The Spanish Supreme Court has ordered for the closure of a case the European country had slapped against 40 senior Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) officers including the recently-released Lieutenant General Emmanuel Karenzi Karake.

In June, Lt Gen Karake, the Director General of Rwanda’s National Security and Intelligence Services (NSIS) was arrested in London on an indictment issued in 2008 by Spanish judge Fernando Andreu Merreles, linking the General to genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the war that brought the Rwanda

Patriotic Front government to power in 1994. Other prominent RPA officers linked to the Spanish case include Defence Minister General James Kabarebe, Brig Gen Sam Kaka Kanyemera and Col Dan Munyuza, the current Deputy Inspector General of Police.
In January this year the High Court in Spain cleared 11 of the accused and ordered for the closure of the file if no new evidence was brought against the remaining 29, some of who like Brigadier General Dan Gapfizi have since passed on.

As a result of the High Court ruling, a rights group, Association Parala Defensay Progresso de los Intereses Ciudadanos, appealed to theSpanish Supreme Court, challenging the revocation of the cases, an appeal that was thrashed on October 7, 2015 by five Supreme Court judges: Justices Anna Maria Ferrer Garcia, Miguel Colmenero, Candido Pumpido Touron, Medendenz de Luarca and Andres Palomo Del Arco.

Meanwhile, the Spanish indictment mirrors another one issued by the French against nine senior RPF/A members including Lt Col Rose Kanyange Kabuye, a former Chief of Protocol to President Paul Kagame, who was arrested in Germany in 2008 on the strength of a French indictment issued by controversial Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière in 2006, linking her to the murder of former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, whose plane was brought down by a missile on April 6, 1994 as it approached the Kanombe Airport.

Habyarimana, who was in the company of his then Burundi counterpart Cyprien Ntaryamira, was returning from Arusha, Tanzania, where the Rwanda peace talks were being held. In Rwanda Habyarimana’s death set off a killing frenzy that engulfed the country, leading to the 1994 Genocide in which about a million Tutsi and moderate Hutu were massacred by rampaging groups led by the
Interahamwe militia.

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Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabange Kabila has been accused of arming brigades of cane-brandishing youth to disperse those opposed to his ‘third term’ bid.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the youth were reportedly paid US$65 by officials of the ruling Peoples Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD) to scuttle a peaceful demonstration in the DRC capital Kinshasa.

According to reports, the plain-clothed assailants belonged to a cabal of PPRD sympathisers from the army, police, security services and youth associated with a Kinshasa-based football club, Vita.

The DRC is scheduled to hold elections on November 16 and President Kabila, who is attempting to run after serving his mandatory two five-year terms has come under heavy criticism for attempting to change the rules.

Recently, one of his PPRD close allies, Katanga Governor Moise Katumbi deserted the party and also resigned from governorship, and implored president Kabila to stand down after the expiry of his two terms.

Also, seven opposition figures who had allied with his PPRD in the pursuit of electoral reforms recently wrote to President Kabila, denouncing his third term quest and detailing their inability to continue working with him.

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Activities at Makerere University came to a standstill early today after students went on strike a day apiece, after the University Council rejected their plea to scrap the fees payment policy.

The policy dictates that students pay 100% of the tuition fees by the sixth week, and according to this semester’s academic calendar, Monday October 5 was the beginning of the 6^th week, meaning that those who hadn’t paid would not access the educational services of the university.

On the same day the students had staged a strike but were restrained when their leaders promised to follow up the matter with the University Council on Tuesday. Later the two student leaders, Guild President David Bala Bwiruka and the President of Makerere University Private Students Simon Wanyera, reportedly held a closed door meeting with the Dean of Students Cypriano Kabagambe trying to strike a compromise.

The saga all started last Friday when the university management responded to the students’ guild petition over the policy, by extending the payment deadline for a month. Part of the letter signed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Finance and Administration, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe read:

“Management has therefore agreed to extend deadline for fees payment and registration by 01 month with effect from 5^th October 2015 which is the end of the 6^th week of the semester.”

But this did not soothe the students, with Wanyera saying on Monday that ‘the policy should go forever.’

At the time Mr Wanyera also expressed ignorance of any document issued by the university highlighting the extension, claiming his ‘office’ had not received it.

