Major General (retired) Patrick Cammaert of The Netherlands to lead an independent Special Investigation into the violence in Juba (23.08.2016)

UN House Juba

The Special Investigation team will undertake a field visit to Juba to interview the relevant interlocutors.

NEW YORK, United States of America, August 23, 2016 – The Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Major General (retired) Patrick Cammaert of The Netherlands to lead an independent Special Investigation into the violence in Juba, South Sudan, in July 2016, and the response of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

The investigation will review reports of incidents of attacks on civilians and cases of sexual violence that occurred within or in the vicinity of the UN House Protection of Civilians (POC) sites in Juba. It will also determine the actions of UNMISS and whether the Mission responded appropriately to prevent these incidents and protect civilians within its resources and capabilities at the time. In addition, the investigation will review the circumstances surrounding the attack on the Terrain Hotel and assess the Mission’s response.

The Special Investigation team will undertake a field visit to Juba to interview the relevant interlocutors. A final report will be presented to the Secretary-General within one month, the findings of which will be made public.

Major General (retired) Cammaert recently led a HQ-Board of Inquiry on the circumstances of the clashes that occurred in the UNMISS Protection of Civilians site in Malakal, South Sudan, on 17-18 February 2016. He previously had a distinguished military career in both The Netherlands with the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the United Nations, including as Force Commander in United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), as Military Advisor to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), and as General Officer Commanding the Eastern Division in the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC).

Opinion: A little rant to the long serving Presidents out there; I had too after the NBS TV Uganda 100 days since M7 stole the Election BS recently…

M7 100 Days

With the NBS TV Uganda who wanted to ask President Museveni how he felt after his first 100 days into his 5th official term… how he felt of his achievements as Executive after a hundred days we’re the journalist questions to the man who have ruled since 1986. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has run the Ugandan Republic for over 10950 days! So the question was blurred out and surely lost sight of the reality of their long serving Executive.

The same can be said with President Robert Mugabe who is heated and demonstrated against in Zimbabwe. In a country with fiscal economic issues and loss of agricultural output together with weaken production as the El Nino has hurt the economy more. Together with rampant corruption and a Zanu-PF Elite who are more concern with their luxurious vehicles in Harare than the empty stomachs of the poor working class. This happens while the Police are brutalizing the demonstrators and the ones speaking against the government are either harassed or detained. Even hurt so they end up at the Hospital. So the dire oblivion for the economic landscape as the tension between the citizens and draconian state will not dissolve overnight.

Hon. Kemi Adeosun said this on the 18th August: “The Economy is challenged and people are extremely frustrated, and we need to rebuild fundamentality. We need to prioritize… We need to realize that with the collapse of commodity prices. We don’t have enough  foreign exchange to buy as many imported goods as we like to, so when there is import substitution, we must embrace it”.

Zim Ministry of Information

When the Financial Minister says this as the Opposition are harassed and the public is silence and more draconian laws like Cyber Crime laws coming in Parliament. Show’s the ability of Zimbabwean regime wishes to push laws to silence social media and other dissidents as the policies and the regulations of Zanu-PF haven’t born fruits. This has to be hurtful for the President who has had years upon years to build, instead has skimmed money for himself and his elite.

Therefore with the knowledge of President Museveni (Sudan), President Deby (Chad), President Dos Santos (Angola) , President Nkurunziza (Burundi) , President Kagame (Rwanda), President Kabila (DRC), President Bashir (Sudan), President Afewerki (Eritrea), President Guelleh (Djibouti) and President Mugabe (Zimbabwe) has all been sitting a long time and has nothing new to show (and surely I could given some honourable mentions that I haven’t said). They can’t and they are not hungry to deliver. If they deliver or does anything profound it would be by rare luck or a new cash-cow for their elites and the political affiliates.

It is a reason why the Members of Parliament are greedy, why the corrupt behavior is happening and why the transparency is so low. The Executives who runs for life and runs for decades upon decades wish to run the game without question. That is their wish and their ways of assembling the needed riches for themselves.

