IGIHE

Tag: GreatLakesNews

  • SADC to Boost Power Output Capacity

    {{The Southern African Development Community will commission new power projects which will jolt electricity generation capacity in the region by 17 856MW between 2013 and 2016.}}

    Southern African Power Pool co-ordination centre manager Dr Lawrence Musaba said new power plants were required to meet the region’s rising electricity needs.

    “In the period between 2013-2016, SAPP plans to commission 17 856MW in an effort to avert a regional power crisis,” he said.

    “The current transmission infrastructure would need to be improved so as to move power from the generating stations to the load centres.

    “The distribution of power and development of the transmission infrastructure to transport power around the region would be crucial.”

    Dr Musaba said Angola would increase its power output by 3 610MW while South Africa would add 7 893MW and Zimbabwe 630MW by 2016.

    But he said there was need to provide incentives to lure more investors into the sector.
    “Allow for VAT and tax exemptions for import of power equipment and machinery for a defined period.”

    Dr Musaba urged Sadc countries to start developing hydro-power stations and not thermal ones.

    “Member countries going forward should build hydro-power stations as they are sustainable, have a longer lifespan and low maintenance costs, compared with thermal power stations.

    For example, Kariba Power station began operations in the 1960s, while Hwange thermal power station was built in the 1980s, yet Kariba is proving to be sustainable and it is producing more than Hwange,” he said.

    Zambia and Zimbabwe are jointly constructing the Batoka Hydro Electricity plant on the Zambezi River which is expected to add 1 650 megawatts to the two neighbours.

    Other Sadc countries are also implementing various projects aimed at increasing power output, including Mozambique where vast resources of natural gas have been discovered.

    The SAPP estimates that by 2025 the SADC region would require at least 102 871 MW of electricity.

    {Herald}

  • SPLA Urged to Distance itself From Politics

    {{South Sudan’s vice-president, Riek Machar, has strongly directed the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) to distance itself from the ongoing political debates in the country.}}

    Machar told the army to be exemplary in the desired unity of the people of South Sudan and not take sides in debates of political nature.

    The vice-president issued the strong-worded statement to the army during the celebration marking the 30thanniversary of the founding of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in 1983.

    The event, attended by senior army generals, was organised by the army general headquarters in Juba and invited the vice-president to grace the occasion.

    As a national army, Machar told them not to belong to any tribes or political party while calling on the civil populations to respect the army as the defender of the people and territorial integrity of the nation.

    South Sudan army has not yet succeeded to transform from the bush life of a guerrilla army, composed of different tribes in a form of alliance, to a professional, non-partisan national army.

    SPLA chief of general staff, Gen. James Hoth Mai, had earlier warned the forces against indulging in the ongoing political processes in the country.

    There were fears that if the political debates within the SPLM were not done in accordance with its democratic principles and fair process, the army could be attracted and polarized, as well as communities.

    Hoth however reminded the army that they did not belong to individual leaders, adding they were ready to work with any president in the country and the only political role they would play was to vote for the person they individually chose during the ballot box.

    The ruling party, SPLM, has been undergoing transformational process prompted by the weaknesses revealed by the party’s various secretariats in the states which suggested that it had “lost direction and vision.”

    The party is also supposed to hold its national elections in every five years to elect a new leadership.

    The last national convention was held in May 2008 in which president Kiir was confirmed the party chairman after taking over from late John Garang de Mabior who died in a mysterious circumstance in plane crash in 2005 while on his way back to South Sudan from a visit to Uganda.

    Machar and other high ranking officials in the party during the political bureau meeting in March this year blamed the party failure to the chairman, Salva Kiir Mayardit, whom Machar criticized for not providing the needed guidance and vision as the ship’s captain.

    He also criticised him for not doing enough as president of the government in the nation-state building, saying he could not seriously fight the rampant corruption, polarizing tribalism and overwhelming insecurity as well as strengthen the country’s poor economy and its isolating international relations.

    Machar also told the president and chairman that he was ready to take up the challenge of correcting the failures if he was given the chance to lead the party and compete in the 2015 presidential elections.

    He asked Kiir, who was his running mate and deputy for the last eight years to support him in the process, promising that he would tackle the issues head-on.

    Kiir however reportedly said he would also seek to contest again for the chairmanship and compete in the 2015 elections.

    The internal party consultative meetings also aimed to pass the party’s basic documents and prepare for a national convention in which a leadership will be elected.

    The confirmed or newly elected chairman of the party will be ready to contest for the 2015 presidential elections.

    Accompanying the vice-president during the army celebration was Nhial Deng Nhial, the current foreign minister, who also served as defence minister for two years.

    ST

  • Journalist Found Dead in Eastern Congo

    {{The body of a Congolese journalist was found on the bank of the Ngezi River near the provincial capital of Bunia in eastern Congo, the city’s mayor said Saturday}}.

