The electoral campaign is marred by a spiral of violence and political intolerance
Briefing Issue #89, Thursday, May 14, 2020
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BURUNDI IN THE HEADLINES
Dear Readers,
UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, alarmed by the numerous acts of violence and human rights violations during the electoral campaign for the elections of 20 May 2020, calls on the Burundian authorities and all political party leaders to step up their efforts for a peaceful resolution of election-related tensions.
The Commission issued a statement this Thursday expressing its concern regarding the conduct of the electoral process, marred by violent clashes between members of the contending political parties and numerous arrests of political opponents.
“We call on the Government of Burundi to immediately stem this spiral of violence by taking all the necessary measures to guarantee the respect and the protection of public liberties and to put an end to the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators of acts of violence, some of whom hold senior positions”, added the President of COI.
He further noted that “political party leaders of all sides have the responsibility to prevent acts of violence. Failing this, they should be aware that they will be held criminally responsible for their actions and, in some circumstances, for those of their followers”.
The Commission invited all competent jurisdictions, including those outside the Burundian judicial system, to consider instituting criminal proceedings against those who bear most responsibility for gross human rights violations committed in the context of the ongoing electoral process.
Crime in Bujumbura
Burundian Businessman and forex trader, Jackson Simbananiye aka Kirahwata, was found strangled dead in a gutter in Jabe neighborhood of Bujumbura in the morning of this Thursday.
He was kidnapped yesterday, Wednesday afternoon, in the city center of Bujumbura. Very quickly, the alert was launched on social networks.
According to witnesses, judicial police officers identified the body before it was transported to the mortuary at King Khaled Hospital.
The motives and the authors of his death are not yet known. Police say they were alerted by the family of the deceased. According to the police spokesperson, the investigation is underway and a suspect has already been arrested.
Jackson Simbananiye is the third forex trader killed in such troubling circumstances when they were officially banned from activity by the government, which accuses them of "sabotaging the country's economy".
Thanks for reading
Fabrice Iranzi, RegionWeek.com
IN THE REGION
Facebook is building a massive underwater cable around Africa, in an effort to bring more of the continent’s 1.3 billion inhabitants online.
The social media company has partnered with the likes of China Mobile, South Africa’s MTN, France’s Orange, and Britain’s Vodafone as well as local network operators on the project, dubbed 2Africa.
It’s tasked Nokia-owned cable systems provider Alcatel Submarine Networks with building the subsea cable. At 37,000 kilometers — or about 22,991 miles — in length, Facebook claims the cable will be “nearly equal to the circumference of the Earth.” It’s not yet clear how much funding Facebook and its partners have put behind the project.
A primary goal of the initiative, Facebook says, is to bring increased connectivity to Africa. The continent is “currently the least connected” in the world, the company wrote in a blog post-Wednesday, with just over a quarter of its population having internet access. (CNBC)
Last week, Rwandan Health Minister, Daniel Ngamije revealed that subsequently, the East African country will begin the use of humanoid robots in its coronavirus treatment centers to minimize human interaction.
The robots which were manufactured by Kigali-based Belgian robotic tech firm ZoraBots will be deployed throughout the pandemic. Some of the robots which were already in Rwanda will be programmed to embody epidemic features while the rest will be imported. According to Ngamije, “the robots will be used as the interface between doctors and patients to avoid any possible human contact.”
In addition, Ngamije disclosed that the CRUZR robots had been tested in treating COVID-19 patients, and doctors were trained on how to operate them. The humanoids will be used in monitoring a patient’s vital sign including temperature, heart rate, blood, and oxygen levels, and relay responses to doctors and nurses remotely. “One robot can screen 200 patients for temperature in one minute,” Ngamije said. (VenturesAfrica)
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