RDC: Majorite Presidentielle – Secretariat General (30.11.2018)

South Sudan: CTSAMVM Report Number 2 to 2nd CTSAMVM Board Covering Period from 12 Sep- 29. Nov 2018 (28.11.2018)

South Sudan: SSOA names its Chairman for the next six months (01.12.2018)

UNHCR statement on the refugee response programme in Uganda (30.11.2018)

The UN Office of Internal Oversight (OIOS) audit report into UNHCR’s Uganda operation, released this week, contains findings that show clear gaps and weaknesses in risk management in a number of areas during the period between July 2016 and December 2017. The audit followed the massive influx of refugees from South Sudan in 2016 – mid 2017, when UNHCR’s staffing capacity in key functions and in remote locations was very low, followed by a rapidly expanded operation in the second half of 2017 with many new staff and partners.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is in the business of saving lives and protecting people. Maintaining the trust and confidence of our donors and of the general public is of utmost importance to us. A number of internal reviews and technical oversight missions had identified risky areas in the operation during 2017. UNHCR worked closely with the OIOS auditors, who came to Uganda in February 2017, identifying issues and providing information that was used in the audit. We have accepted the recommendations of the OIOS auditors and have been working to address them well before this report was issued on 27 November, including in conjunction with Uganda’s Office of the Prime Minister.

Underscoring the urgency with which UNHCR was seized with these issues, the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, visited Kampala in January 2018 to assess the complex challenges being faced in the refugee response and meet with the government at the highest level. Amongst other measures introduced, he agreed with the Prime Minister to launch the verification exercise into refugee registration data just completed. He also upgraded the leadership of the UNHCR operation to manage these challenges. Various corrective measures have been put in place, supported by a plan for ongoing and future actions. There is continuous follow-up.

Measures we have taken to date include revising or redesigning and rolling out new Standard Operating Procedures for the reception of refugees, their registration, protection, assistance (food, non-food items – core relief supplies) and case management. The complaints and feedback mechanisms for refugees have been strengthened with a new inter-agency call-centre. We have also strengthened staffing in key operations functions, in particular with regard to reinforced capacities in oversight and management. These include the establishment of a senior post in risk management and compliance. Monitoring and reporting functions have additionally been reviewed, revised and enhanced.

In regard to road construction, an investigation is ongoing and we are pursuing a full recovery of funds from any project partners of concern. Allowances paid to civil servants are verified through attendance records and payment to individual bank accounts with overall responsibility lying with the government.

To address concerns about the accuracy of registration data, a countrywide biometric verification exercise of the refugee and asylum-seeker population was conducted between March and October 2018. The Government of Uganda is now committed to using the appropriate tools for continuous registration, which is their responsibility, and to ensuring the integrity of the registration process. The strengthened registration and case management systems will improve service and assistance delivery, including distribution of food. UNHCR is working closely with the Office of the Prime Minister in the roll-out of these new systems and jointly addressing obstacles that emerge in their practical application at field level.

UNHCR has also closely reviewed its monitoring of water delivery trucking in remote refugee settlements. We are doing top-to-bottom reviews of contracts, invoices and delivery verification before proceeding with any payments. Significant progress has been made in reducing water trucking, which is expensive, from 37 per cent in May 2017 to 7 per cent over the course of the year, following completion of several water schemes in Rhino, Imvepi and Palorinya refugee settlements in northern Uganda. With the new measures in place, we expect a further reduction to 5 per cent in December 2018.

The audit recommendations vis-à-vis partnership management, performance monitoring, procurement procedures, non-food item distribution and warehouse management are being addressed and toughened measures have been put in place, including with partner organizations and the Office of the Prime Minister, where these activities are jointly implemented. Progress will be reviewed regularly.

UNHCR has additionally established a high-level dialogue with the Office of the Prime Minister and other government authorities on the audit findings, including regarding recovery of funds as may be needed. Fuel cards and vehicle tracking have been introduced for implementation in 2019. A task force has been set up to review projects implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister. A preliminary report is due in mid-December.

UNHCR is determined to ensure the full integrity of the refugee response in Uganda and is addressing all issues identified in the audit report.

Opinion: Trump Administration Memo to the Federal Workers proves its dictatorial tendencies!

You can’t talk about fucking in America, people say you’re dirty. But if you talk about killing somebody, that’s cool.”Richard Pryor

What was revealed yesterday about Donald J. Trump and his administration. Is very, very profound. It shows to what extent they want to control and also dominate opinion. That President Trump isn’t the wisest cookie. That is known, but he has always shown tendencies, where he thinks he stays above the law and also are right at every step of the way. While the twists and turns of information and leaks of the Russian Probe is going. The reality of how far the Special Counsel has come and he knowledge will strike the President very hard. As the timelines, the negotiations and the dossier are more and more coinciding. Because of that, as the reality is backfiring. He has to use a bitch move, a nasty little trick and blatant disregard in the rights of the people, the workers and laws in general.

When any President or Executive is using the jack-hammer against the rights of expression, freedom of speech and talk in general. You know that fella is long-far gone, he is dwindling little weak man, who cannot handle the reality. That the President is such a tin-pot dictator, that he orders “off-topics” and guidance of what is proper protocol of talks with fellow staff. This sort of narrow-mindedness is dictatorial and shows the lack of tolerance the President has. That the President doesn’t see this, that he is creating a shit-hole, even a giant Banana Republic with him as the Grand Dictator is obvious. Especially after he pulling strings like this!

