Tag: GreatLakesNews

In their failure to withdraw 20 kilometers outside Goma city, Kinshasa has expressed doubt about the M23 rebel commitment to its unilateral ceasefire.

The regional Heads of State directive demanded the rebels to withdraw 20km out of Goma.

Recently, the rebels announced a unilateral ceasefire, but the DRC government preferred the matter be addressed by the military chiefs under the regional Joint Verification Mechanism.

The M23 rebels captured Goma on November 20 last year, but withdrew from Goma two weeks later after the intervention of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) headed by President Museveni.

Rev. Fr. Apollinaire Malu Malu, the deputy chief negotiator for the DRC government said, “Those are false statements.

The M23 does not respect fully the decision of Heads of State. They have not gone 20 kilometers outside Goma. At the moment they are one kilometer and not 20 kilometers.”

Malu Malu told journalists, “The M23 has no respect for the relevant decision of the Summit of Heads of State that it should withdraw at 20 kms north of Goma, which M23 has not done.”

The Congolese government delegation also scoffed at the rebel demands for cancellation of results of November 2011 presidential election, dissolution of the Senate, Provincial Assemblies, and resignation of Governors and establishment of a National Transitional Council to manage the transitional period.

Malu Malu also questioned how the procedure to grant amnesty to the rebels will be initiated if the rebels want the concerned State institutions such as the National Assembly, Senate and Presidency to be dissolved.

Malu Malu who is also the head of the expert group of the government delegation said that the Government is not ready to compromise with what will undermine the Constitution and institutional order of DR Congo.

On the agenda item to grant amnesty to M23 rebels, Malu Malu questioned the appropriateness of granting amnesty to those who have benefited from amnesty in the past.

“This will be the second or third time that amnesty will be granted. To do so, would not it be interpreted as an incitement to commit offences again?” asked Malu Malu.

NV

In Kenya, 2 Nation Media Group journalists were on Sunday night assaulted by General Service Unit officers as they covered riots in Kibera.

The officers confiscated their cameras’ memory cards and other valuables despite the journalists identifying themselves.

Mr Dennis Okeyo, a Nation photographer and Mr John Otanga, an NTV cameraman, were attacked at an area known as Karanja.

The two had been assigned to cover demonstrations by youths in connection with the political parties’ nominations last week.

According to Mr Fred Mukinda, a Nation reporter who accompanied the two, when they arrived at the scene, they found the GSU officers ordering everybody passing by to raise their hands.

Mr Okeyo identified himself to the officers and showed them his press card.

However, the officers beat him, grabbed his camera, confiscated the memory card and took more than Sh2,000 from the photographer.

Mr Otanga was hit on the head as he attempted to help his colleague. Both were taken to Coptic Hospital where they are receiving treatment.

Police boss David Kimaiyo directed the officer in charge of Nairobi to investigate the incident.

NMG

A vehicle belonging to a senior military official has been seized on allegations of ferrying ivory after a road chase that involved Manyara National park rangers on Friday evening.

The event happens only weeks after police officers were caught with ivory in Serengeti National park and two others lynched a few days later in an incidence related to poaching, shows how complex poaching is in the country, with a network spanning rouge elements in the security and defense forces.

In the Lake Manyara incident last Friday four soldiers were alleged to be in the vehicle and one of them (name withheld) who was driving the vehicle was caught by the rangers after the vehicle had overturned at Kigongoni village near Mto wa Mbu township in Manyara district at 9pm. He was being held for questioning by the Police.

The Arusha Regional Police Commander Liberatus Sabas said he was not in a position to speak to the media on the issue because he did not have details.

When contacted for comment yesterday morning he said he was driving and could not talk for long over the phone.

When called later in the day he said he still has not details on the issue but he brief the media today.

“I always want to gather all the details before I speak to the media. I will do so tomorrow,” Mr Sabas said.Sources from the Police said the three passengers of the vehicle escaped with three pieces of ivory. Two ivory pieces remained in the vehicle.

