Uganda has spent nearly two decades without a national flag carrier but the handover ceremony on Tuesday in which Uganda received a pair of CRJ900 Bombardier aircraft is a confirmation that the Pearl of Africa has now put an end to that embarrassing trend.

The new planes are expected to land at Entebbe International Airport for the first time on Tuesday next week, opening a new chapter in the country’s aviation industry. The handover ceremony took place at Bombardier’s Mirabel, Quebec facility on Tuesday.

Transport Minister Eng. Monica Azuba Ntege said that to get here past mistakes had to be avoided. “There was a careful evaluation of several elements such as the aircraft fleet mix”, she said during the handover ceremony.

The ceremony was attended by officials from Uganda Airlines and Bombardier Commercial Aircraft together with the company workers who build the CRJ900 aircraft.

Last month the Parliament of Uganda approved the request by the government for a supplementary budget of Shs280 billion to buy the new planes.

The Uganda government through the Uganda National Airline Company ordered for four planes in July last year and the two aircraft, part of the package are regional jets that were designed for “excellent cost efficiency and network flexibility”, according to the Bombardier president Fred Cromer.

While speaking during the colorful handover ceremony, Mr. Cramer said, “Since its launch, the CRJ series family of regional jets has led to the development of regional markets around the world. The CRJ has revolutionized aviation with proven efficiency, reliability and profitability. Our latest enhancement is the new Atmosphere cabin, which sets new standards for customer comfort and experience in the regional jet market”.

The new aircraft have got two-class configuration, that is Business Class and Economy Class with a seating capacity of 12 and 64 people respectively. The two planes have already been registered with the Civil Aviation Authority with registration numbers 5Xkob and 5Xequ

The Ugandan team led by Transport Minister Ms. Azuba were received in Quebec by Uganda’s high commissioner to Canada Joy Ruth Acheng.

The CEO of Uganda Airlines Ephraim Bagenda and the Permanent Secretary of Works and Transport Waiswa Bageya were also part of the delegation that traveled to North America with a special task of checking the conformity of the aircraft according to the contractual specifications.

In part of his remarks, the Bombardier president said, “deeply appreciative that the Ugandan government chose our aircraft for the revival of its national flag carrier”. He assured Uganda that the CRJ900 will “contribute to Uganda Airline’s growth and success”.

The Sudanese army says it will make “important announcement” as the president is believed to have stepped down and consultations underway to set up a transitional council, according to government sources.

Sources from the military and the government say that the embattled president has been relieved of his duties. President’s Bashir’s fate become very uncertain as army tanks rolled onto the streets of Khartoum early today.

This morning the state media said the Sudanese army is expected to make “an important announcement”, following several months of protests against the president.

Without giving further details, a television anchor on state media said “The Sudanese army will issue an important statement soon. Wait for it”.

Immediately after this communication from the state media, tens of thousands of Sudanese ran to the streets of Khartoum as they waited for the announcement from the army. Some jubilant demonstrators could be seen on top of two army tanks moving through the capital.

There was reported heavy gunfire near the military headquarters which also house the president’s official residence and the ministry of defense. Protesters have been having a defiant sit-in at these headquarters since Saturday last week. They have been singing and dancing to revolutionary songs while in the sit-in.

The unrest which seems to oust president Bashir started in December last year sparked by the rise in bread prices. However, the protests grew stronger over the following months to become the biggest challenge to Bashir’s 30-year rule in Sudan.

Reports coming from Khartoum indicate that there is a heavy security presence on the main streets of the city. A lot of military trucks can be seen around the capital while several other roads have been blocked especially those leading to the army headquarters leaving a few roads for protesters.

Thousands of people in a jubilant mood have been seen pouring into the sin-in area. The Sudanese Professionals Association, a group spearheading the nationwide protests urged the residents of Khartoum to come in large numbers at the army headquarters.

“We call on our people from across the Khartoum capital and the region around to immediately go the sit-in area and not leave from there until our next statement is issued”, said the group. They also added that they are not ready to accept a military government to succeed president Omar al-Bashir.

Two men have been arrested as suspects regarding the kidnapping of a US tourist, Sue Endicott and a Ugandan guide, Jean-Paul Mirenge last week on Tuesday in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Sue and Paul were kidnapped by four gunmen on the evening of 2 April while they were having a game drive in the park before they were released on Sunday.

