Three new ebola cases in Equateur of DRC

Three new cases of Ebola virus disease were confirmed on Thursday, July 30, by the technical secretariat for the fight against this disease in the country. The three cases come from three different health zones namely: Bolomba (Boso Nzala), Ingende (Wangata) and Lotumbe (Bossa). No new cases of death among the confirmed cases have been recorded.
In the health zone of Bolomba, a person, declared cured, left the Ebola treatment center (CTE).
The response team also notes that a patient was reclassified from cured death to having had two negative laboratory results after his death. He was confirmed to have EVD on July 6 and taken care of at the Wangata CTE. He had died before his release from CTE on July 24.
Since the start of this 11th Ebola epidemic declared on June 1 in the province of Equateur, the cumulative amount has been 72 cases, including 68 confirmed and 4 probable. In total, there were 31 deaths (27 confirmed and 4 probable) and 26 healed (people cured).
The 7 affected health zones are Bikoro, Bolomba, Iboko, Mbandaka, Lutumbe, Wangata and ingende

The IRGC has released detailed images of Al-Udeid Air Base – the Qatar-based home of the US military’s Central Command, with the snaps taken by Iran’s new domestically-developed ‘Noor’ (Light) military satellite.

The images were reportedly obtained amid the ongoing massive war games in southern Iran involving multiple branches of the armed forces, including elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) formations.
The IRGC has released detailed images of Al-Udeid Air Base – the Qatar-based home of the US military’s Central Command, with the snaps taken by Iran’s new domestically-developed ‘Noor’ (Light) military satellite.
First we see what looks like a satellite tracking station, then a graphic of "IRAN_SAT" sending signals to Tehran. Next, imagery of Al-Udeid Airbase, which seem to be taken at different times. You can see changes in positions of KC-135s. "Changes in targets" written underneath the photoshoots.Here is the tweet
The images include several detailed snaps of the airbase itself, with the pictures apparently taken during various intervals, based on the changing positions of aircraft on runways. One of the images appears to be an infrared view showing heat signatures emitted by aircraft and the nearby facilities.
Al-Udeid is the US’s largest military base in the Middle East, with as many as 11,000 personnel permanently stationed at the facility at any one time, and the base used to direct US military operations across the region.
The images are featured in a video showing off Iran’s drone, air power and missile might, with drones, planes and missiles shown to be targeting a range of objects, including a mock-up aircraft carrier.
The images were released amid the ongoing ‘Great Prophet 14’ military drills in Hormozgan province, southern Iran, with the territory bordering on the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. The massive drills kicked off on Tuesday. In addition to its intelligence-gathering activities, the Noor satellite has reportedly been used to monitor the exercises from space.
The Noor satellite was launched into orbit in April . US Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond derided the launch at the time, calling the satellite a “tumbling webcam in space” and suggesting it would be “unlikely” to provide Iran with any usable intelligence.
US troops at the Al-Udeid Air Base and the nearby Al-Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, UAE were reportedly temporarily put on alert this week after missile fire was detected in the area where the drills are taking place. “The incident lasted for a matter of minutes and an all clear was declared after the threat…had passed,” US Army Maj. Beth Riordan was quoted as saying.
The US Navy slammed Iran’s ‘Great Prophet 14’ drills on Wednesday, taking special issue with the use of a mock-up of a US aircraft carrier. “We are always watchful of this type of irresponsible and reckless behaviour by Iran in the vicinity of busy international waterways,” a spokesperson for the US Fifth Fleet was
quoted as saying.
In addition to the satellite, Iran showed off the capabilities of its underground missile units during the drills. Drone units, aircraft, and a variety of sea-to-sea and coastal defence missiles were fired during the wargames. On Wednesday, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Brig. Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh revealed that the drills also
included defeating a simulated US Theater High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD)-style system by targeting it with radar-evading missiles. “With the facilities in our possession, we can hit any hostile target at any location in the Persian Gulf region, the Sea of Oman, and the Indian Ocean,” Hajizadeh said.
The drills come in the wake of the latest escalation in tensions in the already strained Iranian-US relationship last week, after an Iranian passenger airliner was forced to take evasive maneuvers following an interception by two US fighter jets over Syrian airspace. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the incident an act of “aerial terrorism” by the US, and urged the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the United Nations Security Council, Syria and Lebanon to take appropriate action to hold Washington accountable for its alleged violation of international law.

USA and Israel sign a document on air defence cooperation

The Israeli Defence Ministry hosted on Thursday the annual US-Israeli Defence Policy Advisory Group (DPAG). The DPAG session discussed strategic and regional security challenges following the recent escalation between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement on the border, with explosions and exchanges of gunfire.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) and the US military have signed a document that provides for the partnership between the states in the air defence field, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.
The US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) and Israel’s Iron Dome are both anti-ballistic missile defence systems, which are designed to intercept and shoot down short-, medium- and intermediate-range aircraft devices.
The IDF also praised the longstanding cooperation between Israel and the United States.
IAF officers, led by Air Defence Division commander, Brig. Gen. Ran Kochav, held a video conference with members of the US European Command, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing the IDF statement.
The US has provided Israel with extensive support in political, economic and military directions. The two states also coordinate joint military exercises and weapons development, as well as some other scientific and cultural exchanges.
With the backing of the United States, the expanding of sovereignty over the West Bank and the Jordan Valley was among the top declarations of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's campaign.

The city of Bunia to put under total lockdown for Up to 4 days as Covid19 cases start worrying Ituri

The provincial minister of health in Ituri is considering the confinement of the city of Bunia, the epicenter of the Coronavirus pandemic in the province of Ituri, soon.
With 58 confirmed positive cases including 2 deaths and more than 500 contact cases listed, the capital of the province is the most affected by the disease, followed by the territories of Mahagi and Aru.
“In the town of Bunia there are 18 direct contact cases called suspected cases and this shows that the situation is not good. There is a risk of confining the city for 3 or 4 days to allow the health teams to contain the disease ”said Doctor Patrick Karamura.
These 18 people suspected of contamination are fleeing response teams and constitute a real public threat, said the minister.
“These people come out in the morning and return home at night to flee the response team. They had to be available to answer our questions so that we could monitor them, ”explains Patrick Karamura.
He calls on the population of Bunia to prepare accordingly because confinement will intervene shortly.
"The people who say they live at the daily rate (day to day), they are now learning to save a little money," he concluded.

Noble Peace prize winner,Denis mukwege under threat for calling for international investigation in the kipupu killings

On july 26, Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege wrote: “These are the same people who keep killing us. Kipupu's macabre accounts are in line with the massacres that have hit the DRC since 1996. "
This tweet came 10 days after the militia attacked civilians in the locality of Kipupu (Mwenga territory) in South Kivu. Dr Mukwege claims to have “received various hate mail and members of my family were intimidated and threatened. ”Following this denunciation.
"No intellectual malfeasance, no threat, no use of fear, will prevent me from expressing myself on the reality of the atrocities that the populations of my country are experiencing and whose aftermath I treat every day in my hospital in Bukavu. ", He wrote this Friday in a statement entitled" Call for peace. "
After more than two weeks of silence, the authorities in South Kivu, with the support of Monusco, succeeded in dispatching a mission to Kipupu on Thursday to take stock of the situation and give the final assessment of the bloody attack which is chronic. A total of 15 people have been killed and more than 200 missing to date.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner supported the need to unearth the mapping report drawn up by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. This report reviews the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed on the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between March 1993 and June 2003. This document then drew up an inventory of 617 war crimes and crimes of humanity. If these crimes are brought before a competent court, some of the atrocities documented in the Mapping report could constitute the crime of genocide.
“It seems that advocating the creation of a special jurisdiction to try crimes in Congo scares some people who pour their hatred on social media by pitting one against the other, often on the basis of lies. Reconciliation between peoples and the establishment of reparations for the victims cannot be achieved without our relentless search for the truth. ", He launched in his message.
On Thursday, Mukwege received a delegation from the Banyamulenge community as part of the search for solutions to the conflicts and multiple tensions are still high in the high and middle plateaus of Uvira, Minembwe and Itombwe where armed groups have community support.You can read more on this  and More here

