Tag: GreatLakesNews

{Burundi’s environment minister has been shot dead while on his way home on New Year’s Eve.}

Emmanuel Niyonkuru, 54, was killed at about 00:45 local time (22:45 GMT) by “a criminal with a gun”, a police spokesman tweeted.

Tweets from Pierre Nkurikiye said a woman who was with Mr Niyonkuru had been detained for questioning, following the “assassination”.

Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza said the crime would not go unpunished.

Hundreds of people, including high-ranking army officials, have been killed in unrest since President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a third term in 2015, a move which opponents said was unconstitutional. But this is the first time a serving government minister has been killed.

For months the country had been relatively calm.

{Mr Patrick Jimmy Okema, the Aswa River region police spokesperson, said police have recorded statements from family members to piece circumstances that could have led to Oloya’s death.}

Police in Pader District are investigating circumstances under which a constable shot himself dead.

Patrick Oloya, a Field Force Unit (FFU) personnel attached to Pader Central Police station ended his life after locking himself inside his uni-port house at the Police barracks.

Mr Patrick Jimmy Okema, the Aswa River region police spokesperson, said police have recorded statements from family members to piece circumstances that could have led to Oloya’s death.

Mr Okema, who described the incident as suicide, said investigation is yet to establish the motive of the shooting.

He urged all police officers to seek psycho-social support, counselling and rehabilitation, to find solutions to either personal or official challenges they are facing.

Mr Romeo Onek, the Pader District Police Commander, when contacted for details on the recent behaviour of the deceased officer, declined to comment saying it is a matter under investigation.

The body has been handed over to the relatives of the deceased for burial preparations. The officer is said to have died due to over bleeding from a single gunshot wound.

{A man was on Saturday found dead inside his car in Umoja, Nairobi County.}

He is said to have been a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier.

Witnesses said the man had been drinking with two women at a bar in Umoja.

Police say the women might have drugged the man before going to his house, where they stole goods.

Police are yet to remove the body from the scene.

Personnel from KDF arrived at the scene Saturday afternoon.

The soldier is said to have returned from Somalia last month.

{Mounting tension over Anti-Prophet Muhammad video clip which went viral on social media has led the police to boost security here before and after Friday prayers.}

The police stepped up security almost in all key areas after there were reports that some Muslims would peacefully demonstrate after prayers following a man identified as Dr Abdalla Saleh Abdalla was heard in a recorded video clip insulting Muslim Leader, Prophet Muhammad and the Secretary General of the Civic United Front (CUF) Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad.

According to the Zanzibar’s police boss- Commissioner of Police (CP) Mr Hamdan Omar Makame, the Friday prayers ended peacefully as he appealed for calm. He assured them that the man and his colleague who posted the video clip were already in custody.“The suspects have been arrested and charged in court.

I urge people to refrain from getting involved in religious insults. It is a threat to peace. People should also avoid recording and posting video clips that can easily instigate violence,” CP Mr Makame said yesterday.

Dr Abdulla, a medical doctor who was working in a public hospital in Pemba was recorded attacking Mr Maalim Seif and Prophet Muhammad with insults. In a separate video, Abdalla blamed alcohol for ‘driving him into the bad behaviour.’

In reaction to the incident, Zanzibar Medical Doctors Council has suspended the suspect for at least three months from duty pending investigations into the “shameful conduct,” said the council’s Chairperson, Dr Jamala Taib.

“It was unacceptable, surprising and shameful conduct by a medical doctor. We ask all our members and medical practitioners to be responsible citizens,” Dr Taib said.

{Burundi’s president on Friday threatened to pull out almost 5,500 troops contributing to the African Union mission in Somalia over nearly a year of unpaid allowances, in another sign of tensions with the force’s largest donor, the European Union.}

If there is no payment by January, Burundi will recall the more than 5,400 troops from the 22,000-strong regional force protecting Somalia’s weak government from al-Shabab extremist attacks, President Pierre Nkurunziza said.

Burundi’s troops have not been paid allowances for 11 months amid a standoff between Burundi’s government and the EU after the EU accused Burundian authorities of human rights abuses.

