Culture

Ugandan security agencies arrest three linked to school attack

Published

1 year ago

June 19, 2023

Ugandan police say three suspects linked to an attack at the Lhubirira Secondary School on Friday where around 42 students were slaughtered and burned to death inside their dormitory have been arrested.

Lt. Joe Walusumbi, the Kasese District Resident Commissioner where the incident happened, said at a press conference on Monday that the arrests were made through a “collaborative initiative of the residents to provide information on the suspects aided in the search, leading to their arrest.”

“We have arrested three people and investigations are still ongoing. I cannot tell you whether they are Ugandans or not,” Lt. Walusumbi said.

“We shall tell you after investigations but up to now, our UPDF forces are still hunting for these rebels,” he added.

The commissioner also confirmed that the number of fatalities stood at 42, with five identified as non- residents.

“Seventeen fatalities are reported to have burnt beyond recognition necessitating the authorities to conduct a comprehensive analysis of a DNA test to aid with identification of the victims,” he said.

He added that 16 students were suspected to have been kidnapped by the assailants believed to be rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) linked to the Islamic State (ISIS).

Lt. Walusumbi also urged schools in Kasese to scale up their security, as authorities ordered local schools to remove burglars from doors and windows to ensure ample emergency exits when similar attacks happen in the future.

“This time, we don’t want a single deployment of security guards in public places, we need deployment of two guards because if the school had more than one security guard, the incident would have been avoided, a single security guard cannot guard the school 24 hours,” he said.

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Culture

Ghanaians react angrily as American video vixen Rubi Rose tours Jubilee House

Published

2 days ago

November 3, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Some Ghanaians have been outraged following a tour of the Jubilee House, the country’s seat of government, by American entertainer and video vixen, Rubi Rose.

The visit and tour of the Jubilee House by the controversial vixen, rapper, and OnlyFans content creator who arrived in Ghana on Thursday, October 31, 2024, sparked outrage and angry reactions among Ghanaians on social media who questioned the rationale behind the visit.

The American star was a special guest for a Halloween party in Accra and during her stay, was granted access to the Jubilee House, where she met with Nadia Adongo Musah, Deputy Director of Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President, and was given a tour of the premises.

Photos of Rose’s visit to the Jubilee House circulated on social media, prompting discontent among Ghanaians, who questioned why someone with her background was allowed into the Jubilee House, also known as Flagstaff House, which holds significant historical and symbolic value as the seat of Ghana’s presidency.

Some angry Ghanaians took to social media to voice out their discontents.

A X user with the handle @fanti_boy wrote:

“Is this really Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana?”

Another user, @_blacksnow09, said:

“Foreigners have more access to the presidential residence than citizens.”

@CopsonClaude commented:

“The Jubilee House is now Oasis Lounge.”

@PositiveAt59011 said:

“Please, is the place a hotel where Americans do lodge in?”

@DanQuaye22 said:

“They told the citizens Flagstaff House is a security zone, but see who has easy access.”

Culture

Mauritius bans access to social media until after elections

Published

3 days ago

November 2, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Mauritius government has placed a blanket ban on access to social media websites ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled to hold on November 10.

The ban, which was announced on Friday by the country’s national communications regulator, will be in force until November 11, the day after the election.

“The ICT Authority wishes to inform the public that in response to concerns regarding illegal postings that constitute a serious threat to national security and public safety, it has received directives in the evening of 31 October 2024, to direct all Internet Service Providers to temporarily suspend access to all social media platforms until 11 November 2024”, the Information and Communication Technology Authority said on Friday.

The move which came amid a wiretapping scandal in the Indian Ocean nation, has however, raised concerns as opposition parties and prominent figures have a ploy by the governing party to avoid defeat at the polls.

Local media say the unprecedented social media ban follows a wiretapping scandal which rocked the country last month when recorded conversations of politicians, business people, and members of civil society were leaked on social media.

According to media freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RWB), the recorded conversations of five well-known journalists were leaked published on social media, prompting the ban.

“The government of the Indian Ocean Island country, which has a population of 1.2 million, has claimed that these leaks are a threat to national security and instructed the communications authority to suspend all access to social media,” the RWB said in a statement.

In response to the bank, network service provider, EMTEL, said it would comply with the directive and user experience will be “progressively disrupted”.

“EMTEL understands the inconvenience that this action shall cause to its customers but reiterates that it has no alternative other than to comply with ICTA directive,” the company said.

Local media also quoted a statement from the office of the Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, who is seeking a second term in power, as saying that the suspension of social media was essential to protect national security and the country’s integrity.