Tension in sange as DRC youth protest against the killing of 12 civilians by a drunk FARDC soldier

A soldier of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) in a state of intoxication opened fire on the population on the evening of Thursday July 31, 2020 in Sange, in the Ruzizi plain in the territory of Uvira (South- Kivu) and killed 12 people and injured 9.The injured were taken to hospital for proper treatment.
To the same source to indicate that a soldier, after his crime, fled and remains hidden in nature until then.
This Friday, July 31, the population took to the streets to deplore this unacceptable act. Traffic is cut off on national road number 5 by angry demonstrators.12 civilians were killed thursday, July 30, 2020 around 20 am by a FARDC military drunk in Sange, Uvira territory in South Kivu, another 9 people have Gunshot wounded by the same assassin told the city leader of Sange Malula Rukalisha who confirms this information. Among those who died in this incident, 5 men, 6 women and one female child.
Bernard Kadogo, President of the civil society of Sange for his part informed that three neighborhoods of Sange are affected, such as Rutanga where there are 12 dead, Kajembo 3 injured including a woman and Kinanira, on Inga Avenue, six injured including 2 women and 4 men.
Angry middle youth protested by spreading all bodies on National Road number 5 in the center of Sange.

MONUSCO indicates that two high-ranking members of the NDC-Rénové armed group surrendered on Tuesday July 28 to the Indian peacekeepers of the UN Mission.

According to Monusco, this brings the total of Nduma Denfense of Congo-Rénové (NDC-R) rebels who surrendered to 31.
“In Pinga (Nord Kivu, DRC), on July 28, 2020, two high-level members of the NDC_R armed group surrendered to the Indian peacekeepers of MONUSCO, bringing the total number of surrenders to 31. This confirms a positive development in favor of peace in this region ”.You can read more here
A week ago, around thirty lifeless bodies were found in the city of Pinga and its surroundings, in the territory of Walikale (North Kivu), after the clashes between two wings of Nduma Defense of Congo-Rénové (NDC-R).
These two factions were vying for control of Pinga. On July 20, the warlord Guidon Shimiray and his men announced their withdrawal from the city of Pinga (Walikale) which they had conquered shortly before from fighting against militiamen loyal to Gilbert Bwira, who was until then, N ° 2 of the Nduma Defense of Congo-Rénové (NDC-R).
Following this situation, several residents fled their homes and took refuge in secure areas including Mpety, Kalembe, Kichanga, Misau, Kibuwa, Walikale-center, Nyabyondo.

North kivu has become the third province with the highet number of Covid19 cases in DRC

On WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, first confirmed case in Kasai-Central province, 79 new confirmed cases (45 in Kongo-Central, 12 in Haut-Katanga, 12 in Kinshasa, 7 in North Kivu, 2 in Ituri and 1 in Kasai-Central) out of 637 samples tested, 342 new people healed (302 in Kinshasa and 40 in other provinces), 2 deaths, 215 suspect cases detected.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulation of cases has been 9.010, including 9.009 confirmed cases and 1 probable cases:
• Kinshasa: 7.537 cases
• Kongo-Central: 404 cases
• North Kivu: 291 cases
• Haut-Katanga: 288 cases
• South Kivu: 288 cases
• Lualaba: 75 cases
• Ituri: 59 cases
• High Ulé: 24 cases
• Tshopo: 24 cases
• Ecuador: 5 cases
• Kwilu: 5 cases
• South Ubangi: 5 cases
• Haut-Lomami: 1 cases
• Kasai: 1 cases
• Kasai-Central: 1 cases
• Kwango: 1 cases
In total, there were 6.437 people healed and 215 deaths (214 confirmed cases and 1 probable cases).
Bulletin of the Technical Secretariat of the response against Covid-19 in DRC

The governor of North Kivu, Carly Nzanzu Kasivita, that of South Kivu Théo Ngwabije Kasi and Jean Bamanisa Saidi of ituri are invited to Kinshasa to "start discussions with MONUSCO and the sectoral ministries for the community DDR issue" ( Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration).

 The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Security, and Customary Affairs, Gilbert Kankonde reminds Kinshasa of three governors from the eastern part of the DRC. The governor of North Kivu, Carly Nzanzu Kasivita, that of South Kivu Théo Ngwabije Kasi and Jean Bamanisa Saidi of ituri are invited to Kinshasa to "start discussions with MONUSCO and the sectoral ministries for the community DDR issue" ( Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration). It should be noted that all three provinces are shaken by the activism of armed groups. In North Kivu, the ADF continue to increase attacks against civilians in the Beni region, meanwhile the presence of the M23 has been reported in the territory of Rutshuru for a few weeks and Pinga still under threats from the NDC-Renounced. In Ituri, it is the CODECO rebels who never cease to worry while in South Kivu is also not spared this activist of the armed groups. According to civil society in South Kivu, more than 200 people were massacred on the night of Thursday July 16 to Friday July 17 in the village of Kipupu, located in the territory of Mwenga in South Kivu. An attack that has been attributed to the Gumino and Twiraheno People's Self-Defense Forces. This militia even claimed responsibility for the massacre. Since 2016, cases of insecurity have been recorded in the Fizi, Itombwe and Uvira plateaus, armed groups claiming to be communities are fighting day and night

ADF ambushed FARDC soldiers based in manyangose

Allied Democatic Forces (ADF) rebels on Tuesday July 28, 2020 ambushed the armed forces of the DRC (FARDC) based in Mayangose, in the far north of the city of Beni (North Kivu). According to information as of  late Wednesday evening by operations spokesman Sukola 1, this attack occurred when elements of the 3406 regiment were maintaining the Lahe-Mailingi road and which was already showing impracticability. "These FARDC elements were surprised by this attack" indicates Lieutenant Antony Mwalushay who further specifies that "if it had not been for the intervention of the General Staff based in Mayangose ​​the toll would be enormous". However, he calls on the population to calm down and not to panic because the army has taken control of these strategic areas. It should be remembered that clashes have been reported in this part between the army and the ADF rebels since Tuesday. Our reports confirm that the army has control of this area.
In a related issue of intensified ADF attacks;Two people, a soldier and a motorcycle taxi were killed in an ambush by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters on Wednesday, July 29 in Ulebo, a village near the town of Halungupa, in the territory of Beni (North Kivu). The ambush targeted three people who were on a motorcycle, and came from Manzalao (north of Halungupa) bound for Tsotsora, another surrounding village, explains Kalwana Kambala, president of civil society from Ntoma, another locality recently attacked. The driver of the motorcycle and a passenger soldier were killed. Another soldier fled as the local Catholic church approached, the same source said. This is the second ambush against the military in the Beni region in the interval of 48 hours. On Tuesday, seven soldiers perished in an ADF rebel ambush near Kididiwe, northeast of the town of Beni.

51 confirmed covid19 cases in bunia

The provincial minister of health in Ituri indicated on Tuesday July 28, 2020 that the province recorded 51 confirmed positive cases of Coronavirus while in the weekend this figure was still 45. “In Ituri there are already 51 cases and 5 healed. We have also listed more than 500 contact cases in Bunia, 4 in Mahagi and 4 in Aru ”explains Doctor Patrick Karamura  further said;Still in the capital of this province, 2 patients died of the pandemic. same source which alerts the population to strictly observe the barrier measures.

