REGIONAL DISCUSSIONS:

http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/Rwanda+defends+new+toll+as+crisis+builds+up/-/1840392/1978752/-/31x27l/-/index.html

I feel this beef between Tz & Rwanda is being stretched too far.Now, Rwanda has slapped a $500 charge on Tz registered trucks.Imposition of these non-tariff barriers is not advisable.Imagine a poor importer who could even be Rwandan who hired a Tz truck & now has to pay a charge not budgeted for earlier.Kigali has decided to get back at Dar now that they have a dispute. Before this, I thought Tz only imposed NTBs on goods originating from Kenya.But now it seems they have been mistreating everyone else equally. If UG & Ke. were to retaliate on Tz mistreatment, Tz would have quite a problem.They need to change their attitude or just abandon EAC membership.
      In other news EAC ministers want an explanation as to why Tz is being isolated by the rest. I'l give my two cent.If you sit on a wall at the train station, are not boarding the train but giving all indications that you want to travel hence leading to un-necessary delay, if the others decide to leave without you , don't complain.you can catch up later if still interested or board another train to a different destination.Then these ministers besides the Tz one, aren't their bosses the ones organizing these infrastructural summits??

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/EAC+ministers+demand+reasons+for+Tanzania+isolation/-/539546/1978560/-/qn41i2/-/index.html

"obviously.. if the worlds  most powerful leaders keep visiting my country ..including  the current  one leader whose father was born in my neighboring state but he chooses to snub  it and visit my country instead.. i will  feel  very special..so i don't care what the rest of them thinks"
THIS IS HOW I IMAGINE KIKWETE THINKS.

mchoraji wrote:http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/Rwanda+defends+new+toll+as+crisis+builds+up/-/1840392/1978752/-/31x27l/-/index.html

I feel this beef between Tz & Rwanda is being stretched too far.Now, Rwanda has slapped a $500 charge on Tz registered trucks.Imposition of these non-tariff barriers is not advisable.Imagine a poor importer who could even be Rwandan who hired a Tz truck & now has to pay a charge not budgeted for earlier.Kigali has decided to get back at Dar now that they have a dispute. Before this, I thought Tz only imposed NTBs on goods originating from Kenya.But now it seems they have been mistreating everyone else equally. If UG & Ke. were to retaliate on Tz mistreatment, Tz would have quite a problem.They need to change their attitude or just abandon EAC membership.
      In other news EAC ministers want an explanation as to why Tz is being isolated by the rest. I'l give my two cent.If you sit on a wall at the train station, are not boarding the train but giving all indications that you want to travel hence leading to un-necessary delay, if the others decide to leave without you , don't complain.you can catch up later if still interested or board another train to a different destination.Then these ministers besides the Tz one, aren't their bosses the ones organizing these infrastructural summits??

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/EAC+ministers+demand+reasons+for+Tanzania+isolation/-/539546/1978560/-/qn41i2/-/index.html

Being isolated? No, i think it is TZ which is isolating herself. How else are the others supposed to respond when TZ is against everything put on the table?

http://www.nation.co.ke/news/africa/Tanzania+expels+over+25+000+Burundians+in+a+month/-/1066/1990746/-/hf3qxi/-/index.html

I honestly feel a meeting should be held soon at the ministerial level for the 5 East African states to address this issue.It started with mostly Rwandans, then Burundians and as things stand, even Kenyans & Ugandan luzungu teachers for example have been affected.I am just wondering if Zambians, Malawians & South Africans are also affected in this purge. Could Tz just be muddying the waters to bring it's peers to the negotiating table after recent happenings?

mchoraji wrote:http://www.nation.co.ke/news/africa/Tanzania+expels+over+25+000+Burundians+in+a+month/-/1066/1990746/-/hf3qxi/-/index.html

I honestly feel a meeting should be held soon at the ministerial level for the 5 East African states to address this issue.It started with mostly Rwandans, then Burundians and as things stand, even Kenyans & Ugandan luzungu teachers for example have been affected.I am just wondering if Zambians, Malawians & South Africans are also affected in this purge. Could Tz just be muddying the waters to bring it's peers to the negotiating table after recent happenings?

