​Indonesian Ambassador to Sudan Sunarko on Monday (26/8) visited the Sudan International Airport Authority and met with Director General Mr. Sir Al-Khatam Babiker and his staff.

Ambassador Sunarko opened the meeting by conveying warm greetings and high appreciation for the close cooperation and facilitation support provided by the Airport Authority. Ambassador Sunarko also congratulated Mr. Sir Al-Khatam on the success of the Kassala Airport renovation project, which is expected to become an alternative air transportation route between Kassala and Port Sudan.

On this occasion, Ambassador Sunarko conveyed the Plan for the Delivery of Phase 3 Humanitarian Aid in the form of medicines from the Indonesian Government collected by a non-profit organization (BAZNAS). This assistance is expected to ease the burden on the Sudanese people affected by conflict, floods, and cholera outbreaks in the last few weeks.

Mr. Sir Al-Khatam expressed his appreciation for the support and cooperation that has been established with the Indonesian Embassy, ​​and welcomed the commitment of the Indonesian Government in providing humanitarian assistance on an ongoing basis. The Sudan Airport authorities confirmed their readiness to facilitate support and assistance in the process of sending the aid upon arrival at Port Sudan Airport.

At the end of the visit, a field review was conducted at a number of supporting facilities at the Airport that had been renovated.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Khartoum, Sudan.

Gulu City is bustling with activity as Members of Parliament (MPs) and other stakeholders decent upon it for the inaugural regional parliament sitting to be held from 28 to 30 August, 2024.

This historic event has sparked a wave of activity, from cleaning up the streets to reorganising the town’s infrastructure. The city’s transformation reflects both anticipation and hope as it welcomes this significant occasion.

In the days leading up to the sitting, Gulu has seen reorganisation – bushy areas around the city are now neatly trimmed, and the streets are cleaner than ever. Truck drivers, who typically park around the venue, have moved, making way for the event and the timber dealers, usually occupying space near the grounds, have also relocated.

For the people of Gulu, this event is more than just a parliament session. It is an opportunity to reconnect with the rest of the country. Northern Uganda, still healing from the scars of war, has often felt detached from national progress.

The conflict brought with it poverty, disease, unemployment, and a lack of education. This sitting represents a chance to address these long-standing issues and bring tangible changes to the region.

Leaders from the area have rallied together, calling for unity as they prepare to host the parliament sitting. The buzz around town is palpable, with locals discussing the potential benefits and challenges that this event might bring.

On the positive side, there is a surge in economic activity. Cab drivers, boda-boda riders, food vendors, suppliers, and hotel proprietors are already reaping the benefits of the influx of visitors.

As visitors stream into the city, restaurants are cooking way more than before, and local businesses are thriving. The streets are adorned with posters from hotels welcoming Parliament to Gulu, and there is a general sense of excitement in the air.

Arrangements have made for the several residents who had hoped to attend the plenary sessions in person, to follow the proceedings from designated areas outside the parliament precincts.

The programme for the event is packed with significant activities.

On 27 August, Speaker Anita Among will visit Lalogi Village in Omoro District to pay respects to the late Jacob Oulanyah, the immediate former Rt Hon. Speaker of Parliament.

The day will also feature the official opening of the medical camp at Pece P.7 School and Gulu Prisons P.7 School; tree planting; and meetings with local groups, including the boda-boda riders’ association and market women groups.

The medical camp running from the 26 to the 31 of August, will offer free services like Hepatitis B testing; health education; nutrition and wellness talks; blood pressure check-up; consultation; diabetes check-up; and fitness sessions among others to the community.

Beyond the immediate economic benefits, there is a sense that this sitting could lead to more significant changes. Locals have been calling into radio stations, urging their leaders to address pressing issues in Parliament. The hope is that the discussions during the three plenary sittings will lead to concrete solutions for the problems facing the region.

H.E. President Yoweri Museveni is scheduled to address Members of Parliament and the country at large on a wide range of issues on 29 August.

The event is a moment of pride and possibility for a region that has long yearned for a brighter future and as a people, are more than ready to make the most of this opportunity by showing the country what they can offer.

Similar regional sittings that draw inspiration in putting the citizenry at the centre of legislation and bringing Parliament to the people, will also be held in the east, west and central parts of the country.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.

Cameroon’s authorities and security forces forcibly disappeared Ramon Cotta, a social media activist, and apparently tortured him, Human Rights Watch said today. Cotta, born Yves Kibouy Bershu, has been living in Gabon for the past 10 years, where he also went by the name of Steve Akam. He is known for his TikTok videos in which he criticizes the Cameroonian authorities.

On August 20, 2024, lawyers representing Cotta told Human Rights Watch that they had located him in a security cell of the military court in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital, paralyzed on his left side and with “severe visual impairments,” following torture in detention. The last time Cotta had been seen was in a video circulated on social media on July 21, where he stood handcuffed and surrounded by members of the Cameroonian police at a border post between Gabon and Cameroon, in the Cameroonian town of Kye-Ossi. The authorities should immediately release Cotta, ensure that he urgently has access to adequate and appropriate medical care, and investigate his apparent torture and inhuman and degrading treatment in detention.

