South Sudan: Extreme levels of Food Insecurity expected across South Sudan in 2017 (December 2016)

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Opinion: Mao disappoints with grandeur…

DP Mao

Well, 20-17 just starts and with a bang, the former honourable Norbert Mao of the Democratic Party doesn’t care anymore about nepotism and autocratic regime, which if President Museveni gives away executive power to his wife Janet or Maj. Gen. Muhoozi that it doesn’t matter!

The Democratic Party President Norbert Mao says Ugandans are so desperate for change that they no longer care to whom President Museveni hands over power peacefully. According to Mr Mao, just like many Ugandans especially those born after Museveni captured power in 1986; he does not care whether the president hands over peacefully to his son Muhoozi Keinerugaba or wife Janet Kataha Museveni” (Daily Monitor, 2017).

Well, it is understatement that I am confused about the peaceful transition it seems to be only that the business stays in the family. If Mao thinks that the Mafia, the elitism and the gravy eating regime going to drastically change with the wife or son of Museveni, he is sadly wrong. That is by the mere fact of the history in other countries where family members take-over as in Equatorial Guinea, Cuba, Syria and North Korea isn’t actually splendid evidence of totalitarian regimes handing over or coup d’état from family members to become the Executives.

That Norbert Mao wants to give way for another unelected family member to the throne is a mere demonstration of the meagre effort of opposition to the Movement. That he accepts the draconian and all eating Museveni and let his family go forward before the Republic. It’s an insult to all Ugandans. That only the Clan of Museveni is fit to rule the Republic. There we’re a Republic before Museveni and be one after his time. Still, now it seems that Mao is so tired and has so little faith in the Ugandan people, that he gives way to the Museveni clan.

He should care as he should be voice for the ones really wanting change and a peaceful change from the government and regime that only cares about Museveni. So Mao shouldn’t lose faith. Mao should fight with fellow comrades and want a substantial change for the Republic, that doesn’t owe anything to the Museveni clan. Peace.

Reference:

Daily Monitor – ‘I don’t care whether Museveni hands over to son or wife – Mao’ (01.01.2017) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Museveni-hands-son-wife-Mao/688334-3503756-format-xhtml-13ewxl2/index.html

RDC: Communication du Gouvernement du 02 Janvier 2017

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SOS-Torture/Burundi: “Au moins 17 personnes ont été arrêtées au cours de la semaine dans différentes localités” (31.12.2016)

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Monusco: “Le Representant special du Secretaire General des Nation Unies en RDC se felicite de l’accord politique signe entre les acteures politiques en RDC” (01.01.2017)

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Opinion: The next steps for Besigye and continued defiance against the Movement!

OPM Press Release 05052016

It’s not easy to give words of advice to the men and woman who are in the line of fire. But we cannot let the Movement and their spin-control run the mill. They are stealing and thieving with massive speed and impunity. They are trying to avoid the weakness of the economy, trying to find new ways of revamping the economy without too much state debt and without loving donor direct aid. They still have the military and equipment served from loyal allies in the United States, if that will happen under Trump and it has happen under Bush/Obama is not easy to know; certainly U.S. will still let other brigades do the dirt they don’t want to do themselves.

The ones who toll with the problems are Dr. Kizza Besigye and his Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), they work for a peaceful transition in Uganda from the militarized politics of the President Museveni’s Movement. So with this in mind, after a year of issues, a year of tribulations, arrests, detained and charges of treason against the government; the political change is still in the wind. Besigye had deserved a better start and a fresher place as he is still monitored and still has Police following all movement done by the man. The same with his party who cannot hold meetings and public consultations without police taking stereo equipment, arrests or intimidation of citizens who shows up or just happen to be around.

Besigye had started the Campaign of Defiance under the Election Road Map for the General Election of 2016. So in 2015 it was started and has been put under fire from the Resistance Movement, an ironic problem for a draconian and tyrant regime who cannot really be democratic as they tries to silence or get rid of the worst opponents. Besigye is only kept because of known place and international scrutiny of they try to attack him too much.

FDC Besigye 05.04.2016

First Step – Defy with actions:

Besigye should continue and with more force, use more than just words and get the FDC to actually take a stronger stand against the ones that supports the regime. The Mafia regime or junta government, which he has described the Movement so many times. If FDC wants to be fair and wants to defy the Movement, they should suspend themselves first from Parliament. It is risky, but would be a grandeur position to take away the Shadow Government and the legitimacy of the current government.

TDA Kizza Besigye 261015

Second Step – Defy with dialogue with other opposition:

Secondly the FDC should be in talks with Democratic Party and other smaller parties that are not involved directly in the Movement regime, as they can try to weaken and strengthen the other voices. As Besigye have already done with his friendship with Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and Gen. David Sejusa. FDC needs to be connected with people of stature like Norbert Mao and others, who are real opposition to Museveni. Not talk to Jimmy Akena or others who just uses their parties as fronts of beacon of democracy, instead of actually challenging the Movement.