NRM Oyee! 09.04.2016

President Museveni might drop by district and deliver some equipment and check of a few million shillings, but the depleted hospitals and schools isn’t built on wink and nudge from the master. While the inflation and the unstable currency doesn’t make the investors safe to have a haven of business in Uganda. This together with everything is connected to the President and his entourage as the family of Museveni is connected to all kind of business and agreements. Land is being delivered to the Elite or Financial backers, while locals and Internal Displaced Persons are living decades-on in camps. So the Museveni cannot drop a new sense of accountability as the walking budget isn’t promising anything new or creating a solid foundation now as that is not in his interest.

The interest of these long serving leaders isn’t to have strong institutions; they want them weak and keep people loyal around them. The Electorate and Citizens are not really important they are only important when they are pawns useful to trade aid or trade agreements of government loans to secure fiscal funding of the Financial Year and the Budget.  

These long serving leaders have control over foreign exchange, central banks and also the businesses that are vital for export commodities so that they can earn money on the hard work of the citizens as they do what they can to survive and live basic on the mercy of these political leaders. This happens years upon end… without question and with the powers of controlling the heads of the Military and Police so they can silence the population. Therefore the worst crimes aren’t murders or stealing under these dictatorships. The worst crime and worst offence is to offend and counter-claim the legitimacy of the Executive. Parts of that is also to solidify popular support of the public and therefore needs to be detained and charged with amazing amounts affidavits and draconian laws to determine the fate of the opposition by any means.

So this is the profile of the fellow Presidents, they are doing it in their own way, but the key of results is this: keep themselves in Power and secure the government funds together with business in the Nation for their loyalist and the people that the President can trust.

swiss leaks africa accounts

Since they cannot win the popular ballots as some of them could have in their first elections and ballots as they might have liberated the Nation or even gotten rid of former dictators or the fantastically corrupt who used the army and economy themselves to build palaces and get more government funds into Swiss Bank Accounts than amounts of sheep on New Zealand. The Presidents and their elites are in recent elections either using fear, armies to disrupt and silence opposition; if that doesn’t work ballot-stuffing, pre-ticked ballots and even stop the counting and fix the result for the Ruling Regime. So that the “legitimate” government is still there and with their “elected” men and woman even if the Electorate meant differently. That has happen again and again. The Presidents uses elections as big-caving events and periods to finally buy loyalty of local communities and give pledges that they have never plans to achieve as they keep the district in dire poverty to secure the aid and donor funds. While having ability to skim the funds and take the taxpayer’s money as the accountability doesn’t matter as much as the personal relationship between the Elite on the top. So when the President passes by the impoverished district he would drop some shillings and pay the community leaders with a new car or big brown envelope.

Why do we accept these men to run these ruthless games and when is this supposed to end?

When will the public and citizens be respected?

What do you think about my opinions, does they fit the bill?

Do you have any answers as I was just ranting again today! Peace.

Feyisa Lilesa “If I go back to Ethiopia, they will kill me” (Youtube-Clip)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhjdE9AJtxo

Ethiopian government says protest regions now calm (Youtube-Clip)

“Reactions from Ethiopia after the United States issued a travel advisory to its citizens. The U.S. warning comes following protests in Ethiopia. While government has dismissed the advisory as standard from the Americans, analysts say there could be consequences. CCTV’s Girum Chala tells us more” (CCTV Africa, 2016)

Ethiopian Gov. responce to the OHCHR Report on the #OromoProtest (18.08.2016)

OCHR Ethiopia Aug 2016 P1OCHR Ethiopia Aug 2016 P2

Churches call for Peaceful Dialogue in Ethiopia (19.08.2016)

Ethiopia

After recent reports of widespread violent demonstrations in Addis-Ababa and other parts of Ethiopia, local church leaders and members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) joined in a call for peaceful dialogue and restraint on all sides.

GENEVA, Switzerland, August 19, 2016 – After recent reports of widespread violent demonstrations in Addis-Ababa and other parts of Ethiopia, local church leaders and members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) joined in a call for peaceful dialogue and restraint on all sides.

“We mourn the lives of those who perished during these protests, and regret the arrests and violence against protesters that have occurred during the demonstrations in different areas of the country,” said Peter Prove, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs.

