Kenya

Haiti mission: Ruto on the verge of getting MPs’ approval

Kenya’s President William Ruto is on the verge of getting parliamentary approval to deploy 1,000 Kenyan police officers to the war-torn Caribbean nation of Haiti.

This comes after the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security recommended the House’s approval. The government now awaits the approval of the Senate after the joint committee of both Houses gave the green light for the deployment.

During Thursday morning’s plenary session of the National Assembly, members approved the request by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki after a heated debate, despite opposition from the minority side

(The East African)

Uganda

Scrap new surveillance system, HRW tells Uganda

Uganda’s new surveillance system, which allows the government to track the real-time location of all vehicles in the country, undermines privacy rights, and creates serious risks to the rights to freedom of association and expression, Human Rights Watch said, urging the government to scrap it. On November 1, 2023, the government initiated the “Intelligent Transport Monitoring System”, reportedly to address national security issues. 

“Uganda’s new transport surveillance system amounts to unchecked mass surveillance of all vehicles at all times, undermining the right to privacy for millions of Ugandans,” said Oryem Nyeko, Uganda researcher at Human Rights Watch. According to him, the government should focus on protecting its citizens’ rights instead of abusing them. The rights body said the Government of Uganda has limited public scrutiny of the technical system, its capabilities and the contract with the Russian company delivering the project. 

(The East African)

Tanzania 

Romania President Iohannis on a four-day visit to Tanzania 

Romanian President Klaus Ioannis is in Tanzania for a four-day state visit from November 16 to November 19, 2023. The visit is the response to President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s invitation, according to a statement issued by the foreign ministry on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. During his visit, President Ioannis will engage in crucial political consultations with President Hassan, with the two leaders expected to open new doors of trade relations between the two countries. The two heads of state will witness the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries in the sectors of agriculture, livestock, forestry, food, and emergency rescue issues, followed by a joint press conference.

(The Citizen)

Rwanda

Timeline: UK-Rwanda migration partnership

The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court on Wednesday, November 15, ruled that a migration plan by the UK government to send asylum seekers to Rwanda would be unlawful. The ruling came as a disappointment to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who reiterated that “the Rwanda policy is an essential part” of his plan to stop migrants arriving in the UK illegally.

(New Times)

Somalia

Security council extends AU mission in Somalia

The Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution to extend the authorisation for the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) for six months, till June 30, 2024.  Resolution 2710, which won the unanimous support of the 15-member council, authorises African Union member states to deploy up to 17,626 uniformed personnel to ATMIS till Dec 31, 2023, and to complete the phase 2 drawdown of 3,000 personnel by this date, a three-month pause as requested by the Somali government.