2023-06-12 11:16:12
The Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations in charge of peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, indicated on June 7, during a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), that the blue helmets should withdraw from this country ” as quickly as possible,” but responsibly, writes The East African.
He also warned that the DRC must step up its own response to armed groups to avoid creating a “fatal security vacuum”. Lacroix acknowledges the “frustration” against the UN and the level of insecurity which remains alarming, but recalled that false rumors also often circulate about blue helmets.
According to him, thousands of displaced people in eastern DRC receive protection “almost exclusively” from UN troops: “These people often urge Monusco to stay.”
For him, the UN, responding to the request of the Congolese authorities, wishes to withdraw “as quickly as possible”: “The transition had to be gradual and responsible. We need an increase in the power of state services”.
According to Actualité.CD, the UN mission had already closed its offices in certain regions of the country, notably in Kasai and Tanganyika to focus on the east of the country where violence is still raging.
“The deadline for the final departure, there is none that is defined. Monusco’s vocation is to leave, but a responsible departure in accordance with the various parameters indicated which seem to me to have the approval of the authorities with whom we spoke”said Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
For him, there are conditions for the departure of Monusco including in particular the reduction of the security risk, the massive reduction of the impact of the activities of the armed groups and the rise in power of the defense and security forces of the State. .
According to The East African, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC (Monusco) is one of the most expensive in the world, with an annual budget of around 1 billion dollars. It has been present in the country since 1999 and currently has about 16 thousand military personnel.
The UN has come under heavy criticism in the DRC, where many Congolese accuse peacekeepers of being unable to prevent violence. Dozens of people were killed in anti-UN protests last year.
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi last year instructed his government to convene a meeting with Monusco to “reassess the plan for its withdrawal agreed under the UN Security Council resolution “.
Uganda: President Museveni tested positive for Covid-19
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni contracted Covid-19 after one of three tests on June 7 came back positive for coronavirus. “This morning I felt like I had a cold. I did a rapid Covid test which came back negative.
However, my samples were taken for further analysis. One was negative and the other positive. So I am a Corona suspect as I speak”said Yoweri Museveni, during his address to the nation on June 7 at Kololo field in Kampala.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Diana Atwine, also Museveni’s personal physician, later indicated that the president is in “good health”: “The president tested positive for Covid-19 on June 7. This was after he developed mild flu-like symptoms. However, he is in good health and continues to perform his duties normally while adhering to standard operating procedures.”
According to The East African, since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, President Museveni, 78, has always worn a mask while maintaining social distancing in public. Vaccinated against the disease, he often sits alone and at a distance when meeting visitors.
According to Daily Monitor, Museveni says he was “very careful with Corona”, but had recently given up on masks because they were causing him eye and throat allergies.
During state events in Uganda, guests are often required to take the Covid-19 test, which the opposition describes as “unnecessary expense”.
Ahead of Wednesday’s address to the nation, opposition leader Mathias Mpuuga had called on lawmakers to boycott President Yoweri Museveni’s event, lamenting a waste of taxpayers’ money on Covid-19 testing, writes The Independent.
This criticism is based on the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) last month declared the end of Covid-19 as a public health emergency of international concern.
Kenya: Opposition threatens to resume protests against budget bill
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga on June 7 presented what he called his “final objection” to the revenue-boosting measures contained in the 2023-2024 budget bill, which calls for a Nationwide mass action if this bill passes, writes Nation.
“This bill is economic sabotage. If Ruto insists on this bill, this country will go into a recession. This bill requires and must face fierce resistance”, said the Kenyan opposition leader. He denounces the withdrawal of subsidies on basic necessities and the increase in taxes on the same products.
He also challenged the taxation of pharmaceuticals and medicines by removing them from zero status to tax exempt status. And to castigate the increase in taxes on small businesses.
“Young workers looking to make a living as content creators and social media influencers are hit with a punitive 15% withholding tax.”
Raila Odinga also lamented that this bill would impose a 316% tax increase on beauty products: “The beauty industry is a major employer, especially for our women and daughters who have been unable to find work elsewhere. Millions of young men and women earn their living in salons. These businesses face closure and others will have to lay off employees if this bill is approved.”
According to The Star, Vice President Rigathi Gachagua indicated on June 8 that all members of Kenya Kwanza (presidential coalition) support the budget bill proposed by the government of President William Ruto: “The only person against the bill is opposition leader Raila Odinga. If you see Raila objecting to something, know that’s a good thing.”.
Tanzania: nearly 10 trillion and a half shillings to repay the national debt
The government has allocated the colossal sum of 10.480 billion shillings to repay the national debt in the fiscal year 2023-2024.
The amount represents a 15% increase on the 9.1 trillion shillings Parliament had approved to repay loans taken out by the government from various sources in the financial year 2022-23, reports The Citizen.
The parliamentary committee responsible for the budget is satisfied with the rate of payment of the government’s debt: “However, we advise the government to ensure that any loans it acquires are spent on development projects to better benefit the Tanzanian economy.”
The Minister of Finance and Planning says that one of the priorities of his ministry for the next fiscal year is to facilitate the collection of a total of 40.8 trillion shillings in revenue: “The 10.48 trillion shillings to be spent on debt means that 25% of the revenue will be spent on paying down the national debt.”
According to The Citizen, Tanzania’s national debt stood at around 97 trillion shillings at the end of April 2023.
Rwanda: UN tribunal declares Kabuga, genocide suspect, “unfit” to stand trial
The International Mechanism called to exercise the residual functions of the criminal courts of The Hague, in the Netherlands, ruled on June 6 that Félicien Kabuga is unfit to participate meaningfully in his trial, confides The New Times.
During the hearing, the judges declared that they wanted to “adopt a procedure which resembles a trial as much as possible”, but without the possibility of conviction: “This would ensure respect for his rights while achieving the court’s goals.”
For Doris Picard Uwicyeza, senior technical advisor at the Ministry of Justice, this decision is disappointing, but was predictable: “International tribunals so removed from the realities of the communities they are meant to deliver justice cannot explain how a senile person was able to escape justice in a series of complex operations.”
According to The New Times, activists fighting denial and revisionism of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda have expressed dismay and frustration at the ruling that genocide suspect Félicien Kabuga is unfit to stand trial.
The Yolande Mukagasana Foundation reminds the UN tribunal that the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda “is a crime against humanity” which has no expiry date: “Justice for the Genocide against the Tutsi is not only for the victims or the survivors. The world needs justice for the Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi to ensure with determination that the Genocide never happens again, anywhere”.
Félicien Kabuga was arrested in Paris in 2020 after decades on the run. He is one of the last genocide suspects to face justice, with 62 convictions by this court to date.
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