The Kipupu killings seem to be a more complex issue with neighbouring elements implicated in the massacre.

The situation is more complex than it looks. Provincial authorities, civil society and experts are cautious about the motives for recent violence in the region. There are very localized conflicts and there are more regional dynamics. The management of power, the division of land, the movement of cattle, the manipulation of local dignitaries and several other reasons have exacerbated the violence. Among the groups that have manifested themselves in recent months in this mineral-rich area are the Ngumino. Present in the highlands of the territories of Fizi and Uvira, they are also active in the territory of Mwenga where Kipupu is located. Some of their fighters come from other former Banyamulenge armed groups. There are also the Twiraneho, more present in Bijombo, they also recruit from the Banyamulenge community. Much less structured, they relate to the Ngumino. According to the provincial government of South Kivu, the July 16 attack was carried out by the Ngumino and the Twiraneho. In this area, there are also movements which define themselves as self-defense groups known under the generic name of Mai-Mai. Each community like the bafuliro, the rega or even the Babembe, where there was the attack, has its group. Among the actors, there are also groups of foreign origin with Rwandan and Burundian rebels who are also active. A particular picture that makes the pacification process difficult.

CODECO militias kill 5 people in Djugu in the night of 27/7/2020

Up to 5 people were killed during the night from Sunday to Monday, July 27, 2020 by CODECO militiamen in the village of Amema, in the sector of Banyali kilo (territory of Djugu) in Ituri. He denounces the silence on the part of the authorities and also calls for the deployment of regular forces in order to dislodge these militiamen from this area where the militiamen are intensifying the atrocities. "We are in mourning as always. These militiamen killed 5 people who are of young age. We buried them this afternoon. We do not understand, why the security authorities are silent. The army must be deployed here, to dislodge them. these militiamen who want to almost occupy our sector, ”explained the head of the Banyali kilo sector. Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, army spokesman who confirms the news without commenting on the results, calls for calm and reassures that military operations are underway. "We deplore this umpteenth case of attack. We are not going to escape our mission which is to protect the population and their property. Our elements are already deployed on the ground to dislodge these militiamen. That is why we are doing so. call for the involvement of everyone. The population must help us to identify the strongholds of these militiamen who are hiding among the population, "said the military officer. Five other people were killed last Friday during an attack by CODECO militiamen in Donato village, still in the Banyali kilo sector. A total of 18 people died in the space of a week in this area. Local civil society and local authorities have since suspected the probable strongholds of these militiamen in part of the said sector, specifically in the village of Kabakaba.

Schools in DRC to reopen on 03/8/2020

Renewed school year calendar 2019-2020:
Course resumption is scheduled for Monday, August 03 and the end of 2019-2020 is set for September 03, 2020.
Out of 26 million students, only 3 million will go back to school this Monday, August 03
With regard to the national primary school graduation test (TENAFEP), it is confirmed from August 13 to 14 The State exam will be organized from August 24th to 27th.
For off sessions; the essay is scheduled for August 17 and oral French from August 19 to 22, 2020.
It should be noted that for participation costs in TENAFEP, only private schools will pay the participation fees, state schools and conventional schools are in line with the logic of free education.
On the contrary, for state exams, all schools will pay the fees set by provincial governors.
The Prime Minister chaired this Monday, July 27 a meeting focused on the modalities of resumption of activities in the sector of primary and secondary education. The VPM and Minister of the Interior, Gilbert Kankonde, who read the report of the meeting, explained that from August 3, classes resume in the final classes of primary education and on August 10 for the final at the University and promotions with low enrollment. “As of today, we have proceeded to disinfect premises in all our universities and from 03 August there will be administrative resumption. On August 10, it is the resumption of classes in the promotions of small numbers and more mainly in the final classes. In primary secondary and technical education, the start of the school year will be effective from August 3 in the final classes of primary and secondary ”Gilbert Kankonde also specified that there will be no blank year nor in primary, nor in higher and university education. “There will be no white year in education. Everything is in place to make this year count for our children. The specialized services are working to try to accommodate the academic calendar so that what can be taken back is recovered, ”said the VPM and Minister of the Interior. And to conclude, the VPM insisted on respecting barrier gestures. “Now more than ever, wearing a mask is compulsory in all public places, the disease is indeed there. Just because the state of emergency has been lifted doesn't mean the disease is no longer circulating. Barrier measures must be in place, they are part of our everyday culture ”, concluded Gilbert Kankonde. This meeting brought together the Ministries of the Interior, Budget, Decentralization, Primary, Secondary and Technical Education, Finance, Health, National Defense and Veterans Affairs, Social Affairs. 

General sylivano kasongo bans the entry of heavy vehicles in kinshasha by 9pm.

General Sylvano Kasongo, deputy divisional commissioner and police commander in Kinshasa, recalled this Monday, July 27, in a statement, the drivers and attendants of trailers and other heavy-duty trucks that “the regulation of entries and exits” in the Congolese capital remains in force.
According to this measure, we can read in the police statement, “no heavy goods vehicle or trailer can enter the city before 9 pm”.
General Sylvano Kasongo calls on the drivers concerned to comply so as not to suffer the rigor of the law, because, he adds, the elements of the police committed at the borders of Kinshasa are instructed for the execution of this measure without complacency.

Armed violence in Ituri displaces about 1.6 million civilians;noted UNICEF.

Armed violence in the territories of Djugu, Mahagi and Irumu has displaced 1.6 million people, mostly women and children, UNICEF said in a statement on Monday (July 27th).
“The situation of children is particularly worrying, since 151 allegations of serious violations of children's rights, such as rape, murder and mutilation, attacks on schools and health centers have been recorded since May to June 2020.”, the statement said.
UNICEF has identified 165 schools destroyed in conflict zones and fears school wastage on the eve of the resumption of classes that were suspended following the covid-19 pandemic.
“While the Congolese Government's demobilization and reconciliation efforts have revived hopes for peace in Ituri, thousands of internally displaced families and children lack access to basic services, education and health care. Many students may not have a place to study at the start of the school year next week, because 165 of them have been destroyed since January 2020, "the agency said.
This is how UNICEF claims to have "provided access to education for more than one million children who are out of school due to COVID-19. Children can access distance education through 57 community radios or printed textbooks. UNICEF distributed 24,000 workbooks and more than 1,000 solar-powered radios to vulnerable children. "
These displaced people have found refuge in host communities and already overcrowded displacement sites in and around Bunia, the capital of the province.
In addition, some 100,000 children and their families have benefited from food assistance. Dozens of children have either been reunited with their families, placed with foster families, or disassociated from armed groups. There are 9,992 malnourished children in Ituri today, UNICEF said.

Covid19 vaccines slated to be in use by early 2021

While a number of COVID-19 novel coronavirus vaccine trials are in their later stages, a World Health Organization (WHO) expert recently revealed that actual use of the vaccines is slated for 2021, at the earliest.
"We're making good progress," Dr. Mike Ryan, head of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, said.
"Realistically it is going to be the first part of next year before we start seeing people getting vaccinated.”
Ryan noted that mainly individuals between the ages of 18 and 55 have been stepping up around the world for trials.“That’s a massive contribution to the whole world,” he added.
“Vaccines in this pandemic are not for the wealthy; they’re not for the poor; they’re for everybody,” he argued, stressing that “fairness” in how a future vaccine is allocated is important to the public health agency.
The WHO expert also expressed during the Q&A that communities around the world should make sending children back to school a primary goal in battling the pandemic.
“There are many schools that act as very important points of nutrition for children, the points of safety for children in areas that are not necessarily as safe - socially - for kids. So schools don’t just function as sites of education,” he argued.
“We have to do everything possible to bring our children back to school, and the most effective thing we can do is to stop the disease in the community.”
“The results of phase 1 and/or phase 2 trials have been very promising. We should definitely believe these results, while acknowledging that they do not prove the vaccine is effective," said Aubree Gordon, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, as reported by Reuters.
"These early phase trials address safety and whether the vaccine elicits a good immune response. The good news is that we have several vaccines that have or are moving forward into phase 3 trials - the phase needed to prove it works for licensing.”

