UN report links Kenyan military to attacks on Somalia's largest Telecommunications provider

By TOM ODULA
Associated Press

   NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - A new United Nations report says it has corroborated evidence of five attacks allegedly carried out by Kenya's military on communication masts belonging to neighboring Somalia's largest telecom provider. One attack killed two civilians in 2018.

   The report by the U.N. panel of experts monitoring sanctions against Somalia says destroying telecommunication masts may prevent al-Shabab extremists from triggering explosives using mobile telephone signals.

   The report, made public this week, says Kenya's military denied involvement in the attacks. The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

   Hormuud Telecom Somalia says the attacks violate international law. The company asserts that its communications masts have been attacked 10 times by Kenya's military over the past two years.

   The attacks have caused at least $5 million in infrastructure while destabilizing communities, undermining Somalia's economic development and impeding the coordination of humanitarian efforts, a company spokesman said.

   Many people in the Horn of Africa nation long wracked by extremist attacks and climate shocks such as drought rely on remittances wired from family members in the Somali diaspora.

   The destruction of telecom infrastructure may be aimed at curtailing the transmission of intelligence on troop movements or extremist operations, Hormuud said.

   Kenya sent troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight al-Shabab, which also carries out attacks inside Kenya. As assault on a luxury hotel complex in the capital, Nairobi, in January killed 21 people.

   The new U.N. report also said the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab remain "a potent threat" to regional peace and are now manufacturing home-made explosives, expanding their revenue sources and infiltrating government institutions.

Ugaidi Kenya - Watu 87 Wamekufa!

   NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Seven people were killed when gunmen attacked a bus at the Kenyan coast where previous attacks had left 87 people dead, the Kenya Red Cross said Saturday.

   The attack Friday night came at Corner Mbaya, 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the coastal town of Witu in Lamu county, the humanitarian group said. Two of those killed were security officials and five were civilians, the Red Cross said. Authorities believe many of the passengers in the 52-seater bus fled into a nearby forest.

   Al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militants from Somalia claimed responsibility for the attack.

   "The attack was carried out in response to the Kenyan government's claim that all the areas that have recently been subject for attacks were secured after having deployed troops," the group said.

   Al-Shabab said the attackers were sending a message to Kenya that they cannot stop the group's operations in coastal areas.

   Al-Shabab has vowed to carry out attacks on Kenyan soil to avenge the presence of Kenyan troops fighting the militants in Somalia.  In September, four al-Shabab gunmen attacked an upscale in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, killing 67 people.

   Al-Shabab has also claimed responsibility for previous attacks along the coast but the Kenyan government claims local political networks are responsible.

'Specific threat' of attack at Entebbe airport

KAMPALA - The US embassy in Uganda warned Thursday of a "specific threat" by an unknown group to attack the international airport serving the capital Kampala.

The alert came as travellers flying to the United States from Europe and the Middle East faced tighter security because of new concerns about the development of explosives that could circumvent airport security.

"The US embassy has received information from the Uganda police force that according to intelligence sources there is a specific threat to attack Entebbe International Airport by an unknown terrorist group today, July 3rd, between the hours of 2100-2300 (1800 GMT to 2000 GMT)," the statement said.

Although it did not name any group, Al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents have claimed recent attacks in Kenya and Djibouti.

Uganda has troops in Somalia as part of the African Union force fighting the Shebab and is on high alert amid fears of attacks by the Islamist militants.

'Specific threat' of attack at Entebbe airport



Uganda in danger of Terrorist Attack!

More Terror Attacks Possible in Kenya!

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - The U.S. government is warning that a Kenyan terror group with links to the Somali group al-Shabab may seek to target the American private sector in Kenya.

   A recent report from the U.S. State Department's Overseas Security Advisory Council says the anti-West ideology shared by al-Shabab and the Kenyan terror group al-Hijra indicate that the groups "may seek to target the U.S. private sector in Kenya."

   The report was released in the aftermath of al-Shabab's attack on Nairobi's Westgate Mall, a gunfire and grenade assault that killed at least 67 people.

   The report calls for Americans to exercise extra vigilance in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, and the coastal city of Mombasa at clubs, hotels, resorts, shopping centers, restaurants and places of worship.
  

Al Shaabab ni Nani?

Al Shaabab Ni Nani? ( Makala Raia Mwema)

Na Maggid Mjengwa,

ULIMWENGU umepatwa na mshtuko mkubwa kwa kuona picha za tukio kubwa la kigaidi kwenye moja ya maduka makubwa jijini Nairobi. Hili ni shambulio kubwa la kigaidi kupata kutokea Afrika Mashariki tangu lile la mwaka 1998. Na ajabu ya kihitoria ni kuwa matukio mengi ya kigaidi yametokea katika mwezi wa Septemba.