The director of the Tanzania National Parks Authority Allan Kijazi confirmed the event took place but could also not offer more details.

“I am in Tanga travelling with the Parliament Committee on Lands, Natural Resources and Environment. I have not details to give you though I have heard about the incident, please contact the Police for more details,” he told The Citizen in a telephone interview.

The unprecedented escalation of poaching in the country has caught the country unawares. Poaching has already frustrated the coutnry’s bid to sell its ivory stockpile.

Last month the government withdrew an application to sell to China and Japan over 100 tonnes of ivory valued at over $55.5million (about Sh88.8billion).

The request had been submitted in early October last year and was due to be discussed at the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) meeting in March in Bangkok. 


The situation is so dire that the Iringa urban legislator (Chadema), Rev Peter Msigwa wants to table a private motion on anti-poaching in the upcoming Bunge sessions commencing in Dodoma next week.

Mr Msigwa says it is unacceptable that 67 elephants are killed every day, or 23,000 annually or quarter of them in Tanzania.

He said his research showed that the war against anti poaching lacked political will amoung decision makers, public officials, politicians, businessmen and other stakeholders due to conflict of interest that surround the whole business.

Rev Msigwa told reporters at the weekend that he was grateful that his notification letter met speaker’s approval and that his private motion would be tabled in the up coming bunge sessions.

“Tanzanians should pray that no bizarre incidents that happens to an extent of postponing or subjecting to rejection of the topic” he said.

But the ministry also wants to act to tame poaching. One way to reduce poaching is trough the creation of the Wildlife Management Authority.

Briefing reporters after attending the Land, Tourism and Environment committee’s meeting at the weekend that discussed the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) report, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu said the government was in the final efforts of forming the Tanzania Wildlife Authority, (TWA) as a measure of curbing the problem poaching.

According to Mr Nyalandu, TWA is founded to tackle identified challenges that contribute to the increased poaching trend in the country such as inadequate manpower and poachers change in technological approaches.

He said contrary to old poaching days, the present poaching is done through use of up to dated weapons such as short guns or machine guns something that demanded a new approach in combating the problem.

“TWA will be empowered to undertake employment decisions to curb the manpower shortages and practice other strategic plans that will finally help in containing the situation which is obvious critical” he said.

According to Mr Nyalandu the intensified poaching incidences in the country were caused by attraction brought by the Asian market that raised ivory the demand for ivory and therefore required for more supply.

Another reason outlined by Mr Nyalandu was the overcrowding of imported cheap and small weapons in the country’s markets something that increased accessibility to natural resources poachers.

“Our responsibility will be to help TWA address these challenges to ensure natural resources in Tanzania benefited the general public” he emphasized.

Thecitizen

The Kenyan government has ordered authorities in Nyanza to immediately quell rising tensions and violence arising from disputed Orange Democratic Movement nominations.

Head of Civil Service Francis Kimemia directed the Provincial Security Intelligence Committee (PSIC) “to do whatever it takes to ensure stoppage of arson, violence and criminality.”

“The government urges leaders of political parties to fast track nominations disputes resolution, following appeals by aspirants. This will end tension in affected areas especially those most prone to violence and insecurity. The government also urges wananchi to exercise restraint and patience.”

The sentiments follow sporadic violence that engulfed the area over disputes in the ODM nominations especially in Kisumu and Siaya counties.

“Those who take the law into their hands and destroy property must be arrested. PSIC Nyanza and other areas must and should do whatever it takes to ensure stoppage of arson, violence and criminality,” Kimemia said.

“Violence can never be a solution or option for a mature democratic culture and peoples. The world is watching and we applaud leaders who appealed results peacefully, lost honourably and now seek to build this nation in different, equally important sectors.”

Protests rocked the lakeside town of Kisumu and its environs to denounce an alleged announcement that Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s sister Ruth Adhiambo had won the ODM Kisumu gubernatorial nomination.

The demonstrations were simultaneous in Kisumu, Nyando and Maseno where roads leading to Kisumu town were blocked and transport paralysed.

