---------------------Forwarded-------------------- Judy Miriga Diaspora Spokesperson Executive Director Confederation Council Foundation for Africa Inc., USA http://socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com DR Congo conflict creates refugee crisis Published on Nov 25, 2012 The African Union has called on M23 rebels to lay down their weapons and to leave the regional capital of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Refugees in South Sudan camp in danger Published on Nov 24, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish The United Nations refugee agency chief Antonio Guterres has said that a refugee camp in South Sudan is the most dangerous he has seen. South Sudan Refugee Health Situation Alarming, Says UN The United Nations says it's alarmed by the health situation of scores of refugees living in camps and settlements across the country. Read more » Congo-Kinshasa: AU Urges M23 Rebels to End War25 November 2012 The African Union has called on M23 rebels occupying a key town in eastern DR Congo to stop fighting, as diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis continue. In a statement released Sunday, the AU echoed a call by regional Heads of State under the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), at a summit on Saturday, for the M23 rebels to stop fighting and withdraw from the regional capital of Goma. It also welcomed a commitment by the DR Congo government to resolve the rebels' grievances. AU chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma "welcomes the commitment of the government of the DRC to listen, evaluate and resolve any legitimate grievances of the M23. She urges the M23 immediately to take the steps expected of it," the AU said in a statement. The summit... outlined a 10-point plan that provides for the immediate withdrawal of the M23 elements from all the locations they recently occupied, as well as the establishment of security arrangements to monitor the situation on the ground. Dlamini Zuma reiterated the "AU's deep concern at the worsening humanitarian situation on the ground and the abuses committed against the civilian populations," the statement added. Reports indicated the political leader of the M23, Jean-Marie Runiga Lugerero, had expected to hold further talks Sunday with DR Congo President Joseph Kabila after reportedly seeing him on Saturday night after the summit of the 11-member International Conference on the Great Lakes. But by press time it was not clear if the two had met. Uncertainty meanwhile hung over the fate of Goma, the capital of the restive province of North Kivu. Leaders at Saturday's summit in Kampala said the rebels should withdraw to positions at least 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of the town, which the guerrillas -- former army soldiers who staged a mutiny in April -- seized on Tuesday. That would mean the rebels returning to the positions they held before launching the assault that claimed Goma. The regional leaders said the pull-out should be done within 48 hours. The M23 was launched by former rebel group [CNDP] who were integrated into the military under a 2009 peace deal that they claim was never fully implemented. In exchange for a pull-out, the DR Congo government said at the summit it was committed to "listen to, evaluate and resolve any legitimate grievances" the M23 has. The M23's advance has displaced tens of thousands of civilians, some fleeing to Rwanda, sparked warnings of humanitarian disaster, and raised fears that a wider conflict could again erupt in the volatile area. DR Congo Conflict Creates Refugee Crisis
The African Union has called on M23 rebels to lay down their weapons and to leave the regional capital of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Poor governance brings this.The richest country in the world is the poorest country because those who rule don't know anything.Corruption,insecurity ,poverty,illiteracy etc are in Congo not because of Congolese,but because of their sleeping govt since independence.Mr president has the name,but foreigners rule Congo. Congo-Kinshasa: UN Concern for Civilians Grows As Fighting Continues in Eastern DR Congo UN News Service, 23 November 2012 United Nations humanitarian agencies today voiced their growing concern for civilians affected by the recent fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the ... read more » Congo-Kinshasa: UNHCR Concerned About Situation of Displaced in North Kivu (press release) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 23 November 2012 With continuing fighting in North Kivu on Friday, UNHCR said it was extremely concerned about the situation of displaced Congolese civilians in the province, especially children ... read more » Congo-Kinshasa: UNHCR Urges All Sides in Eastern Congo Conflict to Protect the Displaced (press release) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 21 November 2012 The UN refugee agency on Wednesday urged warring rivals in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to ensure the safety of tens of thousands of people displaced by days of ... read more » Congo-Kinshasa: DRC - Thousands Reported Newly Displaced in North Kivu (press release) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 23 November 2012 This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards - to whom quoted text may be attributed - at the press briefing, on 23 November 2012, at the Palais des ... read more »  Photo: J.Akena/UNHCR These villagers carry their belongings as they head towards the border with Uganda during an earlier exodus from North Kivu province. Congo-Kinshasa: M23 Rebels Given 48 Hours to Leave GomaBy Gashegu Muramira, 24 November 2012 Photo: Eddie Ssejjoba/New VisionDRC President Joseph Kabila, left, with South Sudan minister of commerce and investments, Garanga Dung Akwang in Kampala. Regional Heads of State yesterday ordered the M23 rebels to withdraw from Goma in 48 hours. Goma, the capital of the eastern DRC fell to the rebels last Tuesday. The Heads of State, grouped under the ICGRL issued the order in a statement released after meeting in Kampala yesterday. "We have decided that M23 withdraw from current positions to the ground of tactical importance not less than 20km from Goma town within 2 days," the Heads of State said in a communiqué. Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo represented President Paul Kagame at the meeting. The meeting, chaired by the ICGLR Chairperson, Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was also attended by DRC President Joseph Kabila, Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete and Kenya's Mwai Kibaki among other leaders. They asked the DRC Government to listen, evaluate and resolve the legitimate grievances of M23 including taking into account the report of the work already done by the ICGLR. "They will withdraw to a strategic position of 20 kilometers away from Goma. In other words, nobody should attempt to attack them wherever they are," Uganda's Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kuteesa told The New Times in an interview. Kuteesa said that although M23 rebels may be an illegitimate group, it has legitimate concerns which the DRC government has undertaken to evaluate and resolve. "They are the ones to choose what strategic place to withdraw to. They are not withdrawing for nothing," he added. Mushikwabo called on the international community to support the peace deal, adding that this marked a major breakthrough in finding a lasting solution to the conflict in eastern Congo. "We expect the M23 as well as the DRC Government to abide by the deal that has been brokered by the ICGLR," she said. At Goma airport, the Presidents decided, a composite force comprising of one company of a Neutral Force, another company of the FARDC and the DRC army and one company of M23 should be deployed. The Heads of State demanded that the Police that were disarmed in Goma by M23 be rearmed so that they resume duty. The Presidents ordered that the process shall be supervised by Chiefs of Defence of Rwanda, DRC and led by the Chief of Defence Forces of Uganda, with the participation of other Chiefs of Defence Staff from other member states. Goma tense as ultimatum for rebel departure loomsBy MELANIE GOUBY and RUKMINI CALLIMACHI | Associated Press – 11 hrs ago
Related Content
GOMA, Congo (AP) — This Congolese city recently seized by rebels was tense Monday, as residents waited to see if the fighters will abide by a midnight deadline to withdraw from Goma, a week after taking the strategic regional capital in a humiliating defeat for the Congolese army. A regional group attempting to negotiate an end to the fighting issued the ultimatum on Saturday in the capital of neighboring Uganda, saying that they give the M23 rebels two days to withdraw no less than 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Goma. The deadline expires Monday at midnight, according to the ultimatum issued by the regional bloc, the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region. The military chief of the M23 rebels would not indicate whether his fighters planned to respect the withdrawal time limit. Reached by telephone at an undisclosed location, he said he was on his way to Kampala for talks. "I'll know more about what is going on once I arrive (in Kampala). I am now on the road to get there," said Gen. Sultani Makenga, the military leader of the eight-month-old rebel group. "We will talk about all of this in coming hours." In downtown Goma, a city of around 1 million which is a major population center as well as a key crossroads, rebel fighters appeared to be increasing their patrols. A dozen armed M23 rebels were seen patrolling the city in a slow moving Land Cruiser, driving past United Nations troops stationed at traffic circles. Others could be seen on foot patrols on the main arteries. The U.N., which has hundreds of troops stationed in Goma, did not do anything to halt the rebels' advance into the city a week ago, saying that the U.N. mandate did not allow them to engage the fighters. On Monday, a U.N. transport helicopter could be seen buzzing above the shores of this lakeside town. For the first time since the rebels took the city, schools reopened, though turnout was dismal. At one Goma school, only 50 out of 1,400 enrolled students showed up. The Congolese military, meanwhile, was regrouping in the town of Minova, located around 60 kilometers (36 miles) south of Goma. Over the weekend, pickup trucks packed with Congolese army soldiers armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades sped through the town. Others walked the streets, looking for food. Some were even selling cigarettes on the side of the road, testimony to the poor pay that government troops receive. In Minova, Congo Gen. Francois Olenga, who was recently named head of the Congolese army's ground troops, held meetings with area commanders. "The country is in danger. We cannot defend our country with traitors," Olenga told The Associated Press. Meanwhile, talks at ending the conflict appeared to be stalled. M23 soldiers as well as Congolese officials, including President Joseph Kabila, traveled to neighboring Uganda, whose President Yoweri Museveni is heading the mediation effort, under the banner of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region. Ugandan Defense Minister Crispus Kiyonga said he was mediating to help both sides reach a settlement. But Uganda can hardly claim to be totally neutral: Both Rwanda and Uganda back the rebels, according to a U.N. report released on Wednesday. Rene Abandi, M23's