DRC army claims to have neutralized over 300 militia men

In its report published in a press release, on Monday, 18 March, the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) claim to have neutralized three hundred and nine militiamen from the CODECO militia during military operations called "Zaruba ya Ituri 2", Ituri storm 2, launched against this armed group since the beginning of March 2020 in the territories of Djugu and Mahagi and part of Irumu (Ituri).
The spokesperson for the FARDC operating sector in Ituri, Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, who published this report, also announces that these operations continue until the full deactivation of this militia.
The army also reported that it recovered two strongholds from this militia in Djaro and Londjango as well as several locations under their control including Rithy, Nyangaray, Ngongo and I in the territory of Djugu.
In addition, Lieutenant Jules Ngongo is making a record of 63 dead on the FARDC side.
He recommended that the people of the region take care of this militia and denounce all those who hold the weapons as well as those who hold them.
The army also calls on the lost young people to drop weapons and go to FARDC to serve under the DRC flag than to remain on these adventures, notes the press release.
For his part, Ituri civil society coordinator, Jean Bosco Lalo, congratulates FARDC on these achievements.
But, he believes that much remains to be done for the restoration of a sustainable peace in Ituri through the return of thousands of displaced people throughout the province and others have fled to Uganda.

Two Zambia police officers caught inside DRC

Close to a month of tension on that border strip,Two Zambian criminal police officers were arrested on Tuesday 19 May, in the village of Musosa, 220 km from the territory of Moba in Tanganyika province, by the "technical" services. (DMIAP and RDA).
These are 69-year-old James Kazembe and 33-year-old Bungu Chyprien.
According to the of Territory admin who delivers this information, these two Zambian topics had no supporting documents.
"They were equipped with maps of Zambian criminal police officers", said Admin Keyeni Didier.
Before continuing: " They were arrested and informed the hierarchy at the level of Kalemi, because they did not have supporting documents. In a short time, they will be sent to Kalemi to be the on the grounds of their presence on Congolese soil ", he concluded.
As a reminder, a few days ago Faustin Kambale, a local civil society actor, said that the Anti-Homeland Military Detection (DMIAP) and the National Intelligence Agency (RDA) had been moved to the border with Zambia.

The US Air Force Special Operations Command plans to test-fire a 60-kilowatt laser aboard its new AC-130J Ghostrider gunship by 2022

Once seen as the stuff of science fiction, or of a distant dystopian future, laser-based weapons have become a reality in recent years as major powers including the United States, Russia and China rush to field the technology in a variety of air, ground and naval applications.
The US Air Force Special Operations Command plans to test-fire a 60-kilowatt laser aboard its new AC-130J Ghostrider gunship by 2022, Col. Melissa Johnson, programme executive officer for fixed-wing programmes has confirmed.
“If it is successful – and we are planning for success –then it will feed into our new requirements and potentially a new programme down the road,” Johnson said, her comments cited by National Defense magazine .
“If this goes forward past the demo…we’ll have an additional [R&D, testing and evaluation] programme going forward,” she added.
According to the officer, laser systems for use by the Air Force for the AC-130J have already seen ground-based testing at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia.
Now, Johnson says, after years of wrangling with the Pentagon to receive additional funding to develop the laser cannon technology, the Air Force finally has enough cash to proceed with development.
The US Air Force announced plans to introduce directed-energy weapons aboard the AC-130J in 2015, and had hoped to carry out a demonstration of the system sometime this year, but faced setbacks amid a lack of funding. The Ghostrider-based laser cannon, touted as a “less than lethal” weapon which can paralyze but not kill enemy combatants, is just
one of a number of Pentagon programmes to introduce high-energy lasers in its weapons.
The US is not the only country making use of laser technology in defence applications, with Russia introducing the Peresvet ground-based defence system to assist in air and missile defence in 2018. China too is making progress in laser weapons, and like Washington, is
working on an airborne offensive laser weapon. The US deployed a new Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN) anti-drone system aboard one of its combat-capable warships earlier this year. Israel unveiled a new laser-based missile intercept system to replace the Iron Dome in January.