“This administration is making education only for the rich,” a fired up Wanyera charged.

In a related development, on Monday the students also accused the Guild President of not supporting their cause, but Bala justified his stand saying he couldn’t do ‘wrong when there is a right thing’, before telling his recalcitrant colleagues that Council would debate the fees policy issue.

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The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday received a contribution of US$9 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide food assistance for more than 320,000 refugees living in Uganda.

“This generous contribution has arrived just in time, as a funding shortfall was threatening to force WFP to reduce rations for refugees, including the new South Sudanese arrivals,” said acting Country Director Michael Dunford in a press release.

“Those cuts will not be necessary now, and we are extremely grateful to USAID for its lifesaving support for people fleeing conflict in neighbouring countries and seeking refuge in Uganda.”

Dunford said WFP will use the funding, received through USAID’s Office of Food for Peace, to purchase more than 13,000 metric tons of cereals and beans within Uganda for more than 300,000 refugees.

The support will also allow WFP to provide cash to 20,000 refugees in areas where markets are able to meet the demand. As well as meeting the immediate food needs of refugees, cash assistance has the added benefit of allowing some flexibility for the refugees to buy nutritious foods that may not be part of WFP’s food basket and to manage their household food resources themselves.

This contribution brings USAID’s 2015 WFP support to refugees in Uganda and extremely vulnerable populations in Karamoja to an estimated US$26 million.

Uganda currently hosts more than 490,000 refugees, mostly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan and Burundi and roughly two-thirds of the refugees in Uganda depend on WFP to meet their basic food needs.

WFP’s assistance for refugees is closely coordinated with the Government of Uganda through the Office of the Prime Minister, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and stakeholder NGOs.

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A three-day media workshop sponsored by the East African Community (EAC)-United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is currently underway in Arusha, Tanzania.

The workshop for community radio journalists is organised by the EAC Community Media Network (EACOMNET), and has attracted 35 participants from the five EAC Partner States of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Addressing participants on the opening day Ms. Zulmira Rodrigues, the UNESCO Representative to Tanzania said her organization would support community media initiatives in the EAC region.

She noted that the UNESCO-supported community radios are the main source of wide-ranging information for rural, marginalized and indigenous communities.

“UNESCO through its support has further significantly contributed to ensuring quality broadcasting, ethical programming and inclusive content to include all groups – men, women, the youth, persons living with disabilities and persons living with albinism – to actively participate in key processes for democracy, peace and development,” said Ms. Rodrigues.

Officially opening the workshop, the EAC Deputy Secretary in charge of Finance and Administration Mr Liberat Mfumukeko, said the Community attaches great importance to the role of the media promoting awareness in the EAC integration.

“We have directed the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department to come up with a strategy to involve community radio stations in the Partner States in our outreach and advocacy programmes in the next Financial Year. With this strategy in place, we shall work and engage with you more closely,” said the Deputy Secretary General.

The workshop is being facilitated by community media experts from the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad, India, led by the UNESCO Chair on Community, Professor Vinod Pavarala, assisted by Prof. Vasuki Belavadi and Dr Kanchan K. Malik.

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Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete will make his last address to the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) 4^thsession currently sitting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

According to EALA Speaker Dan Fred Kidega, the outgoing President, who is also the chair of the Summit of the EAC Heads of State, will address the EALA members on October 13, about two weeks away from elections in his country to be held on October 25.

Kikwete’s mandate as President of Tanzania comes to an end this month, after he has served a two-five year term.

Meanwhile, during the two-week session, the EALA will among other assignments, debate the EAC Electronic Transactions Bill 2014; the EAC Forest Management and Protection Bill 2015 and the EAC Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Bill 2015.

“We further expect to hold consultations with a number of other stakeholders during our stay here to inform the work of the Assembly to carry on with its mandate of legislation, representation and oversight. The involvement of East Africans in the process is fundamental given the fact that integration is very much ‘a people centred process’”, Speaker Kidega said and added that since he became Speaker in 2014 the EALA has passed seven Bills and seven Resolutions, and also adopted 13 reports.
The Speaker also lauded members of the 70^th United nations General Assembly (UNGA), a forum at which the newly-introduced Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted.
‘Last month, EALA benefited from a 4 day training on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) thus preparing the Assembly for the big task ahead of oversight and possible legislation around sustainable development,’ Kidega said and also hinted at polls’ process in the EAC region, where Tanzania and Uganda will hold presidential elections in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

‘Another key area we as a Parliament are keen on – concerns that of elections in the region.  The United Republic of Tanzania is headed for its polls on October 25, 2015 while Republic of Uganda is expected to hold a similar exercise in the first quarter of 2016. Our appeal to the Partner States is to ensure elections are held in a credible manner and that such processes fall within the ambits of constitutionalism and electoral laws’ he said, before imploring the media to ensure effective and objective reporting.