head of external relations, said M23 representatives met with the Congolese president in a tense, two-hour meeting attended by Museveni. The Congolese government, however, denied that it has had any direct negotiations with the M23. Government spokesman Lambert Mende said on Monday that there will be no talks with the rebels until they leave Goma. M23 is made up of hundreds of soldiers who deserted the Congolese army in April. Since then the rebels have occupied vast swaths of territory in mineral-rich eastern Congo. The rebels accuse Congo's government of failing to honor the terms of a 2009 peace deal that incorporated them into the national army. ___ Callimachi reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda and, Africa chief photographer Jerome Delay in Minova, Congo, contributed to this report. Kenya: Pirates Are Getting 'More Sophisticated'By Brian Otieno, 14 November 2012 Though piracy has significantly reduced off the Somali coast, pirates have become more organised and sophisticated, Indian Navy officers l have said. Commanding officer of Indian naval ship Deepak, Balbir Munjal, said on Monday that this has made the fight more complicated. He said the pirates use more sophisticated weapons and are more tactical than before. Speaking aboard the INS Delhi after it docked at the Mombasa port together with INS Deepak, Munjal said the pirates have back-up on land who provide them with information they require. "Piracy is still there but has been reduced considerably. In the last three weeks we have been at sea, we have not encountered any piracy activity," he said. Munjal called for more cooperation between the Kenyan and Indian Navy to finish off piracy completely. He called for the fast-tracking of the modification of rules to punish pirates more. Indian High Commissioner to Kenya Sibabrata Tripathi said the cooperation between the Kenya and Indian Navy further improves bilateral relations between the two countries. Tripathu hailed the new Lamu port initiative saying it will open up the region. He called for more concerted efforts to completely root out piracy. Brazil ambassador to Kenya Ana Maria Sampaio said piracy has become a big scourge to the global economy. Sampaio said Brazil is committed to peace at sea and the peaceful exploration of resources. She and Tripathi said the joint Indian, Brazilian and South African maritime programme (IBSAMAR) should be encouraged to not only keep the sea safe but also to support people in distress. The INS Delhi, a destroyer and INS Deepak, a combat support ship, docked at the Mombasa port on November 12 and will stay until November 15. The officers in the two ships have undergone a three-week training exercise in distress response and humanitarian aid in South Africa Congo-Kinshasa: 'The Children Could Die' in Eastern DRC FightingBy Baudry Aluma, 26 November 2012Bukavu — Humanitarian agencies working in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been overwhelmed following a massive displacement triggered by fighting between the Congolese army (FARDC) and rebel movement M23 in North Kivu. "The situation is truly precarious. There is no medicine, no food. Children could die. People are spending the night outside, each one beside their baggage, and it is very cold," says Roger Manegabe, head of a family who managed to reach Bukavu from North Kivu. "We're missing school. We're hungry, there's no drinking water, there's no electricity. I'm 16 years old and war is all I've known from the time I was born. What will become of us?" said Fiston, Manegabe's son. Since the start of the year, conflict in the two Kivu provinces -- militias in South Kivu have also clashed -- has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation and uprooted nearly 650,000 people, according to U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Adrian Edwards. Manegaba's family is among some 250,000 civilians newly displaced since April in North Kivu, and a further 339,000 in South Kivu. According to Edwards, during this period more than 40,000 people also fled to Uganda and 15,000 others to Rwanda. And since August, Burundi has received nearly 1,000 new Congolese refugees. Rebel fighters captured Goma, the province's largest city, on Nov. 20, and Sake the following day, before their advance stalled. M23 was launched on Mar. 12 with a mutiny of Congolese army officers and soldiers. It is now putting forward a broad set of demands covering politics, social issues, human rights and governance. The movement is demanding direct talks with Congolese President Joseph Kabila as a precondition for retreating from Goma. The group's political spokesperson, Jean-Marie Runiga Lugerero, held a preliminary meeting on Sunday Nov. 25 with Kabila in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, following a regional summit on the crisis in eastern DRC. More than 30,000 people who fled the Kanyaruchinya sector in North Kivu have found refuge at a camp in Mugunga, swelling the total numbers there to 40,000. They told the UNHCR representative in the province, Lazard-Etienne Kouassi, who visited the camp on Nov. 22, that they had not received food since their arrival and that they were eager to go back to their villages. |
Jobs in Africa - www.wejobs.blogspot.com
nafasi mpya za Kazi www.kazibongo.blogspot.com
Habari na Picha www.patahabari.blogspot.com
DELL LATITUDE D 620 & D30
80 GB HardDisk ,CORE 2 DUO , 2.0 GHZ CPU ,2 GB RAM
DVD/CD - RW ,WINDOWS 7 /WINDOWS XP ,WIRELESS , BLUE TOOTH .
TSHS : 380,000 , 1 YEAR WARRANTY
CALL : 0786 806028
Free Delivery in Dar es salaam
Kujiondoa Tuma Email kwenda
wanabidii+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com Utapata Email ya kudhibitisha ukishatuma
Disclaimer:
Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.
0 comments:
Post a Comment