Metro

Ugandan army discovers secret camp where ADF rebels are trained

Published

2 years ago

June 17, 2022

The Ugandan Army says it has discovered a secret training camp where the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels are being trained and that three people connected to the facility have been arrested.

In the statement renewed on Friday, the military said it discovered bomb-making materials at the training facility for the rebel group allied to ISIL (ISIS) in a forest about 60km west of the capital, Kampala.

Army spokesman, Felix Kulayigye, who made the disclosure during a media tour of the village of Kikubajinja in Luwero district where the camp was discovered, said the military had taken over the facility while investigations have commenced.

“The training facility was found at the home of a local and a tunnel used for training had been dug in one of the rooms,” Kulayigye said.

“Security personnel had become suspicious after reports emerged from neighbours that nobody was allowed to enter, nobody would be seen getting out.

“Authorities recovered bomb-making materials including metal, nails and wires as well as bullets and a pistol fitted with a silencer.

“Three suspects have been arrested. They had already bought a car they planned to use in an attack. They were in the process of assembling a bomb which would be taken by that car to explode in a public place,” he added.

The East African country has consistently blamed the ADF, a militia based in the dense forests in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, for a series of bombings in Kampala and other parts of the country which has led to the death of hundreds of civilians.

In one of such attacks last November, at least nine people were killed while a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of a police station in the centre of Kampala in December.

Three minutes later, two other suicide bombers detonated along a road that leads to the parliament, with the rebel group claiming responsibility for all the attacks.

The ADF, which started as an uprising in Uganda but has been based in the DRC since the late 1990s, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in mid-2019.

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Metro

Chinese mining giant CNMC set for $1.6 billion investment in Zambia

Published

22 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A Chinese mining giant, China Nonferrous Metal Mining Company (CNMC), has announced the investment of over $1.6 billion in Zambia, following successful discussions with President Hakainde Hichilema at the State House on Tuesday.

CNMC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Wen Gang, who held the discussions with Hichilema along with the Chinese Ambassador to Zambia, Han Jing, confirmed the company’s commitment to furthering Zambia’s economic development.

“We are actively investing in critical sectors of Zambia’s economy,” Gang said after the meeting.

He noted that CNMC was currently pumping water from Shaft 28 at Luanshya Copper Mine, where 29.9 million cubic liters have been cleared as part of intensified dewatering efforts, adding that the company plans to inject an additional $200 million to develop a greenfield mine on the Copperbelt.

President Hichilema who welcomed CNMC’s commitment, highlighted the potential economic impact of the firm’s investment which will include job opportunities for Zambians.

“This $1.6billion investment, alongside advanced technology and expansion, will extend operations and create more jobs and opportunities for Zambians, especially in mining contracting and supply,” the President said.

He also expressed gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government for their shared commitment to fostering growth and cooperation between the two countries.

Metro

Mpox immunisation scarcity slows Kinshasa’s epidemic fight

Published

1 day ago

November 13, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A lack of mpox vaccine doses has prevented the Democratic Republic of the Congo from starting a campaign in the capital, Kinshasa, the response commander has confirmed. However, the number of cases nationwide is still rising, particularly among youngsters.

In mid-August, a new strain of pox started to spread from the Congo to neighbouring countries, prompting the WHO to declare a global health emergency. However, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, donors have been hesitant to turn their pledges into cash and vaccines.

The head of operations for Congo’s mpox control program, Cris Kacita, stated on Tuesday that the country needed more than 162,000 doses of vaccine to start a vaccination campaign in the capital, but that 53,921 doses were still available for use in prisons, where inmates are at greater risk because of unsanitary conditions.

The capital, which is home to about 20 million people, has so far been less impacted than other parts of the nation. In six other provinces, vaccination campaigns are now underway.

Along with additional shipments from Germany and the African Union, France has committed to providing 100,000 doses.

He added the arrival of vaccines was also delayed by the administrative process, which includes sending an official request, manufacturing, creating documentation and gaining import authorisations.

“As long as we don’t have the necessary quantity, it’s going to be complicated to launch (vaccination) in the 14 health zones,” Kacita told Reuters, referring to areas of Kinshasa.

According to a health ministry study, from October 28 to November 2, 1,017 new suspected cases were registered nationwide in Congo, including 45 confirmed cases and 16 fatalities.

Since children are almost four times more likely than adults to die from the new strain of mpox, the charity Save the Children warned on Wednesday that targeted vaccines were necessary to halt the virus from spreading quickly among children.

“Children are especially vulnerable to mpox – they explore by touch and taste, don’t always understand health guidance, and have weaker immune systems than adults,” Katia Vieira de Moraes LaCasse from Save the Children said.

According to Africa CDC data, there have been over 42,000 suspected cases of Mpox in the continent, with 1,100 deaths reported so far this year.

The Mpox virus can spread from person to person via intimate contact and also from place to person through objects and surfaces that a person infected with Mpox has touched.