Day: October 11, 2017

TANZANIA: PIRATES/DAILY NEWS/11/10/17 SABANews 1

DAR ES SALAAM – Military authorities in TANZANIA say they have now managed to end activities of pirates along the shores of water bodies including the INDIAN Ocean as well as Lakes TANGANYIKA and NYASA.

TANZANIA People’s Defence Forces Chief General VENANCE MABEYO says they have beefed up security and sealed off serious threats that existed in the areas between 2008 and 2012.

The DAILY NEWS newspaper says he has revealed the development during a televised program on local stations.

General MABEYO says pirates had been capturing ships entering the country, forcing some of them had to use alternative routes like SOUTH AFRICA, largely affecting the economy of TANZANIA by pushing commodity prices up.

General MABEYO says the Naval Command has since worked hard to ensure pirates and other criminals who have been using the same routes to traffic humans to different parts of the world, are dislodged.

He says technological advancements have seen crimes carried out differently, and security personnel are being well trained and educated to ensure they are able to use sophisticated tools.

General MABEYO says there also has been an increase in the number of firearms owned by civilians, yet TANZANIA is host to people fleeing their countries due to conflicts – some of them taking advantage of the situation.

He says the authorities should control the country’s own weapons from spreading around and then identify how illegal arms are making their way in; and they should examine incoming goods at all times to ensure security.

The TANZANIA Defence Forces Chief says the military is calling on members of the public to give their support to identify people in their areas who they deem suspicious./Sabanews/cam

ZIMBABWE: BRIDGE/DAILY NEWS/11/10/17 SABANews 1

CHILONGA – RUNDE River continues to kill people each rainy season in the South-eastern ZIMBABWE area of CHILONGA, where a bridge was washed away by Cyclone ELINE in 2006.

The NEWS DAY newspaper says the water body is violently flooded whenever it rains, and many cases of drowning are recorded as people attempt to cross, either on foot, on canoes, or in motor vehicles.

It says despite a government promise 11 years ago to rebuild the overpass, the coming rainy season spells doom for the SHANGANI people who live on either side of RUNDE River and others who pass through.

The publication says last year alone, at least 10 people, SIX of them motorists and FOUR villagers using dug-out canoes, drowned after they attempted to cross the flooded river.

However, it quotes Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister JORAM GUMBO as saying the authorities have plans to reconstruct the Bridge, a project temporarily shelved due to the harsh economic environment.

He says they are currently mobilising resources amid hardships caused by sanctions imposed by the BRITISH-led Western powers and the UNITED STATES.

BRITAIN campaigned vigorously on the international arena to punish ZIMBABWE after the former colony displaced about FOUR-THOUSAND white farmers to resettle millions of stranded black peasants.

The embargo, combined with serious levels of corruption both in the public and private sectors, saw the closure of factories and other revenue channels – leaving the State coffers dried up.

Nevertheless, the authorities still face the duty to rebuild collapsing and rotting infrastructure throughout ZIMBABWE, including on the seized farms – where looting and vandalism have rendered some of the properties run-down./Sabanews/cam

SADC: WAR/DAILY NEWS/11/10/17 SABANews 1

BENI-DRC – The TANZANIA People’s Defence Forces has announced the killing of yet another TWO of its soldiers on a UNITED NATIONS Peacekeeping Mission to neighbouring DRC.

The DAILY NEWS newspaper says the incident comes ONE month after the ALLIED DEMOCRATIC FORCES, ADF rebels killed Private MUSSA JUMANNE MURYERY.

It says a military statement has named the latest victims as Corporal MASELINO PASCHAL FABUSI and Private VENANCE MOSES CHIMBONI, bringing the total number of lost TANZANIAN soldiers to THREE so far.

The Army says the killings took place this MONDAY after a group of rebels attacked the soldiers 24 kilometres outside the north eastern city of BENI, lying immediately west of the VIRUNGA National Park and the RWENZORI Mountains.

UN Spokesperson STEPHANE DUJARRIC says 18 other peacekeepers were injured during the MONDAY attack, and the world body has formed a board of inquiry to investigate the incident.

Secretary-General ANTONIO GUTERRES has in turn strongly condemned the series of raids blamed on the ADF rebels in the NORTH KIVU Province.

The UN statement says he has offered his condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, as well as to the Government of TANZANIA; wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

Meanwhile, the UN Chief has warned the DRC rebels of possible prosecution for war crimes under international law for attacking peacekeepers – also saying all armed groups should lay down their weapons./Sabanews/cam

MALAWI: WITCHCRAFT/NYASA TIMES/11/10/17 SABANews 1

THYOLO – At least SEVEN people have been brutally killed by mobs of villagers over the past few months on accusations of sucking the blood of humans in Southern MALAWI.

The NYASA TIMES newspaper says President PETER MUTHARIKA has finally broken his silence on the scaring developments, which he says are affecting development in affected areas.

It says vigilante mobs are directly executing people suspected to be vampires in the southern districts of MULANJE, PHALOMBE and THYOLO, and the Head of State has pledged to visit the communities from 13 to 17 OCTOBER.

President MUTHARIKA has revealed the plan at a political rally at KALIYEKA Primary School, where he was campaigning for ruling DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY Candidate REUBEN NGWENYA ahead of a by-election on the 17TH.

He has described reports of fatal mob violence resulting from the imaginary blood sucking stories as agonising and distressful, saying he is deeply concerned with the developments.

President MUTHARIKA says he does not know who started the rumour in the country, but he understands the claims originated from Northern MOZAMBIQUE.

He says he has sent out officials to sensitise the villagers and the situation has improved, as cases of mob justice are slowly dying down; but he will still make a tour to address the communities personally.

Traditional leaders and villagers have teamed up with the State-funded MALAWI Human Rights Commission to seek government intervention after the mob killings of suspected blood suckers had gone out of hand./Sabanews/cam