With that being said, Martin Cizmar reported this yesterday about what the Trump Administration told to two million government employees and it is striking! Look!

The Memo Said:

illegal for them to participate in such discussions at work, “(…) “Advocating for a candidate to be impeached, and thus potentially disqualified from holding federal office, is clearly directed at the failure of that candidate’s campaign for federal office” (…) “We understand that the ‘resistance’ and ‘#resist’ originally gained prominence shortly after President Trump’s election in 2016 and generally related to efforts to oppose administration policies” (…) “However, ‘resistance,’ ‘#resist’ and similar terms have become inextricably linked with the electoral success (or failure) of the president.” (Martin Cizmar – ‘Two million federal workers receive memo warning they can’t use the word ‘resist’ or discuss Trump impeachment at work’on Rawstory.com, 29.11.2018).

Who is he to tell what is allowed to say and speak off? What sort of punishment or charge can he put on the individual who talks about it at the workplace? Because there is no barren law or statute he can use, which can stand the basic fundamental law, the Constitution and the rights of freedom of speech.

Which states this: “Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances”.

That is the bloody constitution of the United States, where apparently this guy Trump is running the show. But he cannot even read, therefore, someone should make a cartoon to explain the First Amendment, if not get the Fox & Friends to spell it out. Because the principal is clear. No one should abridging the freedom of speech or take that away. The First Amendment guarantees that. However, the tin-pot despot on Capitol Hill thinks otherwise in his White House. That he can rewrite the Constitution and the Ten Crack Commandments of Biggie Smalls. The reality is that he can neither.

Therefore, anyone should just scrap this MEMO. This memo is an insult to basic rights and the first amendment. That the President has such a hard time dealing with the Russian Probe. Isn’t the Federal Workers fault, that the President was more connected to Kremlin, than to the Congress. That is just the way it was. Now, he cannot manage resistance, but they public can do that if they please. They are not his loyal subjects. They are all equal citizens.

The President should know that principal too, but that is also to much to ask. There is just to limited time for Fox & Friends to explain everything. Therefore, the Trump Administration are just showing their dictatorial tendencies and their acts vile blare of insults to all the citizens. As he thinks he can do this. Peace.

Opinion: Nkurunziza holding the EAC hostage to protocol, as he boycotted the Heads of State!

Today, there was an obvious boycott from the Burundian government in Arusha in Tanzania. As the scheduled 20th Heads of State Summit of the East African Community was about to happen. Pierre Nkurunziza boycotted the day and showed his defiance to the rest of the Community. Who knows why, but maybe he is worried of what would happen there.

This was established in November in 1999 and since then, all the Heads of State has meet for further integration and for the collective missions for the region. The EAC are clearly at a cross-roads, if that is because of Burundi or because of the leadership at the EAC. Since the Chairman at this point is President Yoweri Kaguta Musveni of Uganda. He got the letters earlier in October 2018, that Pierre Nkurunziza wanted the Summit postponed. However, because of scheduling conflicts, the President Uganda counterpart wanted it to happen.

The EAC Press Statement says:

The 20th Ordinary Meeting of the Summit of the East African Community Heads of State that was slated for Friday, 30th November, 2018 at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) in Arusha, Tanzania has been postponed to a later date. Making the announcement at the AICC’s Simba Hall, the Chairperson of the EAC Council, Hon Dr. Kirunda Kivejinja, said that the Summit would not take place due to a lack of quorum caused by the absence of the Republic of Burundi. “According to Rule 11 of the Rules of Procedure of the Summit of the EAC Heads of State, quorum is made of all Partner States representation which is in consonance with decision making by consensus under Article 12 of the Treaty,” Dr. Kivejinja, who is also Uganda’s 2nd Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of EAC Affairs” (EAC, 30.11.2018).

So, the Heads of State are postponed and the set date is now 27th December 2018. That means a month time, this time we can wonder if the Burundian will bail again. As the Burundian government are planning to prepare for their 2020 Elections and surely drag-out the dialogue without having all the stakeholders.

This was clearly a message from Nkurunziza. As he fears something brewing and doesn’t want to be humiliated or even pressed by neighbors. As he wants a free way of life time presidency like others. President Nkurunziza was invited and known of the date since October from the Secretariat, therefore, the added letters in November was more a stalling tactic. However, this should backfire, as he will be remembered for ditching the EAC.

The EAC who has monitoring and being the mediator with the dialogue in Burundi. The President should be happy it is these chaps who are doing it. As if it was further outside, they wouldn’t accept the tactics used by the Mpaka and the government involvement with force to block others from being part of it.

This is really a sign, as the others showed up and with credentials and ready to continue the agenda of the EAC. However, as Museveni wrote in his last letter to Nkurunziza: “Some matters on the agenda need to be attended to promptly and let us not be held hostage of the rules of procedure”.

That seems like the plan of Nkurunziza… keep the EAC hostage to procedure. Since, he boycotted or bailed the Heads of State today. That is the memo from Bujumbura. Peace.

RDC: Allocution du Vice-Premier Ministre, Ministre des Affaires Etrangeres et Integration Regionale au Corps Diplomatique (30.11.2018)

Russian Probe: Paul Manafort verified Trump Tower Statement (29.11.2018)

EAC Summit: Position Paper of the Republic of Burundi, on the 20th Ordinary Summit of East African Community Head of State (29.11.2018)

Bank of Uganda Scandal: BoU Confidential Memorandum – “Removal of Documents from the office of Mrs. Justine Bagyenda located at Plot 45 Kampala Road without following the Bank procedures” (10.05.2018)