Igihe

Blog

  • Former Mozambique Rebels Regroup

    The Former Mozambican armed movement REMANO is regrouping its command and reactivating its old headquarters in the Gorongosa mountain range in the centre of the country ahead of planned national “peaceful” demonstrations next month.

    Renamo, the main opposition party, has in the past threatened countrywide demonstrations but has yet to go through with any, including a December “revolution” last year.

    On Thursday, the 20th anniversary of the peace agreement with the Frelimo government, Renamo top brass joined about 800 former guerrillas from the central provinces of the country who were receiving military uniforms reportedly to provide security during the protests and continued their call for a new political order.

    Long time Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama, who left the capital Maputo two years ago to live in Nampula, the country’s third largest city, told the ex-combatants at a rally in Gorongosa that he would not leave his Nampula base until the ruling Frelimo addressed all his concerns.

    “I will not abandon the woods where I have been since Monday. I am not going to Beira, nor the village of Gorongosa. The talks will take place here in the woods. They will come here maybe in three days, but if they delay I will not be responsible for the consequences,” Dhalakama said.

    The Renamo leader has been calling for revision of the electoral law, the implementation of protocols from the 1992 Peace Agreement signed in Rome and the the improvement in living conditions for the general population.

    While in Gorongosa, Renamo’s old military base during its campaign against Frelimo, Dhlakama ordered military preparedness but said he was not planning to attack anyone but only to defend himself “if provoked by government troops”.

    Dhlakama has said he will not take up arms despite pressure from the demobilised forces. “I do not want to take up arms but the demobilised want to do so,” he said.

    Mr Dhlakama said he is was recruiting some of the former gurerrillas to strengthen his personal guard, in preparation for November’s demonstrations.

  • Center for Former LRA Rebel Abductees to Close

    World Vision in Uganda has said it is closing a reception center for abductees by former Lord’s Resistance Army rebels citing high operational costs.

    Paddy Mugalula, the World Vision programme manager said on Tuesday that they are considering World Vision Child Reception Center in March next year.

    Mugalula said that despite the fact that the reception center operates on a high budget he didn’t disclose; only a few former LRA captives are returning.

    He explained that they have only received 8 former captives since the year begun, compared to 200 children they would receive each month about seven years ago.

    Mr Mugalula said it is hard for World Vision to raise the money needed to run the center.

    He however, said the relief agency would continue supporting the former captives whenever it is necessary adding that their focus is now on health, child protection, education and livelihood.

  • Center for Former LRA Rebel Abductees to Close

    World Vision in Uganda has said it is closing a reception center for abductees by former Lord’s Resistance Army rebels citing high operational costs.

    Paddy Mugalula, the World Vision programme manager said on Tuesday that they are considering World Vision Child Reception Center in March next year.

    Mugalula said that despite the fact that the reception center operates on a high budget he didn’t disclose; only a few former LRA captives are returning.

    He explained that they have only received 8 former captives since the year begun, compared to 200 children they would receive each month about seven years ago.

    Mr Mugalula said it is hard for World Vision to raise the money needed to run the center.

    He however, said the relief agency would continue supporting the former captives whenever it is necessary adding that their focus is now on health, child protection, education and livelihood.

  • DRC Opposed to Rwanda’s Membership on UN Security Council

    The DRC government has criticized Rwanda’s elevation to the Security Council as a non permanent member saying this move amounts to condoning violence it blames on Rwanda for alleged involvement in East RDC crisis.

    Rwanda has so far not responded to the comments made by Lambert Mende the Kinshasha government spokesman.

    Mende said, “This decision is a very bad signal because it trivializes the horrific situation created by this country in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it continues to disrupt peace and security.”

    Rwanda together with Luxembourg, Argentina, South Korea and Australia was elected to the 15-member Security Council last week.

    Meanwhile officials in Goma city in DRC announced on Tuesday that two key border crossings between DR Congo and Rwanda would from now on remain closed at night, from 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) to 6:00 am (0400 GMT).

    Several thousand people cross the border every day and the local Congolese governor said in a statement that the decision stemmed “from a surge in criminal activity along the border.”

  • DRC Opposed to Rwanda’s Membership on UN Security Council

    The DRC government has criticized Rwanda’s elevation to the Security Council as a non permanent member saying this move amounts to condoning violence it blames on Rwanda for alleged involvement in East RDC crisis.