Kale Kayihura Choose Peace

Third Step – Defy the Courts like IGP Kayihura:

Just as IGP Kale Kayihura defied his own court-orders, the same should Besigye himself start to do in 2017, to show that he doesn’t respect the unlawful character of the regime; as the peaceful acts of showing up for treason charge that continue running into oblivion. Time to just say it is a kangaroo court and is only doing it to silence his voice. Therefore not showing up and instead continue to travel around the country to meet and greet party officials and locals to prove the value of building institution over being a sole candidate in Museveni and the NRM.

Times is a wasting, it’s hard to do stuff when you’re behind bars or at court, it’s hard to always move when the Police Force and other Security Organizations follow your every step.

NRM to Daily Monitor 09.02.2016

Fourth Step – Hurt the pocket of the Government:

Certainly the Defiance needs to be hurting the regime. Try to stop the foreign exchange rates, the taxation and the revenue of the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), even the business that is inter-connected with the Movement. As much as it should stop the state owned businesses that is being used by the Movement. Museveni would hate that he couldn’t misuse the profits of needed businesses, the ones that are owned by investors who are supplying him funds to pay Special Force Command and other militarized outfits that keeps him as the Executive.

If the Besigye and his folks stood behind and hurt the pocket and legitimacy, not in words only, but also actions that could move the regime and also create a vacuum that Museveni and his movement couldn’t control. The ripple effect and the true hurt would be shown. Especially with the knowledge, that the Election already hurt the economy with massive effect. So if they continue pounding on it took out the cash out of the Museveni owned banks and stopped profits to companies that the Museveni clan partly own. Than the Movement and family would feel the pinch.

Defying the state institutions and the government procedures, stop respecting the Police and Courts, stop listening to the draconian laws and also stop the funding of taxes and funds to directly keep the Movement alive. Something that would really hurt Museveni and his elite; this would really make it hard for the Movement to continue to use Police Force and use the state to gain wealth.

Besigye can continue to talk peaceful transition and I respect that. This sort of acts is not easy. They are hard and costly. Many will be arrested, many more detained, more torture and more innocent dying, but there been so much over 30 years that the defiance campaign has to take it to the next level. Show disrespect, let the government lose its value and show the world that the ones behind Besigye don’t see Museveni as their President. Museveni is just a citizen, not an Executive, as he wasn’t really elected to be so; he coup d’état again when he got sworn-in on the 12th May of 2016.

Time for acts, not talk, time for really defying the government and use the power of the people. Time to use the popularity and risk being harassed, as if you don’t than the Police will continue as they do; business as usual and also target the FDC as much as possible without it costing much for the illegitimate government it is. The illegal detained and the illegal arrests cannot be sustained, as much as the house arrests and unlawful behaviour of the Police towards the FDC is unbearable. This is not militant; it is fighting for a just cause. The real freedom and liberty, not to talk about a real legitimate government who represent the citizens of Uganda! Not a government representing Museveni and only his vision. Peace.

End of the year 2016 message, on behalf of Moustapha Soumaré, the Acting UNMISS SRSG and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (30.12.2016)

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JUBA, South Sudan, December 30, 2016 –  End of the year 2016 message, on behalf of Moustapha Soumaré, the Acting UNMISS SRSG  and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan:

I would like to extend warm greetings to all the people of South Sudan as we enter this holiday season. As we approach the end of 2016, let us be reminded of the universal values of unity, equality and compassion, which bind us together as human beings – the spirit of Ubuntu (humanity). These values should always be far stronger than anything that divides us.

Sadly, our hopes for sustainable peace were not realized this year and prospects for an end to the conflict have been thwarted with a resurgence of violence in the capital and in many other areas of the country. This has resulted in terrible humanitarian and economic consequences for many South Sudanese. I call on all those engaged in conflict, be with organized forces, armed groups, militias, youth groups with arms and others, to stop all fighting and silence the guns immediately.

While there is no doubt that the fighting has cast a dark shadow over the implementation of the August 2015 peace agreement, we must never lose sight of the ultimate goal – a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of South Sudan. My colleagues and I serving with the United Nations stand ready to support South Sudan as it renews its commitment to the peace process and to help address its pressing humanitarian needs.

President Nkurunziza proves to the world that he has the Big-Man complex!

Burundi AMISOM

“Although African villages are often models of democracy, the concentration of power at higher levels across much of the continent feeds the cult of personality and one-man rule” (Chicago Tribune, 2000 – link: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-08-28/news/0008280177_1_nigeria-transition-from-military-rule-president-olusegun-obasanjo)

Burundian government are really trying to show strength to their donors and within the foreign affairs. There reports that the Burundian Government thinking of leaving the AMISOM mission because of lacking funds from the European Union to their brigades in the Somalia Peacekeeping mission. Have you heard this before? Yes you have, they have come with the same sort of words when coming to the peacekeeping mission in the MINUSCA in the Central African Republic.