The gunmen demanded a ransom of $500,000 when they called using the cell phones of the victims.

The statement from the Uganda police indicated that the two victims were rescued from the Democratic Republic of Congo through a joint effort from the Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF) and other security agencies.

There are other reports indicating that the US military also helped to provide support to the local forces in form of intelligence, surveillance, among others to rescue the victims.

On Monday this week, Inspector General of Police, Martin Okoth Ochola handed over Ms. Endicott to the US Embassy in Kampala.

The two suspects that have been arrested include Hakim and Kwarishiima. According to sources, the two were arrested from Kanungu district after being tracked using a device that was placed in the ransom money they received before they set the victims free.

A tweet from police on Tuesday said, “The joint security actively investing the kidnapping incident and successful recovery of an American tourist Ms. Kimberly Sue Endicott and a Senior Tour Guide, Jean-Paul Mirenge-Remezo, has made some arrests of suspects, on suspicion of being involved in their kidnap”.

The police spokesperson Fred Enanga confirmed to URN that there were some arrests made in regard to the kidnap though he did not give more details.
“I can confirm that there were some arrests but I am yet to get details. I will brief you when I get the information,” Enanga said.

On Monday the US president Donald Trump had tasked the government of Uganda to arrest the kidnappers and bring them to justice.

“Uganda must find the kidnappers of the American tourist and guide before people will feel safe in going there. Bring them to justice openly and quickly,” tweeted president Trump.

The American tourist and a Ugandan driver guide have been rescued after spending 5 days in abduction. The duo was kidnapped by gunmen last week on Tuesday in Queen Elizabeth National park in western Uganda as they were enjoying an evening game drive in the savanna park.

Kimberly Endicott, 35 and Jean-Paul Mirenge were released on Sunday evening after they were kidnapped by unknown gunmen on 2 April. After the kidnap, the kidnappers used one of the victim’s phones to call authorities and demand a ransom.

Yesterday the officials said that the victims were released unharmed, in good health and in safe hands of the security team.

Following the kidnapping on Tuesday, there was a heavy deployment of security teams including the military and tourism police that worked together to rescue the victims.

Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo said that they were rescued by the Uganda security forces in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and that they are now in Kanungu district in Southwest Uganda.

However, there are reports that the victims were released after the tour company that had arranged a safari for Ms. Kimberly paid the ransom of $500,000 to the kidnappers as they had demanded.

The US President Donald Trump after learning about the release of the victims took to Twitter the celebrate the good news “Pleased to report that the American tourist and tour guide that were abducted in Uganda have been released. God bless them and their families!”

Although the president tweeted to exhibit his excitement about their release, last week the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated the US government’s policy of not paying ransoms when talking about the incident in Uganda.
“Please remember that any payment to a terrorist or a terrorist regime gives money so that they can seize more of our people,” he said. “Even a small payment to a group in, say, Africa can facilitate the killing or seizure of tens or even hundreds of others, including Americans or foreign nationals in that region.”

Mr. Pompeo said this last Tuesday while at the event of families of US citizens held captive overseas even before the news of the tourist’s abduction was out. He added that he understands the anguish among the relatives of the victims but paying ransoms empowers the abductors and leads to more kidnappings.

Ms. Kimberly Sue Endicott who lives in Costa Mesa California was traveling with another elderly couple from Canada together with their driver Jean-Paul Mirenge. The elderly couple was left unharmed though kidnappers robbed some of their property and also ran away with the car keys.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s second largest national park after Murchison Falls national park in the Northwest. The park is one of the major highlights of Uganda safaris known for hosting a variety of wildlife species including mammals, birds, reptiles, and primates.

Away from the kidnap incident, the park has been very safe for tourists despite being near the border with DRC with numerous rebel groups operating in the Eastern part of the country near the border.

The insecurity in the region has paralyzed safari activities in Virunga national park where two British tourists and their drivers were kidnapped last year and released after two days. The incident led to the temporary closure of the park until February this year when it was reopened.

There has been a massive deployment of security personnel at the Uganda-Dr Congo near Queen Elizabeth National Park as security agencies from both Uganda and DRC intensify the search to rescue an American tourist and a Ugandan driver who were kidnapped in the park on Tuesday evening.

