Monthly Archives: May 2012

Al Shabaab attack Nairobi as police hunt for 2 suspects

Posted on May 30, 2012 by

Kenyan Police are hunting for two male suspects, one of whom may be a German or Turkish national after a bomb went off at a shopping complex in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, injuring 33 people on Monday There had been confusion over its cause – officers first blamed it on an electrical fault, but Prime Minister Raila Odinga said it had a terrorist link. A Kenya police spokesman said one suspect may have entered Kenya from Somalia. The militant group al-Shabab has repeatedly threatened to stage revenge attacks after Kenya sent troops to Somalia in October 2011. In recent months, Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for a string of grenade and bomb … Continue reading →

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Zambia and Zimbabwe to jointly host tourism conference

Posted on May 30, 2012 by

By Michael Malakata, Lusaka, Zambia Zambian President Michael Sata and his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe have signed a bilateral hosting agreement for the 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly. Present at the official signing of the agreement was UNWTO Secretary General Dr Taleb Rifai at a no man’s land on Victoria Falls Bridge in Livingstone, over 400 kilometres south of the capital Lusaka. Zambia and Zimbabwe will jointly host the global tourism gathering in August 2013 in Livingstone and Victoria falls. Sata also held closed door talks with Rifai at the Royal Livingstone Hotel in the tourist capital.  Dr Rifai called on President Sata soon after his … Continue reading →

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Kenyan police arrest suspects in weekend grenade attacks

Posted on May 28, 2012 by

Police in Kenya have announced that at least four people have been arrested in connection with grenade attacks that killed six people and left several others wounded in Nairobi over the weekend. The attacks are feared to have been carried out by Al-Shabaab insurgents who threw four hand grenades at a bus terminus in Nairobi on Saturday. 60 people are said to have been injured in the incident. Nairobi Provincial Police Chief Antony Kibuchi said the suspects, all of whom are believed to be Kenyan, and three of whom are reportedly minors, were being interrogated by specialised police units, including anti-terrorism officers. The al-Qaeda allied Shabaab has threatened Kenya since … Continue reading →

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Ugandan soap factory closed for polluting environment

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

From Nangayi Guyson, The LEP Correspondent, Kampala Uganda O ne of Uganda’s biggest soap factories, the Mukwano Soap Factory was on Wednesday morning closed by the Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) for allegedly polluting the environment. The factory, part of Mukwano Group of Companies, is based in the heart of Uganda’s Capital Kampala with other operations around East Africa. According to KCCA officials, the factory had for long violated the City environmental rules and failed to comply with instructions to stop the emission of heavy smoke and continued discharging liquid chemical effluent and untreated wastewater in Nakivubo channel contributing to lachrymal pollution load and depleted oxygen levels in the City. … Continue reading →

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Mbeki meets Bashir in Khartoum to restart peace negotiations

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has arrived in Khartoum to attempt to restart negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan. The African Union’s mediator is due to meet Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir to try to set out an agenda and timetable for talks. Heavy fighting between Sudan and the new nation of South Sudan brought them to the verge of war last month. The UN has threatened sanctions if the situation is not resolved swiftly. According to a United Nations Security Council resolution, talks aimed at resolving the dispute should have started this week.  South Sudan – which only seceded from its northern neighbour last year – said it is … Continue reading →

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Repatriation of Angolans from Zambia continues undisturbed

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

From Michael Malakata in Lusaka, Zambia The Zambia government and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have continued with the repatriation of Angolan refugees as cessation of their status approaches although some of them were unwilling to go back to Angola. A total of 33 Angolan refugees returned to Angola’s Huambo Town on Wednesday 16 May by plane from Mongu Airport in Western Zambia. An additional 45 Angolans were yesterday (Thursday) repatriated to Moxico Province from Mongu, while 41 were repatriated from Solwezi destined for Luena. This brings to 119 the total number of Angolan refugees repatriated in the last two days from the two refugee settlements of Meheba and … Continue reading →

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South Sudan set to purchase anti-aircraft missiles from the U.S.

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

South Sudan is set to acquire anti-aircraft missiles to defend its territory against air attacks it says are frequently carried out by warplanes from neighbouring Sudan, the South Sudanese military said on Wednesday. Since South Sudan became the world’s newest independent nation in July last year, its government has accused northern neighbour Sudan of continuing aerial bombing raids on South Sudanese territory, a charge routinely denied by Khartoum. Foreign reporters in South Sudan have witnessed bombings by Sudanese warplanes of targets including a market, a refugee camp and oil infrastructure, and border skirmishes between the two countries’ armies last month included a series of air raids by the northern nation. The United … Continue reading →

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South African courts to investigate Mugabe’s generals

Posted on May 11, 2012 by

From Michael Malakata in Lusaka, Zambia A South African court has ruled that it has the jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute military generals and loyalists from Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s party, the Zanu-PF. The decision by Judge Hans Fabricius could force the South African government to investigate senior Zanu-PF officials who are accused of torture and human rights abuses during the 2008 elections that resulted in the power-sharing government with opposition MDC. The judge ruled Tuesday that South African legal system can be used to investigate and prosecute Zimbabwean citizens suspected of having committed crimes against humanity. The names of suspects have not been released by a dossier compiled by … Continue reading →

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Kikwete sacks six corrupt cabinet ministers

Posted on May 5, 2012 by

By Staff Writer Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has sacked six of his senior cabinet ministers amid allegations that they were involved in corrupt activities. In an unprecedented move, Mr Kikwete who is just beginning his second and last term of office surprised many of his contemporaries when he gave marching orders to Mustapha Mkulo who has been the country’s Finance Minister. Energy and Minerals Minister William Ngeleja, Tourism Minister Ezekiel Maige, Industry and Trade Minister Cyril Chami, Transport Minister Omari Nundu and Health Minister Haji Mponda followed suit. Sacking senior cabinet ministers in Africa is almost unheard of. In neighbouring Uganda, calls to President Yoweri Museveni to sack senior cabinet … Continue reading →

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Battle to save banda’s son from Interpol arrest goes to the U.N.

Posted on May 2, 2012 by

From Michael Malakata in Lusaka, Zambia The battle to save former Zambian President Rupiah Banda’s son Henry Banda from being arrested by International Police (Interpol) has now been taken to the United Nations by his lawyers. The legal team representing Banda filed two letters with several United Nations Special Rapporteurs requesting that Urgent Appeals be addressed to the Government of Zambia regarding what they call ‘politically motivated accusations’ against Banda and harassment and threats against his legal counsel, Robert Amsterdam. “These documents are the first of many appeals we are preparing before international bodies to expose the unlawful conduct of the Zambian government in the Henry Banda matter, and highlight … Continue reading →

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