Metro

Demonstrations erupt in Uganda as citizens protest rising prices

Published

1 year ago

July 25, 2022

Demonstrators on Monday, took over major streets in the eastern Ugandan city of Jinja, a major center on the busy highway to the country’s border with Kenya, protesting the rising cost of living.

The angry protesters barricaded the streets chanting slogans against President Yoweri Museveni’s government as the police tried to remove molten tires from the middle of the road.

The street protests is coming a day after police authorities released an intelligence report and warned of an alleged plot by some “within the country and abroad” to encourage people to stay indoors for three days to protest inflation that has reduced the purchasing value of the Uganda shilling.

“After the three days, they claim their alleged protests will transition into open street demonstrations and mass uprisings, to purposely cause change in government. These are illegitimate and unconstitutional means that we do strongly condemn,” the intelligence report had warned.

However, organizers of the protests say they will not be deterred as prices of basic items have continued to skyrocket beyond the reach of the common man.

One of organizers of the protests who spoke to journalists on the condition of anonymity, noted that the situation has become worrisome as a liter of gasoline in the capital, Kampala, is now selling at a record price of over $1.70, or about $6.90 per gallon, and sometimes even higher in other parts of the country.

“Kampala’s streets are frequently gridlocked during rush hours by buses, minivans and motorcycle taxis but recently have been empty of cars in some areas. Many residents have parked their vehicles because of the high cost of fuel and are instead using passenger motorcycle taxis,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Museveni has continued to resist calls for his government to launch price interventions similar to what Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has done, including raising the minimum wage and subsidizing the cost of corn flour, a staple food in the Eastern African region.

Museveni has, instead, urged Ugandans to tighten their belts as he blames the war in Ukraine as the cause of the hyper inflation in the country. In a recent speech, he reportedly told the citizens to substitute cassava for bread, saying the starchy root tuber is a healthy alternative.

Related Topics:Cost of Living Demonstrations Featured Protests Uganda

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Metro

Sudan War: Gen. Al-Burhan says he’s ready for peace talks

Published

5 hours ago

September 23, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Sudan’s Army Chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan says he is now open for peace talks that could bring the war in the country to an end.

Before the surprise announcement on Friday, Al-Burhan had maintained a non-compromising stance and had refused all entreaties to enter into negotiations with his former number two man and main rival, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the Rapid Support Force (RSF).

However, Al-Burhan, in a statement in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), said he had not sought military support on a recent regional tour and that his preference was for a peaceful solution to the conflict that has killed thousands and displaced millions of civilians.

“Every war ends in peace, whether through negotiations or force. We are proceeding on those two paths, and our preferred path is the path of negotiations,” Al-Burhan said.

Al-Burhan added that he believed that talks by Saudi Arabia and the United States in Jeddah which were stalled could still succeed.

In recent weeks, Al-Burhan has made a series of foreign visits after remaining holed up in Sudan for the first few months of the war, often sending representatives for talks.

In one of his visits to Cairo, Egypt, the Army Chief had said the purpose was to seek solutions and not military support, though he had asked other states to block external help that he claimed the RSF was receiving.

“We asked our neighbors to help us monitor the borders to stop the flow of mercenaries,” he had said.

The Sudan war which broke out between the army and the RSF in April 15 over plans for a political transition and the integration of the RSF into the army, has seen thousands of civilians killed and millions of others forced to flee the country.

Several ceasefire agreements entered into by the warring factions have been breached with both sides trading blames on their culpability, while previous claims by both sides that they want peace have failed to stop bloodshed.

Metro

Nigeria’s Presidency apologises for UNGA goof

Published

10 hours ago

September 23, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

The Nigerian Presidency has apologised over a blunder it made when announcing that President Bola Tinubu was the first African leader to ring the bell at the close of trade at the National Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System (NASDAQ) in the United States.

Tinubu had, on Wednesday, rang the closing bell at the NASDAQ headquarters in New York City on the sidelines of the 78th edition of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and used the opportunity to advance his foreign investment push in front of financial markets at the famous stock exchange.

“It’s a great honour for me to be here. I am happy to bring Nigeria to your doorsteps and I am honoured that we are here, today, with a bubbling Nigerian stock market that will evolve in the West African sub-region,” he said.

‘’The greatest economy in Africa is Nigeria. There is an immense opportunity in Nigeria, where you can invest your money without fear,” the president added.

Shortly after the ringing of the bell, the Presidency released a statement claiming that Tinubu had entered the history books as the first leader of an African country to get the honour of ringing the NASDAQ bell.

“In honour of President Bola Tinubu’s determined global push to aggressively attract foreign direct investment into Nigeria.

“The world’s second largest stock exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System (NASDAQ), on Wednesday in the world’s financial capital, invited President Tinubu to ring the closing bell. Making him the first African President to ever receive the honour,” the statement, issued by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale said.

However, following a backlash, and fact-finding by Nigerians and media outlets that revealed that Tinubu was not the first African leader to ring the bell, the presidency, in a statement on Friday, retracted its claim and tendered an apology.

In the apology issued by Ngelale, the presidency said it later found out that a former African leader had previously rung the bell at NASDAQ, thereby debunking the initial claim of Tinubu’s historic achievement.

“We inadvertently referred to President Bola Tinubu as the first African leader to ring the bell at NASDAQ on Wednesday in New York, based on the information provided by a third-party event organiser.

“We have since found out that this information was/is incorrect as a former African leader has indeed had the privilege. This error is sincerely regretted,” the statement said.