    Rwanda has so far not responded to the comments made by Lambert Mende the Kinshasha government spokesman.

    Mende said, “This decision is a very bad signal because it trivializes the horrific situation created by this country in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it continues to disrupt peace and security.”

    Rwanda together with Luxembourg, Argentina, South Korea and Australia was elected to the 15-member Security Council last week.

    Meanwhile officials in Goma city in DRC announced on Tuesday that two key border crossings between DR Congo and Rwanda would from now on remain closed at night, from 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) to 6:00 am (0400 GMT).

    Several thousand people cross the border every day and the local Congolese governor said in a statement that the decision stemmed “from a surge in criminal activity along the border.”

  • Libya Celebrates Fall of Gaddaffi

    hg.jpg
    Libyians on Tuesday celebrated the first anniversary of its “liberation” from the regime of Moamer Kadhafi, even as fighting flared in a former bastion of the slain dictator.

    On October 23, 2011, just three days after Kadhafi was captured and killed in his hometown Sirte, the transitional authorities declared the country’s liberation, formally ceasing hostilities.

    The day was observed as a public holiday across Libya.

    Cars cloaked with the national flag cruised the capital from the early morning, their speakers pumping out patriotic songs at full volume. People gathered at Martyrs Square after sundown with youths setting off fire crackers.

    In Benghazi, hundreds of people massed outside Tibesti Hotel to mark the one-year anniversary but also demand that the eastern city, cradle of the uprising that toppled the regime, become the “economic capital.”

    Fierce clashes in Bani Walid, one of the final bastions of the former regime and accused of harbouring die-hard Kadhafi loyalists, have cast a pall over celebrations.

    De facto Libyan leader Mohammed Megaryef expressed confidence on Tuesday that the military operation in Bani Walid would finish “very soon”. He expressed regret over the casualties of the fighting.

    In a speech broadcast by state television, Megaryef emphasised that the assault specifically targeted the “criminals who held the town and its residents hostage,” rather than Bani Walid as a whole.

    He called for national reconciliation and the reactivation of the judiciary.

    Earlier, columns of smoke rose over the hilltop town according to an AFP photographer on the northwestern edge of the town.

    The sound of shooting and explosions rang out in the valleys below.

    Dozens of foreign workers continued to flee on foot, he added.

    Pro-government forces entered Bani Walid and released 22 detainees, the official LANA news agency said.

    Fighting in Bani Walid has fanned old tribal feuds and underscored the difficulties of achieving national reconciliation. Former rebel fighters are locked in battle with ex-Kadhafi loyalists.

    “Since the formal declaration of the end of hostilities, Libya has become a country beset by intercommunal strife,” said Claudia Gazzini, senior Libya analyst for the International Crisis Group.

    “The central authorities have acted chiefly as bystanders, in effect sub-contracting security to largely autonomous armed groups only nominally under the authority of the state,” she said.

    Bani Walid natives, angered by the government-sanctioned offensive against the heartland of the powerful Warfalla tribe, stormed the national assembly on Saturday in protest.

  • Libya Celebrates Fall of Gaddaffi

    hg.jpg
    Libyians on Tuesday celebrated the first anniversary of its “liberation” from the regime of Moamer Kadhafi, even as fighting flared in a former bastion of the slain dictator.

    On October 23, 2011, just three days after Kadhafi was captured and killed in his hometown Sirte, the transitional authorities declared the country’s liberation, formally ceasing hostilities.

    The day was observed as a public holiday across Libya.

    Cars cloaked with the national flag cruised the capital from the early morning, their speakers pumping out patriotic songs at full volume. People gathered at Martyrs Square after sundown with youths setting off fire crackers.

    In Benghazi, hundreds of people massed outside Tibesti Hotel to mark the one-year anniversary but also demand that the eastern city, cradle of the uprising that toppled the regime, become the “economic capital.”

    Fierce clashes in Bani Walid, one of the final bastions of the former regime and accused of harbouring die-hard Kadhafi loyalists, have cast a pall over celebrations.

    De facto Libyan leader Mohammed Megaryef expressed confidence on Tuesday that the military operation in Bani Walid would finish “very soon”. He expressed regret over the casualties of the fighting.

    In a speech broadcast by state television, Megaryef emphasised that the assault specifically targeted the “criminals who held the town and its residents hostage,” rather than Bani Walid as a whole.

    He called for national reconciliation and the reactivation of the judiciary.

