Harvest season provides meagre respite to South Sudan’s hunger crisis (06.11.2017)

The number of people experiencing severe food insecurity across the country is likely to drop to 4.8 million for October to December, down from six million in June.

JUBA, South Sudan, November 6, 2017 – The current harvest season in South Sudan will not end the hunger crisis as conflict persists in most of the country and hyperinflation puts food out of reach for many, according to the updated Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) released today by the Government of South Sudan, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, UN Children’s Fund, the World Food Programme, and other humanitarian partners.

The number of people experiencing severe food insecurity across the country is likely to drop to 4.8 million for October to December, down from six million in June. However, the 4.8 million who are severely food insecure are 1.4 million more than at the same time last year, and much of this growth has been in the Emergency category (step 4 on the IPC’s 5-step scale).

“The harvest season has not brought much relief to the millions of people in South Sudan who don’t have enough food. The country’s greenbelt has been ravaged by fighting, and finding a peaceful solution to this man-made tragedy should be the top priority or the situation will get even worse next year,” said Serge Tissot, FAO’s Representative in South Sudan.

The food security situation is projected to deteriorate at the start of 2018 and the ‘hungry season’ – when households typically run out of food before the next harvest – is forecast to start three months earlier than usual. Many people have few means of coping with the stresses of the lean season, and the situation is forecast to become increasingly fragile.

“A massive humanitarian response helped stop famine in parts of the country this year. But even in the current harvest period, millions of people need sustained assistance to survive,” said Adnan Khan, WFP Representative in South Sudan. “It is chilling to see that in a worst-case scenario, similar conditions could appear in multiple places in the lean season in 2018.” 

The teams who conducted the analysis identified two counties, Wau and Ayod, where a total of 25,000 people are facing catastrophic conditions according to the IPC scale. Of greatest concern is Greater Baggari, a sub-area of former Wau, where 10 per cent of the population is facing famine-like conditions because insecurity has heavily constrained livelihood activities and humanitarian assistance.

There is an urgent need for a humanitarian corridor from Wau to Greater Baggari area to allow agencies to provide comprehensive assistance.

Critical levels of malnutrition

Malnutrition has also worsened compared to the same period last year, with surveys showing malnutrition rates in most communities well above the World Health Organization’s emergency threshold of 15 percent, and with more than 30 percent of the population malnourished in several counties.

More than 1.1 million children under the age of five are forecast to be malnourished in 2018, including nearly 300,000 severely malnourished and at a heightened risk of death.

“Too many children are going hungry in South Sudan. More than one in five of those struggling to feed themselves is a child under five years of age,” said Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF’s Representative in South Sudan. “This has created a malnutrition crisis that is putting many lives at risk.”

Food prices soar

Insecurity continues to hamper food production and disrupt markets. Coupled with a failing economy, this has led to extremely high food prices. Large sacks of staples such as sorghum, maize, and wheat flour have increased in price by up to 281% compared to last year, and were as high as 560% during May, the peak of the lean season.

In Juba, a 100kg bag of sorghum costs 11 285 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP), compared to 4 314 SSP a year ago, and is vastly beyond what most families can afford.

Nationally, millions of people are surviving on humanitarian assistance in South Sudan, and if security conditions further threaten organizations’ operations the situation will rapidly worsen.

The report warns that continued conflict coupled with further access constraints on aid agencies and economic instability will likely result in the deterioration of already dire conditions in multiple locations across South Sudan in 2018.

Rapid response

Humanitarian teams are facing enormous logistical and security challenges to reach communities in need.

FAO has provided fishing, crop- and vegetable-growing kits to more than 4.2 million people, many in difficult to reach or conflict-affected areas, to support them to grow or catch their own food. FAO has also vaccinated more than 4.8 million livestock, to protect these livelihood assets for vulnerable families.

UNICEF, together with its partners, has treated more than 160,000 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) so far this year. It has a target for the year of reaching 207,000 malnourished children across the country. As part of its multi-sectoral approach to addressing the issue, UNICEF has also provided over 750,000 people with safe drinking water and a further 230,000 people with access to sanitation facilities.

WFP and its partners have has assisted 4.6 million people in South Sudan so far in 2017 with cash or food, including nutrition support for children under the age of five years. Emergency mobile teams usually travelling by helicopter on over 135 missions to areas isolated by conflict have supported 1.8 million people this year.