.....writer is a Russian friend doing masters in  Virology....

India deploys a squadron of T-90 missile firing tanks along india-china border

Satellite images have captured an additional build-up of troops and equipment by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in the Aksai Chin area. The Indian government has expedited weapons and troop deployment after making an assessment that PLA troops are preparing for a long and harsh winter in the Himalayas.
India has started deploying a squadron (12) of T-90 missile-firing tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and a full troop brigade (4,000 men) to Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) to prevent any possible Chinese incursion from the Shaksgam-Karakoram pass axis in the Ladakh region, as per military commanders quoted by the Indian news daily Hindustan Times .
The move has reportedly come after disengagement talks failed to topple the Chinese military build-up, wherein the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) deployed close to 50,000 troops in Aksai Chin.
Since the bridges on the Darbuk-Shyok-DBO road cannot handle the weight of a 46-tonne T-90 tank, the missile firing tanks were deployed by fording the rivers and rivulets using specialised equipment. The army has also deployed infantry combat vehicles, US-made M-777 155mm howitzers, and 130 mm guns at multiple locations in eastern Ladakh which include DBO, Galwan, and Pangong Tso.
The satellite images have shown large
concentrations of troops in the Tibet Autonomous Region and the use of possible tunnels to amass equipment, Indian news website ThePrint has claimed. The assessment of a new build-up has suggested that the People’s Liberation Army appears to be getting ready for a long and harsh winter.
Since the disengagement talks are nowhere near over, the Indian Army is matching the troop strength while keeping an eye on the PLA's movement along the Line of Actual Control.
The military and diplomatic level talks since the violent face-off on 15 June, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, has resulted in disengagement only in the Galwan Valley. Indian Army sources said that Beijing has not yet withdrawn its troops from either Pangong Tso or the Depsang Valley.
Chinese troops are almost 8 kilometres inside Indian territory in the Depsang Valley, as per government sources. India and China are in one of the longest border standoffs, which began in the last week of April after Beijing raised objections over infrastructure development by New Delhi along the loosely demarcated border.

India receives 36 Rafale jets from France,A boost to its air power.

India purchased 36 Rafale fighter jets from France under a government-to-government deal in 2016 at a cost of $8.7 billion. The delivery of the jets was expedited by France at the behest of India after border tensions with China worsened in April of this year.
The new Rafale jets add strategic depth and strength to India’s air combat capabilities, says an Indian official after inducting five Dassault Aviation fighters on Monday. The jets are headed to the Ambala Air Base in Punjab, close to Ladakh and the Pakistan border.
Pilots and ground crew have received comprehensive training on the aircraft, including its highly advanced weapons systems, the Indian Air Force said last week in a rare declaration of operational status.
After the arrival of the Rafale fighter jets “efforts will focus on operationalisation of the aircraft at the earliest”.
Sources indicated that the Indian Air Force has also decided to purchase an Armement Air-Sol Modulaire Hammer air-to-ground precision strike weapon system.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh talked to his French counterpart Florence Parly on 2 June after receiving reports of delay in the delivery of jets due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for the supply of 36 Rafale jet envisages delivery of aircraft in a flyaway condition along with associated equipment. The Indian government did not seek to license manufacturing or transfer of technology as it considered the “deal would not have been cost effective for an order of this size”.
Dassault aviation will provide five years of performance-based logistics (PBL) support with options for an additional seven-year extension. The terms finalised by the two sides also provide for 50-year product support by the manufacturer.
Dassault has made India-specific changes to the aircraft and mounted different types of missiles: beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air Meteor, short and medium-range air-to-air MICA, and precision-guided air-to-ground SCALP missiles.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said on Monday that it will sue Google for collecting Australian users’ data without their "explicit informed consent" to boost its advertising businesses.

"The ACCC has launched Federal Court proceedings against Google LLC (Google), alleging Google misled Australian consumers to obtain their consent to expand the scope of personal information that Google could collect and combine about consumers’ internet activity, for use by Google, including for targeted advertising," the watchdog said.

According to the commission, the tech giant "failed to properly inform consumers, and did not gain their explicit informed consent" about its move in 2016 to begin combining personal information from users’ Google accounts with data about those people’s activities on non-Google websites that used Google technology.

"This meant this data about users’ non-Google online activity became linked to their names and other identifying information held by Google. Previously, this information had been kept separately from users’ Google accounts," the watchdog explained.

The ACCC believes that this policy has enabled Google to significantly boost its advertising businesses and generate "much higher profits."

Consumers, the watchdog concludes, "effectively pay for Google’s services with their data," but the policy in question has increased this "price" for users.

COVID19 cases continue to increase in whole KIVU ,with 568 cases

The multisectoral committee to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the DRC reported four (4) cases of death recorded on evening of Sunday July 26. 190 patients, on the other hand, were declared cured and left hospitals.
For the same day, notes the response team, 13 new cases were notified, including 6 in Kinshasa, 5 in Haut-Katanga and 2 in North Kivu.
Since the start of the epidemic declared on March 10, 2020, the cumulative amount has been 8,844 cases, including 8,843 confirmed cases and 1 probable case. In total, there were 208 deaths (207 confirmed cases and 1 probable case) and 5,700 people cured.
The 15 affected provinces are Kinshasa (epicenter) 7,459 cases; Kongo Central 359 cases; South Kivu 286 cases; North Kivu 282 cases; Haut-Katanga 275 cases; Lualaba 75 cases; Ituri 45 cases; Tshopo 24 cases; Haut-Uélé 20 cases; Kwilu 6 cases; Ecuador 5 cases; Sud-Ubangi 4 cases; Haut-Lomami 1 case: Kasaï 1 case and Kwango 1 case.

Martin Fayulu and Denis Mukwege denounce and calls for an international investigation on the Kipupu massacres where over 200 Congolese perished on 16/7/2020

Kipupu attack on July 16 continues to be talked about. The final toll of all who were killed is still not known. The DRC  Army has deployed to the area, but has not yet released the numbers. MONUSCO is only going there this Monday. In the meantime, the messages of revolt against this massacres multiply.
After the Nobel Peace Prize winner Denis Mukwege, it is up to Martin Fayulu to denounce what he calls an odious massacre. The former 2018 presidential candidate takes up the figure of 200 dead reported by provincial deputies. He adds that the perpetrators of this slaughter in south kivu are supported by neighbouring/foreign powers, without citing them.
"The repeated massacres of populations, the destruction of their villages and the looting of their property which have just culminated with this event are part of a plan to destabilize this part of the country and show that our compatriots are left defenseless and abandoned to their own,sad fate, ”he said.
He considers these events to be crimes against humanity which should not go unpunished. Martin Fayulu even suggests an international investigation.
Read more on the Kipupu massacre here

NB: Martin Fayulu will be back to DRC on 1/8/2020

Population in Largu riot against the recalling of a FARDC Commander in their area

The  population of Largu in Djugu territory rose to riots on the streets
on Saturday July 25, 2020 to protest against the return of a FARDC commander based in Masumbuko in the Bahema North sector, more than 80 km from Bunia. , capital of Ituri.
“There was an uprising of the population, because the population was abrupted by the return of Commander Yve Kidjenga who was for a long time commander of the 3308th Regiment based in Djugu. In his time, there were a lot of massacres by CODECO and then there were a lot of people who fled as displaced ”explains Charité Banza.
According to him, the absence of this officer, there has been calm
on the ground in terms of security and his return is interpreted as another ordeal by the inhabitants.
In response, the army spokesman in Ituri condemns the population uprising.
“Why does this population have to select soldiers to protect it? I remember that there is another commander whom the same population had refused "indicates Lieutenant Jules Ngongo who adds, however, that the operations commander is already seized of this situation.
“This commander is criticized for allyi g with the Lendu. We are a republican army, we must collaborate with everyone without any distinction. The Lendu are not enemies of the Republic "concluded Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, before calling on the people of Largu to trust the army.