    Earlier, columns of smoke rose over the hilltop town according to an AFP photographer on the northwestern edge of the town.

    The sound of shooting and explosions rang out in the valleys below.

    Dozens of foreign workers continued to flee on foot, he added.

    Pro-government forces entered Bani Walid and released 22 detainees, the official LANA news agency said.

    Fighting in Bani Walid has fanned old tribal feuds and underscored the difficulties of achieving national reconciliation. Former rebel fighters are locked in battle with ex-Kadhafi loyalists.

    “Since the formal declaration of the end of hostilities, Libya has become a country beset by intercommunal strife,” said Claudia Gazzini, senior Libya analyst for the International Crisis Group.

    “The central authorities have acted chiefly as bystanders, in effect sub-contracting security to largely autonomous armed groups only nominally under the authority of the state,” she said.

    Bani Walid natives, angered by the government-sanctioned offensive against the heartland of the powerful Warfalla tribe, stormed the national assembly on Saturday in protest.

  • Explosions at military factory in Sudan Capital

    Fear and panic spread in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Tuesday when massive explosions and fire erupted at a military factory in the southern suburbs of the city as the authorities failed to clarify the cause of the incident but dismissed rumors of a hostile action behind it.

    Sounds of explosions followed by huge fire occurred at Al-Yarmook arms and ammunition factory of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Al-Shigara area south of Khartoum at around mid-night, sparking a wave of panic among the area’s residents who fled their homes in fear.

    The fire and explosions also spread to near-by buildings, leading to the collapse of some of them, as hospitals in the area received dozens of people suffering from severe cases of suffocation due to the smoke.

    The explosions also set free large pieces of shrapnel and ammunition which scattered in the area, a Sudan Tribune reporter said.

    Fire fighting forces rushed to the scene and helped contain the fire as security forces blocked all roads leading to the large factory. A number of senior officials, including Khartoum State Governor Abdel Rahman Al-Khidir and officers from the National Intelligence and Security Services as well as SAF also arrived at the scene later.

    Meanwhile, the authorities made conflicting statements on the cause of the incident but reported that no causalities were incurred as a result.

    Khartoum State Governor Abdel Rahman Al-Khidir said in a televised statement that the cause of the incident is not clear yet but he discounted the possibility of foreign entities being involved.

    His statement was clearly aiming to quell wildly spreading rumours that the factory was hit by an airstrike. Some witnesses told Sudan Tribune that the explosion occurred after a sound resembling that of a rocket was heard and the sky lit up. There is also a rumor that an airplane carrying military materiel crashed on the site of the factory but Sudan Tribune was not able to independently verify those claims.

    Al-Khidir said that the explosion probably happened at the main storage facility of the large factory.

    SAF’s spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad said that an internal explosion occurred in one of the storage facilities and the fire spread due to the plenty of grass in the area. He confirmed that they already launched an investigation into the incident.

    An anonymous police source also told AFP that the explosion erupted during a routine maintenance operation, adding that the authorities continue to count the losses.

    A similar explosion occurred at the same factory in August 2006 leading to the injury of seven SAF members. The authorities attributed the incident at the time to an electric short circuit.

  • Explosions at military factory in Sudan Capital

    Fear and panic spread in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Tuesday when massive explosions and fire erupted at a military factory in the southern suburbs of the city as the authorities failed to clarify the cause of the incident but dismissed rumors of a hostile action behind it.

    Sounds of explosions followed by huge fire occurred at Al-Yarmook arms and ammunition factory of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Al-Shigara area south of Khartoum at around mid-night, sparking a wave of panic among the area’s residents who fled their homes in fear.

    The fire and explosions also spread to near-by buildings, leading to the collapse of some of them, as hospitals in the area received dozens of people suffering from severe cases of suffocation due to the smoke.

    The explosions also set free large pieces of shrapnel and ammunition which scattered in the area, a Sudan Tribune reporter said.

    Fire fighting forces rushed to the scene and helped contain the fire as security forces blocked all roads leading to the large factory. A number of senior officials, including Khartoum State Governor Abdel Rahman Al-Khidir and officers from the National Intelligence and Security Services as well as SAF also arrived at the scene later.

    Meanwhile, the authorities made conflicting statements on the cause of the incident but reported that no causalities were incurred as a result.