La Nairobi ni shambulizi la kigaidi la kulaaniwa vikali na wapenda amani wote ulimwenguni. Hata hivyo, moja ya tafsiri ya vitendo vya kigaidi tunavyovishuhudia Nairobi ni kuwepo kwa hali ya vita vya kigaidi vyenye kuendeshwa kwenye maeneo ya mijini (Urban terrorism).

Ni shambulizi lenye athari mbaya kiuchumi si tu kwa nchi ya Kenya, bali hata majirani zake ikiwemo Tanzania. Ni shambulizi lililowaogopesha wageni wengi wakiwamo wawekezaji pia. Kwamba Al Shabaab inalenga pia nchi za Magharibi. Hivyo basi, hata raia wake. Kunahitajika jitihada za pamoja kuwaondoa hofu watu wa mataifa ya nje, kuwa kilichotokea Nairobi kitadhibitiwa kwa njia zote, kisitokee tena.
Na hakika, aina hii ya ugaidi ni ngumu sana kudhibitika hatakama nchi ina jeshi kubwa na lenye vifaa vya kisasa. Inahitaji ushiriki wa raia wema katika kutoa taarifa za wahalifu hata kabla hawajafanya matendo yao maovu. Inahitaji pia maandalizi makini, ya kuwa na vikosi vilivyo tayari wakati wote kukabiliana na matukio kama haya.

Ni dhahiri, kuwa mbinu inazotumika kikundi cha kigaidi cha Al Shaabab ambacho maana hasa ya jina hilo ni ' Vijana', ni moja ya changamoto kubwa katika mapambano dhidi ya ugaidi.

Al Shabaab iliundwa mwaka 2006. Kinasemekana kuwa na wapiganaji wenye silaha wapatao 10,000. Al Shabaab katika miaka ya karibuni wamepoteza maeneo mengi ya mijini waliyokuwa wakiyadhibiti, ikiwamo mji wa Kismayu ambao majeshi ya Kenya yaliudhibiti baada ya kuwasambaratisha Al Shabaab. Kwa sasa Al Shabaab bado wana nguvu maeneo ya vijijini katika Somalia.

Kufuatia Kenya kujiingisha kijeshi kupanbana na Al Shaabab, kikundi hicho kimeifanya Kenya kuwa adui na kutangaza wazi azma yake ya kuishambulia Kenya. Mwezi Aprili mwaka huu watu watano walipoteza maisha nchini Kenya baada ya wapiganaji wa Al Shabaab kuingia kwa nguvu wakiwa na silaha kwenye mgahawa mmoja kwenye mji wa Garissa nchini Kenya.

Mwaka 2012 ndipo Al Shabaab walipojiunga rasmi na mtandao wa kigaidi wa Al qaida chini ya kiongozi wa Al qiada, Ayman al- Zawahiri.
Hakika, hapa duniani matukio ya kigaidi yameongezeka.
Kwa faida ya wasomaji, nitaanza kwa kuangalia chimbuko la ugaidi kihistoria. Ni rahisi kusema kwamba ulimwengu umebadilika baada ya ugaidi wa Septemba 11 mwaka 2001 kule Marekani. Kwamba ugaidi umesogea karibu zaidi katika fikra zetu. Watanzania bado tunakumbuka tukio la shambulizi la kigaidi dhidi ya jengo la Ubalozi wa Marekani jijini Dar Es Salaam Agosti 7, 1998.

Sura ya ugaidi imeonekana vema zaidi miongoni mwa walimwengu. Bila shaka, picha ya filamu ya televisheni yenye kuonesha majengo mawili ya World Trade Centre kule Marekani yakitunguliwa na kuanguka, zimeonwa na takribani asilimia 75 ya watu wa ulimwengu huu. Katika hili la kuchambua ugaidi, hebu
basi tuanze na kujiuliza; Ugaidi ni nini?

Itakumbukwa wabunge wa bunge la Jamhuri ya Muungano walipokutana Dodoma mwaka 2002 walipitisha Muswaada wa Ugaidi. Wabunge wetu walitumia muda mwingi sana kujadili tafsiri ya neno "ugaidi".
Kwa kifupi, ugaidi ukitafsiri kutoka neno la Kiingereza "Terrorism" tunapata maana ya "hofu". Neno la Kiingereza "Terror" lina maana ya hali ya "kutisha".

Vitendo vya kigaidi hutumiwa na mtu au makundi ya watu ili kuwaingizia watu hofu ndani ya mioyo yao na pengine hata kuchukua madaraka ya kisiasa. Ugaidi ni njia ya mnyonge na hata mwenye nguvu kutimiza malengo yake. Hili litafafanulika zaidi kadri utakapofuatilia maandiko haya.

