Tag: GreatLakesNews

{{Uganda has asked donors supporting the reconstruction of Somalia to work in partnership with each other instead of competing, if the challenges facing the devastated Horn of Africa nation are to be addressed.}}

The minister of defence Dr. Crispus Kiyonga was at the close of the week officiating at the pass out of 551 recruits into the Somali National Army (SNA) at Bihanga Military Training School in the western Uganda district of Ibanda.

The Somali soldiers were trained by the UPDF and the European Union Training Mission (EUTM). Also during the same event, over 260 Uganda recruits completed training.

The Somalis are expected to return home and constitute part of the SNA infantry deployed to fight the Al-shabaab Islamist insurgents.

Minister Kiyonga said Somalia needs a strong army in order to protect and defend the country as well as the economy.

He also called on the recruits to remain united regardless of their different clans.

Uganda presently has close to 7,000 troops in Somalia serving under AMISOM to fight the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab insurgents.

{{A new coalition of armed groups mainly based in South Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) today Sunday, 3rd February, 2013 announced its creation, with the aim of overthrowing the regime of President Joseph Kabila, elected in late 2011 after contested elections.}}

In a note published in Kinshasa, the Union of Revolutionary Forces of Congo (UFRC) announced its formation in mid-January, is defined as a movement of “politico-military” rule.

It is based in Bukavu, capital of the province of South Kivu.

The UFRC demand “lawsuits (…) for high treason” against Joseph Kabila, “wrote Gustave Bagayamukwe Taji, President of the Coordinating Committee of the coalition.

The coalition said President Kabila had been poorly re-elected in disputed elections of 28 November 2011.

UFRC want new political order in DRC which is capable of alleviating the misery of the Congolese people and place the foundations of a true republic and a truly participatory democracy in this country.

The provinces of North and South Kivu, rich in minerals like coltan, cassiterite, and gold …, are plagued by local and foreign armed groups.
Since May, the army concentrated its efforts on the March 23 Movement (M23).

The briefing of the coalition must be submitted Monday to the National Assembly and the Senate to “all relevant embassies” to Kinshasa.

{{The experts, who belong to the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) met early last week to discuss, review reports on the development of the water Resources Management plan phase I for the Lake Victoria Basin commission.}}

The LVBC Executive Secretary Dr Canisius Kanangire said that over the last decade, it has become evident that lake Victoria Basin’s landscapes, ecosystems and the human population are threatened by both natural and human persuaded factors and these have made ecosystem in the world at present under considerable threat.

He noted that the experts’ inception report review on the development of the water Resources Management plan phase I for the lake Victoria Basin is a legal requirement in Tanzania to put in place plans that can help curb the rampant water need and develop the water resources management.

All riparian countries are facing the same water resources management plan as the basin’s population has increased and demand for resources from the basin and wastes generated from the use of basin resources.

He said that as a result, the basin has witnessed fast degradation, decline of water quality and quantity, land degradation, Lake Victoria level decline with negative consequences to navigation and fisheries, propagation of invasive species like water hyacinth and increase in incidence of absolute poverty.

Dr Kanangire stressed that extensive catchment degradation within the Mau forest complex in the republic of Kenya and accelerating land degradation in the republics of Burundi, Rwanda and forest and water land degradation of the republic of Uganda and the united republic of Tanzania as well as renaissance of water hyacinth, are evidence of the magnitude of the problems the basin is facing.

It is known that in Rwanda, the hyacinth was removed from Lake Ihema in 2010 using manual methods and taken out of Akagera National Park and re-used as fertilisers in neighbouring agricultural fields.

Dr. Canisius Kanangire, the Executive Secretary of LVBC, said the commission was doing all its best to guarantee that projects in the partner countries become vital to the livelihood of the regional population.

The Lake Victoria Basin covers an estimated 194,000 square kilometres. It has a population of about 40 million people; a GDP of $40 billion; and, a wealth of resources of economic importance.

{{Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister and presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta has called on voters to elect him and his running mate William Ruto in March elections, as part of a “vote of no confidence” in the International Criminal Court (ICC), The Nation newspaper reported.}}

“I can assure you that the government will function even as we attend court sessions. You should trust us with your votes because this would be an endorsement to our leadership and a vote of no confidence to the Court itself,” the paper quoted him as saying.

Kenyatta was addressing a gathering of Asian community representatives in Nairobi on Wednesday, according to The Nation. He told them he and Ruto would deliver their promises even if they were attending court sessions in The Hague.

“The president sometimes goes out of the country even for three weeks and the government still runs smoothly,” said Kenyatta, who is son of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta.

The ICC has charged both Kenyatta and Ruto with crimes against humanity for their alleged role in electoral violence that followed the last presidential elections in 2007.

Kenyatta’s trial is due to start on April 11. He is being tried jointly with former Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura. Ruto’s trial is set to start the day before on April 10. He is being tried jointly with journalist Joshua Sang of Kass FM radio.

The ICC initially indicted six people in connection with the post-election violence, but charges against former Industry Minister Henry Kosgey and former police chief Hussein Ali were not confirmed.

The four accused have remained free and appeared voluntarily at their hearings so far. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has threatened them with arrest if they incite violence.

They have asked that the trial take place in Kenya or in neighbouring Tanzania, but the judges have not yet handed down a decision.

Nation

{{M23 rebels have said they expect to sign a peace deal with the government by the end of February that would end their ten-month revolt.}}

The M23 rebels have carved out a fiefdom in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province that has dragged Congo’s eastern region back into war and displaced an estimated 500,000 people.

Bertrand Bisimwa, a spokesperson for the rebels and a participant in the talks, said negotiations with the government have already covered substantial ground.

“We still have a lot of business to cover, but if we keep this speed I think it’s possible by end of February we’ll have finished talks and signed an agreement,” Bisimwa told the Reuters news agency in Kampala. “We’re satisfied with the speed of negotiations.”

But Lambert Mende, a spokesman for the government, was less optimistic.

“We were hoping to have things finished by the end of February but M23 have made lots of capricious extra demands, which is slowing down the process,” Mende said.

Reuters

{{Burundi is to construct this year a quarantine center at Mishiha in the country’s eastern province of Cankuzo near the border with Tanzania, in order to reduce the introduction of cattle diseases from Tanzania, Burundi’ s Agriculture and Livestock Minister Odette Kayitesi told a press conference on Friday.}}

“In the context of reducing the introduction of viral diseases attacking cattle, we will construct a quarantine center at Mishisha on the border between Burundi and Tanzania,” said Kayitesi, while presenting achievements of her ministry in 2012 and perspectives for 2013.

Kayitesi also said the farming sector will be improved in 2013 through replacing, little by little, the hoe by mechanized agriculture.

The minister said the government plans to increase food security via implementing the National Agricultural Investment Plan running from 2012 to 2017.

More than 90% of Burundians live on the farming sector, but still use traditional farming techniques.