5 new Covid19 cases in the city of Bunia

According to the network of our leaks,Ituri province recorded 5 new covid19 cases in the city of Bunia, which is the most affected by the pandemic in the province.
This brings to more than 30 the number of positive cases registered in the capital of Ituri with one death.
So far, the efforts of the provincial authorities which have made the wearing of masks compulsory in public places do not seem to be enough to contain the chain of contamination.All Ugandan truck drivers and all foreigners fellying goods via Bunia to and from Uganda are alerted to be extra careful.
.... general overview of cases in DRC as of now....
COVID19 FRIDAY, JULY 24th, 196 new people healed, 34 new confirmed cases (13 in Kinshasa, 8 in South Kivu, 8 in Tshopo and 5 in Ituri) on 464 samples tested, 3 death, 236 suspicious cases.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulation of cases has been 8.801, including 8800 confirmed cases and 1 probable cases:
• Kinshasa: 7440 cases
• Kongo-Central: 359 cases
• South Kivu: 286 cases
• North Kivu: 274 cases
• Haut-Katanga: 260 cases
• Lualaba: 75 cases
• Ituri: 45 cases
• Tshopo: 24 cases
• High Ulé: 19 cases
• Kwilu: 6 cases
• Ecuador: 5 cases
• South Ubangi: 4 cases
• Haut-Lomami: 1 cases
• Kasai: 1 cases
• Kwango: 1 cases
In total, there were 5.305 people healed and 204 deaths (203 confirmed cases and 1 probable cases).
Bulletin of the Technical Secretariat of the response against Covid-19 in DRC


Thanks to all the team........
For God and my country.......

Ebola virus kill one person in the province of equador of DRC

The technical secretariat for the fight against the Ebola virus disease notified a new case of death recorded in Bikoro, precisely in Mooto, Saturday, July 25.
Also in Mooto (Bikoro), notes the response team, a new case has been confirmed. On the other hand, a new cure came out of the CTE in Wangata. This is a case of Mbandaka, specifies the technical secretariat.
Since the start of this 11th Ebola epidemic declared on June 1 in the province of Equateur, the cumulative amount has been 66 cases, including 62 confirmed and 4 probable. In total, there were 30 deaths (26 confirmed and 4 probable) and 22 survived(people cured).
The 6 affected health zones are Bikoro, Bolomba, Iboko, Mbandaka, Wangata and Ingende.

150 cows looted by CODECO in attacks from Thursday to evening of Friday 24/07/2020

The militiamen of the mystical-religious and tribal group of CODECO, Cooperative for the development of the Congo signed several armed incursions from the evening of last Thursday until the evening of Friday, July 24, in particular in certain localities of Djugu, a territory under high tension of this militia.
First, 150 cows were looted on Friday July 24, 2020 in the evening by the CODECO attackers in the SAIKPA village of the TAMBAKI group in the Chiefdom of the Bahema Banywagi.
According to the Honorable KIZA NDJAZA, who reported the facts to media outlets, these cows were looted by the CODECO attackers, who left Penyi for the cantonment at BEDU-EZEKERE at the Walendu Tatsi. and were brought back in the direction of BEDU-EZEKERE.
This elected representative, who alerted to this new incursion, demands the return of these cows unconditionally to favor the return of Peace in the territory of Djugu.
On the other hand, the same CODECO attackers set fire to a trailer truck filled with goods in the JITSO village in the village of JITSO in the Walendu Djatsi sector on the RN27 in Djugu territory on the night of Thursday to Friday.
Jules TSUBA president of the civil society of this territory who confirmed the news, specifies that this trailer truck had broken down while he was in the convoy from Uganda to Kisangani. The convoy having left leaving this truck there, the attackers came at night to loot all the goods that were there and subsequently set the truck on fire.
During this time, the driver had returned to FATAKI Center to look for the part to be exchanged.
According to the same source, the vehicle would belong to a trader in the town of Kisangani, capital of the province of Tshopo, contiguous to Ituri, under the control of militia groups which are sowing concern among the population.
Note also that another attack, still from CODECO, was repelled by loyalist forces on Friday morning in Matete in Djugu territory.
After intense fighting, 5 suspected attackers were bagged by the military and an AK47-type weapon recovered.

41st weekly meeting of council of ministers in DRC chaired by President Tshisekede notes a significant reduction in operational capacities of Ugandan ADF / MTM jihadists and others in the Beni region of North Kivu.

During the 41st weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers held by videoconference and chaired by the Head of State, Félix Tshisekedi, it was noted in the information points on the overall security situation of the country, a significant reduction in operational capacities of Ugandan ADF / MTM jihadists and others in the Beni region of North Kivu.
The Minister of State in charge of Congolese defense has all the same that the general situation remains
relatively calm and generally under control throughout the
National territory, notwithstanding the isolated insecurity centers that exist
in some areas of the eastern part of the country that the Armed Forces
are working to eradicate tirelessly, sa indicated by the council report.
"The Army thus relentlessly pursues the hunt for negative forces which
operate in a few territories in the east of the country, notably the
ADF / MTN, MAÏ-MAÏMAZEMBE, CODECO And Others Groups. ” we read.
And to continue that:
“These initiatives have resulted in a significant reduction in
operations of ADF terrorists and others, and to reissues
ongoing, as well as the dismantling of major strongholds. "
Note that in Beni, a new commander of the so-called SOKOLA 1 rigorous operations against the ADF rebels, perpetrators of the numerous massacres of civilians in the region, took office on Friday, July 24.
General Chirimwami replaces his colleague Nduru Ychaligonza, recalled for other duties in the second defense zone.

Former Special Forces Command (SFC) commander Maj Gen Don William Nabasa returns home after completing his training in China.

Gen Don Nabasa returned to motherland uganda after completing the Defence and Strategic Studies course -NDU at the Specialised Senior Military Command College in China.

Gen Nabasa took over SFC Command from Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba in 2017.

Gen Nabasa has commanded various units in the UPDF, starting with an Infantry Platoon in 1999, a tank platoon in 2000,served as a brigade operations officer from 2004 until 2005,commanded a tank squadron between 2000 and 2007, then as the commanding officer of a battalion from 2008 until 2012 and as commander of a Group, from 2012 until 2016.

From 2016 until his assignment as SFC boss, he served as the Deputy Commander of the Special Forces Command, a division within the UPDF.

FPIC militiamen launched several attacks on Bahema chiefdom,FARDC captured 5 CODECO Militants in the village of matete.