#ParadisePapers: MoFA Sam Kuteesa has moved his profits to the Seychelles (ENHAS to Katonga Investment)

It is now revealed that Foreign Minister Sam Kahamba Kuteesa, the former United Nations President for the General Assembly of 69th Session are now involved in the midst of the newest Paradise Papers, which is a continuation of the Panama Papers. These are revelation that shows how the wealthy are spreading their wealth to tax-havens.

The newest revelations inside the National Resistance Movement and the MoFA Kuteesa, who has been a loyal minister and NRM crony to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. He through help of Appleby started a holding company, that being Katonga Investment Limited. The funds came ENHAS, which is the Entebbe Handling Services. The document revealed in the transaction was signed by fellow employees of Appleby, this being Malcolm Moller and Patrick Lee Mohin, they signed the company through 30th November 2012. Kuteesa was introduced by Justin Dibb. Dibb is a financial juggernaut who has taken part in deals on the African continent, as Chief Executive Officer of Allied Resources Limited and Managing Director of Dominion Petroleum Limited. So he has clearly made friends in and around the circles Kuteesa. Clearly the Petroleum based financier and director had some good advice for him.

This for a deal made in 2012 to make sure the funds for ENHAS are secured on a holding company or a shell company in Seychelles. Appleby Company even wrote a guide called ‘GUIDE TO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES IN SEYCHELLES’ which states this: “An IBC (or a shareholder thereof) is not subject to any tax or duty on income or profits accruing to or deriving from such IBC or in connection with any transaction to which the IBC (or shareholder, as the case may be), is a party (§109(1)). Notwithstanding any provision of the Stamp Duty Act 1975, (a) all transfers of property to or by an IBC; (b) all transactions in respect of the shares, debt obligations or other securities of an IBC; and (c) all other transactions relating to the business of an IBC, are exempt from the payment of stamp duty (§109(2)). The Exchange Control Act does not apply to an IBC or to any transactions relating to the securities of or in the IBC between the holders of such securities (§109(3)). The exemptions above are expressed to remain in force for a period of twenty years from the date of incorporation of a company under the IBC Act (§109(4))” (Appleby, 2014).

That would mean that Appleby Company combined with the agreements and tax exemptions in the Seychelles must surely be lucrative for ENHAS and Kuteesa. The UN Global Compact introduction of the company through the May 2013 and the words of Chief Executive Officer Georges Tytens said: “Entebbe Handling Services Limited (ENHAS) is a Ground Handling Company, handling over 20 scheduled flights at Entebbe International Airport, Uganda. We have a workforce of 729 staff. ENHAS is a registered member of UN Global Compact and we support and comply with the principles of the Global Compact” (Georges Tytens, May 2013). So the Kuteesa company are working directly on the airport and it is profitable, since it can extend their monies to secure accounts in the Seychelles.

So whatever the Foreign Minister earns on the business and ENHAS could practically go abroad and not pay taxes in Uganda. Clearly, the Appleby guidance of 20 years without paying tax as a IBC through them must have been good business for him. That is why he has done so. Peace.

Opinion: Kadaga is trying to clean her hands from the ruthless days of eviction at the Parliament!

The Parliamentary Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has written letters in the end of the October to both Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura and to the State House, meaning a letter to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Both letters trying to clean her hands of the shady affair and clean of the dirt of her own actions. Even if everyone with a clear mind knows there are enough reports of her actions in the days ahead and after.

Because Kadaga was in-charge of suspending 25 Members of Parliament and they we’re cleared out of the Parliament by the Special Force Command on the 27th September 2017 after days of in-actions and noisy opposition members, stopping the proceedings. The IGP Kayihura was even at the Parliament at a meeting with Kadaga making sure the proceedings happen as it is. Therefore, the answer from President Museveni on the letter is revealing as the security officials combined with Members of Parliament, and Kadaga was a special security meeting at the State House on the 25th September 2017. This is just days ahead of the clearing the Parliament.

This was all done so the Raphael Magyezi, the Constitutional Amendment No. 2. of 2017, the amendment that will lift or remove the Age Limit for any President and in particular the President Museveni. Which Kayihura and Kadaga has been really loyal too, so the letters that are sent is just showing deflection of what really happen. That Kadaga doesn’t want to be in charge of letting strangers into the court and wants to deflect it on other people. While the President doesn’t take responsibility and neither does Kayihura. They feel safe in their positions, while Kadaga used their hands to stop the opposition MPs.

So I have a hard time believing that she knew nothing, since the reports of a meeting on the 27th September together with the IGP Kayihura, this was all to settle the score and clear the Parliament. Especially know that people knows about the planned meeting on the 25th September at the State House. All of the timeline proves that the Speaker Kadaga wanted to use her power and connections to silence the opposition. Also to make sure they were arrested by Special Forces Command and detained at random locations in and around Kampala.