    “We found his body yesterday in an advanced state of decay. It showed signed of strangulation according to the doctor who examined him on the scene.

    We couldn’t move him further as it was very decomposed and had to bury him near the river,” said Mayor Ferdinand Fimbo.

    Guylain Chanjabo, a journalist at Radio Canal Révélation in Bunia, had disappeared 12 days ago. His body was found by people strolling alongside the riverbank.

    The police have opened an investigation into the killing, said the mayor.

    Chanjabo’s death is the most serious of a growing list of abuses committed against journalists in Congo since the beginning of 2013.

    Over 54 cases of violation of press freedom have been recorded between January and the end of April by Journalistes En Danger (JED), a Congolese group campaigning for journalists’ rights.

    “Cases of abuse and intimidation of journalists have increased. It’s intolerable,” said Tuver Wundi a JED member in Goma. “The death of this journalist in Bunia is very serious.”

    In 2012, the group documented a record number of cases with 184 cases of violations of press freedom, including 78 incidents of censorship and 59 arrests of journalists.

    AP

  • 5 Arrested With Explosives in Tanzania

    {{Tanzanian police said Saturday they have arrested five people in possession of explosives in the economic capital Dar es Salaam.}}

    “Five people were arrested the day before yesterday (Thursday) in possession of explosives after a tip-off from patriotic citizens,” Dar es Salaam’s police chief Suleiman Kova told AFP.

    Asked if there was a link between the arrests and the May 5 deadly bombing at a church, Kova said: “Investigations are continuing into why these people had explosives and where they intended to take them.”

    The bomb attack at a Catholic church in the northern city of Arusha had killed three people and wounded 60.

    Tanzanian daily Habari Leo, which is close to the government, reported that the five arrested were Tanzanian nationals.

    {captialfm}

  • Education Can Reduce Malnutrition—President Kikwete

    {{Education is the key to reducing malnutrition in children under five, Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete said Thursday while launching a national campaign to promote a balanced diet.}}

    Tanzania has three million malnourished children, he said, mainly because of poor eating habits and lack of knowledge of the kind of food children need. Ironically, most of the children live in rural areas where there is ample food.

    The campaign named “Good Nutrition is the Foundation of the Country Economic Development: Play Your Part”, will be driven by a campaign that also aims at encouraging firms in the food business to add vitamins and other nutrients to their products.

    Said the President: “Lack of awareness on nutrition at the family level, accompanied by poor beliefs, is a problem because people have food but they do not know how to plan their meals. Education is the most important thing they need, especially in rural areas where they have access to a wide variety of foods compared to urban dwellers–who have to purchase food.”

    Experts who spoke with The Citizen this week also cited inadequate breastfeeding, poor medical facilities and poverty as other factors that contribute to malnutrition.

    The launch of the campaign yesterday comes amidst rising concerns by both the government and nutrition experts about the rising levels of the condition.

    The national nutrition coordinator at World Vision, Ms Debora Niyeha, said this week that about half of Tanzania’s workforce will suffer a mental crisis in the next 20 years due to stunting that affects the body and brain.

    {TheCitizen}

  • 40 Confirmed Dead in DR Congo Clashes

    {{Violent clashes between rebels and soldiers in the restive east of the Democratic Republic of Congo have left 40 people dead, government and military officials said Thursday.}}

    Fighting broke out between Mai-Mai militia and government troops on Wednesday in the town of Beni, some 250 kilometres (155 miles) north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, Colonel Richard Bisamaza said.

    Government spokesman Lambert Mende told a press conference that 32 militia fighters were killed as well as eight soldiers.

    Bisamaza earlier told press the Mai Mai attacked army buildings to try to free a number of their colleagues who had been arrested and were being held there.

    However, they fled after an hour of exchanging gunfire.

    DR Congo has ramped up its efforts to tackle these armed movements.

    The first troops of a 3,000-strong African intervention brigade created by the UN Security Council to take on the armed groups, arrived in the country earlier this week.

    The brigade will assist the UN force known as MONUSCO already present in the country.

    {agencies}

  • S. Sudan: Doctors Without Borders hospital Destroyed

    {{The medical aid group Doctors Without Borders says one of its medical facilities located in a rural but violent region of South Sudan has been ransacked and destroyed.}}

    The group said Friday the attack leaves 100,000 people without medical care in South Sudan’s Jonglei state.

    MSF — as the group is also known — said its hospital infrastructure was systematically damaged in last weekend’s attack.

    The hospital is the only facility in Pibor Country. The nearest alternative facility is 90 miles (145 kilometers) away.

    MSF did not blame a group for the attack. It noted that the facility has treated government soldiers and that region suffers from a conflict between government troops and an anti-government militia led by David Yau Yau.