Kihistoria tunaona kuwa, vitendo vingi vya kigaidi humu duniani vimefanywa pia na dola zilizo madarakani kwa minajili ya kuendelea kushika hatamu za dola. Mathalan, msemo wa " Utawala dhalimu" kwa tafsiri ya Kiingereza "Terror regime" hutumika tunapoielezea dola yenye kutumia mabavu na nguvu nyingi kupita kiasi. Dola au mtawala asiyezingatia sheria wala haki za kibinadamu.

Msamiati huu wa utawala dhalimu unatokana na lugha ya Kifaransa na una chimbuko la Mapinduzi ya Wananchi kule Ufaransa kati ya mwaka 1789 hadi 1799. Utawala dhalimu wenye kutisha" la terreur" ulikuwepo kule Ufaransa kunako miaka ya kati ya 1792 hadi 1794. Katika kipindi hicho watu takribani 40,000, wengi wao wakiwa wakulima na wahunzi waliuawa.

Mifano ya tawala dhalimu na za kutisha katika sehemu nyingine za dunia ni kama Urusi ya zamani chini ya dikteta Stalin, utawala wa Kinazi wa Ujerumani kati ya 1933-1945 chini ya Fashisti Hittler.
Katika Afrika, tuna pia mifano kadhaa ya tawala dhalimu na za kutisha ambazo kimsingi ni tawala za kigaidi. Uganda ya Idd Amin, Afrika ya Kati ya Bokassa, Zaire ya Mobutu, na nchi nyingine nyingi. Hizi zilikuwa tawala dhalimu.

Ugaidi kimsingi ni ile hali ya mtu, kikundi au dola, kwa maana ya taifa,kutumia nguvu nje ya wigo wa sheria ili kufikia malengo yao. Mwenye kuendesha vitendo vya kigaidi huchagua watu wake watakaoathirika na vitendo hivyo. Si lazima mtu au watu hao watakaoathirika wawe ni wahusika wa moja kwa moja wa mgogoro husika, isipokuwa, waathirika mara nyingi huchaguliwa na huonekana kama wawakilishi wa malengo ambayo magaidi wanataka kuyafikia.

Malengo au sababu za ugaidi zaweza kuwa ni za kidini, kijamii na kisiasa.
Ugaidi huwa wa kimataifa pale tukio la kigaidi linapofanywa nje ya mipakaya yule anayatenda tendo la kigaidi, au raia wa nchi moja wanapokuwawalengwa na kauthirika na tendo la kigaidi katika nchi ya tatu, mathalan,magaidi kutoka Colombia wanapofanya tendo la kigaidi dhidi ya raia waUingereza katika nchi ya Zambia.

0754 678 252, http://mjengwablog.com

U.S. Issues Global Travel Alert!

Kutoka:  http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0802/U.S.-embassies-closed-Worldwide-travel-alert-based-on-terror-threat

The United States issued a global travel alert Friday, citing an al-Qaeda threat that also caused the State Department to close its embassies Sunday around the Muslim world.

The State Department warned American citizens of the potential for terrorism particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, with a possible attack occurring or coming from the Arabian Peninsula.

"Current information suggests that al-Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August," the statement said.

The alert asks American travelers to take extra precautions when traveling overseas and suggests they sign up for State Department alerts and register with consulates or embassies in the countries they are visiting.

The alert was posted a day after the US announced it would close diplomatic facilities on Sunday because of an unspecified threat. Spokeswoman Marie Harf said the department acted out of an "abundance of caution" and that some missions may stay closed for longer than a day. Sunday is a business day in Muslim countries.

Taarifa ya Polisi Kwa Vyombo Vya Habari - Mlipuko wa Bomu Kwenye Mkutano wa CHADEMA

"Taifa Lina Nyufa" - Mh. Mbunge Zitto Kabwe

TAIFA LINA NYUFA

Na Mh. Mbunge Zitto Kabwe

NDUGU KABWE Z. ZITTO, MB – BUNGENI TAREHE 6 MEI, 2013


Mheshimiwa Mwenyekiti, nakushukuru sana kwa kunipa nafasi ili niweze kuchangia leo katika mjadala huu muhimu sana.

Hapa Afrika kulikuwa kuna nchi, na bado ipo, inaitwa Ivory Coast. Ilikuwa ni nchi ambayo inasifika sana kwa amani na utulivu; na ilikuwa ni nchi ya kupigiwa mfano. Leo hii Ivory Coast imegawanyika vipande vipande. Ukienda leo Ivory Coast unakuta wanaoitwa Ivorite na wanaoitwa wageni ambao wazazi wao walienda Ivory Coast kufanya kazi miaka mingi sana. Lakini pili katika mgawanyiko huo kuna mgawanyiko mkubwa sana wa kidini kati ya watu wa Ivory Coast wanaotokea Kaskazini na watu wa Ivory Coast wanaotokea Kusini.

