Monthly Archives: August 2011

Letter From Juba: Fuel crisis hits healthcare and transport services

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

From Marvis Birungi in Juba We are proud to introduce to our readers Marvis Birungi, our new representative in South Sudan. Birungi read Mass Communications at Makerere University Kampala and currently works as a broadcaster with the Sudan Catholic Radio Network (Bakhita Radio), South Sudan TV and is a contributor to the Voice of America. As we continue to build up this online newspaper, we believe Birungi will help us achieve our goal of informing all in the Diaspora and the rest of Africa what is going on in Africa’s newest nation. She begins with what we hope will become her weekly column, Letter From Juba. South Sudan has been hit … Continue reading →

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Gambian judge calls for a revision of all laws on homosexuality

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

By Trevor Grundy Three years ago, President Yahya Jammeh promised stricter laws than even Iran on homosexuality. On the eve of a 2008 conference on human rights Jammeh gave same sex people just 24 hours to leave The Gambia. He promised “stricter laws than Iran” and stunned organizations like Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders by saying he would cut off the head of any gay person found in his country. “Jammeh,” said human rights activist and gay rights campaigner, Australia–born Peter Tatchell, “has a long history of homophobia. If he tries to carry out these threats, international aid donors are likely to withdraw their support and foreign tourists will … Continue reading →

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Collapse of Libyan Jamahiriyah may leave power vacuum in region

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

Declaring victory after six months of war, the new regime in Tripoli has rejuvenated the Arab Spring and may promote political change further south. With its victory over the forces of Moammar el Qadhafi this week, the Transitional National Council (TNC) has proved it has more staying power than suggested by its initial hesitant appearance at the head of the insurrection. Now it enters a more perilous period, trying to manage its disparate supporters, launching a complex political transition and dealing with residual military support for the Qadhafi regime. The biggest threat is that the collapse of the Jamahiriya may leave a power vacuum in both Libya and the region … Continue reading →

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Gen al-Bashir applies for East African Community membership

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

  Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir has tendered an application for his country’s membership top the East African Community (EAC). In a move that will surprise the newly formed South Sudan government of President Salva Kiir, Gen Bashir, who is on a wanted list of the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, Sudan has sent its application to join the five-nation regional bloc’s headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. If accepted, Sudan will become the third country to join the bloc outside East Africa, others being Rwanda and Burundi. The application move was reported by the East African News Agency (EANA). It quoted an official from the EAC secretariat as saying Sudan’s … Continue reading →

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Tanzania will not recognise Libyan rebels

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

By Staff Writer and Agency Reports   Tanzania has joined other East African countries in refusing to bark the new Libyan regime led by the National Transition Committee (NTC). Announcing the decision the country’s Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said: We in Tanzania will not recognise the transitional government led by the rebels, until we are sure of the participation of Libyans in its formation and the officials leading it.” Addressing the press in Dar es Salaam, the country’s capital, Mr Membe gave the same reasons that South African gave for not recognising the rebels. He said the Tanzanian authorities had been unable to ascertain who exactly the rebels were and … Continue reading →

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