Bahema’s  Irumu chiefdom has recorded since Thursday, July 23, 2020 several attacks by FPIC militiamen, known as “Chini ya Kilima” in at least 4 different localities.
According to the head of this entity, Bahinduka Bamuhiga David, the attackers attacked in particular the Badia bridge as well as the villages of Tangu, Kabarole and Balazana located in the outskirts of Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri.
"There was an attack of the FPIC, yesterday they entered from the Badia bridge, they went up to Tangu, Balazana and it is today that they attacked Kabarole" he explained.
This customary authority, which puts forward a still provisional assessment of 3 people killed, adds that a psychosis reigns among the population, the majority of whom have moved to more secure environments.
The military has yet to respond to this situation.
For 3 years, Ituri province has been torn apart by several attacks and led by different groups of millices, CODECO in Djugu, FPIC and ADF in Irumu as well as several other Mai Mai groups in Mambasa.
In related incidence,DRC Armed Forces repelled an attack by a group of CODECO militiamen early in the morning of Friday, July 24, 2020 in the village of Matete, located 6 kilometers from Mungwalu, the main agglomeration of the region, north of Bunia chief- place of Ituri province.
According to the bourgmestre of Mungwalu commune, these outlaws who were leaving Sayo a district of this mining town to go to Besse and Liso attacked loyalist forces on patrol on the Mungwalu-kilo axis.
In their exchange of fire, 5 people among the militiamen were captured including 3 children, 1 woman and 1 man before recovering an AK-47 type weapon with magazine.
“This Friday July 24, 2020 around 4 am, while our soldiers were on patrol on the Mungwalu-kilo axis, more precisely in the village of Matete, they were attacked by a group of CODECO elements who came from Mungwalu , Sayo and wanted to regain Besse and evolve into Liso. Once attacked, our soldiers of the 312nd Battalion had to retaliate where they managed to control the situation by capturing three children, a man and a woman plus an AK-47 weapon with a magazine, ”explains Jean-Pierre Bikilisende.
According to the same source, those captured are well protected and treated by the army and no loss of human life has been noted by the FARDC.
Mr. Bikilisende took the opportunity to encourage the population of his jurisdiction to collaborate with the loyalist forces, before once again inviting the CODECO attackers to come back to common sense by responding to the call of the Congolese Head of State Félix Tshisekedi who even dispatched a delegation of former Lendu warlords to the area to negotiate peace.
On July 12, another alleged CODECO assailant was arrested in the Depot neighborhood in the same rural commune of Mungwalu, a mining area where artisanal gold mining is the main activity of civilians.

The presence of Burundian militiamen reported in the plains of Ruzizi ,they allege them to be (National Liberation Front) FNL

Local civil society alerting this Friday, July 24, 2020, reports that these militiamen are already starting to threaten the population in the mountains of the Ruzizi Plain.
′′ There are movements of Burundian militiamen around Sange. Last Wednesday they were seen at Kanga pasture in Mahangwe and next to Rwengero. These militiamen are already starting to threaten the inhabitants ", said a local civil society activist.
However,Captain Dieudonné Kasereka, spokesperson for operational sector Sukola 2 South Kivu, points out that the army is not yet informed of the presence of these Burundian rebels in Uvira highlands.
However, he asks the population to collaborate and report any suspicious movement in this part of South Kivu.
′′ If the inhabitants observe a suspicious movement, it must be reported to the regular army. We do know that there are some armed groups that would come from neighbouring countries in complicity with middle youth, and continue to circulate in the hills overlooking the city of Uvira. If the population has any information about any movement, we must inform loyalist forces so that we can make arrangements ", he explained.
It should be remembered that clashes between the army and local and foreign armed groups have been reported since the beginning of this year in South kivu.

SADEC gives Zambia 7 days to evacuate it's soldiers of DRC's Territory.

At the 41th ordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers held this Friday, July 24, 2020 by videoconference, the Minister of National Defence announced that Zambia has requested a 7-day delay to evacuate its troops that have been on Congolese floor for several months already.
According to a government source that confided under anonymity, Aimé Ngoy Mukena said that this situation is due to the position of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) which found that there is no debate to be made on the subject belonging to Kibanga and Kalubamba.
′′ The meeting was scheduled for 7 days but SADC noticed in half a day that there was no need to even discuss. Kibanga and Kalubamba are indeed Congolese localities. We're going to regulate the limitation so that this question doesn't arise anymore (...) This is very good news, Zambians asked 7 days for them to evacuate their troops starting tomorrow ", said The Minister of Defense according to our source.
While indicating that the observation and observation mission ended this Friday, Aimé Ngoy Mukena said that the Zambians occupying these two locations must leave.
In addition, according to our source, the Congolese defense boss has stressed that the people in charge of limiting borders will start work this Saturday, July 25
For his part, Head of State Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, at the same meeting, praised the ′′ happy ′′ outcome of this conflict that opposed his country, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
As a reminder, for the past few weeks the Zambian army has been occupying the locations of Kibanga and Kalubamba located on the border between the DRC and Zambia in the territories of Moba and Pweto in the province of Tanganyika.
On 15 March, the army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia faced each other in Kibanga, a village where Zambian military had raised their flag after taking down the DRC flag
This question had also been raised by Félix Tshisekedi and his Congolese counterpart Denis Sassou-Nguesso in Brazzaville during the 2-day work stay of the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who closed on July 15th.

President Tshisekede tries to affirm his overall control over DRC.But won't this create more confusion in the Army and parliament.

By Small steps, President Tshisekedi tries to expand his room for manoeuvre against his powerful ally, the Common Front for Congo, the platform supporting former President Kabila. Majority in the National Assembly, being able to count on Prime Minister Ilunga Ilunkamba and above all important relays among the military, not forgetting the financial means of the former power, the FCC seemed to control the political game against Etienne Tshisekedi's son who had been described, a little quick, like a neophyte.
Today, after several passes of weapons, no one would risk speculating about the force ratio, which, at a time, seems to be changing in favour of the current head of state. It is not for no reason that thousands of activists from the former presidential majority marched this Thursday in Kinshasa, demanding compliance with the commitments that founded the coalition between the former president and Félix Tshisekedi.
The trial brought to vital Kamerhe, powerful director of cabinet of the head of state, accused for corruption, marked the start of the offensive. Retransmitted live, he had shown that no one was more untouchable. Kamerhe's dismissal, which however intends to appeal, had also broken the invisible wire which, we assumed, still connected it to Kabila.
Other offensives followed, first at the judicial level, thoroughly renewed. Several judges active in the Kamerhe trial have been promoted, including a new first President of the Court of Cassation. In addition, Mr. Ghislain Kikangala, a lawyer from Belgium, has been appointed coordinator of the agency for prevention and fight against corruption, and has the means to achieve the essential broom in a country where capital escape is valued at $ 10 billion a year.
As for the Constitutional Court, the very one that declared Félix Tshisekedi's victory, it was beheaded by the sudden exile in Belgium of its President Benoît Lwamba. The latter, President of the Supreme Judicial Council, was a depositary of the secret of the negotiations leading to the ′′ peaceful transition ′′ between Félix Tshisekedi and Joseph Kabila.
Bearing health reasons, he preferred to go to Brussels where he happily celebrated his birthday with his family. It should be noted that this experienced lawyer, considered one of the instruments of the Kabila system, arrived in Brussels aboard President Tshisekedi's private plane who had made a flash visit to his ′′ second homeland ", perhaps in order to carry out a medical check.
The hand placed on the judicial sector took place despite the Minister of Justice, Tunda ya Kasende, a powerful member of the FCC. The fate of the latter, which had been briefly arrested, had caused a lift of shields in the Kabila camp. Release Mr. Tunda Ya Kasende was forced to resign, however, from an ultra sensitive sector. André Alain Atundu, one of the spokespersons of the former president's political family, described with lucidity ′′ the will to take a hand on justice in order to decapitate and terrorize the FCC by waving the sword of justice on its main leaders. ′′ Denouncing ′′ a deadly confrontation at uncertain end ′′ he also reminded other existential emergencies such as the fall of purchasing power and the fall of Congolese Franc (which now swap at 2000 FC for a dollar).
After this warning, the offensive continued in the Armed Forces, which were thoroughly redesigned, but subtly: this is how General Gabriel Amisi, called Tango Four, under international sanctions, was promoted to the rank of Army General and placed at the head of the General Inspection of the Armies, joined by another officer also close to Joseph Kabila, Muhindi Akili Mudos, regularly questioned for his conduct of war in Ituri.
General Fall Sikabwe, also under penalties, has been placed at the head of the army. The most dangerous eviction is General John Numbi, replaced by Amisi and now without assignment. Very powerful in Katanga, where he also controls militias, accused of the death of activist Floribert Chebeya, Numbi had however pledged allegiance to the new power and facilitated the transition.
Will this man, who has relays in Kigali as in Katangese nationalists be pushed back into the corner of the ring, without reacting?
He is the only officer who has expressed his feelings: ′′ We are not lambs ", which has earned him being made available to the military auditorate.
The waltzes at the top do not prevent the rise of perils on the ground either: fighting continues in Ituri, armed Fulani from Central African Republic descended into the Bas Uélé and above all, 210 villagers were massacred in Kipupu, in Fizi territory in South Kivu, victims of militias of claimed to be of Rwandan or Burundian origin.

