POLITICS

 

Gambian President-Elect Says Jammeh Should Accept Defeat 

 

The winner of Gambia's presidential election says efforts by incumbent Yahya Jammeh to toss out the results are illegal.
Adama Barrow told VOA's French-to-Africa service that Jammeh, who has ruled Gambia for 22 years, does not have the authority to cancel the election.
"He does not have those powers and whatever he is doing is illegal and let him accept defeat," Barrow said in the interview Wednesday. "He called me to say that we have the best election in the world and he should stick to that."
Barrow said he met with West African leaders who also met with Jammeh on Tuesday and told them, "I am the president-elect and Yahya Jammeh is the outgoing president. He accepted defeat, congratulated me, and turned around and said he has annulled the election."
On Tuesday, the security forces took over the offices of Gambia's electoral commission, the same day members of the ruling party asked the country's Supreme Court to void the election results.
Barrow told VOA that the head of the Gambian Armed Forces called and congratulated him after the election, but still lacks government protection.
"I am still concerned about my security," he said. "I am using my local security, the security I was using during the campaign."
Barrow, running as the main opposition candidate, defeated Jammeh in the December 1 election by a margin of 45 to 36 percent, according to the electoral commission.

In a Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 file photo, Gambia's president Yahya Jammeh shows his inked finger before voting in Banjul, Gambia.

Afterward, state media broadcast a phone call in which President Jammeh congratulated Barrow for his "clear victory," praised the election as "transparent" and said, "Allah is telling me my time is up."
A week later, Jammeh rejected the results and said he wants to see a new election.
Jammeh, 51, has ruled the tiny West African nation since taking power in a 1994 military coup. He won four subsequent elections that critics said were neither free nor fair, and once said he could rule Gambia for "a billion years."

 

 

Kiir calls for 'national dialogue' to end war.

Kiir said a panel of "eminent personalities and people of consensus" would guide the national dialogue which would involve "all the people of South Sudan" but did not say who the panel members would be.  

President Salva Kiir called Wednesday for a "national dialogue" to end the three-year-long civil war in South Sudan.

In a speech to parliament, Kiir, whose wrangling for power with his former deputy Riek Machar plunged the world's newest nation into a brutal, destructive and ongoing civil war in December 2013, said the dialogue would "consolidate peace" in South Sudan.

Kiir said a panel of "eminent personalities and people of consensus" would guide the national dialogue which would involve "all the people of South Sudan" but did not say who the panel members would be.

The ambitious aims of the initiative, he said, are to "save the country from disintegration and usher in a new era of peace, stability and prosperity."
"As long as I am your president, I will not allow the suffering of our people to continue and I will not also allow this country to fall apart," Kiir said.
Kiir's troops and allied militia have been accused of ethnic massacres, rape and sexual slavery, looting, pillage and the forced recruitment of child soldiers. Rebels have perpetrated similar crimes.
In recent weeks fresh ethnic killings -- most allegedly carried out by Kiir's forces -- in and around the southern town of Yei have triggered genocide warnings from the UN.
In his speech Kiir asked forgiveness "for any mistakes I might have committed" but did not specify what they might be.
Neither was there any mention of justice for crimes committed, nor of his arch enemy Machar who is currently in exile in South Africa after being chased from the country during battles that raged in the capital Juba in July.
Nevertheless, Kiir issued a directive to both government and rebel forces "to immediately cease hostilities, protect their fellow citizens and prepare the ground for a more peaceful, secure and joyous Christmas and New Year."
Kiir's call comes at the start of the traditional fighting season, after the rains have stopped, and on the eve of the civil war's third anniversary.

Ugandan MPs reject proposals to enshrine presidential term limits during legislators' meeting 

 

The Deputy Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament Jacob Oulanyah who led the Ugandan delegation opposed the proposal cautioning against undermining the sovereignty of member states. 

Members of Parliament from Africa, the Caribbean an Pacific have disagreed on the proposal to have Presidential term limits enshrined in the constitutions of their respective countries.
The presidential term limit debate is currently spearheaded by the European Union and the delegates who are currently sitting in Nairobi, Kenya will have to take a decision by next week.
The Deputy Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament Jacob Oulanyah who led the Ugandan delegation opposed the proposal cautioning against undermining the sovereignty of member states.

FDC to the public: do not reveng.

Main opposition party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is concerned over the manner in which some sections of the public reacted to the death of the former KCCA Physical Planning Director, George Agaba.

The party’s deputy secretary general, Harold Kaija, said Ugandans need to develop a culture of forgiving those who have wronged them particularly where a person dies.

He said the messages seen on social media, showed the anger among people, which he says is not good for the country.

Kaija said this while addressing journalists at the party’s weekly press briefing at the party headquarters in Kampala.

“I read posts of people jubilating Agaba’s death which is so unfortunate. This shows anger among people which is bad. This should be an indicator to government that people are not happy and if nothing is done to address their concerns, we shall at one day pay the price,” Kaija said.

Adding; “We need an inclusive country.”

Agaba died on arrival at Mbarara hospital, shortly after an accident at Nyamitanga on the road to Isingiro from Mbarara on Saturday night.

President Yoweri Museveni’s sister, Dr. Violet Kajubiri whom they were traveling with also sustained severe injuries and is undergoing medication. 

Kaija also attributed Agaba’s death to poor health facilities and called government to equip all health facilities with the necessary equipment.

“That is why the Kajubiri was later flown to Kampala. If they do not equip the facilities, more people will continue dying,” he added.

FDC also called on its members to vie for the LCI and LCII positions,  a head of the elections slated to take place in January next year.

The elections were slated to take place this year but were postponed due to lack of funds.

Kaija said LC positions are very important for the FDC and the entire opposition.

“We implore our members to come up and grab those positions. If we grab these positions, we would have weakened the ruling NRM because they have been depending of the structures of LC system,” he said.

He noted that everything begins at the LC level, “a reason why we need them to easily help our people.”