Metro

DR Congo suspends RwandAir flights over alleged support for M23 rebels

Published

2 years ago

May 28, 2022

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has suspended all RwandAir flights into the country over Rwanda’s alleged support for the M23 rebels that have been fighting to take control of the eastern parts of the country.

The decision which was taken on Friday after an extraordinary meeting of the DRC’s Superior Defence Council chaired by President Felix Tshisekedi, also summoned the Rwandan Ambassador after authorities accused his country of giving support to the rebel group.

The DRC authorities also said it would take “conservative measures” against Rwanda, which included blocking flights from the national carrier.

“It was decided to immediately suspend flights from the RwandAir aviation company to the Democratic Republic of Congo,” DRC Communications Minister, Patrick Muyaya, told journalists at a news conference on Saturday.

“It was also decided to summon the Rwandan ambassador to notify him of the total disapproval of the Congolese government”, he added.

In response to the suspension in a statement on Saturday, RwandAir said it was cancelling “with immediate effect all flights to Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Goma.”

Earlier in the week, the DRC government had accused Kigali of backing the militia amid renewed clashes between the Congolese army and the rebels in the east of the country, an accusation the Rwandan government swiftly denied.

The Congolese government alleges that the Rwandan government is supporting M23 rebels in the country’s east, citing military equipment apparently found, along with testimonies from locals and images captured by soldiers.

The government also accused Kigali of scuppering a peace process initiated by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who holds the rotating presidency of the East African Community group.

The M23 militia group which is primarily a Congolese Tutsi group, is one of more than 120 armed groups laying claim to eastern DR Congo, where over two decades of regional wars have left in devastating conditions.

In 2012, the group captured the provincial capital of Goma and set up a regional government before the army quelled the rebellion and chaser them out the following year.

Early this year, the group which was said to have hibernated in neighbouring Rwanda, resumed fighting, accusing the Congolese government of failing to respect a 2009 agreement under which its fighters were to be incorporated into the army.

On Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), released a statement in which it said the recent clashes between DRC’s military and M23 rebels in have displaced 72,000 people who have fled their homes.

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Metro

Zambia’s ruling party UPND warns against personal attacks on President Hichilema

Published

6 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Zambia’s ruling party, the UPND, has warned opposition politicians and critics against personal attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema as his meekness should not be mistaken for weakness.

Secretary-General of the UPND, Batuke Imenda, who gave the warning in a statement in Lusaka on Monday, urged political opponents to always engage in mature and issue-based discourse.

Zambia Monitor reports that Imenda’s warning, was directed at the leader of Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) party, Kelvin Bwalya Fube, whose recent remarks Imenda described as “provocative” and a “feeble attempt to mislead citizens.”

“Provocative words uttered by Kelvin Bwalya against our party and President Hichilema are a clear demonstration of naivety,” Imenda said in the statement.

He further advised Bwalya to abandon personal attacks and focus on substantial political issues.

The UPND Secretary suggested that Bwalya’s attacks stemmed from a desire for relevance amid declining political fortunes, hinting at a possible alignment with former President Edgar Lungu.

“It appears KBF is hoping that Edgar Lungu might support his embattled political career by unjustly attacking President Hichilema,” he said.

Imenda defended the President’s record, highlighting that under Hichilema’s leadership, Zambia’s democratic space had expanded compared to the previous PF administration, which he accused of stifling freedoms.

He noted that while criticism was welcome, it should not devolve into baseless attacks, warning that opposition figures should not misinterpret Hichilema’s restraint as weakness.

Imenda also criticized Bwalya for overlooking the gains in transparency and justice since the change in government, claiming that past regimes were marked by resource mismanagement and corruption.

Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

Published

13 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.

The nation was thrown into shock on Friday when the Nigeria Police presented 76 protesters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on treason. Among the suspects were four minors who slumped before they could be arraigned before the court.

This caused serious uproar in the country with Nigerians condemning the government and calling for the unconditional release of the kids and the dismissal of the charges against them.

The decision to withdraw the charges against the underage accused came following a directive by President Bola Tinubu who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the charges and an in-depth investigation into what led to the arrest and detention of the minors.

Tinubu had also ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) to officially take over the case file as well as review the cases following public outcry that came with the arraignment of the minors.

The charges were finally withdrawn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja through an application for discontinuance filled by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.

According to Abubakar, the discontinuance application was based on provisions of sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The DPPF also applied for further proceedings to be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in line with provisions of Section 266(b) of the ACJA, 2015, and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act.

In response, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Fanala (SAN), who stood in for the accused as well as other defence lawyers in the matter, did not oppose the applications which promoted the judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to strike out the charges, while the four affected minors were also delisted from the charge sheet.