Former M23 rebels denounce ′′ imaginary conflict ′′ in North kivu

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the M23 armed group denied any responsibility in the attack of any position of the Congolese army that claimed their lives on Wednesday to three soldiers in the eastern part of the country.M23 further calls these attacks as "imaginary" and and rubbishes all the claims that it attacked FARDC,confirms that it never attacked any village or army position.They were allegation that a fierce clash between M23 and FARDC occurred in the groupment of Rugari,which M23 says is all "imaginary".You can read more on the Rugari clash here

Zambia Presidency Refutes Rwandan Rebels Financing Charges

Callixte Nsabimana, aka Sankara, spokesperson for Rwandan rebels National Liberation Force (NLF) told the judge in Rwanda that Zambian president Edgar Lungu funded his rebels to attack Rwanda. The Writing
The NLF is a military branch of a Rwandan opposition political party, the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change led by Rwandan dissident Paul Rusesabagina.
Nsabimana appeared on Monday in court where he pleaded guilty to all charges, but said he was misled by some people, including Kayumba Nyamwasa, a senior Rwandan army officer currently looking for asylum in Africa of South.
Speaking on Monday to Rwanda's International and Cross-Border Crimes Judge, Nsabimana accused Zambian President Edgar Lungu of pledging them $ million, but he advanced a hundred thousand dollars and allowed them to operate in his country to overthrow the Rwanda government.
Nsabimana was NLF's spokesperson, and he is accused of attacking villages in the south of the country, killing people, looted and destroying property.
Zambia refutes accusations
The Zambia Presidency has refuted the reports of local and international media that have taken over this news suggesting that President Edgar Lungu provided financial resources to a Rwandan organization named NLF to launch attacks in Rwanda.
President Lungu's Press Assistant, Mr. Isaac Chipampe, said tonight that the allegations were false and should be treated with the contempt they deserve.
′′ The Presidency noted with great dismay in the local and international media the allegations submitted to the High Court of Rwanda for international and cross-border crimes that His Excellency Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President of the Republic of Zambia reportedly provided financial resources to a Rwandan organization named NLF to launch attacks in Rwanda ", Mr. Chipampe.
′′ The Presidency would like to categorically refute these allegations and unequivocally wishes to say that these allegations are false and must be treated with the contempt they deserve. ′′
He added that the government, the people of Zambia and Rwanda continue to maintain strong and fraternal relationships based on mutual respect and a common goal based on shared values and principles.
The accused faces several charges, including the formation of an irregular armed group, complicity in terrorist acts, conspiracy and incitement to commit terrorist acts, hostage-taking, murder and looting.
Captured before extradition to Rwanda, Sankara was found with a Lesotho passport under the name of Kabera Joseph, born in Masisi, DRC, acquired in 2013 and paid for 5 South African rand (300 $ USD). The prosecution says it's a fake passport.The Zambian government has rejected the allegations that President Edgar Lungu has financially supported a group of rebels in Rwanda. In a press release issued on Wednesday, Lungu's spokesperson Isaac Chipambe said Lusaka would not want to jeopardize his strong and brotherly relations with Kigali by supporting the acts of destabilization of Rwandan rebel leader Callixte Nsabimana.
′′ The governments and peoples of Zambia and Rwanda continue to maintain strong and brotherly relationships based on mutual respect ", Chipambe said.
Nsabimana, who is being tried for alleged terrorist attacks in Rwanda, said this week to a court in Kigali that he had received funding from Lungu and other foreign leaders in his war to overthrow President Paul Kagame.
He explained to the court that Lungu promised to donate a million dollars to his National Liberation Front to help him out of Kigali's administration.
Lungu had already paid a $ 150.000 down payment for rebel outfits, Nsabimana said.
He also accused Lungu of allowing his rebel group to operate from his country to overthrow the Rwandan government.
This is not the first time that Nsabimana, who was arrested and deported to Rwanda in April 2019, accuses Zambia of helping not only its group, but also others, to coordinate their operations.
In his statement to prosecutors, Nsabimana quoted several countries including Uganda, Burundi and Zambia.

37 dead bodies found in Pinga after last week's clashes between militants

37 dead bodies have been found in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo following armed clashes, a conflict monitoring group announced on Friday.
The bodies were found in the city of Pinga and its surroundings on the territory of Walikale, North Kivu province following clashes between two factions of the Nduma Defense of Congo (NDC-R).
NDC-R is a militia that mainly operates in the eastern part of the DRC.
Clashes took place on July 20 in the resource-rich region.
The Forces of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) have taken control of the city and that the inhabitants who had fled the region began to return home.
On Thursday, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) promised to continue to support FARDC against militias.
On Wednesday, a security meeting was held between MONUSCO Indian Peacekeepers, FARDC and local administrative authorities to discuss the security situation and protect civilians in Pinga.
Attacks on civilians in eastern DRC have multiplied in recent months.
In January, the army launched an offensive against militants in Ituri's gold-rich province as part of a wider offensive launched last October.
Since December 2017, violence in northeastern Ituri has killed nearly 1000 and half a million displaced people, according to the International Crisis Group.
Most militias have put aside their political claims and are involved in ore trafficking.

A truck carrying goods from Uganda was systematically looted before being set on fire by the attackers of the CODECO militia

A truck carrying goods from Uganda was systematically looted before being set on fire by the attackers of the CODECO militia, the fact happened on the national road N ° 27 the evening of this Thursday July 23 2020 in the locality of Jitso, not far from Fataki, more than 90km north of Bunia in the territory of Djugu. Local civil society, which provided the information, adds that the attackers operated until late in the evening without being worried. "There is a vehicle in the province, it is from Uganda with goods, this vehicle broke down in Jitso 8 km south of Fataki on the RN 27, so the attackers looted this vehicle and set it on fire" explains Jules Tsuba responsible for this citizen structure in the region. Note that this is the third time that CODECO elements set fire to a vehicle loaded with goods. On April 05, at least 4 tankers carrying gasoline were charred by the same militiamen, in an attack in which several people also lost their lives.

