"A small clique is destroying Uganda’s future" - Opposition chief

By Muhamadi Matovu, KAMPALA Uganda 

Uganda's National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, has accused a small group of powerful individuals of plundering Uganda’s resources and pushing millions into poverty.

As the race for the Kawempe North by-election intensifies, Kyagulanyi addressed supporters in the constituency, citing recent remarks by Inspector General of Government (IGG) Betty Kamya.

"Out of the 49 million Ugandans, only about 35,000 people have access to public funds and can make decisions. They are the ones who steal over 10 trillion shillings each year," he said.

He blamed this elite group for widespread corruption, which he said has crippled essential services.

"They are the ones who have turned Uganda into one of the most corrupt countries in the world. They have ensured we have no functional schools, hospitals, or factories," Kyagulanyi stated.

He also highlighted the economic hardships that have forced many young Ugandans to seek employment abroad.

"They are the ones responsible for the mass exodus of young unemployed Ugandans who go to Arab countries to serve as maids," he noted.

Kyagulanyi also accused the same group of stifling dissent and using state security forces to silence critics.

"They are the ones who send the impoverished military and police to beat up those who speak against corruption," he added.

With elections approaching, the NUP leader urged Ugandans to take a stand.

"As we face the Kawempe North election and next year’s general elections, we are asking the people of Uganda where they fall. One has to be among the 49 million oppressed tax-payers or part of the 35,000 oppressors."

Kyagulanyi was in Kawempe North rallying residents to support NUP’s candidate, Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola, in the upcoming by-election.

The Kawempe North seat became vacant following the passing of MP Muhammad Ssegirinya on January 9.

Ssegirinya won the constituency for NUP in the 2021 general election, making it a stronghold for the opposition party.

The by-election is scheduled for March 13, with NUP widely expected to retain the seat.

Congo promises multi-million dollar reward for arrest of M23 officials

KINSHASA,  DR Congo 

The Democratic Republic of Congo is offering a reward of five million dollars for the arrest of a leader of the M23 rebel group, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Supported by neighbouring Rwanda, the M23 rebels have been active in eastern Congo, an area rich in valuable minerals.

In January, the rebels launched an offensive, quickly gaining control of the city of Goma, followed by Bukavu.

The Congolese government specifically seeks the arrest of Corneille Nangaa, Bertrand Bisimwa, and Sultani Makenga.

Bisimwa and Makenga serve as the chairman and military leader of the M23, respectively, while Nangaa is part of the Alliance Fleuve Congo, the overarching political-military structure that includes M23.

All three were sentenced to death in absentia by a military court in Kinshasa in August 2024.

The Ministry of Justice has also announced a reward of four million dollars for information leading to the arrest of accomplices and other wanted M23 rebels.

Syrian security forces accused of killing hundreds of civilians

DAMASCUS,  Syria 

Syrian security forces are alleged to have killed hundreds of civilians belonging to the Alawite minority group in continuing violence along the country's coast, according to a war monitoring group.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said some 745 civilians had been killed in around 30 "massacres" targeting Alawites on Friday and Saturday.

Hundreds of people have reportedly fled their homes in the region - a heartland of deposed president Bashar al-Assad, who also belongs to the Alawite sect.

A total of more than 1,000 people have been killed in the past two days, the SOHR said, in what is the worst violence in Syria since rebels toppled the Assad regime in December.

This figure includes dozens of government troops and gunmen loyal to Assad, who have been locked in clashes in the coastal Latakia and Tartous provinces since Thursday.

Some 125 members of the Islamist-led government security forces and 148 pro-Assad fighters have been killed in the violence, according to the SOHR's report.

A Syrian defence ministry spokesman told the country's Sana news agency that the government had re-established control after "treacherous attacks" against its security personnel.

The violence has left the Alawite community in "a state of horror", an activist in the city told our reporter, with hundreds of people reportedly fleeing affected areas.

Large crowds sought refuge at a Russian military base at Hmeimim in Latakia, according to the Reuters news agency.

Video footage shared by Reuters showed dozens of people chanting "people want Russian protection" outside the base.

Meanwhile, dozens of families have fled to neighbouring Lebanon, according to local media.

The UN's special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said he was "deeply alarmed" by "very troubling reports of civilian casualties" in Syria's coastal areas.

He called on all sides to refrain from actions which could "destabilise" the country and jeopardise a "credible and inclusive political transition".

Alawites, whose sect is an offshoot of Shia Islam, make up around 10% of Syria's population, which is majority Sunni Muslim.