At Kondele in Kisumu town, the demonstrators lit bonfires blocking the Kisumu-Kakamega road as police officers led by the Kondele police chief Johnston Wanyama watched from a distance.

Ruth was ‘declared’ winner at the Tom Mboya Labour College Hall by someone who was not the returning officer.

The demonstrators said there was a plot to rig out Jack Ranguma who was the frontrunner for the position.

Carrying banners saying “No Ranguma, No Raila” the demonstrators vowed not to let go the nomination to Ruth whom they have accused of using her brother’s name to clinch the party nomination.

The standoff came barely a day after Siaya County residents staged demonstrations to protest against former Bondo MP Oburu Odinga who is an elder brother to the PM after he was announced the winner for the gubernatorial position there.

wirestory

The Uganda Army has announced that it shot and killed Brig. Binani, a member of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel high command and chief bodyguard of leader Joseph Kony.

Army spokesperson Col. Felix Kulayigye told journalists on Sunday that Binani was also in charge of logistics, movement of food and abductions for the LRA.

Binani was shot and killed on Friday following a clash with a UPDF squad 280km north of Djema in the Central African Republic.

“For the chief escort to die in combat means you are close to the bone marrow. It is an encouragement; we are decimating the command structure of the LRA. We are making arrangements to bring his body to Gulu,” Kulayigye said.

He added that the army has rescued over 200 children and women from the LRA over the last six months.

Describing the circumstances that led to the killing, Kulayigye said the UPDF deployed following intelligence about a group of LRA in the area.

“We had not known he (Binani) was there, but we knew that it was Kony’s group,” he added.

The killing of Binani comes days after US President Barack Obama assented to an amended law, which offer a cash reward for whoever arrests Kony and his top commanders.

The amendment updates the Rewards Programme to target those indicted by international, hybrid or mixed tribunals for genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Kony and his commanders are wanted by International Criminal Court to answer charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

NV

Political party primaries to select candidates for Kenya’s March national elections have been fraught with irregularities, disorganization and disgruntled losers, increasing the chances of conflict during the upcoming vote, analysts said Friday.

That’s bad news for those trying to avoid a repeat of what happened after Kenya’s 2007 elections, when a dispute over who won the presidency led to weeks of violence that left more than 1,000 people dead.

The primary voting this week did little to instill confidence that officials are ready for another national vote.

The voting began Thursday, but most political parties were forced to extend it to Friday because of problems at the polls such as a lack of ballots.

“This has been a sham largely because you clearly see that the political parties did not want to prepare to hold a credible nomination exercise,” said Cyprian Nyamwamu, a political analyst and consultant for local observer groups. “Once you have credible primaries then the areas of conflict or disputes in the elections reduce.”

Scores of Kenyans were disappointed when they turned up at the crack of dawn Thursday at polling stations and waited for hours only to be told that the process was stalled.

A lack of ballot papers, a lack of polling clerks and incomplete ballots were among the reasons voters were given.

Nyamwamu said political party chiefs had at least six months to plan and prepare for the primaries but failed to do so deliberately in order to find a way to later directly nominate their allies, family, friends, and rich unpopular candidates who do not want to go through the primary process.

He said another motive behind the failure was money: Political parties chiefs do not want to spend money they’ve made from charging candidates nomination fees, which can add up to millions of dollars across the country.

He predicted that a great number of legislators would have lost their election bid in fairly run primaries owing to their poor performance in parliament.

Kennedy Masine, an official of the local Election Observer Group, described Thursday’s attempt to hold nominations as a “phenomenal failure.”

Two political parties have emerged as the strong contenders to win most of the parliamentary seats in March.

One is the Jubilee Alliance, a coalition of parties led by two politicians facing charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court for allegedly orchestrating the 2007-08 post-election violence.

Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and former government minister William Ruto are presidential and vice presidential candidates in the coalition.

The second party is the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy. The key parties are led by Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka.