    Khartoum State Governor Abdel Rahman Al-Khidir said in a televised statement that the cause of the incident is not clear yet but he discounted the possibility of foreign entities being involved.

    His statement was clearly aiming to quell wildly spreading rumours that the factory was hit by an airstrike. Some witnesses told Sudan Tribune that the explosion occurred after a sound resembling that of a rocket was heard and the sky lit up. There is also a rumor that an airplane carrying military materiel crashed on the site of the factory but Sudan Tribune was not able to independently verify those claims.

    Al-Khidir said that the explosion probably happened at the main storage facility of the large factory.

    SAF’s spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad said that an internal explosion occurred in one of the storage facilities and the fire spread due to the plenty of grass in the area. He confirmed that they already launched an investigation into the incident.

    An anonymous police source also told AFP that the explosion erupted during a routine maintenance operation, adding that the authorities continue to count the losses.

    A similar explosion occurred at the same factory in August 2006 leading to the injury of seven SAF members. The authorities attributed the incident at the time to an electric short circuit.

  • Rwanda: 3rd Easiest Economy to Do Business in Sub-Saharan Africa

    Rwanda’s performance in the Doing Business Rankings in recent years has been exemplary, drawing attention from international observers and investors alike. Improvements have been made across the board.

    The 2013 World Bank Doing Business Report has ranked Rwanda 52nd out of 185 countries. In the overall performance, Rwanda is still the best performing country in the East African region as well as 3rd easiest place to do business in Sub-Saharan Africa (1st is Mauritius which ranks 19th globally, 2nd is South Africa which ranks 39th globally, 3rd is Rwanda which ranks 52nd globally, 4th is Botswana at 59th globally and 5th is Ghana which ranks 64th globally.

    A non-Sub-Saharan African country that also performed well was Tunisia at the 50th position globally.

    According to the survey; 185 Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high rank on the ease of doing business index means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

    The report, Doing Business 2013: Smarter Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises found that from June 2011 to June 2012, 28 of 46 governments in Sub-Saharan Africa implemented at least one regulatory reform making it easier to do business-a total of 44 reforms.

    Rwanda particularly stands out as having consistently improved since 2005. A case study in this year’s report features Rwanda, which since 2005 has implemented 26 regulatory reforms (over half of Sub-Saharan Africa’s annual reforms) as recorded by Doing Business.

    Rwanda has been recognized for making improvements in two areas of regulations: Enforcing Contracts (39th) and Getting Electricity (49th).

    The country made enforcing contracts easier by implementing an electronic filing system for initial complaints whereas the country eased getting electricity by reducing the cost of obtaining a new connection by 30%. Rwanda’s ranking per indicator has improved.

    Looking at areas where Rwanda is still strong, the Starting a Business rank has remained the 8th easiest in the world, with Company registration taking only two procedures and the whole process of incorporation is concluded in just 6 hours. In ease of Paying Taxes, Rwanda is 25th easiest place globally.

    Rwanda recognizes that the momentum to reform should be maintained if not doubled and in particular where we have challenges.

    This is precisely why Rwanda managed to improve over the last ten years. Rwanda has moved from 150th in the 2008 report to now 52nd in the 2013 report with consistent reforms every single year.

    In comparison to her neighbors in the East African region, Rwanda still leads her partner states. Uganda is the second in EAC ranked at 120th globally, Kenya the third in EAC and ranked at 121st globally, Tanzania is fourth and ranked at 134th globally whereas Burundi comes fifth in EAC and ranked at 159th globally.

    Outside the EAC, but neighboring Rwanda is the DRC ranked at 181st globally.

    Beyond the Doing Business index, Rwanda’s performance is consistent with the World Economic Forum (WEF) Competitiveness index where for the second year running, Rwanda emerged among the top countries (3rd) in Sub-Sahara Africa.

    The Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) is based on 12 indicators that include the strength of the economy, education and social welfare, innovation among others.

    The Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Kanimba Francois welcomed the report. “We have seen consistent improvement, both in competitiveness and ease of doing business. Rwanda continues to be one of the top places to invest in Africa,” he affirms.

    “For all these records, Rwanda’s performance in this year’s index is a sign of the country’s commitment to achieving its economic goals,” said Clare Akamanzi, the Chief Executive Officer at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

    “This demonstrates Rwanda’s commitment and consistency in its vision of economic development. We will work very hard to address remaining challenges to make Rwanda even more attractive as a business destination,” she added.