How the reign of Dos Santos shaped Angola Angolans endured a bloody civil war and extreme poverty as for nearly 40 years power rested solely in the hands of autocratic President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. State radio’s announcement that he will stand down next year appears to be the beginning …
Read More »Kiggundu moves to fix Karuma dam cracks
Museveni’s new team at Energy ministry grills Chinese contractors The midday sun is beating down hard at Karuma; site of what will be Uganda’s biggest electricity dam; the 600MW Hydropower Dam under construction. Gargantuan tower cranes stand several feet high, hoisting thick blocks of pre-fabricated concrete and iron bars atop …
Read More »Workers dying at Chinese sites rise
These Chinese contractors don’t care at all, says Labour minister vow to whip them into line The human cost of accidents, poor health and safety conditions under Chinese contractors in Uganda has come under scrutiny and what is emerging is raising serious concerns. At the heart of the latest concerns …
Read More »Trump’s cabinet so far: wealthy, white and war-tested
Washington, United States | AFP | Four billionaires, three generals, a handful of women and nothing but conservatives: President-elect Donald Trump is building a super-rich, unorthodox and largely white inner circle to run the United States from January 20. They include a retired general whose salty language and warrior’s determination …
Read More »Makerere University in the age of emotion and blackmail
It is now more than a month since President Yoweri Museveni shut down Makerere University. This was because lecturers had abandoned teaching and issued government an ultimatum: pay our unpaid arrears or we will not return to work. However, the lecturers are not striking over salaries, because these have …
Read More »Why India’s poor are devoted to ‘god-like’ leaders
New Delhi, India | AFP | “To me, she was a goddess,” said party worker Shankar as he joined a sea of mourners bidding farewell to Jayalalithaa Jayaram, highlighting the messianic devotion of India’s poor for often controversial champions. Hundreds of thousands of people attended Tuesday’s funeral in Chennai for …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Maj. Kiggundu’s shooting
Questions asked about business, politics, religious rivalry The murder of Maj. Sheikh Mohammed Kiggundu, 52, a renowned Muslim cleric, who had denounced rebel activity and joined the army, has re-awakened fear of targeted killings. The husband of four and father of 12 was shot dead together with his escort, Sgt. …
Read More »Uganda’s brutal Lord’s Resistance Army, past and present
Kampala, Uganda | AFP | One of Africa’s longest-surviving rebel groups, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has terrorised parts of central Africa for 30 years. Its leaders are violent pariahs and fugitives from international justice, hunted by US special forces and African armies. Founder Joseph Kony remains on the loose, …
Read More »Uganda rebel Ongwen: victim turned killer
Kampala, Uganda | AFP | Abducted by gunmen as a 10-year-old boy on his way to school, Dominic Ongwen rose to become one of the most feared commanders in Uganda’s brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). The former child soldier, now in his early 40s, goes on trial before the International …
Read More »Why Jammeh lost: Gambian leader’s downfall in five points
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | President Yahya Jammeh scored only half his previous box office tally in last week’s election, handing victory to opposition coalition leader Adama Barrow. But why did Gambians turn against Jammeh after 22 years in power? Economic crisis A triple blow has been dealt to the …
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