Tchad: Communique de Dementi – Du Ministere des Affaires Etrangeres, de l’Integration Africaine et des Tchadiens de l’Etranger (08.09.2020)

Tchad: Communique de Presse Conjoint No. 01 (08.09.2020)

Opinion: For 65 dollars more and you can enter the Republic…

It is amazing that a Republic like Uganda can charge $65 or 245,000 shillings on entering the Republic to be tested for COVID-19 or Coronavirus. This from a same government that has gotten grants upon grants to combat the disease. That is why this is infuriating.

Yes, no republic have boundless of funds or money to combat a global pandemic like this. While the government of Uganda have gotten support from all sort of foreign donors and multi-national organizations to beat it. Still, they sought to profit and cover their expenses on the ones arriving at Entebbe and the border points.

This means, the truckers, foreign aid workers, tourists and the ones who has the disease has to be tested, pay and then even quarantine somewhere. Certainly all of that costs and the quarantine “hostel” or “hotel” will not come for free either.

The “Cost Recovery Fee” is really showing the blatant disregard for the ones entering the Republic. Also the diaspora who are stranded and has to cough up funds to pay additional fees on entering. Like foreign students and maids abroad cannot afford this. Neither can the average truckers. This will either stop the testing or create a market for questionable behaviour. Since people cannot afford this.

Yes, the UN workers and Multi-National Organizations can afford doing this to support their projects. They will just allocate funds to expenses to secure their staff. However, the random and ordinary citizen cannot afford this. This is such a huge cost.

This is also spitting in the face of the donors and the ones offering grants to Uganda. As they are charging the same people on entering. Ensuring they are both offering grants and also getting fees to cover expenses. They are double paying for this.

Nobody is winning on this. The National Resistance Movement (NRM) just showing they have no sense and doesn’t want to cover their bases. They rather get additional funds. Then actually ensure the safety of the border points and see if they can trace the sources of the spread.

That they are doing it is insane. The state should know better and the donors should now ask for transparency and accountability over the COVID-19 Funds. Since, they are now clearly asking to be covered twice and sometimes by their own, but also by the same people who has used grants and donations to make it possible. Peace.

Chad: Complex security, environmental crises worsen conditions for over 360,000 in western Chad (29.08.2020)

Many families are facing heavy rainfall without proper housing, with the added complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NEW YORK, United States of America, August 29, 2020 – More than 360,000 internally displaced persons in Chad’s Lake province are facing a “double” crisis, exposed to security and environmental risks, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported, highlighting the need to strengthen resilience of affected communities.

According to Paul Dillon, an IOM spokesperson, while the region has been a target of repeated attacks by insurgents since 2015, the situation has worsened dramatically in 2020.

“Recurrent security attacks and incursions by non-State armed groups since the beginning of the year prompted the Chadian Government in March to declare the departments of Fouli and Kaya, two of Lake Chad’s borderlands departments ‘war zones’,” he said.

Since April, the number of the displaced has increased by almost 22 per cent, according to the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix, a tool to monitor displacement and movement of people in emergency or crisis situations.

Double crisis 

Located in the western part of Chad, the Lake (or Lac) region borders Nigeria and Niger. The three nations along with Cameroon form the Lake Chad Basin, where thousands have lost their lives and millions forced to flee their homes due to attacks by non-State armed insurgents.

The crisis has also exacerbated food security, leaving many dependent on humanitarian assistance.

In addition to the security challenges, the situation in the Lake region has been further complicated by some of the heaviest rainfall in nearly 30 years, with roughly 400 millimetres of rainfall that resulted in flash floods in villages and fields.

“This is a worrying trend as the displacement is recurrent, protracted due to the deterioration of security and environmental situations, and involves large in numbers of people,” said Mr. Dillon.

IOM response 

In response, IOM is providing emergency assistance to vulnerable populations. It has delivered more than 2,500 transitory and semi-permanent shelters to nearly 13,000 persons; and over 2,700 non-food item packages including hygiene kits, sleeping mats, clothes and basic cooking equipment for over 14,000 persons.

However, much more is needed immediately as many families are facing heavy rainfall without proper housing, with the added complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, three-quarters of the displaced persons IOM identified live in displacement sites, most of which are made of straw and metal shelters.

Many of them sleep in the open without adequate protection from bad weather, with limited access to amenities such as water, hygiene facilities, health services and COVID-19 protective equipment.

Tanzania: The CCM must be proud of blocking opposition candidates…[ahead of the polls]

If your thinking of free and fair elections? Are you thinking of Tanzania? If you do? Your wrong. They are neither free nor fair. In Tanzania, the Chama Cha Mapundzi (CCM) are the state and ruling with a whip. They are whipping the opposition into submission. The party is using the state to hold control and censor the dissidents.

