Monthly Archives: March 2012

IPU conference opens in Kampala as Mali is suspended

Posted on March 31, 2012 by

By Nangayi Guyson at Munyonyo in Kampala Parliamentarians from around the world are meeting today in Uganda’s capital Kampala to attend the Inter –Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference which has kicked off here at the Commonwealth Speke Resort Hotel, Munyonyo. The IPU is the focal point for world-wide parliamentary dialogue and works for peace and co-operation among peoples and for the firm establishment of representative democracy. The theme for today’s meeting is Parliaments and people: Bridging the gap. The main items on the agenda will be: – Election of the President and Vice-Presidents of the 126th Assembly, Consideration of possible requests for the inclusion of an emergency item in the Assembly agenda, … Continue reading →

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Lack of security forces ECOWAS to abandon Mali trip mid-air

Posted on March 29, 2012 by

(Reuters) Jets carrying West African presidents for a meeting with Mali’s new military leaders were forced to turn back mid-flight on Thursday after hundreds of supporters of last week’s coup invaded Bamako’s main runway. An official from regional bloc ECOWAS said the meeting, aimed at pressuring coup leaders to swiftly restore constitutional rule after they ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure, could be rescheduled for Friday if security allowed. “It was called off after the junta allowed demonstrators onto the tarmac,” the official said, asking not to be named. “Understandably this created a security scare forcing the heads of state to suspend their arrival.” Pro-junta protesters at Bamako airport, some carrying … Continue reading →

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Urgent help needed for 80,000 fleeing Sudanese refugees

Posted on March 29, 2012 by

Tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees in South Sudan urgently need humanitarian aid to be scaled up in a short window of opportunity that is rapidly closing before the rainy season starts, warns the international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Since last November, 80,000 refugees from Sudan’s Blue Nile State have sought shelter in two camps located in a remote and barren region of South Sudan where humanitarians confront massive logistic challenges to access and assist refugees. New arrivals tell of ongoing bombing and fighting in Sudan’s Blue Nile State. In Doro and Jamam refugee camps, they have sought a safer place but they have found a harsh environment … Continue reading →

Posted in South Sudan | 2 Comments

ECOWAS orders troops on standby for Mali intervention

Posted on March 28, 2012 by

By Henry D Gombya Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are contemplating sending a military force to Mali if the coup leaders do not return to military barracks and restore the democratically-elected government of President Amadou Toure. Information reaching our News Desk say after an emergency meeting of ECOWAS held in Abidjan Wednesday, the current ECOWAS rotating chairman, Cote d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara said the group is sending a delegation of five African leaders to meet the Mali coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo. Ouattara, who himself went through a lengthy and bloody process last year before he could be installed into his country’s presidency, said Mali’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Mali | 4 Comments

Fears grow over Zambian President’s health:
Sata undergoes emergency treatment in India

Posted on March 28, 2012 by

By Michael Malakata, Lusaka, Zambia Speculations are rife in Zambia as to the health of President Michael Sata who secretly flew to India for treatment of an unknown ailment. Sata, who has been in power for only six months, secretly flew to India last week in the company of his wife Dr Christine Kaseba ()a medical doctor herself) and his Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations George Chella. Senior government officials including Vice President Guy Scott have since said that Sata’s visit to India was purely private, planned and that he was in good health. “As far as I know, Sata’s trip to India was planned and is in … Continue reading →

Posted in International Criminal Court, Zambia | Leave a comment