We know now that President Museveni will not take direct responsibility, since he went away from the meeting, but clearly Kadaga knew what happen there and also at the meeting. Something that doesn’t comply with her letters and the time before the sanctity of the Parliament was destroyed by the one in charge. One of them was Kadage, this letters was her trying to forge her public display and not involved, while the two meetings one in State House day ahead and another one earlier in the day before the Plenary Session on the 27th September proves the involvement of Kadaga.

This is just the start of the revelation, if not Kayihura or others from the meeting at State House starts to speak as well. Then the revelations will spark more fire and might even damage Kadaga more, as she is the one in-charge of protocol and clearly knew that sending in strangers into the Plenary Session are a violation of the code of conduct within the Parliament. This is someone anybody knows and has respected, but clearly, that message or memo from above. Certainly, someone needs to teach her this, since she is the Parliamentary Speaker. Kadaga should have known this. Peace.

South Sudan: “Issuance of Orders to the Chief of Defense Force of the SPLA, 2017 A.D.” – The order stop of privileges of Gen. Paul Malong Awan (30.10.2017)

Age Limit: Rebecca Kadaga’s letter to President Museveni on the 23rd October 2017 and Museveni’s answer today by Parliament Telegram (03.11.2017)

South Sudan: Anei Malong States that Gen. Paul Malong Awan lost his privileges (03.11.2017)

The government has escalated its move against my father Gen. Paul Malong Awan by removing his privileges

This afternoon my father was informed he must release his body guards to their units, surrender his cellphones, guns and that all visitations of any kind to him including those from family members children and wives are not permitted except with approval from the authorities.

This message was delivered by Lt. Gen. Magar Buong Aluenge on behalf of the SPLA Commander in Chief and the President of the Republic of South Sudan, Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit. Lt. Gen. Buong was accompanied by the Director General of Military Intelligence.

Since we are all in the dark on the reasons behind this escalation, I am informing the public of this move to ensure that they are in the know in case of further escalations.

_ The End _
Anei Malong

Retired Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Herbert Rheno Karugaba’s response to the IGP’s NBS TV 1/1/2017 Interview.

Age Limit: Rebecca Kadaga letter to President Museveni – “Re: Invasion of the Parliament Precints by Security Agencies on the 27th September 2017” (23.10.2017)

Opinion: Mzee don’t want to bother foreign investors with taxes, just give him a Presidential Handshakes!

Well, I am biased, as the President are visiting Dubai for 4th Global Business Forum on Africa on the 2nd November 2017. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is trying to cater to foreign investors. People who he usually cater to at the State House, so he can get favors and Presidential Handshakes. That is why he isn’t bothered with taxes, because the tax-holidays and possible offerings will be huge for the investors who comes in. That is what the National Resistance Movement (NRM) are doing, especially if it is for instance a nations offering the state loan, than the same state can come with state-companies to build infrastructure like Chinese companies coming in after offering loans to the same NRM government. Therefore, just look at what he was saying yesterday, which is weird, but fit a pattern.

Since you are business people, we must be talking about profits. When you talk of Uganda and Africa, you are talking about peace as an enabling environment; which we have. We have raw materials, and have a population of 40 million people that’s’ a market. And if we talk of integration we have a four tear market” (…) “In Africa, the demand is there and growing because we have been under-consuming while the rest of the world the demand is falling because they have been over consuming” (…) “There are plenty of raw materials, minerals, tourism and so on so when you invest there you have access to all these” (…) “I don’t have to bother investors with taxes, what I want is for them to invest, use our raw materials, create jobs, add value and promote exports” (State House Uganda, 2017).

Well, so the President trying to say to foreign investors, you don’t need to pay taxes for your output, just cater to me. The state you don’t have to bother about, just bother about catering to the State House and me. We will add value and promote exports, we will agreements and make sure you get the value on our resources and low-payed workers.

We know who is the biggest taxpayers in the republic, because of Uganda Revenue Authority own statement in the media on the 31st October 2017, which stated names like Mr. Alnasir Virani Gulam Hussein Habib, Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia, Mohammed Hussain, Nakayima Janat, Karia Minex, Karia Kunnal, Alykhan Hudani and Dayalijil Karan. Who are sounding like foreign investors and they are on the top 25 biggest taxpayers in Uganda. So the state has already connected families from abroad to invest there in various businesses. This shows there are already people who is not worried about taxes, but about the output of their companies.