Odinga was second during the 2007 election for president, which he and international observers said were flawed.

Odinga came to a power-sharing deal with the winner of the 2007 race, Mwai Kibaki, who is finishing his second term as president and who is constitutionally barred from running again for a third term.

The agreement helped end the political crisis that had left so many dead.

Kenya’s elections this year should turn the page on the bloodshed of five years ago, but the risk of political violence is still unacceptably high, the International Crisis Group said in a report Thursday.

Politicians must stop ignoring rules, exploiting grievances and stoking divisions through ethnically targeted campaigning, the group said.

Unknown gunmen shot dead a Somali radio producer on Friday, the first journalist to be killed this year, an editor with his Somali radio station said. Eighteen journalists were killed last year, making Somalia one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists.

Two gunmen shot dead Shabelle producer Abdihared Osman Aden in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, said Mohamed Bashir Hashi, the radio station’s editor.

Somali journalists say impunity is fueling the killings.

The National Union of Somali Journalists said in November that journalists in almost every region of the country commonly face harassment, blackmail and arbitrary police detention.

In addition, criminals are hired to suppress them.

“It’s an appalling murder but my message is they cannot silence us from telling the truth,” Hashi said.

No action has ever been taken following a case of violence against a Somali journalist, The National Union of Somali Journalist said in a report to mark the International Day to End Impunity on Nov. 23, sponsored by the free expression group, IFEX.

Somalia’s government should implement judicial reforms that will aid free and fair trials, as well as provide judicial protection for the media and ensure that police adhere to the law, according to the report titled “Impunity: War on Somali Journalists.”

The international community can assist Somalia’s federal government to put in place effective and functional public law and order, the report said.

AP

The Eastern Africa Police Chiefs’ Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO), bringing together 11 countries in the region, met in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday to discuss effective coordination and collaboration in the regional police body.

The aim was to effectively deal with illegal immigration and human trafficking threats from the Horn of Africa to the Southern Africa corridor.

The meeting was part of annual ones which evaluate implementation of decisions reached in the October 2012 general meeting held in Uganda.

The Dar es Salaam session was also attended by the Tanzania Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Said Mwema, who is also the chairman of the Southern Africa Police Chiefs’ Cooperation Organization (SAPCCO).

Others included the head of Interpol Regional Bureaus in Harare and Nairobi, Messrs Chilika Simfukwe and Francis Rwego as well as stakeholders of other security agencies.

Addressing journalists, the EAPCCO chairman, Mr Kale Kaihula, who is also the Uganda IGP singled out terrorism, human and drug trafficking as well as theft of motor vehicles, as trans-national crimes that need immediate attention.

He said: “All these crimes are of trans-national nature, not only involving citizens from the region but even beyond. Unless we cooperate and share intelligence information, no single nation can address these threats effectively on its own.”

He noted that illegal immigration and human trafficking have been worse since there was a long chain of organisation from the Horn of Africa to Southern Africa.

“We realise that for efficiency the police in the region has to involve other organisations such as the Southern Africa Police Chiefs’ Cooperation Organisation (SAPCCO), to abolish this illegal trade,” he stressed.
For his part, IGP Mwema, who is also the SAPCCO chairman, said the meeting passed four resolutions that they should jointly implement. The first is a joint exercise in the region that will take place in April in Uganda for members to share experiences.

“Secondly, we want to build the capacity on how to deal with criminals internationally by exchanging skills and equipment… this is how our cooperation can be useful,” IGP Mwema said.

Thirdly, the joint meeting agreed that at the bilateral level Tanzania and Uganda should strength their relationships to solve promistakes through exchange of criminals and learning Kiswahili as the means of communication in both countries.

Lastly, the meeting decided to establish sports and games among security organs to be used for physical fitness and a unifying factor apart from boosting relationships that will enhance efforts towards combating crime in the African corridor.

Leaders from Eastern African countries have expressed “strong support” to a proposal by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), which aims to resolve the dispute over the status of the contested region of Abyei, South Sudan’s national security minister, Oyai Deng Ajak, said Tuesday.