Lockheed martin makes sharp cutbacks on the planned production of F-35 fighter jets

In a related development, last week, the Government Accountability Office concluded that as many as 15 key components for the F-35 once made in Turkey were currently not being produced “at the needed production rate” following Ankara’s unceremonious removal from the fighter programme.
Lockheed Martin’s F-35-related supply chain problems have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, with the company expected to reduce output of finished planes by anywhere from 12 to 15 percent this year, Defense News has reported , citing company officials and figures.
Originally planning to build 141 of the planes in 2020, the company now expects to produce anywhere between 18 and 24 fewer F-35s.
Lockheed Martin VP for the F-35 programme Greg Ulmer blamed the coronavirus pandemic for the new difficulties, which will see employees at the Fort Worth, Texas assembly plant reducing work hours starting May 23, confirming that at present, workers are having to wait for missing parts to arrive, thus preventing the line from moving forward.
“If I have the ability to speed up or recover sooner, then I will do so. If there are other unknown COVID-19 impacts that I don’t know about that come on the horizon – I don’t know that either…As we go forward, probably late summer or early fall, we’ll have a pretty good sense of where we’re going to be,” Ulmer said.
Lockheed told investors that production could be slowed back in late April, attributing slowing output to social distancing requirements at factories, workforce disruptions, and shipping constraints.
The F-35, an incredibly complex (and arguably overengineered) universal fifth-generation fighter jet, consists of over 300,000 individual components, which are produced across some 1,900 individual factories in the US, and dozens more in US allied nations such as Italy.
‘Stories of Stupidity’
Trump hinted at the need to bring more of the F-35 supply chain back to the United States last week, suggesting that the reasoning for producing the plane’s components overseas was a sign of “stupidity.”
“I could tell you hundreds of stories of the stupidity that I’ve seen. As an example, we make a fighter jet. It’s a certain fighter jet, I won’t tell you which, but happens to be the F-35,” Trump said , speaking to Fox News Business on Thursday. “It’s a great jet, and we make parts for this jet all over the world. We make them in Turkey, we make them here, we make them there. The problem is, if we have a problem with a country, you can’t make the jet. We get parts from all over the place. It’s so crazy. We should make everything in the United States,” he added.
The coronavirus-related supply problems reported by the company follow news last week that the Government Accountability Office in Washington calculated that over a dozen key components for the F-35 once made in Turkey were not being produced in the necessary quantities by alternative suppliers following Ankara’s booting from the programme over its decision to buy a Russian-made air defence system. The GAO said that issue was just one of the problems which saw parts delivered late thousands of times in recent years, with over 60 percent of the shortages said to be attributable to just 20 tardy suppliers.
Lockheed Martin’s F-35 do-it-all universal fighter jet is the most expensive weapons contract in history, with its total lifetime R&D, production and operation price-tag recently jumping by another $100 billion to $1.6 trillion over its planned 66 year life cycle. Five years after the plane’s production began in 2015, the plane is still said to have well over 800 bugs, glitches and design problems , from ear-damaging cabin pressure issues to faulty radar and software-related vulnerabilities.

US Air Force F-35 Lightning II combat warplane has crashed in Florida during a routine training exercise,

According to Eglin Air Force Base, the pilot ejected from the aircraft and is currently in stable condition. The crash did not cause any casualties or damage on the ground, the base added.
A US Air Force F-35 Lightning II combat warplane has crashed in Florida during a routine training exercise, Eglin Air Force Base said on Twitter.
The plane belonging to the 58th Fighter Squad crashed around 9:30 pm local time and did not cause any damage or loss of life. The base has launched an investigation into the matter.
The incident comes just days after a F-22 Raptor fighter crashed while performing a test flight last Friday. Similarly to the latest crash, there were no casualties or damage caused by the incident and the pilot ejected to safety.

Mighty Museveni has already landed in kasese

Letter to the Senate Sub-Committee on Africa and Global Health Policy expressing human rights concerns,Is Rwanda the real Singapore of Africa?

The world-wide speech is that Rwanda has made remarkable economic and social progress over the past two decades. However, the reality on the ground tells a different story. The economic facts of Rwanda described in detail in a recently published report, entitled Rwanda Vision 2020 Development Programme, presents a comprehensive analysis of the country's development agenda goals.

