Metro

M23 rebels capture key DRC town as Congolese military blames Rwanda

Published

2 years ago

June 14, 2022

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) rebel group, M23, have reportedly captured a key border town in the renewed fighting in the country, with the Central African nation blaming its neighbours, Rwanda, for allegedly supporting the militia.

The DRC’s military on Tuesday, accused Rwanda of encouraging an invasion on its territory after the M23 rebels captured Bunagana, a key border town, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions between the two neighbours.

“The Rwandan defence forces have this time decided to violate our territorial integrity by occupying the border town of Bunagana.

“This is no less than invasion of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” General Sylvain Ekenge, spokesman for the military governor of North Kivu province, said in a statement late on Monday night.

Bunagana, a city of about two million people, is located 60km northeast of Goma, and serves as a hub for international aid organisations and the United Nations peacekeeping mission, which is known by its French acronym MONUSCO, fell into the hands of the M23 on Monday.

Relations between the two countries have been frosty at best in the past two decades since the rise of the M23 fighters who are mostly of Congolese ethnic Tutsis, with the DRC accusing Rwanda of backing the rebels, often citing Rwandan Tutsi descent as the basis for the support.

But in its defence, Kigali has strongly denied accusations over the years that it supports the M23 rebels fighting in DRC.

Rwanda has also allege that the DRC gave refuge to the ethnic Hutus who carried out the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed at least 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

This is the second time the M23 will capture a key DRC city after it rose to prominence more than a decade ago when its fighters seized Goma, the largest city in DRC’s east, which sits along the border with Rwanda, before they were pushed out of the country by government forces.

They were said to have fled to neighbouring Rwanda with some of them integrated into the Congolese national military after a peace deal.

But earlier this year the group appeared to make a comeback, launching an offensive against the DRC military after saying Kinshasa had failed to live up to its decade-long promises.

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Metro

Nigeria: 118 prison inmates escape after rainstorm destroys facility

Published

22 mins ago

April 25, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

At least 118 inmates of the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger State, in northern Nigeria, have reportedly escaped from the prison facility after a heavy downpour on Wednesday night wreaked havoc on the center.

Spokesman for Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) Adamu Duza, who confirmed the prison break to journalists on Thursday, said the downpour caused severe damage to the custodial centre’s infrastructure, including a breach in the perimeter fence, which allowed the inmates to flee.

Duza, however, noted that the the NCoS acted swiftly by activating its recapturing protocols and with the collaboration of other security agencies, were able to recapture 10 of the escaped inmates, while efforts to rearrest the remaining fleeing inmates are ongoing.

“A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours on the night of Wednesday, April 24, 2024, has wreaked havoc on the Medium Security Custodial Centres, Suleja, Niger state, as well as surrounding buildings, destroying parts of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence, giving way to the escape of 118 inmates of the facility,” the statement said.

“The service has immediately activated its recapturing mechanisms, and in conjunction with sister security agencies, has so far recaptured 10 fleeing inmates and taken them into custody, while we are in hot pursuit to recapture the rest.

“The service is not unmindful of the fact that many of its facilities were built during the colonial era and that they are old and weak. The Service is making frantic efforts to ensure that all aging facilities give way to modern ones.

“The Controller of Corrections, FCT Command, Francis John, wishes to assure the public that the service is on top of the situation and that they should go about their normal businesses without fear or hindrance,” the statement added.

Duza further encouraged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities or sightings of escaped inmates to the nearest security agency.

Metro

Luapula businessman, Munsanje, reflects on media freedoms and freedom of expression

Published

24 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

As stakeholder engagement intensifies regarding the ongoing project to amplify voices on media freedom, freedom of expression, and digital rights, more insights are emerging.

In this edition, we engage with Luapula-based Emmanuel Munsanje, the immediate past president of the Luapula Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“I want to discuss media freedom. When we talk about media, we refer to the channels disseminating information to various sources,” Munsanje explained.

He added that: “There are ample media freedoms in Zambia.”

Munsanje defined freedom as the ability to work without constantly looking over one’s shoulder.

“In Zambia, there seems to be political will to promote media freedoms by the current regime. This political will has been evident since the President’s inaugural speech in 2021,” Munsanje noted.

He recalled that the movement for media freedom gained momentum when Prime TV reopened following the President’s inaugural speech.

Reflecting on the past regime, Munsanje observed a restricted space for media freedom.

“Previously, we could list media houses that were closed, such as Komboni Radio and Muvi TV. During that time, any media expressing divergent views faced threats of closure,” he remarked.

With the enactment of the Access to Information (ATI) law, Munsanje expressed optimism for greater media freedom.

“The media now has the opportunity to extract information without fear of closure due to the political will in favor of media houses,” he said.

However, he urged media outlets to maintain a balance between freedom of speech and respecting others’ freedoms.

“Freedom of speech is evident today, as we see individuals seemingly challenging the head of state and even ministers without repercussions,” Munsanje observed.

Regarding digital rights, he emphasized the need for strict enforcement of the Cyber Security Act.

“The digital space remains largely unregulated. Enforcement of existing laws is lacking, leading to insults and innuendos, particularly against the head of state,” he pointed out.

Munsanje expressed concern about the proliferation of cyberbullying in Zambia, leading to tragic outcomes such as suicide.

“Social media has become a platform for both educated and uneducated individuals to abuse the digital space,” he lamented.

This story is sponsored content from Zambia Monitor’s Project Aliyense.