The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has intensified its joint military offensives with Somali Security Forces, continuing the robust fight against Al-Shabaab.

The ATMIS Force Commander, Lieutenant General Sam Okiding, at a press briefing on Wednesday said that following the technical pause in the phase two drawdown, ATMIS has reorganised its troops. He shared that ATMIS forces from the two Forward Operating Bases that were handed over, Biyo Cadale and Raga Ceel, remain actively engaged in Somalia. They now form an agile mobile unit undertaking joint offensives against Al-Shabaab. This is alongside the ongoing efforts of troops safeguarding major supply routes, population centres, and conducting routine patrols.

“Since the 90-day technical pause in the Phase two drawdown, our operations with Somali Security Forces have significantly intensified. Notably, we’ve successfully taken control of the Cali Fool-dheere Forest in the Middle Shabelle region, a critical Al-Shabaab stronghold,” said Lt. Gen. Okiding.

He acknowledged that the onset of rains has slightly delayed plans for further liberation efforts in joint offensives. Despite these natural challenges, ATMIS, in collaboration with its partners, had established a Taskforce to prepare for El-Nino and its aftermath. The rains have impacted some of ATMIS’s Forward Operating Bases, leading to flooding and operational delays.

“I was in Jowhar on Tuesday to meet with our troops and boost their morale for the upcoming joint offensives,” he said, affirming ATMIS’s dedication to maintaining security and stability in Somalia and building on the successes of its predecessor mission, AMISOM.

“Since starting on April 1, 2022, ATMIS has upheld AMISOM’s territorial gains. This includes supporting Somali Security forces in safeguarding land, air, and sea borders, as well as protecting population centres and key government installations in Mogadishu and the Federal Member States,” he noted.

The Force Commander expressed gratitude to the President of Somalia, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, for his leadership and prioritisation of the offensives against Al-Shabaab. “The President’s leadership has been exemplary in this regard,” he concluded.

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Environmental defenders and anti-fossil fuel activists in Uganda routinely face arbitrary arrests, harassment, and threats for raising concerns over a planned oil pipeline in East Africa, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 22-page report, “‘Working On Oil is Forbidden’: Crackdown Against Environmental Defenders in Uganda” documents the Ugandan government’s restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and assembly related to oil development, including the planned East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Civil society organizations and environmental defenders regularly report being harassed and intimidated, unlawfully detained, or arbitrarily arrested.
“This crackdown has created a chilling environment that stifles free expression about one of the most controversial fossil fuel projects in the world. The government of Uganda should immediately end arbitrary arrests of anti-oil pipeline activists and protect their right to exercise freedom of expression, in accordance with international human rights norms,” said Felix Horne, senior environment researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 31 people in Uganda between March and October 2023, including 21 environmental defenders.
The oil pipeline is one of the most significant fossil fuel infrastructure projects under development globally. It will include hundreds of wells, hundreds of kilometers of roads, camps and other infrastructures, and a 1,443-kilometer pipeline, the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world, connecting oilfields in western Uganda with the port of Tanga in eastern Tanzania.

The French fossil-fuel giant TotalEnergies is the operator and majority shareholder, alongside China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC), and the state-run Ugandan and Tanzanian oil companies. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s leading authority on climate science, and others have warned that no new fossil fuel projects can be built if the world is to reach Paris Agreement goals and limit the worst impacts of climate change.

The activists are protesting both construction of the pipeline and the treatment of people in its path. Over 100,000 people in Uganda and Tanzania will lose their land for the oil developments. Many activists told Human Rights Watch that the constant threats from local government and security officials make it more difficult to provide support to those who have lost land.
The Ugandan authorities have routinely detained and arrested activists and human rights defenders on politically motivated charges. An environmental defender, Maxwell Atahura, described his 2021 arrest in Bullisa: “[The police] were asking me questions about oil … at a certain point they were calling me a terrorist, saboteur of government programs…. At the end they wrote on the police bond unlawful assembly.” Atahura also said that he has received threats and that he eventually relocated to Kampala for safety.
President Yoweri Museveni, a staunch backer of the EACOP pipeline, has warned he will not “allow anybody to play around … [with his] oil.”
Since October 2021, at least 30 people protesting or trying to address the impacts of the oil projects have experienced politically motivated arrests in Kampala and other parts of Uganda. In 2021, the government suspended 54 organizations on the basis of vague language in the country’s Non-Governmental Organisations Act of 2016, including several working on the oil sector and other environmental issues. Local organizations that continue to work on the oil issue do so under intense pressure from government and security officials who press them via phone and in person to halt their oil sector activities.
With limited options to influence government policy, some Ugandan nongovernmental groups alongside their international partners have filed suit in France against TotalEnergies. Two people who travelled to France for a court hearing in December 2019 have experienced continuous harassment by security and government officials since their return.
Activists in Uganda have heavily criticized the project because of the risks it poses to the environment, local communities, and its contribution to climate change. Activists have criticized the government for approving the project, as well as Ugandan and international companies potentially involved in its finance, insurance, construction, or operation.
Local civil society groups have become invaluable in assisting people whose land has been acquired for the oil developments to understand the compensation process and the various avenues open to them to secure fair compensation, Human Rights Watch said. In July Human Rights Watch reported human rights violations associated with the pipeline’s land acquisition project including inadequate compensation, and constant pressure from officials; threats of court action and threats from local government and security officials for those who have rejected compensation offers.
In an October 23 letter to Human Rights Watch, TotalEnergies stated they recognize “the importance of protecting Human Rights Defenders and do not tolerate any attacks or threats against those who peacefully and lawfully promote Human Rights in relation to their activities.”
Human Rights Watch has also written to Uganda’s National Bureau for Nongovernmental Organisations, a semi-autonomous office under the Internal Affairs Ministry, the Internal Security Organisation, and the Uganda Police Force, but none responded.
Due to the opposition of the pipeline from civil society organizations and climate activists in Uganda and around the world, many financial institutions and insurance companies have made a public commitment to not support the pipeline. Financing for the pipeline is yet to be finalized, although in March, a TotalEnergies official stated that the company anticipates that funding should be in place by the end of 2023.
“The construction and operation of EACOP poses grave environmental risks, human rights risks, and contributes to the global climate crisis.” Horne said. “Financial institutions and insurance companies should avoid supporting the Ugandan oil pipeline due to the devastating impacts of fossil fuels on climate change as well as future risks of serious human rights impacts.”