After Rwanda reciprocated by charging TZ trucks 500USD they have now reduced to 152USD maybe the other EAC countries should round up Tanzanians and deport them. There are many of them in the region without papers and no one bothers them maybe we should pay in kind. Kenya with the largest no. of refugees (not from EAC) has never forcibly repatriated them not withstanding the insecurity they cause. In the spirit of the EAC this deportations should have first been discussed in its sessions.

Some nations just amuse me. UAE has C17 Globemasters, and now A 330 MRTT Tankers! Who makes these purchases? their Major security concern is just across the Shatt Al Arab why do they need Tankers and strategic air lifters? Cylon u'd feel at home here...(tongue in cheek)

jasiri wrote:Some nations just amuse me. UAE has C17 Globemasters, and now A 330 MRTT Tankers! Who makes these purchases? their Major security concern is just across the Shatt Al Arab why do they need Tankers and strategic air lifters? Cylon u'd feel at home here...(tongue in cheek)

the way I see it, UAE, SAUDI ARABIA are more or less FOB for some countries that will need those equipments quickly if the shit  hits the fan in that region ie Iran flexing its muscle. its an open secret they cant run and maintain half of what they buy.

mbs wrote:

jasiri wrote:Some nations just amuse me. UAE has C17 Globemasters, and now A 330 MRTT Tankers! Who makes these purchases? their Major security concern is just across the Shatt Al Arab why do they need Tankers and strategic air lifters? Cylon u'd feel at home here...(tongue in cheek)

the way I see it, UAE, SAUDI ARABIA are more or less FOB for some countries that will need those equipments quickly if the shit  hits the fan in that region ie Iran flexing its muscle. its an open secret they cant run and maintain half of what they buy.

Trust me, the situation has changed this time. In the past GCC countries used to hie Ex American and British (mostly) officers to do the heavy lifting for them. On a recent visit to that part of the world i was positively surprised to learn Emaratis and a few GCC nationals were at the controls of their Mirage 2000's and F 16's...got a lot of interest though for some questions i was asking hehehe....but my point is, why the hell do they need these assets? A C-17 is not like Tanks or Artillery pieces you pre-position, they can be flown from everywhere and get Persia of guard. Air Bases in Guam to the south east, Djibouti to the South West, Aviano (italy) or Incirlik (Turkey) to the North West...They can charge on Iran from all sides except Japan and S. Korea coz then they would have to fly over a never cooperating China. Tankers i understand, but Strategic air lifters???? Next itakuwa Air Craft Carrier? Hii pesa ya mafuta has spoilt these people.

Heheheh, In other news my favorite pan-Africanist Mugabe is having a field day at the UN General Assembly. Western diplomats walking out of the room ecetra... God help us Africans!!

UN attack helicopter from SA in DRC from
http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32173&catid=74&Itemid=30

Someone ought to keep a sharp eye on CAR. Too many unnecessary suitors with Hollandè doing some amatueristic rounds over the Southern Hemisphere. I hope @Spartan & co you have more than enough boots on ground incase the shiet hits the fan in Bangui.
And where the fuck is Bozize?

A nice read.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Opinion-and-Analysis/-/539548/2033720/-/14200tw/-/index.html

How I would love to hear from @ON et.al postulate on what went down at Eastern DRC. I expected the M23 to hold out longer if what was posted here earlier when TPDF entered the scene is anything to go by. JK is basking under the glory no wonder he chose the after event to bash the Coalition of Willing (some of them alleged to support m23). Interesting times ahead.

With the Snowden revellations that Sam, Johnny and Dundee have been dropping eves on some people like Angie and even his popeness, God know what they have been doing to our peoples. Dont be surprised if they knew when KKK ate kanusu badala ya kakuota.
But i guess they knew all along that they were being listened to. 
Come to think of it, didnt USA install a secure cisco system in Kibaki's office at the beginning of his term? talk of kuleta kiti kwa nyumba yako! they didnt even need hightech equipment to snoop, they were already in the house.

