Uganda Correspondent

Gambia military men “in coup bid”

Prosecutors in The Gambia have charged the former heads of the Navy and Army with plotting to overthrow President Yahya Jammeh; the BBC has reported. Former Navy Chief Sarjo Fofona and ex-army Chief of Staff Gen. Langtombong Tamba are accused of being part of a 2006 alleged coup attempt. Gen Tamba is already on trial alongside other army officials for his alleged part in a failed coup last year.

President Jammeh himself seized power in a coup in 1994. He has since won three elections amid opposition allegations of harassment. His critics however say that his government is using allegations of coup plots to intimidate potential rivals and settle scores. Some unconfirmed reports suggest that the arrests may be linked to the recent seizure of more than two tonnes of cocaine in the country.

Prosecutors say the two former military chiefs “refused or neglected to report [a coup plot] to the appropriate authorities within a reasonable period or time”, according to the AFP news agency. Another group of senior military officials and businessmen were arrested in March and accused of planning to seize power. Several people were sentenced to long prison terms over the 2006 coup attempt.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Darfur Rebels Surrender to ICC

Two Darfur rebel leaders have surrendered to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The men, Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus, were secretly indicted last year. They are wanted for war crimes in connection with the deaths of 12 African Union peacekeepers in 2007. Earlier this year, charges against another rebel leader to do with the same attack were dropped because of lack of evidence. ICC judges ruled prosecutors could not prove that Bahr Idriss Abu Garda, who also gave himself up voluntarily, had planned the attack on the Haskanita AU camp in September 2007. In a statement, the ICC said the two suspects would face the following three war crimes charges when they appear before the chamber on Thursday:

Murder
Intentionally directing attacks against peacekeeping personnel
Stealing property

“It is alleged that the attackers, numbering approximately 1,000, were armed with anti-aircraft guns, artillery guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers,” the statement said. In January 2008, the UN took joint control of the peacekeeping force in Darfur with increased numbers and a stronger mandate. Last year, Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir was indicted on war crimes, which were the first issued by the ICC against a sitting president. He strongly denies the charges – and his government says figures of those killed in the Darfur conflict have been massively exaggerated.

According to the UN, an estimated 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and more than 2.6 million displaced since ethnic rebels took up arms in 2003. A government minister and pro-government militia leader have also been indicted for alleged war crimes in Darfur.

Source: BBC Website

Salva Kirr Re-appoints Riek Machar

Sudanese state media reported on Saturday that the President of South Sudan Salva Kiir has reappointed his deputy Riek Machar. This is a major political step ahead of the forthcoming referendum through which the people will decide whether or not to break away from the Bashir-led North. Southern Sudan won semi-autonomous government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement [CPA] that ended more than two decades of bitter civil war with the north.

Mr Kiir won overwhelmingly in the April election to stay on as president of South Sudan. He is now expected to name the rest of his new cabinet in the next few days, seven months before the referendum scheduled for January 2011. Further north, President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir is also expected to announce the country’s national coalition government soon. President Bashir said the key Ministry of Energy and Mining would be led by a member of Mr Kiir’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement [SPLM]; a move that might strengthen the “No” campaigners in the referendum.

While most analysts agree that the proponents of the “Yes” campaign will carry the day in the referendum, they also acknowledge that Southern Sudan still faces major challenges. The people in the South are still buried in abject poverty, food security is still a major problem, and the new government will have to deal with rebellions from at least three militia leaders who bitterly dispute the outcome of the last election. In fact, Sudan’s army reported that fighters who are loyal to David Yauyau on Thursday kidnapped four government guards in Boma wildlife park near the country’s border with Ethiopia.

Col. Ogole Breaks 25yr Political Silence

By Staff Writer

Uganda Correspondent

Col. John Charles Ogole

In terms of stature, he is most definitely not your typical Ugandan. For a start, he is very well built; throughout in fact! Secondly, going by my rudimentary estimation, I would say that standing, he easily hits above 6ft mark. Thirdly, I think he probably weighs something that the Doctor would say is perfectly proportionate for that sort of stature; so you work it out for yourself. Fourthly, his hands are blessed with long and larger than average fingers that give you more than just a firm grip when you greet him. For most small people, I am sure a handshake with him would feel like a “David and Goliath” hand-squeezing contest. His head is now covered in neatly trimmed silver-white grey hair. And yet, only a few minutes with him will tell you that his grey hair is very deceptive. Beneath that grey covered skull lies a brain that could put that of many Ugandan graduates to shame. It is, in other words, a head that is still firing on all cylinders; like a brand new car! (more…)

Mo Foundation Cancels 2010 Prize

Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim

The 2010 Mo Ibrahim Prize for outstanding leadership by African leaders is off. The Prize Committee met yesterday to discuss the award of the 2010 Mo Ibrahim Prize. Following its deliberations, the Prize Committee informed the Board of the Foundation that it had not selected a winner. Last year the Prize Committee announced that it had considered some credible candidates, but after in depth review could not select a winner. This year the Prize Committee told the Board that there had been no new candidates or new developments and that therefore no selection of a winner had been made. The Mo Ibrahim Prize recognises and celebrates excellence in African leadership. The prize is awarded to a democratically elected former African Executive Head of State or Government who has served their term in office within the limits set by the country’s constitution and has left office in the last three years. The first winner of the Prize was Joaquim Chissano, former President of Mozambique in 2007, followed by Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana in 2008. (more…)

Identity Crisis Hits “Ugandans” in the Diaspora

By Timothy Nsubuga,

Uganda Correspondent

For many Ugandans, being Ugandan is something that they consider to be fairly straight forward; hardly debatable in fact. For them, it is as simple as either being born in Uganda to Ugandan parents, [or at least one of them] or by registration as a citizen. For Miss Brown however, [not her real names] it is not that straight forward. For a long time, she considered herself to be Ugandan without much question. After all, she was born and raised in Uganda and both her parents were Ugandans through and through! But she began to question her uncritical, almost dogmatic beliefs recently when she was granted citizenship in a European country. Her nationality identity crisis story goes like this: (more…)

Gambia military men “in coup bid”

Darfur Rebels Surrender to ICC

Salva Kirr Re-appoints Riek Machar

Col. Ogole Breaks 25yr Political Silence

Mo Foundation Cancels 2010 Prize

Identity Crisis Hits “Ugandans” in the Diaspora

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