Burundi has faced widespread international criticism over the deadly political turmoil that followed Nkurunziza’s pursuit of a third term last year, which many in the country called unconstitutional. Hundreds of been killed.

Burundi is scheduled to rotate three battalions of soldiers into Somalia in January, military spokesman Col. Gaspard Baratuza said in a statement earlier this week.

{At least 50 people have died and thousands have been left homeless after severe flooding in the south-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo.}

Torrential rain caused the Kalamu river, which flows through the city of Boma, to burst its banks on Tuesday.

The bodies of some of the victims had ended up in neighbouring Angola, after being carried away by the surge, a local governor said.

Locals said that some areas of the city were buried in up to a metre of mud.

“This is a cyclical phenomenon which happens every 10 years. It last happened in January 2015, but with climate change it’s now happened again in December 2016,” Jacques Mbadu, governor of Kongo Central province, told AFP news agency.
Waters hit a peak of 2m (six ft) above their usual level, he added.

Severe floods, droughts and storms are expected to increase as a result of climate change in Africa.

{President rejects MPs calls for the immediate release of the king saying the matter is before court.}

Kampala- President Museveni on Wednesday rejected demands for the release of Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere as a precondition for dialogue between the government and the people of Kasese.

Sources told Daily Monitor that Kasese political leaders led by the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Ms Winnie Kiiza, had included the unconditional release of their king among the terms for the dialogue, which were rejected by the President. Mr Museveni told the MPs that the matter was already before court.

The President held talks with selected FDC members at his Kisozi farm where he advised the lawmakers to “have hope in the court process.”

Addressing reporters at Parliament, Mr Robert Centenary, the Kasese Municipality MP, who attended the meeting with the President, confirmed the narrative from the sources that indeed the President asked them [leaders] to wait for court proceedings.

“He [President] told us to wait for the outcome of the trial but we demanded that the trial be accorded enough time and with a permanent judge for justice to be rendered,” Mr Centenary said, adding that the meeting was summoned by President Museveni himself and not Kasese leaders. “We had to go and listen to him because we have been castigating him for not cooperating with the elected leaders of Kasese,” he added.

Although Ms Kiiza was not available to give the details and the background to the meeting, Mr Centenary explained: “We made it clear to the President that we will have no dialogue as long as the Omusinga remains incarcerated. We demanded for his release and his subjects under detention on similar charges.”

He added: “If we are to engage in dialogue regarding the issues of Obusinga bwa Rwenzururu, the head of delegation will be the king and those talks will begin immediately he is set free.”

Although the MPs kept begging the President to release Omusinga, sources said the president insisted that the matters were before court and therefore could not help them.

Omusinga Mumbere was arrested on November 27, and has since been charged with murder, terrorism, robbery and treason among others before he was remanded to Luzira Upper Prison. At least 116 people were killed that day in a UPDF-led raid on Buhikira Palace in Kasese Town.

Hearing of his bail application is slated for January 9, 2017 in High Court.

This dialogue, according to the legislator, will have to comprise elected leaders from the district, the clergy, traditional leaders and political players from the ruling National Resistance Movement party.

The Wednesday meeting was attended by all five elected Members of Parliament from Kasese District except, Mr Jackson Kathika, the MP for Busongora South, who was in the constituency and could not join his colleagues at short notice.

The meeting was also attended by Mr Geoffrey Sibendire Bigogo, the Kasese District chairperson and South Rwenzori Diocese Bishop Jackson Nzerebende.

Not Compromised
Mr Centenary told journalists that prior to their meeting with Mr Museveni, they held consultations with Mr Wasswa Birigwa, the national chairperson of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), who allowed them to meet the President. “We asked for the proceedings and all photos to be made public so as to dispel any suspicion that would arise from a closed-door session,” he said.

A statement released by Mr Don Wanyama, the presidential press secretary indicated that the President met political leaders from Kasese District and warned against unnecessary framing of individuals and attempts at extortion. According to Mr Wanyama, the President said the police should be allowed to do its work and promised to continue meeting political and religious leaders from Kasese.