    The government accuses Sudan of arming Yau Yau’s rebellion.

    AP

  • Kenyan Nominated to Head UN trade Agency

    {{Kenyan national Mukhisa Kituyi has been nominated by UN boss Ban Ki-moon to head the United Nations’ principal trade organ.}}

    The nomination of Mr Kituyi as the secretary-general of the 194-member United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is subject to confirmation by the UN General Assembly.

    If confirmed, the former Commerce and Industry minister and Kenyan parliamentarian will replace Thai national Supachai Panitchpakdi, whose four-year term ends on August 31, a UN statement said.

    Mr Supachai took office on September 1, 2005 and was reappointed to the Geneva-headquartered agency in 2009.

    Mr Kituyi, who is well respected within global trade circles, shot to international fame after leading a walkout by developing nations from a WTO meeting in Cancun, Mexico in 2003 over what was seen as the recalcitrance of the EU and US to back down over key issues, including agricultural subsidies.

    Mr Kituyi’s nomination is a lift for Africa after the continent lost out on its recent bid to head the World Trade Organisation.

    Africa’s nominees for the WTO top job, Ghana’s Trade minister Alan Kyerematen and Kenya’s Foreign Affairs secretary Amina Mohamed, were eliminated in the preliminary rounds for the position taken by Brazilian Roberto Azevedo.

    {NMG}

  • ICC to ‘Explore other Options’ if Kenya Fails to Cooperate

    {{Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said Wednesday the International Criminal Court will “explore other options” if Kenya fails to fully cooperate on the post-election violence cases.}}

    Ms Bensouda, who spoke in Geneva, Switzerland after giving a lecture to students at the University of Geneva, said ICC maintains expectations that Kenya will cooperate with the prosecution on the cases facing President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and former radio presenter Joshua arap Sang.

    “We have been very clear since this started that we want full cooperation,” she said.

    Ms Bensouda said the ICC judges will consider other options in case Kenya fails to cooperate.

    “That is a matter the Chamber will look into and explore other options,” she said.

    “I have been very clear all the time about this matter. I have stated that what we want is the full and unwavering cooperation of the Kenyan Government.

    “In the event that this doesn’t happen, we will have no option but to bring the matter to the attention of the Chamber for direction,” she said in an interview with Kenyan journalists in Geneva.

    Earlier, in her lecture to the Geneva University students, she said the Kenyan situation will be treated like any other case of international crime.

    “It is all about seeking justice,” she said.

    On Tuesday, Human Rights Officer at the World Organisation Against Torture Andrea Meraz said witness protection is key in ensuring justice.

    At the Committee Against Torture session at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Kenyan delegation responded to questions on measures put in place to protect witnesses locally.

    Rhodah Ongoma from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said the Witness Protection Agency is up and running and that it has a large number of witnesses protected under the program.

    She said agency is supported by the Treasury and is at liberty to seek additional funding from other sources.

    Ms Ongoma said staff have been trained and sensitised on human rights requirements in the protection of witnesses.

    {NMG}

  • Somaliland Bans UN Flights

    {{The breakaway region of Somaliland has banned all UN flights from its airports following a spat with the Mogadishu-based federal government of Somalia.}}

    The self-declared republic located in north-western Somalia is protesting Sunday’s move by Mogadishu to assume full control of Somali’s entire airspace, including that of Somaliland.

    It is the first time the Somalia is taking control of its airspace following two decades of anarchy triggered by the collapse of the central government in 1991.

    On Tuesday, Mohamud Hashi Abdi, Somaliland’s Civil Aviation minister, issued the ban against UN agencies alleging that UNDP and the Nairobi-based Civil Aviation Caretaker Authority of Somalia (CACAS) had violated a previous agreement between Somalia, UNDP and the Somaliland administration.

    “We had already signed an agreement which allows an independent panel to control the airspace,” Minister Hashi told the media at Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, some 1,500km northwest of Mogadishu.

    “Unfortunately CACAS and UNDP seem to be siding with Mogadishu government.”

    The ministerial order states that effective May 15, no UN flights will be allowed to land at Somaliland airports.

    On Sunday, Somalia indicated its intention to consolidate control over its airspace by relocating its civil aviation office from Nairobi.

    “The federal government (of Somalia) will relocate more than 100 airspace management staff based in Nairobi to Mogadishu by end of this year,” Somalia’s Information, Posts and Transport Minister Abdullahi Elmoge Hersi told reporters.

    Mr Hersi added that the airspace control office, which will now be based at Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport, would maintain close collaboration with Nairobi’s civil aviation authorities during the move.

    No country has yet recognised Somaliland, which snubbed the recent high-profile conference on Somalia in London.

    {NMG}