By Nangayi Guyson – Entebbe – Uganda’s president on Wednesday said his government is willing to provide as many as 20 000 troops to restore order in Somalia if enough money is provided for the mission. President Yoweri Museveni speaking to visiting members of the United Nations Security Council suggested that anywhere from 12 000 to 20 000 troops could be provided for a UN- or African Union-led mission in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation. He said Uganda had the manpower, experience and training, but merely lacked the funding. “The number is not a big deal, we can provide... Continue Reading
By Nangayi Guyson – Addis Ababa-Ethiopian opposition leader Birtukan Mideksa who is considered as one of the most prominent and popular opposition leaders has been freed from jail. Her release on Wednesday by the government saying it had granted a plea for pardon, comes four months after the government’s landslide win in elections. The 36-year-old Union for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) leader was first jailed in 2005 when the opposition protested poll results that year, leading to unrest that resulted in the death of some 200 people. Birtukan and other opposition figures were charged with plotting against the constitution in... Continue Reading
Brussels/New Delhi, – As the European Commission (EC) resumes negotiations today on a trade agreement with India that could block access to life-saving generic medicines, the international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is launching a global campaign to stop Europe’s multiple attempts to restrict access to these medicines for patients across the developing world. “We depend on access to affordable generic medicines like those produced in India to treat all kinds of diseases. We buy 80% of our AIDS medicines from India – medicines that keep 160,000 people alive today,” said Dr. Unni Karunakara, President of MSF’s International... Continue Reading
By Own Correspondent – The Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) presidential candidate, Dr Willbrod Slaa,asked President Jakaya Kikwete to name the companies that benefited from a Sh1.3 billion package meant to enable them steer from the economic crisis. The money was given by the government to firms as astimulus package to weather the effects of the global economic crisis. Speaking at a rally in Njombe District region, Dr Slaa said this is a typical embezzlement because the stimulus money was o keyed during a CCM meeting at Mlimani City instead of being passed in Parliament. So far no one... Continue Reading
By Guyson Nanagayi – Kinshasa – Lt Col Mayele of the Mai Mai Cheka rebel group in DR Congo has been arrested by DRC army and UN peacekeepers over suspects that he led attacks involving the mass rape of hundreds of civilians.UN officials said. The leader was arrested after UN and DR Congo forces carried a joint operation in North Kivu province. A UN spokesman said Lt Col Mayele, who was arrested in the province’s Walikale region, was in custody at a Congolese military court in the provincial capital, Goma. A deputy in the Mai Mai militia, he was handed... Continue Reading