The hostages were kidnapped at gunpoint by four armed men while on their evening game drive in the park. The two kidnapped individuals were Ms. Kimbley Sue Endecott, 35 an America tourist and Mr. Jean Paul, a Ugandan driver who was guiding the tourists.

According to reports, the kidnappers are asking for a ransom of $500,000, equivalent to about Shs1.9 Billion in order to release the hostages. Together with the two kidnapped individuals, were other two tourists, Mr. Julius Martin and his partner Barbel who were left in the tourist van unharmed though the kidnappers took away the car keys.

The security forces deployed for the hunt are comprised of joint teams including forces from the Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF), Counter-Terrorism forces and Tourism Police. The forces right away started the rescue mission in the area spanning 30 square kilometers between the park and the Uganda-DR Congo border to find the missing tourists and capture the kidnappers.

Uganda’s Deputy police spokesperson Polly Namaye said that they suspect that the kidnappers together with the hostages are still in Uganda. “We want to inform the public and all visitors in the country that the joint security teams have cut off all exit areas on the border between Uganda and the DRC in search for the victims”, he said. He added that although kidnappers had asked for ransom when they called using one of the victim’s phone, police have ruled out giving it to them.

“we are all in the national park and we hope to be successful. We have enough security personnel in the park but the criminals normally use the porous border entries to cross and cause havoc”, said the Kanungu Resident District Commissioner Shafique Ssekandi. He added that Inspector General of Police (IGP) Martin Okoth-Ochola and other UPDF field commanders had also joined the hunt to rescue the victims.

Mr. Ivan Mbabazi Batuma, the chairperson of Kigezi tourism cluster called for increased security in the park to ensure the safety of tourists and other travelers. He said that attacks in the park have become rampant mentioning some of the recent incidents like in January when a resident of Munyaga Cell was kidnapped by Congolese militia who demanded a ransom of Shs2 millions. Later the victim was released after his relatives had paid Shs1.5 millions to the kidnappers.

The chairperson of Kihihi Sub-County where the incident happened, Mr. Nelson Natukunda urged the government to intensify security at the border to stop the militia from DR Congo crossing into Uganda. He added such militia should be stopped from accessing places like Queen Elizabeth National Park where they have continuously committed crimes against tourist and other Ugandans.

The Tuesday incident was not the first to happen in the area. In 1999, the Congo-based Hutu rebels attacked and killed 8 tourists who included Americans, Britons and New Zealanders in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Southwest Uganda.

Queen Elizabeth National park is Uganda’s second largest wildlife reserve after Murchison Falls National Park in the Northwest of the country. the park is commonly known for incredible game drives that allow tourists to see all the African “big five” that include lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, and the rhinos. The park is the home for the famous tree-climbing lions together with hundreds of other mammal species and birds. On the other hand, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the South of Queen Elizabeth National Park is the home to more than half of the global population of mountain gorillas. The park is well known for breathtaking gorilla safaris in its steep and rugged terrain coupled with thick vegetation.

The developing cracks and boiling sound that is emerging from underneath Ngora rock in Ngora district has caused fear among people living near it.

People from about 200 homes around the rock say that they have heard two sporadic sounds and an eruption smell from underneath.

According to witnesses, who are locals living near the rock, they started hearing the noise last week and then they saw running cracks and small pieces of rocks popping out from the mother rock.

Locals are afraid that they don’t know where they will go after being told to relocate by the officials from the Uganda Environment Authority (NEMA).

However, according to some old locals who have been staying in the area for a long time, the similar incident happened on the same rock in the early 1970s and it lasted for more than two weeks but it stopped later.

Figures from the homestead count from Ngora Town Council show that close to 220 homes live within a radius of 500 meters to the rock and this is termed as an eruption danger zone.

Mr. Richard Itulu, the head of Geography department in Ngora High School told reporters that the rock seems to be an active volcano basing on the manner in which it was acting.
“I witnessed it making a sound blast, with some smoke emerging, it seems the heat underground has melted the hard rock into molten liquid which is now causing it to crack, and if it is an active rock, there are chances it may give way to forces underground”, he added.

The environment officials of Ngora district local government have technically advised people living around the rock to take precautionary measures by staying outside the 500-meter radius.

Ngora Town Council officials say that they have no idea where the people around the rock can relocate if it is an eruption building up. There are more than 50 rocks that are scattered all over Nora district according to the statistics at Ngora Local Government.