Women rally for equality in Lagos on International Women's Day

LAGOS,  Nigeria

Thousands of women in Nigeria marked International Women's Day in Lagos on Friday with a joyful celebration. Many women gathered wearing purple clothing as they danced and carried banners commemorating women's achievements.

The campaign theme for this year, “Accelerate Action," aligns with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark global framework for women’s rights.

Besides celebrating, the event also brought about some reflection. Social worker Fabayo Temiloluwa said the day reminds her that when it comes to politics in Nigeria, “society tends to shut down women, reduces their voices. So, women need to be more intentional, get more informed, be more active in politics."

The United Nations recognised International Women's Day in 1977, but the occasion has its roots in Labour movements of the early 20th century.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 09/03/2025

 

South Sudan general among 28 killed in Nasir helicopter attack

JUBA, South Sudan 

A South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) commander, Major General Majur Dak (pictured), and 27 of his soldiers were killed during a United Nations evacuation operation in Nasir on Friday morning, a government spokesperson has said.

A UN crew member also lost their life in the incident.

The evacuation was part of efforts to defuse tensions following recent clashes between the SSPDF and the White Army, a loosely organized armed youth group predominantly from the Nuer ethnic community. It has been linked by the government to SPLA-IO forces loyal to Dr. Riek Machar.

The White Army had seized control of Nasir’s military barracks on Tuesday after fierce fighting with government forces, leaving Gen. Majur and his troops stranded in the bush.

The UN helicopter involved in the evacuation reportedly came under heavy fire from the White Army during the operation. The evacuation had been coordinated by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, as part of an initiative to rescue stranded SSPDF troops.

The SSPDF leadership has accused SPLM-IO leaders of orchestrating the conflict in Nasir, a claim that has further strained relations between the two groups. In response to the allegations, several senior SPLM-IO officials were arrested in Juba earlier this week, including Gabriel Duop Lam, deputy chief of the SSPDF and chief of staff of the SPLA-IO, as well as Petroleum Minister Puot Kang.

Responding to questions by journalists in Juba on Friday evening, Information Minister and Government spokesperson,  Michael Makuei Lueth stated that the exact number of casualties on the SSPDF side remains unclear, but confirmed that approximately 27 soldiers died alongside Gen. Majur during the evacuation in Nasir this morning.

“Some of the forces have appeared elsewhere and are being traced,” he added.

The violence in Nasir highlights the ongoing challenges South Sudan faces in fully integrating its various armed groups into a unified national army, a key provision of the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war.

Although the country has been formally at peace since the agreement was signed by President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, political tensions remain high.

Trump says US ending all federal funding to South Africa

WASHINGTON,  United States 

The United States state department has ordered an immediate end to all federal funding to South Africa.

This follows an executive order signed last month by US President Donald Trump who has repeated his false claim that the South African government is confiscating land owned by white farmers.

Trump, writing on his Truth Social post, also reiterated his offer of sanctuary to farmers fleeing the country because they fear for their safety, with a “rapid pathway to Citizenship”.

The announcement comes a week after a lobby group of minority white Afrikaners met with the president at the White House.

Their visit was criticised by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who accused them of undermining the country’s sovereignty.

Afrikaners are the descendants of the Dutch colonisers who implemented the apartheid  regime in the 1940s which ended with the country’s first democratic election in 1994.

US government data shows that foreign assistance commitments to South Africa came in at $323.4 million in 2024.

The money was used in initiatives and programmes as wide-ranging as climate change, the promotion of gender equality, and improving healthcare.

South African born billionaire and Trump’s new super-ally, Elon Musk, is widely seen as influencing the US administration’s stance on the country.

More than 30 years after the end of apartheid, white South Africans, who make up just 7 per cent of the population, still own most of the country's private farmland.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy to visit South Africa in April for talks

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to visit South Africa next month for talks with the country’s leader Cyril Ramaphosa.

A spokesperson for the South African presidency says it will be a continuation of Ramaphosa’s ongoing engagement with both Kyiv and Moscow to find a path to peace.

South Africa has adopted a neutral position on Russia’s war in Ukraine and has attempted to act as a mediator between the sides, although with limited success.

Ramaphosa led an African peace mission to Russia and Ukraine in 2023 and met with both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The South African president has held separate calls with both leaders since then.

Pretoria has close ties with Russia, with both countries belonging to the BRICS group of emerging economies that is trying to challenge the Western-dominated economic order.

