KENYA

Uhuru plotting to disrupt elections, William Ruto now says 

Deputy President William Ruto Thursday launched a scathing attack on President Uhuru Kenyatta, accusing his boss of planning to disrupt the General Election set for Tuesday.

The Kenya Kwanza Alliance presidential candidate claimed the president was behind alleged night meetings he said were called to plot conflict ahead of the elections.

The DP did not provide any evidence for his allegations, and contacted by the Nation, Interior and Coordination of National Government Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i flatly accused the DP of lying.

He added that as DP, Dr Ruto knows very well that the government does not operate like a secret society as every meeting has an agenda and minutes are kept, accusing him of habitually spreading lies and falsehoods to gain sympathy ahead of the elections.

(Source: The Daily Nation)

TANZANIA

Former Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete to head EAC observer mission 

Retired Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete will head the East African Community (EAC) election observation mission to Kenya.

The mission of 52 observers drawn from key governance and independent institutions and civil society organisations across the seven-member EAC bloc except Kenya is expected to be in the country from August 1st to 12th. Kenyans will vote in the general elections on August 9.

The EAC Secretary-General, Dr Peter Mathuki, in remarks read on his behalf by the EAC Principal Political Affairs Officer, David Onen said that the bloc’s mandate to observe elections in the partner states is governed by the Treaty and the EAC Principles for the Observation and Evaluation of Elections.

(Source: The East African)

UGANDA

Govt’s 7-point plan to end rights abuses 

The new Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Mr Norbert Mao, yesterday outlined a seven-point blueprint to tackle allegations of rights abuses by mainly security forces and other State actors.

In a submission to Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights chaired by Mr Fox Odoi, the minister endorsed a raft of proposals by lawmakers invested in ending impunity and rights violations.

Mr Mao specifically committed to “encourage” President Museveni, his appointing authority, on issues of human rights.

Mao’s plan at glance:

• Spearhead constitutional review
• Engage relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to heed demands
• Grant audience to torture victims
• Push government institutions to comply with court decisions
• Pursue release of political prisoners
• Engage security agencies over rights issues
• Neutral player in the Executive

(Source: Daily Monitor) 

RWANDA

US top envoy Anthony Blinken to calm tensions in Rwanda, DR Congo

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected in Rwanda and DRC this week to push for amends in ties between the two neighbours, who had a public spat last month over the fanning of rebels.

Mr Blinken said his trip to Africa would include a push to have Rwanda and DR Congo iron out their differences. But it will also include discussions on “the effects of climate change, food insecurity and global pandemics, or shaping the technological and economic future.”

Blinken’s tour will be his second visit to Africa after visiting Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal in November 2021.

(Source: The East African)

ETHIOPIA

Ethiopia’s plan to fill reservoir opposed by Egypt at UN

Egypt said it had protested to the UN Security Council against Ethiopian plans to fill the reservoir of a controversial Nile dam for a third year without agreement from downstream countries.

The multibillion-dollar Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile is set to be the largest hydroelectric scheme in Africa, but has been at the centre of a dispute with Egypt and Sudan ever since work began in 2011.

“The Renaissance Dam threatens the lives of over 150 million Sudanese and Egyptian citizens. If no agreement is reached and Ethiopia acts unilaterally, and if the UNSC doesn’t intervene, it could lead to unprecedented scenarios and spark a regional war.”

(Source: Arab News)

SUDAN

Khartoum announces support for China’s claims over Taiwan 

Sudan has announced its support for China’s claims to Taiwan, an island roughly 100 miles from the coast of southeast China.

“Khartoum supports the principle of one China, considering Taiwan as an inalienable part of it, and supports Beijing’s efforts to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Sudanese Foreign Affairs ministry said in a statement extended to the Sudan Tribune on Wednesday.

Western experts say if China was to take over Taiwan, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific region and could possibly even threaten US military bases as far away as Guam and Hawaii. China has, however, insisted that its intentions are purely peaceful.

(Source: Sudan Tribune)

SOMALIA

Somalia names former al-Shabab spokesperson as religion minister

Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has named the country’s new cabinet, choosing former al-Shabaab spokesperson Muktar Robow as a minister, a move that could either help strengthen the fight against the insurgency or provoke clan clashes.

Robow, who has been under house arrest for the past three years, also used to serve as a deputy leader of al-Shabab, the al-Qaeda-linked armed group.

Some analysts have speculated that Robow, who has long denounced al-Shabab, could help strengthen government forces in his native Bakool region, where the group holds substantial amounts of territory.

This new Cabinet, nominated nearly 40 days after new Prime Minister Barre took office, will need the approval of the Somali parliament.

(Source: Al Jazeera)

ERITREA

Statement on Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan 

At a time when the flaws and follies of its global policy have become more apparent, and in an attempt to ramp up its policy of containment of China, Washington has concocted the provocative visit of House Speaker Pelosi to Taiwan with all its perilous ramifications.  The latest act is but a continuation of reckless policies that the US administration has pursued in the past years in Asia to advance this singular objective.

The latest act is deplorable as it is in contravention of international law; the norms and provisions of State sovereignty; as well as, the “One-China” policy, and the process of Chinese reunification.

(Source: Ministry of Information Eritrea)