General Peter nchirimwami officially took over operation sukola 1 against the ADF in Beni

General Peter Tchirimwami, officially took office this Friday, July 24th as the new commander of operations Sokola 1 against the rebels of Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in Beni (North Kivu). He replaced General Jacques Nduru who had been commanding these operations since September 2019. The ceremony of surrender and resumption was supervised at the army staff by Colonel Nkenda Lambert, Chief of Operations intelligence sokola 1. In his word, the new commander promised to fight to achieve ′′ the final result ′′ ′′ and asked for the support of the population. ′′ The Supreme Command, the General Staff and our entire hierarchy, have renewed their trust by designating me as a sector commander (...) the final result wanted by the Supreme Authority, we will reach it at the price of our blood, because the population has suffered so much, and today I am the flagship to achieve the desired end result. What we are asking the staff and the population that is with us is to continue to support us as until we get to the end ", General Peter Tchirimwami said during the resumption and recovery. Peter Tchirimwami has been in Sokola 1 command since September last year as Deputy Operations and Intelligence Commander. It was July 17th that he was promoted during the new set up by Félix Tshisekedi in the army. General Jacques Nduru becomes the deputy commander of the second defense zone which includes the provinces of central and southern DRC.

DRC Army deploys to Kipupu after allegations of the killing of more than 200 people by militia. 24 07, 2020

The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) deployed on Thursday, 23 July to the village Kipupu, in the headerie of Itombwe (Mwenga territory) in South Kivu. In Kipupu, according to provincial deputies, 220 civilians were killed, on the night of July 16 in an attack attributed to a coalition of militia Ngumino, Twirwaneho and Red Tabara. Spokesperson for operation sokola 2 south in South Kivu, Captain Dieudonné Kasereka, indicates that a permanent FARDC camp is located in Kipupu at the request of the authorities of the 33th military region. ′′ According to the command of the military region, we deployed the military to Kipupu to set up a camp that must remain there forever The army has noticed that the militias have taken advantage of the absence of the military in this village. I also call on the people of Kipupu to abandon the bush to return to their village. There is no longer a question of staying in the bush while the army is already there ", said the army spokesperson. Local sources confirm the army presence since Thursday in Kipupu. But the population who still fear for their safety is not ready to return to the village. ′′ The military are already in Kipupu but it's very difficult for the population to return to the village. We were attacked overnight, we lost everything, people don't have clothes, all household goods were burned in houses, so we're told to go back, how are we going to live? Besides, the wounded are not taken care of so far. We fear for our safety because this is not the first time the army has installed the camp in Kipupu but after a while she closes the camp. Will she stay there this time forever ", wonders Enasi Yoni, head of Kipupu. The Congolese authorities have not always spoken out on allegations of these massacres. However, the information is confirmed by about thirty provincial deputies from South Kivu and customary authorities from Fizi and Itombwe. The latter even decreed two days of mourning in memory of the victims. For its part, Monusco has announced that it will deploy ′′ very soon ′′ a mission to Kipupu to verify these allegations.

ADF kills 3 people in an attack in kakuka of banande-kainama groupment

Ugandan rebels of Allied Democtic Forces (ADF) made an attack on the night of Thursday to Friday, July 24, 2020 in the village of Kakuka located in the Banande-Kainama groupement in the territory of Beni (North Kivu). According to civil society in Kainama, 3 people were cowardly shot by these assailants during this incursion. "It is about a couple and a child", adds our source which adds that "the rebels appeared in this agglomeration at the turn of 9 pm, the FARDC elements quickly retaliated". the rebels would have taken advantage of the absence of the FARDC deployed on the ground for the patrol, only those who kept the guard which limited the damage. This situation was at the base of a strong tension in this part where the population lives the fear of dying, indicates the local civil society. This citizen structure strongly condemns this new incursion and asks the Congolese government to focus its attention on the situation facing the inhabitants of Kainama who no longer spend a night without registering deaths in their villages.

CODECO killed 5 again in the Donato village of Agonema groupment territory of Djugu of iturit

CODECO attackers signed a new attack which left five dead on Thursday, July 23, 2020 afternoon in the Donato village of the Agonema group in the Banyali-Kilo sector in the territory of Djugu. “The incident started around 3 pm in Donato where the assailants who passed through Kaba-kaba and who wanted to operate in Itendey shot dead 5 people among the inhabitants of Donato. Now, since everyone has fled, so the results are still provisional ”says our source,who also indicates that two men, two women and a child are among the victims of this surprise attack which caused a massive displacement of the population towards the surrounding localities. FARDC soldiers who arrived at the scene repelled the attack, adds our source, who denounces the small number of loyalist forces to ensure the safety of the population. It should be noted that the Banyali-Kilo sector is currently the target of attacks by the CODECO militia. On Monday and Tuesday, July 21, these same assailants killed at least nine civilians with machetes in the town of Mayolo.

Another alleged clash between m23 and FARDC in rugari

Violent clashes are reported again in Rutshuru territory more precisely in Rugari grouping on Thursday, July 23, 2020, between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and alleged M23 who have been reported in this area since a few days already. This Thursday, the population of the Rugari group(groupment), located about thirty kilometers north of the city of Goma, woke up in a strong fear that would be due to the presence of the alleged elements of the movement of March 23 (M23) which is confront with the army in this area. Sources of the Civil Society in the Rugari group indicate that a massive displacement of the population of this entity, leaving their villages towards Kanyarucinya more or less 5 kilometers from Rugari in Nyiragongo territory. Others would also have taken the road to Goma-Rutshuru where they took refuge. Other sources contacted;let's know that there are two operational armed groups in the area that have been facing each other since the morning in Virunga National Park where heavy and light weapons fired at Ruhanga, Ngugo, and Kikeri about 6 kilometers away from Rugari ready from Mikeno and Bukima. These same sources report that many inhabitants of the Rugari group have moved to the parish of Rugari for their safety. The inhabitants of this area are shouting an alarm to the administrative and military authorities to do everything to restore peace and security. At the same time, they call for the strengthening of security elements so that peace is a reality in this part of the province. As a reminder, it has been since this Monday, July 20th that clashes have been reported between FARDC and alleged M23 rebels in Rutshuru territory. Hard to get any balance sheet. The M23 has denied any confrontation but recognizes that its elements are in Rutshuru awaiting implementation of the Nairobi agreements.

The Pentagon awarded defence giant Raytheon hundreds of millions of dollars build the AN/SPY-6(V), a long-range next-generation class of 3D radar arrays said to be capable of exo-atmospheric detection, tracking and discrimination of ballistic missiles and other air and surface threats.

The Pentagon awarded defence giant Raytheon hundreds of millions of dollars build the AN/SPY-6(V), a long-range next-generation class of 3D radar arrays said to be capable of exo-atmospheric detection, tracking and discrimination of ballistic missiles and other air and surface threats.
Raytheon’s missiles and defence division has delivered its first AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar array system to the Navy to be installed aboard the USS Jack H. Lucas, the under-construction Arleigh Burke-class Flight III guided-missile destroyer, the company has announced.
“SPY-6 will change how the Navy conducts surface fleet operations,” Captain Jason Hall, Navy Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems above water sensors program director said in a statement.
“Our ships will be able to see farther, react quicker and defend against threats in a way we couldn’t before,” Hall added.

The modular 4.25x4.25 meter array, expected to be deployed aboard as many as seven different types of US warships in the future, was delivered to the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, one of the US shipyards building the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, earlier this week.
Raytheon promised that the first array will be followed up by “a steady stream of SPY-6 array deliveries”, and that the radar will help defend US warships against enemy drones, missiles, planes and unmanned vessels.
The USS Jack H. Lucas warship aboard which the radar is expected to be mounted is expected to be commissioned in 2023.
The AN/SPY-6(V) has been touted as the US Navy’s next-gen air and missile defence radar system, with the Navy promising to upgrade destroyers with the system as part of a comprehensive effort to reequip ships to keep up with Russian and Chinese hypersonic developments. The company is said to be have at least four separate variants of the radar. The system operates in S-band, and is said to be capable of tracking over 30 times the number of targets as the existing AN/SPY-1 radar installed aboard many US warships. That system was first introduced in the 1970s, and has received several upgrades over the years.