Accordung to a citizen of the United States of America and pastor interested in all matters related to Rwanda and the Great Lakes region of Africa, he wrote to express his concern about the deteriorating human rights in Rwanda. Recently, the Government of Rwanda has openly stepped up its policy of harassment of human rights activists around the world and in any dissenting voice from Rwanda and outside. These include the assassination of the late Kizito Mihigo, gospel singer and reconciliation activist. Recently, Mr. Theophile Ntirutwa almost died after being targeted by a death squad who, on the contrary, murdered Rev. Theoneste Bapfakurera. This murder took place in Kigali in Rwamagana on 11 May 2020.
September 2017, 6, Mr. Ntirutwa Theophile, the leader of the United Democratic Forces (FDU) in Kigali, has been missing. He was held in secret for 23 days until his family found him on September 23th at the sadly famous police station in Remera. The regime often uses false accusations against anyone who opposes it and has thus imprisoned Ntirutwa and several other members of the FDU. He served 30 months in a high security prison, then he was released on January 25, 2020, after the court declared him innocent. After his release, Ntirutwa joined a newly formed political party, the Umurinzi, founded by former president of the FDU, Mrs. Ingabire Victory. On Monday, May 2020, 11, a pro-government death squad attacked the place where Ntirutwa lives and carries out his activities. Ntirutwa barely survived the assassination. Unfortunately, Rev. Theoneste Bapfakurera was stabbed to death.
According to reliable information provided by a human rights activist based in Kigali, the attack took place around 19 p. m local time. Ntirutwa, along with friends and family members, was surprised by a gun-armed squad and traditional weapons. When the attackers arrived at the's shop, they asked, " Who's Theo? There were two Theos in the same shop. Rev Bapfakurera Theoneste, who also calls himself " Theo ", said, " I am Theo! Without any hesitation.
As a result, the killers stabbed Rev. Bapfakurera to death. Ntirutwa hid under the counter. The killer team members said, " Mission accomplished, we can leave now. " They didn't know they killed the wrong Theo.
After the shooting squad left, Ntirutwa called the police to report the incident. However, police arrived at the crime scene two hours later. Ntirutwa was treated like a suspect and not as a victim of attempted murder. In the past, the national police of Rwanda and other security bodies have been used to harass, assassinate or remove suspected opponents of the current regime. Thankfully, Ntirutwa barely survived the murder. However, police arrested his wife - who was not at the crime scene. In addition, the's sister and two other survivors were arrested.
At the time of the attack, the following people were present: Rev. Bapfakurera Theoneste (owner of the residence), Mr. Ntirutwa Theophile, Mrs. Mushimiyimana Emerithe (wife of Ntirutwa), Ms. Mukantwari Francine (sister of Ntirutwa), Mr. Hakizimana Frodward and M. gacaca Jean Bosco. Police arrested Ntirutwa Theophile and his wife, leaving their two minor children, 5 and 7 years old, surveillance.
In addition to the arrest of Mr. Ntirutwa Theophile, of his wife and other survivors, a web-based website my250tv.com and a YouTube TV channel, which advocates hate from the government, says Ms. Ingabire Victiore was the brain of the assassination of Rev Bapfakurera because that he " refused to join his political party DALFA Umurinzi! In addition, a journalist named Ellen Kampire said: " I wonder why Ingabire Victory is not locked up because in the past she has been involved in acts of murder. She is not the only responsible for the assassination in Rwamagana. She was the brain of grenade attacks in Kigali! I think she should also be murdered because she organized crimes that cost the lives of many Rwandans ".
Paul Kagame's government co-ordinates media propaganda with investigations of the Rwanda Office of Investigation (RIB), which serves as a government tool to crush any opposition. Ms. Ingabire Victory was called by the RIB for an investigation on Monday, May 2020., 18 I am deeply concerned that these charges are politically motivated by the Government of Rwanda. Mrs. Ingabire Victory and other opposition members could face accusations made of all pieces and possibly an assassination in the next few days.
Unfortunately, killing or removing members of the opposition party is the norm for the current regime in Rwanda. For a few years, squadrons killed Jean Damascene Habarugira, Iragena Illuminee, Anselme Mutuyimana and Syrdio Dusabumuremyi. In addition, Eugene Ndereyimana disappeared and Boniface Twagirimana mysteriously disappeared while he was in jail.
The members of the opposition political party murdered or missing
As a citizen of the United States, pastor and human rights activist, I ask the United States Senate Sub-Committee on Africa and Global Health to use his influence, under section 116 of the section 503 of the Law on Aid Abroad, to encourage General Paul Kagame's regime to stop his human rights violations and to become tolerant of opposition members and dissenting votes in Rwanda and the foreigners.


........Thanks to our source........