Metro

Ugandan army discovers secret camp where ADF rebels are trained

Published

3 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

Zambia: Expert warns of food security threat due to climate change

Published

9 minutes ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A prominent Zambian climate-smart agriculture expert, Oliver Bulaya, has warned of a collapse of the county’s agricultural sector with a potential threat to food security due to the worsening impact of climate change.

Bulaya, who bared his mind in an interview with Zambia Monitor on Friday, warned that ignoring the crisis could lead to severe disruptions in the country’s food supply and economy.

“Unless concerted efforts are made, the country will continue facing dire consequences from climate change,” the expert noted.

He lamented a growing trend of farmers relocating to regions experiencing above-normal rainfall, such as the northern block, as they struggle with losses caused by climate variability.

Bulaya emphasized that the once-reliable rainfall areas like North-Western Zambia are now experiencing lower precipitation, as seen during the 2023/2024 farming season and cautioned that poor farming practices, which had already strained the Southern region, could lead to similar challenges in other parts of the country if proactive measures were not implemented.

Metro

Outrage over murder of Nigerian beaten to death by South Africans inside estate security office

Published

5 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian community, under the auspices of Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa (NICASA), has raised the alarm over the murder of a 37-year-old Nigerian, Julius Chukwunta, who was beaten to death by four South Africans inside an estate.

According to the association, Chukwunta, a native of Aninri Local Government Area in Enugu State, was reportedly attacked on Saturday, December 7, while driving to his residence in Midrand Protea Estate.

In a statement issued on Saturday by the President-General of NICASA, Dr Frank Onyekwelu, Chukwunta was blocked by the four men while approaching his residence.

Onyekwelu stated that information available to the association noted that after attempting to pass through, Chukwunta was met with resistance by the assailants, prompting him to seek help at the security office of the estate.

“At that moment, the four men allegedly attacked him, leaving him severely injured with a head wound,” the PG said.

“His female companion, who was sitting in the car, rushed to the security office and discovered him bleeding on the ground.

“In spite of attempts to call for help, the security office and residents did not assist in calling the police or an ambulance.

“After an hour, Chukwunta’s partner contacted her father, who, along with other family members, took him to Tembisa General Hospital.

“Chukwunta was placed on life support but later succumbed to his injuries and died at the Tembisa General Hospital on December 10, 2024.”

Onyekwelu also confirmed that the case was reported to the police by Chukwunta’s partner at the Midrand Police Station and was registered under file number 262/12/2024.

The NICASA President said the four suspects, aged 20, 24, 27, and 28, were arrested, and the case was presented in Alexandra Magistrate Court on December 13, 2024, where they were charged with murder.

“The court proceedings on December 18, 2024, saw three of the suspects granted bail of R10,000 each, while the fourth had not yet applied for bail. The case was adjourned to February 3, 2025.”

Onyekwelu however, expressed disappointment at the proceedings, wondering why three of the suspects were released on bail and vowed that the Nigerian community would continue to demand justice for Chukwunta and support his family.

He emphasised that the community would not rest until justice was served and the value of Nigerian lives was upheld in South Africa.