In addition, South Africa has refused to condemn Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine three years ago.

Zelenskyy's visit to the country comes at a critical juncture in the war following his explosive meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House last week.

He is trying to shore up international support for his country after Washington halted intelligence-sharing and all military aid to Ukraine.

Following the confrontation, European leaders have backed plans to spend more on defence and have reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine.

The US excluded Ukraine and other European allies when it met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia over a possible peace deal last month.

South Africa says that Ukraine must be included in peace talks, echoing a call by European leaders.

Ramaphosa is due to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa in Cape Town next week at the annual EU-South Africa summit.

South Africa holds the presidency of the Group of 20 this year and has called for cooperation among the bloc to find an end to the war in Ukraine.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 08/03/2025

 

American inmate to be executed by firing squad

SOUTH CAROLINA, United States

A South Carolina prison inmate convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend's parents with a baseball bat will be the first person in the US to be executed by firing squad in 15 years.

If Brad Sigmon's execution proceeds on Friday at 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT), three volunteers standing behind a curtain will simultaneously fire rifles at his chest with specially designed bullets.

The state's procedure requires that those put to death by firing squad be strapped to a chair when they enter the execution chamber. The inmate then has a target placed on his heart and a bag put over his head.

Sigmon, 67, was convicted of murdering David and Gladys Larke in 2001 before kidnapping his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint. She later escaped as he shot at her.

Offered the alternatives of death by electric chair or lethal injection, Sigmon's lawyers said he chose the more violent process because of his concerns about the effectiveness of the other two methods.

He will be the first person to be executed by firing squad in the US since 2010, and only the fourth since the country reintroduced the death penalty in 1976.

Sigmon was charged with murder in 2001 after investigators said he killed his ex-girlfriend's parents in their home in Greenville County by alternately beating them with a bat.

He also told detectives that he planned to harm his ex-girlfriend before she escaped.

"I couldn't have her. I wasn't going to let anybody else have her," he told them.

The South Carolina Supreme Court this week rejected a request from Sigmon's lawyers to intervene. They wanted more time to learn about the drug South Carolina uses in lethal injections and questioned whether his 2002 legal representation was adequate.

That is expected to be his final appeal ahead of Friday's planned execution.

No South Carolina governor has granted clemency to an inmate facing execution since the US legalised the death penalty again in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Execution by firing squad is complex.

Sigmon will be strapped in a chair with a basin built below it to catch his blood. A target will be placed on his chest and a bag over his head.

Three volunteers hidden behind a curtain will then fire at him from 15ft (4.6m) away.

The bullets used are designed to break apart on impact and cause maximum damage. Medical experts have debated the amount of pain caused by their use.

After the shots are fired, a doctor will confirm Sigmon's death.

The state allows witnesses to observe the death from behind bulletproof glass, but the executioners will be hidden from view to protect their identities.

South Carolina passed a law in 2023 requiring that the the identities of the execution team members remain secret. It also forbids the publication of information regarding the procurement of lethal injection drugs, as a growing number of pharmaceutical companies have declined to provide them for state executions.

Ebola cases in Uganda rise to 14 as new cluster emerges

KAMPALA, Uganda

Uganda’s Ebola caseload increased to 14 in the last week, Africa’s top public health agency said Thursday, with a new cluster emerging from a 4-year-old child who recently died of the infectious disease.

Three of five new cases have been confirmed as Ebola, with two cited as probably Ebola, Dr. Ngashi Ngongo of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters.

The Africa CDC reported that there was no direct epidemiological link between the new cluster and another one accounting for nine previous Ebola cases, including the first victim of the outbreak.

Ebola is now spreading in five of Uganda’s 146 districts, it said. That includes Kampala, the capital, where the outbreak was declared on Jan. 30. Two Ebola deaths have been confirmed.

Local health officials have not been giving regular updates on the outbreak, raising concerns about a lack of transparency. At least three hospitals in Kampala have handled confirmed or suspected Ebola cases without later informing the public of it.

Dr. Charles Olaro, the director of health services in the Ministry of Health, told The Associated Press he believed the situation was under control. Officials were not required to give updates on every incident, he said.

Tracing contacts is key to stemming the spread of Ebola, and there are no approved vaccines for the Sudan strain of Ebola that’s infecting people in Uganda.

Ebola, which is spread by contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials, manifests as a deadly hemorrhagic fever. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding.

