KENYA

Raila heads to Migori, Ruto expected to unveil manifesto

Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga will on Thursday take his campaigns to Migori county.

His running mate Martha Karua will take the Azimio gospel to Kisii County.

This is part of their planned five-day tour of the Nyanza region.

Karua on Wednesday took campaigns to Homa Bay County after attending a meeting with the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission at Windsor together with Raila.

Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate William Ruto and his running mate Rigathi Gachagua will on the other hand be launching their manifesto at Kasarani Stadium at 6.30p.m.

Gachagua on Wednesday in Marsabit and Isiolo counties, where he chaired economic forums.

Ruto had first attended an economic forum in Tharaka Nithi County before joining the rest of his team in the IEBC meeting.

(Source: The Star)

TANZANIA

President Samia appoints new Chief of Defence Forces

Tanzania’s Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has on Wednesday, June 29, appointed General Jacob John Mkunda as the new Chief of Defence Forces (CDF).

A statement issued by the Directorate of Presidential Communication at State House in Dar es Salaam said General Mkunda replaces outgoing CDF General Venance Mabeyo.

Prior to the new appointment, Mkunda was the Chief of Operations and Training.

Mkunda replaced Mabeyo after the latter reached his statutory retirement age.

At the same time, President Samia promoted Major-General Salum Haji Othman to Lieutenant General and appointed him as new Chief of Staff of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF).

Prior to the appointment, Othman was Commissioner for Research and Military Development at the ministry of the defence and national services.

(Source: The New Times)

UGANDA

Congo refugees refuse to return home

About 10,000 Congolese refugees, who fled to Kisoro District after M23 rebels captured  Bunagana border town on June 13, have refused to return to their country, saying they are not safe.

The refugees are from Rutshuru, Busanza, Jomba, Gisigari, Tongo, Bunagana, and Masisi areas, all in North Kivu.

“I cannot return home knowing that the government soldiers and the security team from East African countries will soon flush out M23 rebels from the places they captured. We relied on M23 as a strong force but in 2013, they were overpowered and left us in misery,” Mr Juma Kumwami, a refugee, said on Monday.

The M23 rebel spokesperson, Maj Willy Ngoma, could not be reached as he did not respond to our repeated calls or reply to text messages.

However, last week he said all the Congolese refugees were allowed to return because the area had been well secured.

(Source: The Monitor) 

RWANDA

Using FDLR to Fight M23 is Counterproductive

The resurgence of the M23 rebellion has overshadowed the presence of more than 130 armed groups in eastern DR Congo, including the FDLR, which was founded by the former government forces and militia that committed the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

The observation was made by Claver Gatete, Rwanda’s permanent representative to the United Nations, during a briefing to the Security Council, on Wednesday, June 29.

The briefing was focused on the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo.

Gatete’s remarks came soon after Bintou Keita, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and other diplomats spoke at length about the deteriorating conflict in the east of the neighbouring country. Keita and other envoys expressed concerns over growing hostility targeting Rwandans and Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese in the DR Congo.

Amb. Gatete reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to the outcomes of the third EAC Heads of State conclave on the DR Congo held in Nairobi on June 20, during which East African leaders agreed to deploy a joint EAC force to help stabilise eastern DR Congo by neutralising all the negative forces.

(Source: The New Times)

ETHIOPIA

UAE, Ethiopia Discuss Political Empowerment of Women through Parliaments

The efforts of the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopian governments in empowering women politically through parliament, were highlighted at a webinar organised by the UAE Embassy in Addis Ababa.

The particular focus of the webinar, held under the theme “Women in Parliament: Perspectives from the UAE & Ethiopia”, was to exchange experiences between the two countries in the domain of women’s political empowerment and leadership, as well as their respective efforts in enhancing the role and representation of women in political life.

Within this framework, Deputy Speaker of the House of Federation, Zahra Humed, shared that the Ethiopian government is actively working towards ensuring equal opportunities for the participation of women in parliament.

She further added that: “A number of measures are being taken to increase women representation in the two houses of the Parliament, which is currently less than 50 percent including the enacting of additional laws aimed at capacitating parliamentary women and preparing young women for parliament.”

(Source: Ethiopia News Agency)

ERITREA

Vocational training for youth in Barentu

Segen Construction Company provided four months of theoretical and practical training on construction to 63 youth at Kaelay Training Centre.

The training programme, organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Gash Barka Region administration and Segen Construction Company, was attended by youth from the sub-zones of Barentu and Shambuko as well as from Agmait administrative area and included metal and wood works, building as well as others related to construction.

The trainees were provided theoretical training for three months and one-month practical training at branches of the company in Teseney, Bisha, Barentu and Asmara.

Indicating that the training was part of the human resources development effort in the country, Ms. Leul Gebreab, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, called on the trainees to apply the training they were provided in improving their livelihoods and become exemplary.

(Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea)

SUDAN

New security forces for Darfur as Juba Peace Agreement is slowly implemented

The Sovereignty Council announced that a ceremony will be held next week for the inauguration of a new batch of security forces concerned with the protection of civilians in Darfur as part of the implementation of the security arrangements stipulated in the Juba Peace Agreement. The presence of armed forces in Darfur has been subject to much controversy and negotiation over the past years.

When announcing the event, the council said that the first batch of former rebel forces will be inaugurated next Sunday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, according to the security arrangements stipulated in the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA).

The inauguration will take place in the presence of the President of the Sovereignty Council, his deputy, members of the Sovereignty Council, the Wali (governor) of the Darfur region, and the Minister of Finance.

The number of soldiers that will be inaugurated is estimated at 2,000 after graduating from their months-long training in Jadeed El Seil camp in El Fasher.

Suleiman Sandal, Vice-Chairman of the JPA Security Arrangements Committee, said that the force will cooperate with the regular forces to establish security, protect peace, protect civilians, secure displaced people and refugees, and create a safe and stable environment.

(Source: Radio Dabanga)

SOMALIA

President Hassan Sheikh Briefs The Public On His Health Condition

The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accompanied by the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, Hamse Abdi Barre, addressed the people of Somalia on his health condition, thanking them for their prayers and attention they showed during his compliance with Covid-19 guidelines and recommendations. the medical community Covid-19.

The president said medical tests related to COVID-19 showed he had recovered, and he would resume and expedite national work.

“After five days of complying with the guidelines and recommendations of the healthcare community regarding Covid-19, I underwent the final test yesterday and today, which resulted in being free of Covid-19, and therefore, I am back in office to expedite the national work that you have entrusted me to do,” he said.

(Source: Radio Dalsan)