“There are worrying reports that Cotta may already have lost his sight and ability to walk properly as a result of torture, so prompt action is immediately needed,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Cameroonian authorities should ensure that he urgently gets access to appropriate and adequate medical care, and thoroughly investigate Cotta’s apparent torture.”

Cotta’s lawyers said the Gabonese police arrested their client in Libreville, Gabon’s capital, on July 19 at about 10 a.m., and held him incommunicado in an unidentified location until July 21, when they handed him over to the Cameroonian authorities. The authorities then took him to the Directorate General for External Research (Direction Générale de la Recherche Extérieure, or DGRE), the headquarters of Cameroon’s intelligence services in Yaoundé. His lawyers said that on July 24, Cotta was transferred to the State Defense Secretariat (Secrétariat d’Etat à la défense), the headquarters of the National Gendarmerie, also in Yaoundé, where he is still being held.

Cotta’s lawyers said DGRE members interrogated Cotta twice, and tortured him, including with serious beatings during one of the interrogations, and subjected him to other inhuman and degrading treatment.

“Cotta told us that DGRE agents tied his hands and feet and walked over him repeatedly, and that they beat him multiple times,” said Hippolyte Tiakouang Meli, one of Cotta’s lawyers. “He also reported that he was held in a room where he was exposed to very bright lights through a projector, which caused him serious eye issues.”

Cotta’s lawyers said their client has been charged with acts of terrorism, insurrection, financing of terrorism, arms trafficking, and insulting the head of state and members of the government. They said he was not taken before a judge, but instead before the military prosecutor twice. “The first time, we were not informed,” said Meli. “The second time, on August 20, we were informed and could speak with our client.” Cameroonian law gives the military judicial system jurisdiction over civilians charged with terrorism offences, even though this is incompatible with international norms. The UN Human Rights Committee has long called on Cameroon to reform this aspect of its laws, which violates fair trial guarantees.

On August 7, lawyers representing Cotta had sent requests for information to various Cameroonian authorities about their client’s situation and whereabouts, to no avail. They had also expressed concerns that Cameroonian authorities extrajudicially returned Cotta to Cameroon from Gabon, and that he was a victim of an enforced disappearance.

The Central Africa Human Rights Defenders Network, a prominent Cameroonian human rights group, and Maurice Kamto, the head of the main opposition party Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon, had both called on authorities to immediately reveal Cotta’s whereabouts.

The Cameroonian government has for years cracked down on opposition and free speech, jailing political activists, journalists, and dissidents. Ahead of the general elections in 2025, it has increasingly restricted freedoms of expression and association.

In March, the territorial administration minister banned two opposition coalitions, describing them as “clandestine movements.” In June, gendarmes in N’Gaoundéré, Adamawa region, arbitrarily rearrested a prominent artist, Aboubacar Siddiki, known as Babadjo, for “insulting” a governor.

In July, the head of the Mfoundi administrative division issued a decree threatening to ban anyone insulting state institutions from the division. Also in July, members of the intelligence services in Douala, Littoral region, arrested Junior Ngombe, a social media activist, for his TikTok videos advocating democratic change. Ngombe was released on bail on July 31.

In an August 7 statement following a visit to Cameroon, Volker Türk, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, said the process leading up to the elections will be “a key opportunity … to ensure the free expression of political opinions.”

Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups have previously documented the widespread use of torture and incommunicado detention in Cameroon’s detention centers, including ungazetted detention facilities, such as military barracks.

Under human rights law, all forms of torture, as well as inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment of detainees, are strictly prohibited, and Cameroonian law provides that detainees shall not be subjected to any physical or mental constraints, or to torture, and that their counsel and families should be able to visit them at any time.

“Instead of respecting the work of social media activists, Cameroon’s authorities and security forces forcibly disappeared and apparently tortured Cotta,” Allegrozzi said. “They should release him as a matter of urgency and ensure that his rights are respected.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expresses its deep concern over the deteriorating situation in Libya resulting from unilateral decisions. The Mission believes that continuing with unilateral actions will come at a high cost for the Libyan people to resolve the protracted crisis, and risks precipitating the country’s financial and economic collapse.

In line with its mandate under Security Council Resolution 2702 (2023), particularly with regard to conflict prevention, UNSMIL is convening an emergency meeting for all parties involved in the Central Bank of Libya crisis in order to reach a consensus based on political agreements, applicable laws, and the principle of the Central Bank’s independence, as well as ensuring the continuity of public services. UNSMIL further calls for the following urgent steps:

Suspending all unilateral decisions related to the Central Bank of Libya,
Immediately lifting force majeure on oil fields and refraining from using the country’s primary revenue source for political ends,
Halting any escalation and refraining from the use of force to achieve political objectives or factional interests,
Guaranteeing the safety of Central Bank employees and protecting them from threats and arbitrary arrest.

UNSMIL stresses that resolving this emerging crisis is an urgent necessity to create a conducive environment for an inclusive political process, under the auspices of the UN and with the support of the international community. This process will aim to put Libya back on the path to national elections – including through agreeing on a unified government – to end the eroded institutional legitimacy and divisions plaguing the country.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).