Scientists suspect the first person infected with Ebola in an outbreak acquired the virus through contact with an infected animal or eating its raw meat. Ugandan officials are still investigating the source of the latest outbreak.

The first victim was a male nurse who died the day before the outbreak was declared.

He had sought treatment at multiple facilities in Kampala and in eastern Uganda, where he also visited a traditional healer in trying to diagnose his illness, before later dying in Kampala.

Uganda’s last outbreak, discovered in September 2022, killed at least 55 people before it was declared over in January 2023.

Dr. Emmanuel Batiibwe, a hospital director who helped lead efforts to stop that outbreak, described the current one as “amorphous,” throwing up sporadic cases that require more serious surveillance to locate and isolate contacts.

Ebola in Uganda is the latest in a trend of outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fevers in the east African region.

Tanzania declared an outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg disease in December last year and January this year as Rwanda announced its own outbreak of Marburg was over.

Uganda has had multiple Ebola outbreaks, including one in 2000 that killed hundreds.

The 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa killed more than 11,000 people, the disease’s largest death toll. Ebola was discovered in 1976 in simultaneous outbreaks in South Sudan and Congo, where it occurred in a village near the Ebola River, after which the disease is named.

Kenya president and opposition leader sign deal to work together

NAIROBI, Kenya

President of Kenya, William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga have officially signed a political pact signaling an endeavour to work together in one government.

The deal between the Ruto’s ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party and Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) was on Friday officially signed at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

President Ruto and Raila both appended their signatures to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) while flanked by their respective party officials.

Speaking after the signing, ODM National Chairperson and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga lauded the new partnership, terming it a sign of putting national interest above self.

“The unity and stability and prosperity of this country is not the responsibility of a few; it is the responsibility of all of us, as a nation. And while we may have different political persuasions, and come from different parts of the country and different schools of thought, nobody can fault unity. Nobody can fault equity,” she stated.

“This unity that you have put together today is not about the two of you, because Baba has seen it all; in fact he has enough for all generations. The President has sat on all positions. So, in my thinking, this unity is for the young people, women, the marginalized...it is for all Kenyans who have felt like they have never been part of Kenya.”

Her UDA counterpart and Embu County boss Cecily Mbarire echoed the remarks, further lauding the transparency of the process and the contents of the MoU.

Mbarire went ahead to commend President Ruto and Raila for putting aside their differences and hardline stances for the betterment of the nation.

“Today, we’re reminded yet again that the nation will always remain bigger than individual and party interests. I am happy that today, after rumors in the media, we’re not signing an agreement behind closed doors in some private space,” she said.

“I’m also happy that it has taken serious consultations through the party structures to get to where we are. I’m also happy that we have not signed a document which remains a secret to the people who we represent and who matter most. Today, Kenyans know what we have signed up to.”

South Sudan defends detention of Riek Machar allies

JUBA, South Sudan

South Sudan government has defended the controversial detention of allies of First Vice President Riek Machar, warning that they had a hand in skirmishes in Upper Nile State.

Government spokesperson, Michael Makuei, confirmed the arrests, saying the officials had been detained due to “conflict with the law.”

In a statement on Wednesday, he said the detained officials, including a senior military commander and a government minister, had played a role in arming the White Army, a militia that operates in Upper Nile State and is linked to Machar’s party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in Opposition (SPLM-IO).

Government forces had been deployed to Machar’s house on Tuesday, imposing a form of house arrest as other officials were detained. 

Mr Makuei said the problem began on February 28, when the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNoU), which includes President Salva Kiir, Dr Machar and various other factions that had fought in the civil war, met to discuss skirmishes.

“It is worth noting that the leadership of the SPLM/A-IO, in the meeting had distanced itself from the White Army, [they] nevertheless promised to talk to the White Army, which they did, but instead gave them the green light to proceed and attack the garrison.” He said, referring to a meeting between President Kiir and coalition partners meant to iron out the cause of the skirmishes.

“In fact, these are SPLM/A-IO forces and not the White army as claimed.”

Tensions in South Sudan had raised concerns among diplomats representing the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), the regional body that helped broker a peace deal in Juba, creating a coalition government in 2018.

The uncertainty came after Dr Machar was placed under house arrest and his allies detained.

The envoys accredited to South Sudan appealed for an immediate ceasefire following days of armed clashes in Upper Nile State between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the White Army.

In a joint statement addressed to South Sudan’s coalition government, Igad diplomats expressed concern that the ongoing fighting in Nasir, Upper Nile, is undermining the 2018 revitalized peace agreement.