The Speaker also said there is need to prioritise peace and security in the EAC region, in light of the threats occasioned by the Al-Shabaab insurgents.

‘We need to fast-track the ratification of the Peace and Security Protocol in the region to anchor the architecture and also operationalize joint activities that ensure a peaceful region.  So far, Uganda, Rwanda and the United Republic of Tanzania have ratified the Protocol.  When the region has peace, then there is unrivalled development and progress,’ he added.

Earlier today Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta addressed the 2^ndmeeting of the 3^rd Assembly of EALA, whose sessions at the National Assembly in Nairobi will end on October 15.

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There have been misleading reports on Social Media and in the Monitor Newspaper under the headline “Bamuze collapses, dies” in which they quote a relative as having said the fallen Major General Ali Bamuze missed a step, fell and vomited blood before collapsing in State House, Entebbe.

This is to clarify that Gen. Bamuze had no scheduled appointment and was not anywhere near State House and could therefore not have collapsed there.

Gen. Bamuze was however part of the UPDF officers who attended an Operation Wealth Creation meeting organized by the Commander of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. Wamala at J&M Hotel in Bwebajja along Entebbe Road. The meeting was addressed by President Yoweri Museveni.

Gen. Bamuze collapsed shortly after the President had left and was immediately rushed to Nakasero Hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival.

The UPDF who are handling this matter will brief the press on the postmortem report at an appropriate time.

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Government has issued 16 companies with bidding documents for oil exploration.

Nineteen had applied when government put out a request for qualification stage.

According a press release by ministry of energy, the bidding documents comprise of Request for Proposal, Model Production Sharing Agreement 2015 (MPSA), Model Confidentiality Agreement for sale of data, Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) (Data Sale) Regulations 2014 and Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) (Data Sale) (Amendment), Regulations 2015.

Dr. Kabagambe Kalisa, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy & Mineral Development (MEMD), says the issuance of the bid document marks the commencement of the Request for Proposal stage which entails bidding and competitive process of the licensing round.

He adds that the bidding and competitive process will close on 15th January 2016 with submission of bids.

“Government will evaluate the bids, negotiate with successful bidders, sign Production Sharing Agreements and award exploration, development and production licenses thus marking the end of the licensing round,” explained the Permanent Secretary.

The successful companies are; African Global Resources (JV comprising of Telconet Capital Limited, RT-Global Resources LLC and JSC Tatneft), Russia,  Petrica Energy AS, Norway,Energy Limited, Australia,Oranto Petroleum International Limited, NigeriaTullow Uganda Operations Pty Limited, Ireland, Rift Energy Uganda Limited, Canada,African Exploration Venture (JV comprising of Rapid Africa Energy Pty Limited and Africa Energy SA Corp)South Africa.

Others include; Niger Delta Petroleum Resources Limited, Nigeria, Glint Energy, LLC, USA, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Videsh Limited, India, SASOL Exploration and Production International Limited, South Africa, Brightoil Petroleum (Uganda) Limited, Hong Kong/China,Petoil (Uganda) Limited, Turkey, Swala Energy (Uganda) Limited, Australia, Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, Nigeria,MDC Oil and Gas Holding Company, LLC, United Arab Emirates.

The six biddable blocks comprise of the Ngassa (410 Km2) in Hoima District, Taitai & Karuka (565 Km2) in Buliisa District, Ngaji (895 Km2) in Rukungiri and Kanungu Districts, Mvule (344 Km2) in Moyo and Yumbe Districts together with Turaco (425 Km2) and Kanywantaba (344 Km2) in Ntoroko District.

Uganda discovered commercial quantities of oil in 2006, with the oil in place estimated at 3.5 billion barrels. It’s not clear when production will start as the year has kept being changed.

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