Three Tanzanians have gone to court to halt any more meetings by the 'coalition of the willing'.Would that include the Mombasa meeting next week considering the ground breaking for the standard gauge rail will be taking place.Would a judge try to limit our presidents from associating the way & with whom they want?

http://www.mpekuzihuru.com/2013/11/kagame-museveni-na-kenyatta-washtakiwa.html

However, I feel it's important to co-op Tz in the infrastructural meetings.The standard gauge rail will ease trade & make it far cheaper.In the East African railway master plan, there was to be a branch at Voi Kenya to Moshi Tanzania through the Taveta/ Holili border crossing.Think of how the Kenya, Tz trade can be eased by that connection.
There would also be another connection at Arusha to Nairobi through Namanga.There would be connections to Kampala & Kigali as well.There is need for diversity so that with the many options available to the region, the business community will go for the most viable option/s



Then do you note when all this is done how near the Nigerian market will be through Chad? This dream has to come to fruition & the region can rise to 'second world' status.However the insecure Darfur, Central African Republic & Northern Nigeria have to be sorted out first.

That's nothing like "stopping" co-operating presidents from doing what they do best, bro Mchoraji - but a poorly-choreographed game of 'catch-up' of some sort. Nobody is detering Tanzania from hanging along, And with all the privileges, they still chose to roof-drop into the party. Well, about the case, the law chap who has visited the regional court is too nationalistic to be considered. Fortunately I know him personally.
Some of these Tanzanians exists purely to showcase how idiotically 'top-of-the-shelf' diplomatic criss-crossing can become when annoyances like Kagame are tossed to the side. No big deal buddy.

The only situation which has some stored potential & capacity to sabotage Kenyana is Sultan Makenga's M23 and it's play-mates. Regional Security strategists have their hands fully fixated with that Eastern DRC maneno. How to bring Kabila into the negotiating table, how to completely incapacitate M23,ecetra. Kagame is one helluva silly gentleman whose profile can be easily drawn from these pages. He is always holding the region into ransom as a scapegoat for his self-written history. Contrary to what English scholars say, Ati 'you can't make your own cake & have it', Kagame is about to - And completely make one of the English philosophies useless. Just a matter of time.

The Angolan Government has banned islam and ordered all mosques in the country closed. 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2513388/Angola-bans-Islam-shuts-mosques.html

Seems like the oil wealth is getting into their heads, why feel threatened by people of the faith yet less than 1% of the Angolan population are Muslim anyway. Someone needs to hammer some sense into their leadership.

Foreign ministers are supposed to be diplomatic, at least when addressing someone who has hosted them in their own country. Apparently, not so if you are the Tz Foreign Minister. Read on here http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/649967-tanzania-burundi-concerned-with-isolation-in-bloc.html

Tanzania should feel ashamed of their attitude. We reserve the right to associate with whoever we choose. They feel like they have hundreds of years to build railways and roads and to make up their mind on the smallest of issues, WE DON'T. If they can't handle the current speed, they will catch us later.

Condescending arrogant language won't work. We tried their speed and it hasn't worked

This meeting was a fire and brimstone event! Lord help Tanzania. If they feel they are not being accomodated why insist on being part of this union? Si wakae SADC tu? This Sitta goom should be censured for such unbecoming language. Let them wait for the mango to fall, Kenya-Uganda-Rwanda are going up the tree for it.

jasiri wrote:This meeting was a fire and brimstone event! Lord help Tanzania. If they feel they are not being accomodated why insist on being part of this union? Si wakae SADC tu? This Sitta goom should be censured for such unbecoming language. Let them wait for the mango to fall, Kenya-Uganda-Rwanda are going up the tree for it.  

On one level I do understand Tz attitude. If you have any idea how Njonjo openly sabotaged the EAC you'd sympathise with them. Also he nearly had 20 para and TDF instructors almost go to war in 1981-in the Seychelles!!
His Brit brothers were behind the coup attempt and he'd promised to support only if it was  a success-imagine the lengths a house nigger will go to please Masta. However,IMO,Tz will regret sooner rather than later the heavy opportunity cost of their missed chances;if they opt out of this railway network,they'll never catch up.

