Tag: GreatLakesNews

{{The head of South Sudan’s only private television station said he was threatened at gunpoint by a national security agent who was attempting to censor its news programmes.}}

Nhial Bol, managing editor of Citizen TV in Juba, said the official showed up at his office late on Thursday and demanded that he hand over the broadcast schedule as well as all news materials relating Vice President Riak Machar.

“He pulled out his pistol and said he was ready to shoot anybody who didn’t show him respect.”

“He said he would shut down the station if we didn’t cooperate. This is censorship,” said Bol who also heads the Citizen daily newspaper.

The ministries of national security and information were not immediately available for comment on the accusation.

Rights groups say the harassment of journalists by state security officers has already eroded press freedom and led to self-censorship in Africa’s youngest nation, just two years after it gained independence from its long-time foe Sudan.

Bol said senior security officers apologised to the station on Friday but that agents would be deployed to all media houses to monitor and censor news from now on.

Last month, the New York-based advocacy group Committee to Protect Journalists sent a letter to President Salva Kiir urging him to prosecute security agents responsible for repeated harassing, intimidating and detaining journalists.

{reuters}

{{Ugandan Security Agents have arrested a 32-year-old man suspected of recruiting Ugandans into the Congolese M23 rebel group activities.

Police said he was arrested as he was preparing to transport the six 6 ‘recruits’ to Democratic Republic of Congo after promising them a monthly pay of (US$200).}}

NV

Kenya has been effectively fighting terrorism, the United States of America said in a new global report on terror.

“Despite Somali refugee issues, preparation for 2013 national elections, the threat of al-Shabaab, and ethnic, political, and economic tensions, the Kenyan government demonstrated persistent political will to secure its borders, apprehend terrorists, and cooperate in regional and international counter-terrorism efforts,” says the US global report on terrorism, issued on Thursday.

{{The U.S. State Department cites Kenya’s success in disrupting “several large-scale terrorist plots.” Positive mention is also made of Kenyan military operations inside Somalia, which resulted in “capture of the key port city of Kismaayo, al-Shabaab’s last major stronghold.”}}

The report hails “the long-awaited passage of Kenya’s Prevention of Terrorism Act.” Kenya also made “significant progress” in correcting deficiencies in its apparatus for preventing money-laundering on the part of terrorism financiers, the State Department says.

But Kenya “still has much work to do” in implementing the Prevention of Terrorism Act and in developing the capacity to “track, seize, and confiscate the assets of al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups,” the report adds.

It goes on to describe Kenya as “an active law-enforcement partner” in the State Department’s anti-terrorism assistance programme.

{{Since Somali government opposed the result of the process in which Jubaland people elected the president and vice- president on May 15, 2013, Somali people interested peaceful solution of the impasse were waiting the recommendation by the IGAD technical committees who met both the government representatives in Mogadishu and Jubaland official and the opposition group in Kismayo. }}

Immediately after IGAD committees presented their finding and recommendation in Adis Ababa meeting, Somali Federal Government spokesman, Eng. Abdirahman Omar Osman reported in press conference his own interpretation of the recommendation by IGAD committees.

Instead of presenting the facts on the recommendation statement, he restated the Somali Government’s position that the election of the president of Jubaland was not constitutional, inclusive and government officials did not participate and take its leadership role of forming regional administration as indicated in the provisional constitution.

As result, he added that IGAD foreign ministers agreed that IGAD would support Somali government to facilitate another reconciliation meeting in Mogadishu in which all Jubaland stakeholders were urged to participate in, implying that reconciliation process in which Jubaland people approved their constitution, elected their president and now in process of electing member of the parliament is void.

Immediately after, press conference held by both minister of the foreign affair, Fowsiya Yusuf Haji in Adis Ababa and the Prime Minister Abdi Farah in Mogadishu repeated the same statement above that IGAD would support Somali government to take leadership role in formation of the regional administration based on provisional constitution.

Prime minister added that the process in which they are calling on all Jubaland stakeholders to participate in Mogadishu conference will be constitutional, inclusive and government led the process.

However, the actual statement presented by EGAD technical committees in Adis Ababa meeting is much different from what is stated by the government officials and is based on the fact found by committees on the reality on the ground.

Before presented its final recommendation, IGAD fact finding committees met government officials in Mogadishu before meeting both Jubaland officials and opposition group in Kismayo.

IGAD committees found out the government and opposition group in Kismayo reportedly sponsored by the government took same position in opposing the outcome of the reconciliation meeting in Kismayo that among others, the process was neither constitutional, nor inclusive, led by the government official while Jubaland officials insisted it was constitutional, inclusive and government did not participated even though they were invited and instead decided to finance individual self-sponsoring to be president elect.

After Committees listened both side and considered positions taken by both Mogadishu officials and opposition in Kismayo on one side and Jubaland administration on the other side, they concluded the following recommendation in each of the three underlining principles – Constitutionality, inclusiveness and government led process

First, in term constitutionality of the process in which Jubaland 500 elders elected president, committees found both groups’ claims were based on different interpretations of the constitution since the provisional constitution did not define properly how to go by forming regional states.

Committees did not find faulty in either claims by Government officials reasoning on why the process was not constitutional nor did they find incorrect in the reasoning by the Jubaland official of the constitutionality of their process since there were a lope holes in the provisional federal constitution of Somalia.

As result, committees urged both the government officials and parliament to clarify those articles relating to formation of the regional administration and the government’s role.

Second in term of inclusiveness in the process, the committee found that the major clans in Jubaland state participated in the process but some minority group were missing from the scene and urged the government to take a leadership role in reconciliation process to insure the process is inclusive.

However, Jubaland officials insisted the process was inclusive and is open to be included anyone willing to participate peacefully and will insure the minority group will be included to be members of both parliament and ministerial positions being elected in coming weeks.

