Blog

In Ethiopia, government troops have intervened in ethnic fighting in south of the country involving the Borana and Garri communities in the Moyale area.

The clashes are thought to have been sparked by disputes over land rights. At least 18 people died and 12 others injured.

Over 20,000 people are reported to have crossed into Kenya to escape the fighting.

Local reports speak of armed militias taking up positions in outlying villages on Wednesday, with the fighting spreading to Moyale town, on the Ethiopia-Kenya border, on Thursday.

Police in Kirehe district has destroyed a sizeable amount of illegal drugs and large quantities of illicit brew.

The illegal stuff including 150 litres of kanyanga and 733Kgs of cannabis were seized in a cordon operation conducted at Kigarama sector, Kirehe district.

The seized illicit beverage and narcotics were destroyed in presence of local population, Police, Army and Prosecution.

The operation aimed at eradicating drugs within the district given that illicit alcohol and narcotics are still an issue of concern.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Innocent Kagorora, Kirehe Police Station commander warned “Police shall not tolerate those involved in these illegal businesses. We shall continue to fight these crimes.”

Kagorora further urged them to share information with security organs to ensure that those involved in crimes are arrested.

“I urge Kirehe residents to continue identifying people involved in criminal activities as the consequences of their actions affect us all,” Kagorora said.

Kigarama Executive secretary Theoneste Nizeyimana said the drugs have negative impact to citizens such as theft, rape, as well as others and called citizens to timely give information to security organs for those implicated in such crimes are brought to justice.

The congolese Army was today surprised when another Col. Eric Badege defected with more than a hundred FARDC soldiers, Local congolese media has reported.

Col. Badege was commander of 2nd Battalion, 410th Regiment Nabiondo FARDC base, about thirty miles northwest of Goma in North Kivu.

Masisi local adminstration authorities are quoted to have confirmed the defection that happened on Friday when Col. Badege and other several soldiers were seen headed towards Rubaya, 80 Kilometres North of Nabiondo.

The administrator of Masisi, Marie-Claire Bangwene, confirmed that the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 410th regiment of FARDC was not at her station Nabiondo since Friday.

Before arriving at Rubaya, the source said, Col. Badege met the commander of the 810th regiment Birambwe to justify his departure from Nabiondo.

Col. Badege is said to have deserted with an unknown number of weapons, ammunition and other military equipment.

According to the local congolese media, the commander of the 810th regiment of FARDC in Nabiondo and the president of civil society in Sake confirmed this information.

In a 4-hour emergency visit to Angola, DRC’s President Joseph Kabila Thursday begged Angola government to help him deal with the Crisis in Kivu, Eastern DRC.

The Angolan Presidency said in a statement that the meeting was aimed at discussing the DR Congo situation.

Currently, DR Congo is trying to neutralise an armed insurrection by the M23 rebel group.

“The four-hour visit to Angola aimed at discussing DRC situation that has been plagued in recent times by an armed rebellion”, the statement reads in part.

Angola and DRC enjoy good relations in various fields such as defence, security, transports, energy, tourism, trade, fisheries, geology, mining and oil-exploration.

Antoine Ghonda President Kabila’s Special envoy to Angola had Two-weeks ago been sent to Angola to seek help due to prevailing political situation at home.

“I am in Angola to explain that DRC has difficulties and we need your help” Ghonda said while on a visit in Luanda, Angola.

Representatives of the Khartoum government at the ongoing negotiatons in Addis Ababa announced Friday that Sudan had lowered its demand on oil transportation fees to US$32 from previous demand of US$36.

Sudan initially demanded $36 per barrel for both GNPOC and Petrodar pipelines saying it owns all the facilities and provides all the services.

“We made a new offer to transport South Sudan’s oil at US$21 instead of US$25 and we ask $6 for transit fees, we also cancelled the marine terminal charges and reduced the processing fees. So we reduced our demand from $36 to US$32”, Awad Abdel-Fatah, undersecretary of Sudan’ oil ministry.

Khartoum negotiators stressed that no deal can be signed without the implementation of security agreement.

For oil produced by GNPOC, South Sudan offers US$7.40 for the transportation , including the marine terminal fees, US$1.07 for the processing facilities and US$0.63 for the transit fee.

Regarding the Petrodar oil Juba proposes US$5.50 for the transportation and the marine terminal, US$1.07 for the processing and US$0.69 for the transit.

Last Sunday chief negotiator, Pagan Amum, tabled South Sudan’s “last offer” saying Juba proposes US$9.10 and US$7.26 per barrel for its oil transported through the two Sudanese pipelines.

He pointed out that they offer “a 7% increased processing fees”.

The Foreign Affairs Minister of Rwanda Louise Mushikiwabo has demanded some respect from donor countries that wave their big chequebooks to intimidate Rwanda.

“This child-to-parent relationship has to end.There has to be a minimum respect,” Mushikiwabo said Saturday in an address to a Kenyan business club called Mindspeak.

She said, “As long as countries wave chequebooks over our heads, we can never be equal.”

Mushikiwabo added that Africans have to work hard to develop their economies in order to stop relying on western donors.

Minister Mushikiwabo said it was too early to tell what kind of damage the withholding of aid would do to the government’s economic development push.

“We have been in much worse situations than dollars being withheld from us,” she said.

German has also (Saturday) canceled its planned aid budget of US$26 Million in contributions to Rwanda’s budget planned from this year through 2015.

The UK also terminated US$25m financial support to Rwanda saying in a statement that it was delaying in budget support due July 2012 while considering whether aid conditions had been met.

Earlier, US government had blocked $200,000 in military aid to Rwanda and the Netherlands suspended 5 million euros of aid after a United Nations interim report said Rwanda was backing rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Five Police officers have been promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP).

They had sucessfully completed a Cadet course in Kenya at the General Service Unit Training School in a period of over seven months.

The minister of Internal Security Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana urged the newly promoted police officers to work hard and promote professionalism.

“You have to triple your efforts as the rank bestowed upon reflects commitment and hard work in Police duties,” Harerimana said.

He pointed out that through hard work and discipline they are assured to continue rising through the ranks.

The Police officers attended the Kenyan Cadet course as part of the collaboration between the two Police forces.