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” (New York Times, 30.12.2016).

The Burundian Peacekeepers have come under fire of late, with their neglect and their also past-history as human rights violation at home has come to surface. Therefore the European Union doesn’t want to pay and submit funds to a draconian government that let people vanish, tortured or assassinated. That is within doubt a noble quest, but still hard when the EU doesn’t want to commit to settle battle-torn areas of Central African Republic and the Federal Republic of Somalia.

Because as this action happens as the troublesome Inclusive Inter-Burundian Dialogue is stalled by their questioning of chief negotiator H.E. William Mpaka, the term of President Nkurunziza happens without questions as the Police and even Youth Party Members Imbonerakure are taking away men and woman who has “insulted the President”. That is the law now. So the dialogue between the fractions behind in Burundi where the Opposition is under leach, as it has been since the start of Nkurunziza’s third term. While he today has claimed it is the International Community and the International Mining Corporations fault for the troubles in his country.

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Nkurunziza said this today at his press conference:

“The crisis of 2015 was just related to the stakes around the minerals in Burundi. The mandate was just a pretext” (…) “Burundi has given the Waga-Nyabikere mines to the AMS consortium, with Europeans and Americans. But it was not enough” (…) “The Western powers behind the Burundi crisis in 2015 wanted to have the Musongati mining deposit” (…) “With this mining deposit of Musongati, it is not coltan that counts more. But iron and plutonium”(www.bujumburanewsblog.wordpress.com, 30.12.2016).

There might be some who would see it like this, others would say that he countered the constitution and used the courts to run for a sham election, that he won as the intimidation and the spark of violence erupted. There we’re no run for the mill for the mines or international community discussing the values of deposits except for the minor companies’ deals to the Government of Burundi. This is a valid display of trying to wash their hands of blood and blame others. A common strategy of the ones who are sanctioning the acts of atrocities, it isn’t new, it’s like saying it isn’t the drunk driving that is the cause, but the car-manufacture who didn’t have a alcohol lock on the door. The same is what the Burundian President trying to do.

He is blaming the European Union for their non-direct payment to his Government for the provided services in AMISOM mission, as they are trying to shift the funds directly and pay directly to the soldiers. That gives way for the Government to not handle the monies and the EU funds. So they cannot withhold or embezzle funds to other projects as the non-transparent entity of CNDD-FDD; who runs the country with machetes and violence.

Just as you thought that was enough the President continue to put blame on others:

“Kigali : This morning, during a public issue in the province of Rutana (South-East of Burundi), the President of the Republic of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, took it out in Rwanda” (…) “According to SOS Médias Burundi, President Pierre Nkurunziza said that the “Burundi has never represented a threat to the security of Rwanda” and has “called the Rwandans to stop disrupting the safety in Burundi.” (Rwanda News Agency, 30.12.2016).

Early in 2016 the authorities of Burundi claimed that Rwandese guerrillas we’re trained in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo we’re coming in 2015 to have a coup d’état to oust President Nkurunziza. This was dined by the Rwandan Government at the time and they also offered to expel the Burundian Refugees if this sentiment continued. Still, after all that and a month after Nkurunziza continues to blame the Rwandese for interference. As even close connected to the government have had to flee.

We can now see that President Nkurunziza tries to show power and be grand. Be big and ambitious; try to show the European Union and the neighbours to show that he is the man. As his reputation and his holding abroad is shrinking as much as the donors and funds are also becoming meagre.

Nkurunziza is under-fire and righteously so after the fraudulent attempt of controlling the republic and taking a third term. Now he is speaking of a fourth term with ease and saying if “people want me too”. Just like he learned from President Museveni and others who has done the same trick; because they think with fear they can install themselves forever in power.

Even if he pulls the Burundian brigades from AMISOM and MUNISCA he still needs foreign exchange and other donor funds. The concern for the Nkurunziza should be to mend the fences and try to be nice, but that isn’t his character as he uses youths to scare the population and take the people who doesn’t follow his party line. Therefore people are fleeing and staying in refugee camps in Rwanda, Tanzania and the DRC.

The world shouldn’t give in to the threats of Nkurunziza as he thinks he can outsmart the AMISOM. The Big-Man complex comes to the surface and also to world. That he is the one-man to rule and to control the republic without interference. If the world is getting involved it has to be on his accord. Not on somebody else, it’s his watch and his words that matters. That the EU is trying to avoid paying the government is a disgrace to Nkurunziza and that Kagame is threat is known. So the response should be with caution and with knowledge of this. The International Community should be worried and know that CNDD-FDD are not a democratic party, but a front for a centralized and militarized government who only cares for ruler, that he can rule by all means. Peace.  

RDC: “Les députés nationaux de l’Ituri membres du PPRD suspendent leurs cotisations & s’en prennent à Amb. Henri Mova” (26.12.2016)

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RDC: Declaration sur les Massacres prepetres par les Presumes ADF/NALU du 17 au 26/12/2016

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