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The Minister of State for Defence, Jacob Marksons Oboth has commended the African Conference of Commandants (ACoC) for its contribution towards Africa’s security through quality military education and enhancing cooperation amongst African Staff Colleges.

“It is my pleasure to learn that this organization, the African Conference of Commandants, brings together African Staff Colleges and Military institutions with a mission to conceptualize, reform and enhance the education and development of military officers to support policy formulation and military standards in Africa,” said Oboth

The Minister made the remarks during the opening of the 17th African Conference of Commandants at Royal Suites, Bugolobi under the theme, “Aligning Peace Support Operations Training in Africa to the Contemporary Security Scenarios.”

Minister Oboth noted that the theme aligns with the countries’ security requirements because African countries are getting more involved in Peace Support Operations as a result of constant conflicts among the communities. “It is vital that our training syllabi take cognizant of the need to impress the teaching of Peace Support Operations in our staff colleges and other military institutions of higher learning,” Oboth added.

He encouraged the participants to deliberate on the suggestions made by the Staff College Chief Instructors during their conference that was held in July in Kampala.

Major General George Igumba, the Commandant Senior Command and Staff College, Kimaka who doubles as the current chairman of ACoC applauded members for their tremendous cooperation and support during the period under review.

“It reaffirms our commitment to the principles of finding African solutions to the problems we face as a people of this continent,” said Maj Gen Igumba adding that this is an indication to move Africa’s Staff Colleges to greater heights through harmonization and standardization of curricula and cooperation of the Staff Colleges.

He revealed that by the end of the conference, they will have identified the country to take over the chairmanship from Libya come November next year.

The aim of the African Conference of Commandants (ACoC) is to enhance harmonization, interoperability, commonality, standardization and cooperation between African Staff colleges as it is contributing to African peace and security through mechanisms such as the African Standby Force (ASF) and Peace Support Operations (PSOs).

The conference has attracted participants from; Mauritania, Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, Côte D’Ivoire, Cameroon, Botswana, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Libya, Zambia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Burundi, and observers from the African Centre for Strategic Studies.

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Teso sub-region has received 10 boreholes worth Shs 307 Million. The bore holes, which will benefit over 4,800 people in districts of Kapelebyong, Katakwi and Bukedea, were drilled by Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL).

The boreholes were officially received by Minister of State for Sports Peter Ogwang at Angopet Olilia B village, Okungur Sub-county, Kapelebyong District Village, Lyalakwe Parish in Kapelebyong.

Ogwang said that Teso has long faced challenges related to water scarcity, adding that many communities have had to rely on unclean water sources – leading to health issues and affecting overall community well-being.

“This project stands as a testament to the positive impact that responsible corporate initiatives can have on society. As the Teso sub-region embraces this transformative change, the hope is that other organisations will be inspired to undertake similar efforts, ultimately leading to a brighter and healthier future for all Ugandans,” he said.

Ansell, the Director of Corporate Relations for Africa at Diageo – UBL’s parent company – said that the business supports programs that improve the communities within which they operate all over the world.

“Our commitment to sustainability is outlined by our Society 2030: Spirit of Progress agenda – which is a global programme through which we work to create a more inclusive and sustainable world. One of the ways we do this is by supporting initiatives that preserve and replenish this critical resource, particularly in water-stressed areas.”

Like several sub-Saharan countries, Uganda faces the challenge of a growing number of people who have limited or no access to safe drinking water, which calls for concerted efforts from different stakeholders to address.

According to Water.org, a global non-profit organization working to bring water and sanitation to the world, out of Uganda’s population of 45 million people, 38 million people (83% of the population) lack access to a reliable, safely managed source of water and 7 million people (17%) lack access to improved sanitation solutions.

On a continental level, according to World Bank data, about 387 million people lived without access to basic drinking water services in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020, up from 350 million people in 2000.
Juliana Kagwa UBL’s Corporate Relations Director emphasised the company’s commitment to the well-being of the communities within which it operates. He said that access to clean water is not just a basic human right but also a fundamental necessity for the growth and prosperity of any community.
“Access to clean and safe drinking water remains a significant challenge in Uganda, and while there have been improvements in recent years, a substantial portion of the population – particularly in rural areas – still lacks access to clean water and sanitation facilities. By providing this vital resource, Uganda Breweries Limited has taken a commendable step towards empowering the people of Teso and enabling them to lead healthier and more productive lives,” Juliana stated.
UBL has so far invested over Shs 20 billion in water and sanitation projects across Uganda benefitting over 2 million people.
Some of the projects include a Shs 335 million piped water supply system in the Buwali sub-county of Bududa district that has benefitted over 2,000 residents, the construction of 37 boreholes in the Acholi sub-region and the implementation of a Shs 1 billion water and sanitation project in Bulangira, Kibuku District in partnership with Water Aid Uganda.

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