That is why media houses are shut down or suspended. This is why the state has to allow opposition to hold press conference and rallies. Even their party program and their internal training exercises has to get a go from the authorities.

The CHADEMA and ACT-WAZELENDO are now being blocked. Just like they were in the 2019. They were ensuring the opposition parties couldn’t field candidates. That is why the CCM initially ran against ghosts and goats.

They are doing the same ahead of the polls in late October 2020. There are several of Members of Parliament of the CCM who are running unopposed. After the Electoral Commission have dismissed several of them. For various of reasons. However, there are never any reports of the same commission dismissing nominations made by the CCM. Isn’t that a sign of something, right?

The CCM is the state and acts like the state. They are appointing anyone and controls everything. The CCM has the army, legislation and the civilian government. There are nothing they don’t have. They even have a bickering, faint-hearted and weak-spirited President in Magufuli. Who cannot stomach criticism, statistics or foreign broadcast without giving a thumbs up. It has to fit his narrow mind.

In this regard, the state is more envisioned to the small perspective of Magufuli. That is why the CCM are blocking nominated MPs from the Opposition. So, they have constituencies without any competition. When you are blocking 100s of candidates from both parties. The CCM and the Electoral Commission is proving their “independence”.

The CCM is destined to win this. Not because they have any policies or manifesto. Neither does it has any will or character to pull it off. However, they are the state and controls the whole thing. They will use all means to dislodge and disrupt the opposition. The Opposition also have no power or ability to operate without validation from appointees from the CCM.

That is why the October Election is pre-fixed and the recent actions proves it again. The CCM are not even willing to play it out. They rather use their means to humiliate and destroy the opposition. Instead of campaigning against them. The CCM doesn’t even have the heart to pull that off under Magufuli.

That is who the CCM under Magufuli is, a bunch of cowards. Who doesn’t have the character to even try to run a honest campaign. They have to use the powers of the authorities to stop the opposition from challenging them. Cannot even be on the ballots and act this out. That is too much to ask from these folks, apparently. Peace.

Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR): Katiba @ 10 : A Human Rights Scorecard (27.08.2020)

Opinion: ODM’s audit is only to buy time

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and unofficial Prime Minister Raila Odinga wants suddenly an audit of the COVID-19 Funds and stolen PPE equipment in the Republic. It is really evident that the ODM is doing favours for the state.

These statements are coming from the same guys and semi-government party, who claims to both opposition and a government party. Which is very evident by the recent moves. They have been crying out loud for arrests, demonstration and cried havoc over other scandals. Day-in and day-out.

This time they are just measly saying … let’s someone look into it and hope they spend time doing so. An inquiry and an audit will last until the next election or even after the polls. Kenyatta and Jubilee must be giddy.

Jubilee and the allies must feel relieved. The ODM is cleaning their house and their mess. The dirt is cleaned. They say there is a need for an audit. However, nothing specified and no talk of independent investigation. If it is an in-house investigation. Then, the smaller fish will be catched, while the big-fish will be released. They are the untouchables and the ones who are saved no matter what.

Odinga has made a living. ODM is now in the stretch of both angles, even if his close to be a Jubilee-KANU-ODM alliance, if there ever was one. The Jubilee have consolidated around Uhuru Kenyatta. He has distanced the DP and his TangaTanga. They are even crying out loud, the former known looters of the Republic.

Therefore, the whole elite and the ones associated is fine with the thieving. They are just buying time. Instead of direct investigations, indictments and charges on alleged crimes. They are crying for in-house audits, where a committee will look into it and buy the politicians time to bury the theft.

The audit is a fitting tool, where appointed commissioners and handy individuals can get a limited mandate and a scope. Where they possibly can find nothing or even deliver a result when its outdated. That is what usually happens.

This is why the call for a audit is buffoonery. It is playing bamboozle with the public. ODM knows this and Jubilee knows this. Odinga knows this and Kenyatta knows that too.

You can trick the public once, maybe twice, but three times. That is not happening. There been enough scandals without any consequences. This administration have several on their hands and no one has paid a price. An audit of this one will linger on for ages and will loose its steam before a bracelet is even procured.

So, while the stove is sizzling… the heat is on, the state and its allies shifts the show and side-track the conversation. Instead of actually getting a look at the culprits and the ones involved. Getting a committee and gazetted appointments. While the thieves moves on to another government tender, procurement scheme or funds to exploit. Peace.

Uganda: Ministry of Finance, Planning & Economic Development – Media Statement on COVID 19 Cases (24.08.2020)

Kenya: ANC – The Health Sector Funds Corrosive Scams (23.08.2020)

Tchad: Groupe des Deputes du Mayo-Kebbi – Appel a la Paix et a la Securite au Mayo Kebbi (21.08.2020)