Finally, in term of government taking leadership role in the process, IGAD committees found that the government did not participate in the process of forming regional administration even though they were invited several time and Jubaland official is still offering government to participate in the process and to take its role.

As result, IGAD committees recommended that since Jubaland officials acknowledged the need of the government’s leadership role in the process, IGAD official is calling on all Jubaland stakeholders to participate reconciliation meeting being planned to be held in Mogadishu by Somali federal government to find final solution through dialogue.

{NMG}

A regional East African Community symposium on the ongoing bilateral trade and investment negations has opened at Entebbe,Uganda with a call on EAC governments to “trade carefully” when negotiating.

Trade experts, Members of Parliament and Civil Society Organisation leaders from Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania Rwanda and Uganda are attending the two day meeting geared towards harmonizing trade negotiations among the five EAC partner states.

With the stalling of the 2005 Doha Round, developed countries have changed their strategy of achieving free trade through multilateral negotiations.

The US and the European Union are all looking at African nations as the sole source of trade leading to mushrooming bilateral trade and investment agreements which are being championed by developed nations to advance their economic objectives.

{NV}

{{A British film producer, who last year secretly staged a play supporting gay rights in Uganda, has gone to court to challenge the decision by the Internal Affairs Minister to deport him to United Kingdom.}}

Mr David Cecil Edward Hugh, who is currently in UK, filed his suit through his Ugandan lawyer David Mpanga in the High Court, Kampala on Monday.

In the petition, Mr Cecil says the Internal Affairs minister did not give reasons why he branded him an ‘undesirable’ person before ordering his deportation back to his home country, UK, yet he is not a criminal.

In his petition, Mr Cecil says the Internal Affairs minister did not give reasons why he branded him an ‘undesirable’ person before ordering his deportation back to his home country, UK, yet he was not a criminal.

The film producer is a father of two infants aged 3 and 2 years. The children are currently in Uganda.

He was deported to UK on February 11, 2013.

He further supports his petition on grounds that he has a Ugandan wife (Ms Florence Kebirungi) and two children that need his love and care.

“The process used by the Minister of Internal Affairs to declare the applicant (Mr Cecil) ‘undesirable’ person and his subsequent deportation was high handed and arbitrary as the applicant was never accorded any fair treatment before, during and after making the deportation order,” Mr Cecil’s petition reads in part.

In his affidavit, Mr Cecil narrates the ordeal he went through before he was deported.

He says he had regularly visited his family in Uganda for the last six years.

He further says that all was well until February 6 this year when he was approached by five unknown people who found him at Bunga, Tilapia Cultural Centre, operated by his wife. Ms Kebirungi was maintaining the centre on behalf of Cavendish University.

Mr Cecil further states that the five men in plain clothes whom he did not identify, asked him to go with them to the Immigration Department on Jinja Road in Kampala.

At the offices, he was told by an officer only indentified as Benjamin that the minister had declared him an an ‘undesirable’ person and that he should be immediately be deported without any further explanation why he was being deported.

He also narrates how he was detained at Jinja Road Police Station where he stayed without food.

He says that after being detained for about five days without police allowing him to freely talk to his family members and lawyers; he was driven to Entebbe International Airport on February 11, at a break neck speed as if he had committed a heinous crime.

{NMG}

{{Trade facilitation in the region is expected to shift a notch higher following the passing of the East African Community (EAC) Vehicle Load Control Bill, 2012.}}

The Bill, which was passed in the EAC Parliament on Tuesday afternoon will guide the development of road infrastructure in the region once it is enacted into law.

The Bill moved by the Chair of the EAC Council of Ministers Shem Bageine will also set up measures that will control the load capacities of trucks in addition to harmonising institutional arrangements for the Regional Trunk Road Network for the Community.

It sets the permissible maximum Gross Vehicle weight at 56 metric tonnes and also sets a maximum of seven axles for vehicles.

Bageine said that the main objective of the Bill is to achieve efficient and effective control of vehicle overloading in the region as a basis for reducing accelerated deterioration of road networks so as to reduce total transport costs.

“Inefficient transport is a major challenge frustrating the objective of widening and deepening co-operation among partner States. In particular, overloading of vehicles along the regional trunk road network is a major hindrance of regional road infrastructure leading to high costs of road maintenance,” explained Bageine.

The tabling of the Bill was preceded by a Report of the committee on Communications Trade and Investments (CTI) which held public consultations on the subject matter with various stakeholders from the partner States in March 2013.

The consultations were held to gather public views and to understand likely opportunities and challenges while enumerating recommendations.

Among the stakeholders consulted included truck drivers’ associations, weights and measures agencies, revenue authorities and the EAC Bureau of Standards. Others were police, traders and clearing and forwarding agencies.

The report presented by the Chair of the CTI, Angela Charles Kizigha, further observed the shortage of necessary infrastructure to facilitate the Vehicle Overload Bill.

It also noted the delay by the EAC Council of Ministers to come up with the necessary regulations for the development, upgrading and modernisation of facilities.

At the same time, it recommends that the Council of Ministers conducts sensitisation programmes to ease the implementation of the law.

The Bill is divided into eight main parts.

Part One has preliminary clauses while the legal load limits and overloading fees are enumerated in Part Two. The Obligatory weighing of vehicles and the special categories of vehicle loads are contained in Part Three.

The remaining five sections deal with clauses on operations, enforcement, institutional arrangements, offenses and penalties.

The EAC Secretary General, Richard Sezibera hailed the Council for bringing forth the Bill adding that 11 other Bills would soon be tabled before the House.

On Tuesday, the Committee on Trade and Investments met with the Council of Ministers to further refine the clauses of the Bill which shall now await assent by the Heads of State before becoming Community Law.