“We appeal to law enforcement officers not to resort to excessive force on unarmed civilians, and encourage protesters to look for open dialogue.”

Prove urged the ecumenical family to pray for the people of Ethiopia. “We pray that all sides join hands for a better future based on social justice and human dignity,” he said.

Reports indicate more than 100 protestors were killed in Oromia and Amhara during the last two weeks alone, and local church leaders said the situation is still quite tense as demonstrators continue to clash with security forces. The violence comes on the heels of months of unrest in the western and northern parts of the country.

The general manager of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Abune Dioskoros, has also spoken publicly about the crisis, urging all parties to resolve their differences with dialogue and restrain from using excessive force against peaceful demonstrators.

The Catholic bishops of Ethiopia also issued a statement calling for peaceful dialogue, which read, in part:

“Our dear young children, we wish that you take over from us a developed and peaceful Ethiopia, not a country that is full of unrest. We urge you to remember that you have the duty and the right to take over a country that is full of peace and hope for development so you must work for this.”

South Sudan Conflict: Interview with presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny (Youtube-Clip)

#OromoProtests – Public shooting in Robe Bale and Getachew Reda’s refusal of U.N. investigation (Youtube-Clip)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_6BQF6CuN4

Ethiopia: soldiers shooting and killing innocent protesters (Youtube-Clip)

“Ethiopia #OromoProtests MUST SEE: Soldiers shooting and killing a peaceful protesters in Robe, Bale. The victim is Abdela Kadir” (Ethiopia, 2016)

UNHCR working with Government of Uganda and emergency response partners to contain cholera outbreak amongst the newly arrived South Sudanese refugees in Adjumani district, Uganda (18.08.2016)

uganda_ssudan2

49 South Sudanese refugees and one Ugandan national have been confirmed to have contracted the disease. 

GENEVA, Switzerland, August 18, 2016 – The Government of Uganda and United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) are implementing containment measures in the recently-opened Pagirinya settlement in Adjumani district following confirmation of an outbreak of cholera.49 South Sudanese refugees and one Ugandan national have been confirmed to have contracted the disease. 44 have been provided with treatment and subsequently discharged from health facilities having fully recovered, while two patients remain in quarantine.

Additional measures are being taken to ensure the outbreak doesn’t spread further. Those who have contracted the disease are having their houses disinfected and their water supply drained while a door to door awareness-raising campaign takes place. The sale of fresh produce at markets and on the road side has been restricted. Other sanitation strengthening activities, such as chlorination of water points, garbage cleaning, strengthening of hand-washing facilities and the distribution of water guards, have been intensified. As a result, the number of new cases continues to be small but health teams continue to pay close attention to individuals displaying any potential symptoms.

Cholera is an acute infectious disease, usually shared through the consumption of contaminated food and water, which can potentially prove fatal. Sufferers endure symptoms that include acute watery diarrhea and vomiting.

The majority of people found to be suffering from the outbreak are located in reception centres in Pagirinya settlement, with smaller numbers found to be suffering in the settlement itself and at Elegu collection point. Pagirinya is currently hosting more than 30,000 South Sudanese refugees, all of whom arrived in the last 6 weeks.

“We have received a large number of young children as refugees over the last month or so, who are particularly vulnerable to this possibly lethal disease,” said acting Representative to Uganda Bornwell Kantande.  “Together with the Ministry of Health and our health partners, we’ve rapidly implemented response measures to contain its spread. We’re continuing to do our best to reduce the number of people living in these reception centres as quickly as possible, not only to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks, but so that these people can begin to rebuild their lives as soon as possible.”

Decongestion of transit and reception centres remain a top priority. Refugees are being relocated to the recently-opened Bidibidi settlement in Yumbe district where, in line with Uganda’s generous settlement approach, they will be provided with plots of land on which to build new homes and to grow agricultural crops.

More than 80,000 South Sudanese refugees have fled to Uganda since the outbreak of violence in Juba on 8 July. Over 85% of the new arrivals are women and children, with children comprising 64 percent of new arrivals. They report that armed groups are attacking villages, killing civilians, sexually assaulting women and girls and forcibly recruiting young men and boys in to their ranks.