Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | A committee meeting between the Uganda Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Intenal affairs and officials from the Ministry of Defence turned chaotic on Tuesday after Members of Parliament MPs questioned the involvement of the army in police work. Trouble started when the shadow minister of …
Read More »India to buy guns worth $553 mn for border troops
New Delhi, India | AFP | India will buy more than 160,000 guns worth $553 million for troops on its disputed, high-altitude borders, the defence ministry said Tuesday. The defence acquisition council cleared the purchase of 72,400 assault rifles and 93,895 carbines for 35 billion rupees ($553 million) in a …
Read More »Artificial muscles give ‘superpower’ to robots
Miami, United States | AFP | Inspired by the folding technique of origami, US researchers said Monday they have crafted cheap, artificial muscles for robots that give them the power to lift up to 1,000 times their own weight. The advance offers a leap forward in the field of soft robotics, …
Read More »Saudi vows new Islamic alliance ‘will wipe terrorists from the earth’
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia’s crown prince vowed to “pursue terrorists until they are wiped from the face of the earth” as officials from 40 Muslim countries gathered Sunday in the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance. “In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of …
Read More »Gen Muhoozi warns of complex set of security challenges in East Africa
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | UPDF Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen David Muhoozi has stressed the importance of military cooperation in East Africa as the region still faces a complex set of peace and security challenges despite the mitigating mechanism put in place. “You all know that in the past three decades, …
Read More »France says ‘go ahead’ to African security initiatives
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday encouraged African nations calling for greater autonomy over their security to “go for it”, following the launch of a regional anti-jihad force in the Sahel. France currently has its own a 4,000-strong counter-terror force named Barkhane tackling jihadists …
Read More »ANALYSIS: US politicians skeptical over growing military presence in Africa
Washington, United States | AFP | US politicians are voicing concern over America’s growing military presence across Africa, where they worry the Pentagon is getting ever more embroiled in a secretive campaign against a shifting enemy. Last month’s killing of four US soldiers in a Niger ambush has thrust the …
Read More »US commander must ‘imagine the unimaginable’ on NKorea
Singapore, Singapore | AFP | The top US commander in the Pacific warned Tuesday he must “imagine the unimaginable” in responding to the threat posed by the North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. Admiral Harry Harris, head of the US Pacific Command, made clear that while diplomacy remains the preferred option in …
Read More »Somalia’s defence minister, army chief resign
Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | Somalia’s defence minister and army chief have both resigned, without explaining why, in a potential blow to the government’s fight against Shabaab Islamist militants. The resignations come as Somali security forces struggle to contain attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked group. Defence Minister Abdirashid Abdullahi confirmed his …
Read More »Israel finalises deal for 17 more F-35 stealth fighters
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israel has finalised a deal to purchase 17 more F-35 stealth fighters in addition to 33 of the ultra-high-tech jets already ordered, the defence ministry said Sunday. Israel has already taken delivery of five of the jets, made by US-based Lockheed Martin and the most …
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