Government calms tension

According to the statement issued by the Commissioner disaster department at Office of the Prime Minister, Martin Owor, it is normal for gases to come out of a dormant volcano and they are not necessarily a sign of a potential eruption until scientifically proven.
He added that cracks accumulate and emit more heat waves in the dry season which makes the surrounding hotter.
“In the rare situation that a dormant volcano becomes active again, it sends increment signals over a reasonable period of time, there cannot happen a sudden eruption, the people living near Ngora rock should therefore remain calm and continue with their routine activities as scientists’ carry out tests to establish whether the sounds, cracks, and heat are normal occurrences of dormant volcanoes or something new. The population will be advised time to time”, he noted.

The government, in a statement issued by the commissioner in the office of the Prime Minister, stated that Ngora rock (Otukei) is a dormant rock, which during the long hot and dry seasons develops cracks.

Ngora rock is located in Ngora district in Eastern Uganda. It is approximately 230 kilometers (140 mi) from the capital Kampala. Ngora is bordered by 5 other districts including; Soroti district to the northwest, Katakwi district to the northeast, Kumi district to the east, Pallisa District to the south and Serere district to the west. The total population of Ngora district is estimated at 180,000 people (2018 estimates).

President Yoweri Museveni has commissioned Shs2 trillion Isimba hydropower dam in Kayunga district. While commissioning the project, Museveni turned on four turbines of the 183MWs dam in the presence of cheering high profile dignitaries that accompanied him.

The construction of the dam took four years and consumed US$ 566 million (Shs2 trillion) of which 85% was a loan from Exim Bank of China.

While commissioning the project, the president asked the people of Kayunga to use the opportunity of such projects to eliminate poverty from their homes. He added that the ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), which he heads has put in place necessary infrastructure for people to fight poverty in their households.

The president also extended his appreciation to the Chinese government for financing the construction of the project, describing the government of China and its people as friends of Uganda and Africa in general.

After the commissioning of Isimba hydropower dam, Museveni said that his government is now going to embark on electricity and railway.

In his remarks, the president said, “We have also constructed many roads and will continue to construct many more. But now our emphasis is on electricity. And soon every part of the country will have electricity. We will also re-establish the old train transport system and construct a new one. Train transport is more cost effective compared to road transport”.

The 183MW Isimba Hydro Power Project (HPP) is located 4km downstream of Simba Falls along River Nile, 50km downstream of the source of the Nile at Jinja. Kayunga is the nearest town to the project site and its about 21km and 65km from Jinja town.

The 183MW will be produced by four vertical Kaplan turbine generator that will be installed in the power station each with a capacity of producing 45.8MW.

Energy Minister Irene Muloni says the project will increase jobs for youth, increase power export opportunities, lower electricity tariffs and boost industrialization. The 68 cents per kilowatt expected to be generated by Isimba Hydro Power Project is the lowest in East Africa.

With the completion of the project, the installed electricity capacity in the country will gross 1,000 megawatts, a significant increment in the power supply that the government hopes will prompt tariff reduction for large-scale consumers supplied from the national grid.

The Permanent Secretary for the ministry of energy, Mr. Robert Kasanda said that they expect a marked reduction in the cost of electricity when the ongoing construction of the 600 megawatts Karuma dam is completed and followed by the upgrade of the distribution structure of electricity transmission.

Mr. Kasanda added that modernizing the transmission and distribution network of electricity will help to reduce the cost brought about by the energy losses that are accelerated partly by old infrastructure hence leading to hiked power tariffs.

Relief to industrialists

Senior officials from the government predict that the relief from high tariffs to industrialists that will be derived from the increased power supply will enable them to produce goods more efficiently and cheaply hence lowering market prices and stimulating demand to boost economic growth.

According to the Uganda Electricity Generation Company (UEGCL), the electricity generated at Isimba will be sold at about $5 cents per unit and this will be 3 cents lower than what is charged for the power from Bujagali dam.

The spokesperson of UEGCL, Mr. Simon Kasyate said: “The construction and completion of Isimba dam give confidence to investors that Uganda has adequate and reliable electricity to power investment”.

It is now over two weeks since Rwanda closed her border with Uganda blocking traders trying to take their products to the markets in Rwanda and also stopping Rwandan citizens from crossing to Uganda.