General Ajak was one of the senior government officials who accompanied President Salva Kiir on a trip on Sunday 13 January to the Ugandan capital, Kampala, where they held talks with President Yoweri Museveni on how to strengthen ties between the two countries.

The two heads of state, he told Sudan Tribune, also discussed expected diplomatic roles which Eastern African countries can play in helping the new nation resolve its outstanding differences with Sudan.

The African Union it is upcoming summit which will take place on 24 January will discuss the Sudanese and south Sudanese dispute over Abyei.

The African Union Peace and Security Council supported a proposal made by the mediation aiming to hold a referendum in the region without the Sudanese Misseriya nomads.

But Khartoum which is opposed to the proposal asks to continue talks sponsored by the African mediation and refuses to refer the issue to UN Security Council.

Since, both nations have been lobbying African countries to support their stance on the disputed region ahead of an AU summit.

Sudanese minister Ali Karti started Tuesday a tour to the northern African countries to explain the position of hius government. He met in Tripoli with Libyan counterpart before to head for Tunis, and Algiers.

The two vice-presidents visited last week southern, eastern and western Africa countries.

Kiir briefed his Ugandan counterpart on his recent talks with President Bashir of Sudan in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Museveni, was an ally of the former southern rebels – the SPLM – who now govern South Sudan during the civil war that led to the partition of the country in July 2011.

The Ugandan leader has been a persistent critic of the Sudanese government, with Kampala also hosting numerous Sudanese rebel, political and civil society groups.

The discussions were “successful”, the minister told Sudan Tribune from Kampala on Monday.

“President Museveni, as you know stood with us during our struggle. He remains one of the African leaders still giving us unwavering supports, and has reaffirmed not only his stance and support, but also the commitment of the African leaders, particularly the Eastern African Countries to support implementation of the African Union proposal on Abyei; I mean the September proposal as the basis of resolving the dispute,” Ajak said.

The latest proposal from the AUHIP has been rejected by Sudan as it allows for a referendum in Abyei not including members of the nomadic Misseriya tribe, who are not permanently residents in the area.

If the Misseriya are not accorded voting rights, the Southern-aligned population are expected to vote to transfer Abyei – defined as the area belonging to the nine Chiefdom’s of the Dinka Ngok – back into South Sudan from where it was transferred to Sudan by colonial power Britain in 1905.

President Kiir, according to Ajak, assured the Ugandan leaders of South Sudan commitment in honouring all the agreements reached with neighbouring Sudan during the last African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

At the meeting, both Kiir and his Sudanese counterpart, Omer al-Bashir agreed to implement the deal they had signed in September, covering border security, oil, citizenship and other issues.

The South Sudan leader, the ministers said, Museveni “a thorough briefing on the latest positive developments that have taken place after the last AU summit held in Addis Ababa which accorded discussions between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and the agreement reached between the two presidents regarding the outstanding and pending issues between the two countries.”

“The president also delivered to president Museveni a special message and New Year greetings from our people and the leadership in relation to the existing bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Our people both on Uganda side and on our side feel no difference wherever they are living. Ugandan nationals feel being at home in the Republic of South Sudan and so are South Sudanese in Uganda. This is because of our existing historical relations”.

Meanwhile, President Museveni, Ajak further said, also used the opportunity to reaffirm the Uganda’s position to support the new nation both at regional and international levels.

“He assured that Uganda will always be supporting South Sudan both in the international and regional levels. He further assured that Uganda will keep its support to South Sudan until peace prevails,” said South Sudan’s national security minister.

The Prime Minister of Lesotho, early this week, assured the new nation of his country’s support for the AU proposal that a referendum be held in the contested oil-producing region in October.

Motsoahae Thomas Thabane, while meeting South Sudan’s Minister for the Presidency, Emmanuel Lowilla, also urged the two Sudan’s to follow protocols of the 2005 peace deal, which ended over two decades of civil war between them.

(ST)