Nigerian, Ugandan diplomats snubbed from Canada Day celebrations Toronto Star - 37 minutes ago By: Alex Boutilier Staff Reporter, Published on Mon Jun 30 2014 Diplomats from Nigeria and Uganda have been dropped from the guest list for the Department of Foreign Affairs' Canada Day festivities in Ottawa. OTTAWA-Diplomats from Nigeria and Uganda have been dropped from the guest list for the Department of Foreign Affairs' Canada Day festivities in Ottawa, the Star has learned. The reasons for the diplomatic snub are not clear, and Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird's office refused to comment. But Baird has been an outspoken critic of anti-gay laws recently passed by the two African nations. In January, Nigeria passed the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which punishes same-sex marriage with a maximum of 14 years in prison and 10 years for belonging to a gay organization. The follow...

  Disappointment over cost of travel visa for expatriates living in East Africa eTurboNews - 17 hours ago Image via yourafricansafari.com BY PROF. DR. WOLFGANG H. THOME, ETN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT | JUN 30, 2014 Reactions were swift to come in when news spread over the weekend that expatriates living in any of the three countries of Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya will still have to pay travel visa fees in order to be able to visit any of the neighboring countries - a disappointing state of affairs. This is surely not the way to keep a significant number of travelers within the region, as expats in large numbers visit countries which do not require a visa from them like the UAE, the Seychelles, or South Africa. At a cost of US$100 per visa, the period of validity is now extended to 6 months. This does not matter much, however, for those who only wish to spend their local leave for instance at the beaches of Momba...

  KT Press Highlights New Visa Restrictions Placed on Rwandans DigitalJournal.com - 2 hours ago /PRNewswire/ -- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this week introduced a new Visa policy targeting Rwandans, which regional officials say affects more than 36,000 travelers from both Countries who cross the border daily. The abrupt visa changes include three new categories; $30 per year will be charged on Rwandan students crossing the border to study in DRCongo, $50 on small traders every 3 months and $250 every Month for the working class. Rwanda reacted with dismay to the changes. Kigali says the visa charges contravene agreements signed under the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) - a regional body that brings together Rwanda, DRC and Burundi. It is the second time that the DRC Government has breached the CEPGL agreement. On April 21 , it started overcharging VISA fees on Rw...

  Crimes de guerre: Ban KI-MOON se moque des Congolais KongoTimes! - 22 hours ago 30/06/2014 08:09:00 KongoTimes! Alors qu'à Malabo, le SG de l'ONU invite les dirigeants africains à ne pas protéger les auteurs des crimes de guerre et autres, le même SG se tait de manière assourdissante sur le cas des ex-CNDP et ex-M23 qui vivent au Rwanda où Paul Kagame compte leur accorder un statut spécial pour éviter leur extradition vers la RDC. Faisant d'une pierre deux coups, Ban Ki-moon vient également soutenir la démarche du Rwanda qui veut faire échouer le rapatriement des ex-FDLR... Le Secrétaire général de l'ONU, Ban Ki-moon, a, dans son discours prononcé jeudi 26 mai à l'ouverture du 23e sommet de l'Union africaine à Malabo en Guinée équatoriale, demandé aux dirigeants africains de ne pas protéger les personnes soupçonnées d'avoir commis des crimes graves. Il leur a, pour ce faire, ...

  Les députés de Beni s'oppose à un éventuel cantonnement des FDLR dans ce territoire Radio Okapi - 1 hour ago Les députés nationaux élus de Beni s'opposent au cantonnement des rebelles rwandais des FDLR dans ce territoire du Nord-Kivu. Selon le député Grégoire Kiro, la présence de ces rebelles risque de mettre à mal le processus de pacification de Beni, déjà en proie à l'activisme de groupes armés. Dans une déclaration faite dimanche 29 juin à Kinshasa, ces députés promettent de s'opposer par tous les moyens pacifiques à toute tentative de cantonnement de ces miliciens aux alentours de Beni. <<La population de Beni refuse que ces inciviques soient relocalisées dans la même province où ils se sont rendus coupables d'exactions inqualifiables>>, a déclaré Grégoire Kiro. Pour le député national, le gouvernement congolais devrait communiquer à ce sujet afin de fixer l'o...

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/world/africa/a-reversal-by-a-militia-of-rwandan-hutus-in-democratic-republic-of-congo.html?src=me&_r=0&referrer= Offering to Disarm in Congo, After 20 Years of War. A Reversal by a Militia of Rwandan Hutus in Democratic Republic of Congo Boys in Kigogo, Democratic Republic of Congo, watched this month as Rwandan militants turned in their weapons. It was the biggest celebration many villagers had known. SARAH FLUCK FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES By SOMINI SENGUPTA JUNE 28, 2014 KIGOGO, Democratic Republic of Congo — Shortly after midday in this village nestled in clouds, the progenitors of the long, dirty war across Central Africa came out of the jungle and laid down their guns. Not all the gunmen in their ranks: 83 guerrillas were present, along with their wives and children. And not all their guns: The cache included several ancient rifles, some rusty mortars and two Vietnam-era, American-made machine guns. But the gesture, wrapped in pomp...

  http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/world/africa/a-reversal-by-a-militia-of-rwandan-hutus-in-democratic-republic-of-congo.html?src=me&_r=0&referrer= Offering to Disarm in Congo, After 20 Years of War. KIGOGO, Democratic Republic of Congo — Shortly after midday in this village nestled in clouds, the progenitors of the long, dirty war across Central Africa came out of the jungle and laid down their guns. Not all the gunmen in their ranks: 83 guerrillas were present, along with their wives and children. And not all their guns: The cache included several ancient rifles, some rusty mortars and two Vietnam-era, American-made machine guns. But the gesture, wrapped in pomp and ceremony in the presence of foreign diplomats and United Nations officials, was a new twist in a war that has pitted tribes and nations against one another for 20 years and left a trail of rapes and massacres across a vast, mineral-rich section of the continent. ...