“We are particularly alarmed by the recent reports of escalating tensions and armed clashes in Nasir County, which threaten the hard-won gains achieved in the implementation of the peace accord and exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the region.

“We call upon the parties and their affiliate groups to immediately ceasefire and exercise maximum restraint. We emphasise the paramount importance of upholding the ceasefire and adhering to the provisions of the revitalised peace agreement. We welcome the recent meeting of the presidency and its outcomes and further encourage continuous dialogue and consultations within the framework of the peace accord,” the diplomats said.

Following the detentions, Machar’s party warned of imminent war if he was not freed.

In a press statement, the SPLM-IO said that Lt-Gen Gabriel Doup Lam, the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) was arrested on the orders of his boss, General Paul Nang.

“This action violates the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and cripples the Joint Defence Board, a vital institution of the agreement responsible for the command and control of all forces. This act puts the entire agreement at risk.

“We are also gravely concerned about the heavy deployment of SSPDF around the residence of Dr Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon, the First Vice President and Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the SPLM/A-IO,” said the party’s acting spokesperson Buok Buoth.

The SPLM-IO also added that Petroleum Minister Puot Kang had been arrested.

The White Army, a militia group composed mainly of armed Nuer youth, claimed control of the strategic town of Nassir after fierce fighting with government forces.

On Wednesday evening, Ter Chuol Gatkuoth, a White Army leader in Nasir, told Radio Tamazuj that his forces had successfully pushed the government troops out of the town.

The SSPDF has yet to issue an official statement on the situation. But, in a brief message posted on his official Facebook page, military spokesperson Maj-Gen Lul Ruai Koang said that the army was “not in a position to provide a media briefing on the security situation in Nasir and the surrounding areas”.

Nasir, a strategic town near the Ethiopian border, has long been a flashpoint. The White Army, known for its involvement in ethnic violence, has played a significant role in past conflicts, often opposing government forces.

The latest fighting in Upper Nile has raised fears of escalating violence, as the state has remained unstable since 2013. Tensions flared after the government announced plans to replace long-standing troops with newly deployed forces.

Local armed youth expressed concern that the incoming troops might target civilians or initiate a disarmament campaign. In response, community leaders have rejected the government’s deployment and called for a unified force instead.

Civil society activist Edmund Yakani has urged all parties to work toward de-escalation, warning that further delays could lead to an intensification of the conflict.

“The military incidents in parts of the country are deeply concernaing,” Mr Yakani said. “We urge the White Army leaders in Nasir to embrace peace and refrain from violence. Dialogue should be used to address grievances related to the presence of the SSPDF in Nasir.”

As tensions mount, the future of the revitalised peace agreement remains uncertain, with growing fears that continued clashes could derail South Sudan’s fragile peace process.

Sudan sues UAE for ‘enabling genocide’

KHARTOUM, Sudan

A dispatch from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday said Sudan has accused UAE of being complicit in “acts which have been perpetrated by RSF and militias allied with it, including, but not limited to genocide, murder, theft of property, rape, forcible displacement, trespassing, vandalism of public properties, and violation of human rights.”

It said the violence on these people was “perpetrated and enabled by the direct support given to the rebel RSF militia and related militia groups by the United Arab Emirates.”

While it has denied it many times, the UAE has previously been accused of sending arms to the RSF to commit atrocities. 

In January this year, the US sanctioned top leaders of the RSF, including Mohamed Hamdani  Dagalo ‘Hemedti’, accusing them of genocide.

The US, however, also sanctioned leaders of Sudan's armed forces including the head of the military government—Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. It accused him of enabling violence and atrocities on civilians. 

Both sides have traded accusations of heinous crimes in the war that has seen at least 30,000 people killed and 12 million displaced.

Sudan filed the suit as it lobbied heavily against the RSF and its support abroad. Suing the UAE is seen as a strategy to force the Gulf country to halt military support. 

However, the junta is also limited as it is still suspended from the African Union for a coup committed in October 2021.

The case said Sudan was seeking the court’s decision on “acts adopted, condoned, taken, and being taken by the Government of the United Arab Emirates in connection with the genocide against the Masalit group in the Republic of the Sudan since at least 2023.”

Khartoum says that while the RSF is the direct perpetrator, the UAE is complicit in the genocide on the Masalit through provision of extensive financial, political, and military support for the militia.

The country specifically wants the UAE to be reprimanded for illegal arms supply to RSF.