Politics

Uganda returns 100 Congolese police officers who escaped violence

Published

4 months ago

August 19, 2024

A spokesman for the Ugandan military has revealed that the almost 100 Congolese police officers who had crossed the border to escape fighting between M23 rebels and the Congolese army have been turned over to Uganda.

It said that the police officers’ nationalities had been established and that they were allowed to enter Uganda as a humanitarian act and in line with international law.

For many years, the Congo has been torn apart by war. Under the guise of protecting themselves from regional rebels, Uganda and Rwanda invaded each other in 1996 and 1998. Forces from Uganda and Congo are still working together to fight a terrorist group in Uganda.

Major Kiconco Tabaro, a spokesman for the Ugandan military, said in a statement that the soldiers were given over along with their weapons, ammunition, and other weapons.

Tabaro said that more and more people were crossing into Uganda to get away from the violence in Eastern Congo.

Since 2022, the M23 has been fighting a new uprising in the east of Congo, which is full of militias.

The M23 took over the town of Kanyabayonga in June. The city is on a high point, which makes it easy to get to other parts of North Kivu Province in the east of Congo.

With the help of drones and planes, Congo’s military has been trying harder to push back the rebels over the past year, but the insurgents have still taken over more land.

According to the UN, fighting in North Kivu has forced more than 1.7 million people to leave their homes. This brings the total number of Congolese people forced to leave their homes by different wars to a record 7.2 million.

Since 2022, the Tutsi-led M23 rebels have been fighting a new uprising in the east of Congo, which is full of militias. Ugandan soldiers were part of a regional group sent in November 2022 to keep an eye on a peace deal with the M23. Congolese leaders asked the troops to leave their country last year, saying it wasn’t working well.

Related Topics:Democratic Republic of Congo Featured Uganda

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

4 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

5 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.