Some progress coming from Southern Somalia. The Jubalanders got their own ole Lenku. Damn good.

http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Somalia-Jubaland-President-nominates-second-VP-and-cabinet-of-ministers.shtml

Forgive the football parlance, CECAFA hangovers taking the better of me :-D (we won btw).
So, Kabila signs the peace deal with M23 FINALLY! A huge departure from the earlier position of ‘we will only accept a statement of surrender from M23 since we dealt them a military defeat‘. The most significant part of all this is the venue of signing, State House Nairobi. Uhuru successfully took advantage of Joyce Banda‘s Kenyan softspot to make SADC a seeming party to the signing. What does this mean for DRC in relation to EAC?

jasiri wrote:Forgive the football parlance, CECAFA hangovers taking the better of me :-D (we won btw).
So, Kabila signs the peace deal with M23 FINALLY! A huge departure from the earlier position of ‘we will only accept a statement of surrender from M23 since we dealt them a military defeat‘. The most significant part of all this is the venue of signing, State House Nairobi. Uhuru successfully took advantage of Joyce Banda‘s Kenyan softspot to make SADC a seeming party to the signing. What does this mean for DRC in relation to EAC?

DRC is usually a part of EAC, unless you got other ambitions Jasiri.

@Cycoh D, It didn‘t seem so when Rooivalks and Caspirs were being deployed against M23. It also didn‘t seem so when Tanzania violated EAC parliament decision not to deploy. . . So they do the heavy lifting, n we take the prize.

jasiri wrote:@Cycoh D, It didn‘t seem so when Rooivalks and Caspirs were being deployed against M23. It also didn‘t seem so when Tanzania violated EAC parliament decision not to deploy. . . So they do the heavy lifting, n we take the prize.

That's the case Bwana Jasiri. EAC created M23, & they're still the ones with the ''log-off'' Password - Just like the CIA & the Al qaida & its siblings. Separately, the Kenyan C-i-C is somehow past the EAC 'cacoon' - Sort of talking currently, 'African'! Interesting times ahead.
The sooner we start embracing this African thing - Unity, the better.

And by the way I did SADC a favor by posting an article about the Rooivalk choopers' progress in E. DRC, in the "Stealth ....jets" page

@Spartan, If you have any info concerning the composition/size of the UPDF team send to Juba, ...share tafadhali afande.

As it stands now in South Sudan


Rebel fire hit two U.S. military aircraft responding to the outbreak in violence in South Sudan on Saturday, wounding three U.S. service members and heavily damaging at least one of the aircraft
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/21/world/africa/south-sudan-violence/
UPDF Mi-24 attack helicopters were also shot at
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/650740-ugandan-aircraft-shot-at-in-south-sudan.html
@ spartan could the two incidents be related?

http://www.sudantribune.com/index.php

Seems UPDF AF are in the thick of things.

Interloper wrote:http://www.sudantribune.com/index.php

Seems UPDF AF are in the thick of things.

http://www.southsudannewsagency.com/news/breaking-news/ugandan-air-force-bombs-rebel-bases-in-jonglei

Recent events in this nation are very worrying.Since the chaos started on sunday 15th Dec., matters have gone rapidly downhill.Already at least two of the northern states are in rebel hands.The fact that Unity state one of those captured has huge oil wells makes it even more dire.
Rais Museveni was the first to send in troops to 'evacuate stranded Ugandans & secure the airport in Juba'.Rais Kenyatta followed suit on saturday.It is said Ug has not only sent transport planes but at least 2 attack choppers as well & it is claimed fighter jets.Could it be that Ug & Ke. want to offer military help to Kirr disguised as evacuating their citizens?Should these two regional powers get involved, won't they lose trust of Machar & co. since they also want to act as mediators? Aren't they endangering their citizens still trapped in rebel-held areas?
A curious aspect of the Igad foreign ministers sent to Juba was the inclusion of madam Louis Mushikwabo the Rwandan foreign minister in the mission to Juba.Does that ring a bell considering the so called EAC-CoW had co-opted S.S in it's fold? could they be ready to assist their ally? what if the Machar team won would it be ready to work with the CoW leaders considering they'd have fought on the opposite side? Won't the follow-up economic ramifications be too big?
I believe Sudan is involved in all this & is probably giving supplies to Machar.Aren't we seeing another 'DRC' kind of situation as happened in the late 90s where all manner of neighbors fought on different sides in that country?

Moving on swiftly, I am off for my vacation.Enjoy the holidays.see you next year.