Some of these investors has made big names, while others have worked more in silence. Still, this shows that the top earners even promoted by URA and Doris Akol. Proves how they are working, as there wasn’t that many own citizens on the list. That shows that the foreign investors must get a special advantage and special agreements at the state house for their dealings. Especially, considering how it has been done, just for tearing down markets in Kampala for own investors and financial agreements. This has been done and arranged from the State House without consultation with locals, neither KCCA or the renters of these markets. That is how the NRM and Museveni do deals in favor of him and if he get ill-gained funds, he will support the “development”. It is in similar fashion he exposes his intent in Dubai.

That the State doesn’t need taxes or need structures to facilitate for foreign investors, they just needs agreements with State House and then it is all fair-game. It is insane, but fits the Modus Operandi of the Musevenism and NRM regime. Give him a Presidential Handshake and you can operate as you want in the Republic. Peace.

Reference:

State House Uganda – ‘President Museveni woos Arab investors to Uganda “We have the raw materials, human resource and market”’ (02.11.2017) link: https://www.africa-newsroom.com/press/president-museveni-woos-arab-investors-to-uganda-we-have-the-raw-materials-human-resource-and-market?lang=en

Opinion: The NRM MPs cannot even manage to explain the Age Limit Bill to the Legal Committee!

Today was yet another dramatic day in the Parliament as the Raphael Magyezi Constitutional Amendment in the presence of himself and Minister of Justice Kahinda Otafiire where to make sure the proceedings went accordingly, apparently, they were not prepared or ready to be questioned by the opposition MPs. They walked out of the Parliamentary Committee in Protest. The National Resistance Movement who has the majority, walked out of the Committee, because they couldn’t argue for the bill.

The Minister and Magyezi came with two documents to preside in the bill, but they didn’t want to sign-off on them. Meaning they didn’t want to be bound by their own arguments and possible amendments to the bill. As the Committee was about to discuss the bill and check the rights of applying the bill into Parliament. Clearly, the writer of it, Magyezi and chief promoter Otafiire, couldn’t stomach the pressure and high-blood pressure to deliver results for their master. They had to storm out and walk it off.

That the NRM MPs are whining and bitching as they cannot allow or accept public scrutiny of the bill is evident. Even the head-honcho of the bill is on the defense, when someone asks questions about it. It is as if Magyezi MP knows how filled of venom his bill is, but wants the whole republic to drink the toxic poison he offers it. That is amazing that he has the courage and belittling of himself in the stance of simple questions from fellow MPs.

The tragedy of all if this, is that this is just beginning of the proceeding within the Legal Affairs Committee, unless the Parliament vote for restructure, the people who are in it. Will have the power to question it and also the basis of the matter. It is like the NRM have forgotten how the protocol work and how it is supposed to be. Magyezi just wants the bill to get his payday and be forever basking in glory of President Museveni. See I wrote the bill that gave your life presidency! Can you please offer me a giant slice of pudding and some chai? It is just like that and a bigger pay-off then a tasty dessert.

I am sure if it was anyone else of any other political party that tried this sort behavior, they would be suspended or sanctioned with ill behavior in the Parliament. Instead, since this is all NRM and loyalists of Museveni. They will walk another day, since they are there to do his bidding and by my reckoning, the loyal subjects of him.

That they lack courage and stamina, that they lack legal arguments and cannot even be questioned in a committee over the bill; how can the NRM must public support or even consultations, when they cannot be asked a few barring questions from fellow MPs?

It must be toxic; it must be deadly and must be true embodiment of evil, when the NRM MPs cannot master their tongue or their arguments to sufficiently grace the Legal Committee in Parliament.

Magyezi, how little mind or heart do you have? How little courage and spirit do you have? Since you cannot be questioned over the lifting of the age limit, how come? What does it take you to understand, how foolish you are right now? Certainly, Otafiire isn’t a brilliant mastermind, he is just a NRM Stooge from the Bush-War who Museveni can trust, because he has no morals or understanding of what he do. But you should know better, but you don’t. That is evident with your speeches and public appearances. That you got no idea.

None of you, NRM MPs knows how to defend this bill, neither have you the mental the capacity to usher it in, you just know how to eat the consultation funds. That is something you do know and will do. However, explaining the real reason for the Age Limit and standing behind it will all be a lie. The big lie being that this is not to cater to Museveni and his life presidency project, but all of us knows this.

Time to take it and eat the venom, take the toxic water and spill the drink. Hope you can handle it and drive, because as long as this one is PASSED. It will be rocky road. Peace.