 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community,” said Dr Kashilila.

    He said while the EALA Act, 2011 stipulates that at least one third of the elected members shall reflect either gender, neither Chadema nor CUF observed gen-der equality when picking up their candidates.

    According to Dr Kashilila, Chadema in particular failed to submit to his office the application forms for the aspirants, the list of aspirants and the election result form.It was however revealed that each of CUF’s two antagonistic groups submitted list of nominees.

    “There was no authentication of citizenship of two candidates,” said Dr Kashilila without revealing the identity of the two aspirants.CUF, which has one slot in the nine EALA seats, also failed to submit the results of the party’s primaries.

    “I have written to the parties, which qualify to con-test under opposition parties asking them to rectify the identified flaws and submit to my office the nominees and all other required documents by tomorrow (today) before 13:00hrs,” said Dr Kashilila.

    “The endorsement of group C (opposition parties) candidates will therefore be conducted any time from 13:00 tomorrow (today) upon receipt and verification of the documents that I expect from the two parties,” he added.

    The ruling CCM, with the most representation in the house, is entitled to a lion’s share of Tanzania’s representatives to EALA and the parliament confirmed yesterday it has endorsed all the 12 candidates.

    They are Dr Ngwalu Maghembe, Adam Kimbisa, Anamringi Macha, Makongoro Nyerere, Zainabu Kawawa, Happiness Mgalula, Fancy Nkuhi and Hap-piness Lugiko from Mainland Tanzania.Others are Abdallah Makame, Mohamed Nuh, Maryam Yahya and Rabia Hamid from Zanzibar.

    If both are re-elected Kimbisa, CCM Dodoma Re-gional Chairperson, and Charles Makongoro Nyerere will be serving their second and last terms to the re-gional body.

    The main opposition party, Chadema had fronted former Home Affairs Minister Lawrence Masha and ex-Nyamagana MP Ezekia Wenje as the party’s flag-bearers in the elections while CUF had nominated incumbent EALA member Twaha Taslima, Thomas Malima, Sonia Magogo, and Habib Mnyaa.

    Source:Daily News

  • U.N. council renews Congo peacekeeping mission, lowers troop cap

    {Despite a request by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to add two extra police units (320 officers) the council agreed to a Washington demand to keep the current total of 1,050 officers.}

    The resolution asks Guterres to explore “transfers of troops and their assets from other United Nations missions to MONUSCO” if needed and subject to council approval.

    It is the first peacekeeping mission to be renewed since U.S. President Donald Trump proposed that Washington, the largest U.N. contributor, cut funding. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley is reviewing the 16 U.N. peacekeeping operations.

    “It’s not the number of people we have on the ground, it’s the quality of the work that’s happening on the ground,” Haley told the council after the Congo vote.

    Washington provides the most money for the total $7.9 billion U.N. peacekeeping budget, paying 28.5 percent, but Trump and Haley want to enforce a 25 percent cap.

    The council has asked Guterres to report by the end of September on options for reducing the peacekeeping mission after elections this year, President Joseph Kabila has stepped down and sustainable progress has been made in reducing the threat of armed groups in the country.

    Resource-rich Congo, which gained independence from colonial power Belgium in 1960, has never had a peaceful transition of power and Kabila’s refusal to stand down when his final term expired in December has raised fears the country could slide back into civil war.

    Opposition leaders signed a fragile deal with the ruling coalition and allies of Kabila on Dec. 31 that requires him to step down after elections that must happen by the end of 2017.

    The Security Council held a minute silence to honor two U.N. investigators whose bodies were found this week in Kasai Central province.

    Source:The Citizen