The border row started as a minor issue with the Rwanda Revenue Authority claiming that they were trying to expand the border road hence stopping heavy tracks from crossing into Rwanda. However, what was referred to as road works at first, it has culminated into more complicated issues.

There has been a long-standing diplomatic feud between Uganda and Rwanda with both countries accusing each other of interfering in their affairs and now it has been escalated with the border closure.

The closure of the border has so far had far-reaching effects on local communities especially to individuals who used to do business across the border. The most affected include traders and transport agents. Others victims include low-skilled workers like cargo porters and money changers who have been left idle with no work.

When the Rwanda government issued a warning to its citizens not to travel to Uganda, it left those who trade near the border with almost no business. As Rwandese are stopped from entering Uganda, Ugandans are also afraid of crossing into Rwanda fearing what may happen next.

The crisis has also led to the issue of food shortage, especially on the Rwanda side. The Rwandans who live just across the border used to buy their basic foodstuffs like tomatoes, potatoes, and fruits at the border post of Cyanika which is currently closed. They now have to use illegal shortcuts and pathways in fear of arrest by the Rwandan security officials. Those who have been commuting to Uganda for health and education services have also been affected.

The big market days in the border towns on the Ugandan side have also been hit severely without the Rwandan customers bringing activity to a halt.

Bigger businesses have not been spared by the crisis as trucks carrying goods to Rwanda and other countries like DRC and Burundi have either been delayed, diverted to use longer routes via the Mirama hills or completely stopped at some border posts.

The data from the World Bank shows that Rwanda is Uganda’s third biggest market after Kenya and South Sudan importing goods worth about $180m while Uganda imports goods worth $10m from Rwanda.

Response to the crisis

While the Uganda authorities are calling on their Rwandan counterparts to let trade return to normal, the government in Kigali is trying to ensure that its citizens do not suffer shortages and high prices.

Rwanda-Uganda relations

The two heads of Uganda and Rwanda are known as long term allies and friends. Both president Yoweri Museveni and his Rwanda counterpart Paul Kagame helped each other to come to power through rebellion. A group of Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) including Kagama fought alongside Museveni’s National Resistance Army (NRA) in the 1980s in a struggle that brought Museveni to power in 1986. In return, Museveni also supported Kagame and his team in their struggle to liberate Rwanda in the 1990s.

Tension setting in

In recent years the two countries have fallen out despite the strong familial and business ties between them. Some of the recent confrontations between Uganda and Rwanda include facing off in a military crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1990s. This standoff originated from the two countries finding themselves supporting rival rebel groups that were trying to oust former DRC president Laurent Kabila.

More than two weeks back the Rwanda Revenue Authority stopped some cargo from Uganda from crossing the border claiming that there was construction work going on at the border post of Katuna though they did not explain why other crossings were halted. Later on, it emerged that the issue was more than mere road works as deeper grievances were revealed.

Rwanda has issued a warning to her nationals not to travel to Uganda saying that some of her nationals have been arrested, detained, tortured and then deported by Ugandan officials without clear reasons.

According to Rwandan officials, more than 900 Rwandans have been deported since January 2018 and they allege that about 106 are still in detention.

Rwanda’s foreign minister Mr. Richard Sezibera has accused Uganda of supporting and hosting rebel groups trying to oust the Rwandan government. He added that Rwanda is not interested in interfering with Uganda’s intern issues.

Response from Ugandan

The government of Uganda has dismissed all the accusations from Rwanda as false. The government says that they have not identified any specific grievances against Rwanda despite the continued circulation of rumors in the local media that Rwanda is trying to compromise Uganda’s security.

Among the specific cases pointed out include that of Uganda’s former Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura who was arrested in June last year. He was charged with cases that included aiding and abetting the kidnap and repatriation of Rwanda nationals. He denied the allegations and he was later released on bail.

There have been recent cases involving arresting and deporting Rwandan nationals from Uganda after being accused of espionage. The most famous of these is that of MTN Uganda former employee, Annie Tabura who was arrested and deported in January this year after being accused of undermining Uganda’s security. However, Ugandan officials say that all of those who were arrested and detained were taken through a proper judicial system.

As it stands now, the major impact of this crisis is felt by Ugandan traders who are not able to do business in Rwanda and on the side the Rwandans who cannot access food, healthcare, and education that they were previously getting from Uganda.