AFRICAN
NEWS
EGYPTIAN OPPOSITION SAYS MEMBERS BESIEGED
MUGABE MEETS TSVANGIRAI
Ugandan Army Kills 16 Rebels
FIVE OPPOSITION CANDIDATES QUIT
EGYPTIAN
OPPOSITION SAYS MEMBERS BESIEGED
Egypt's largest opposition group The Muslim Brotherhood protested recently
about "corruption and irregularities" ahead of elections on Tuesday.
The group's supreme guide Mohammed Badie said security officials had removed
posters of his candidates and chased his members and their supporters to prevent
them from meeting constituents.
"It has reached the stage of besieging the homes of the candidates," he said. "When we decided to field candidates in this election, we thought the regime would keep some of its promises and was sincere." The Muslim Brotherhood, which is officially banned, will be fielding about 12 candidates as independents in the mid-term election for the Shura Council, the upper house of Egypt's parliament, which is dominated by President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party. 446 candidates are competing for 74 seats in 55 electoral constituencies. Low turnout and victory for the National Democratic Party is expected.
A security official said dozens of Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters have been arrested in the last few weeks, The 82-year-old Mubarak underwent surgery in March and has not said whether he plans to run in next year's presidential election.
MUGABE
MEETS TSVANGIRAI
The political rivals in southern African country of Zimbabwe have met to iron
out differences on the power-sharing agreement. President Robert Mugabe, Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputy Arthur Mutambara last met three months
back and that affected the Global Political Agreement. James Maridadi, Tsvangirai'
spokesman, confirmed to SW Radio Africa that the leaders were meeting in the
capital. It is believed they are considering the final report by their party
negotiators, on issues impeding the full implementation of the GPA.
“The meeting started at 3pm and usually they finish around 6 in the evening.
But I don't know the agenda of the meeting,” Maridadi said. Mugabe, Tsvangirai
and Mutambara have kept South African President Jacob Zuma, the facilitator
in the protracted dialogue, waiting since April 3rd, the report said. The three
political principals have to deliberate on the negotiators' report before the
South Africans can resume their mediation process. The report, compiled by the
six party negotiators, gives advice to the principals on the implementation
matrix - the formula to be used to share provincial governors and how to deal
with the other issues.
Ugandan
Army Kills 16 Rebels
The Uganda army has killed 16 rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in
the Central African Republic (CAR) in the past few days. Ugandan army spokesman
lieutenant colonel Felix Kulayigye said that the country's army killed five
LRA men on May 29th while another 11 were killed on the 30th. "Our squads
are continuing to hunt down the LRA and this time, they landed on some groups
and they engaged them in a fight,” army Spokesman told DPA.
Since 2008, LRA leader Kony with his militias has been on the run after regional
States launched a chase to nab him after he rejected to sign a peace deal with
Uganda. It is also alleged that his fighters have been moving in the forests
of south Sudan, north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African
Republic (CAR). Five LRA commanders including its leader Joseph Kony are wanted
by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for murder, torture, rape, abductions
and forced conscription of children into fighting.
The LRA, Ugandan militia notorious who have been fighting against Ugandan government
since 1988, has killed 849 civilians and kidnapped a further 1,486, including
185 children in 2009, according to OCHA report released last February.
FIVE
OPPOSITION CANDIDATES QUIT
Burundi's upcoming presidential elections suffered a major blow with
the withdrawal of five opposition candidates. The poll is scheduled to place
on June 28. They include the former rebel leader Agathon Rwasa, who was widely
thought to be the key challenger to the current President Pierre Nkurunziza,
according to the BBC. The opposition had raised the red flag on the electoral
commission following local polls last month, which they say were fraudulent.
However, European Union observers maintain the Commission adhered to international
standards.