Mheshimiwa Mwenyekiti, tulikuwa tuna Sierra Leone nchi ambayo wageni walikuwa wanakirimiwa katika hali ambayo haijawahi kutokea hapa duniani. Lakini leo Sierra Leone ina rekodi kubwa sana ya watu wenye ulemavu kwa sababu ya vita ya wenyewe kwa wenyewe.

Naomba nichukue nafasi hii kufuatia matukio ambayo yametokea hivi karibuni na hasa jana na siku zilizopita ninanukuu hotuba ambayo Rais wa Awamu ya Tatu Mheshimiwa Benjamin Mkapa aliitoa katika Bunge hili tarehe 4 Novemba, 1998. Alisema:

“Mr. Speaker, after three years of my presidency, I can dare to modify the words of famous Zanzibar maestro Siti Binti Saada by saying, Tanzania is a good country, let one who wishes to come do so. God has showered blessings on our country. It is a country of unity, peace, love, rejoicing and exciding generosity. It is a country of people who love equality and justice. Our national unity brings from our firm believe in equality of human beings before God and before the Law. A Unity reinforced by correct policies of national building. Policies based on the principles of social justice, peace, harmony and development for all. A unity which is extra sensitive to policies, statements behavior and actions which may sore seeds discard hatred and suspicious among Tanzanians”

Mheshimiwa Mwenyekiti sitatafsiri. Lakini naomba kila Mbunge ajiulize leo iwapo Rais Mkapa tukimpa fursa ya kuja kuhutubia Bunge hili anaweza akayatumia maneno haya tena? Hakuna mtanzania yoyote anayeweza kuthubutu leo kutumia maneno haya tena kwa sababu nchi yetu ina nyufa. Ina nyufa ambazo kwa kujua au kwa kutokujua sisi kama watu ambao tumepewa wajibi na wananchi wa kuitunza nchi hii na kuipeleka pamoja tumejikuta tukiingia katika kutoa kauli, maneno na vitendo ambavyo ni “irresponsible” vinavyopelekea kugawanya nchi; na yanayotokea sasa ni matumizi ya nyufa hizo.

NDUGU KABWE Z. ZITTO

Asubuhi hapa Mheshimiwa Lissu amesema, ametoa rekodi ya namna ambavyo wanasiasa wa chama kinachoongoza (CCM) wamekuwa wakitoa kauli dhidi ya vyama vya upinzani kuhusiana na masuala haya ya kidini. Wametoa mfano kuhusu chama cha CUF kilipoitwa chama cha waislam, wamekitolea mfano kuhusu CHADEMA kinavyoitwa mpaka sasa chama cha wakristo.

Mheshimiwa Mwenyekiti, inawezekana ikawa ni rahisi sana tuka-“point fingers” kwa wenzetu nyie, ni rahisi sana; lakini CUF wakati wanaitwa ni chama cha waislam ambao walikuwa hawaitwi ni chama cha waislam hawakunyoosha mkono kupinga. Wakati CHADEMA kinaitwa cha cha Kikristo ambao hawaitwi hivyo hawakunyoosha mkono. Matokeo yakeni nini? Tumejenga hofu kubwa sana katika Taifa na hii ni lawama kwa wote. Wote kama nchi ili tuseme kwamba hapa tumekosea na tuanze upya.

Mheshimiwa Mwenyekiti, adui anapokuja kwenye nyumba anaangalia ni wapi ambapo ni rahisi kamba kukatika. Tumeji-“expose”, tumejiweka wazi. Leo mtu anayetaka kuishughulikia Tanzania ata-deal na udini tu. Kwa sababu anajua watanzania hivi sasa wamegawanyika katika misingi hiyo. Jana limetokea tukio Arusha, angalia kwenye mitandao ya kijamii mara moja watanzania wenyewe kwa wenyewe na ukiangalia majina ya watu wanaojadiliana wanaanza kusemana kwa dini zao. Ndiyo hatari ambayo tumeifikia; na ndio anachokitaka adui. Ni hicho. Atakuja, wanaitwa “Agent Provacateur”, watapiga, mtabaki mnagombana ninyi. Tukiruhusu NYUFA hizi ziendelee hatutakuwa taifa. Ni lazima sote kwa pamoja tusimame imara.

Mheshimiwa Mwenyekiti, waislam na wakristo nchi hii hawana chuki kwa sababu wanaishi pamoja, ni marafiki, ni ndugu na kama ingekuwa kwa mfano waislam wanawachukia wakristo waislam wangevunja makanisa au wangechoma makanisa au wangewalipua wakristo. Wakati wa tukio la Mwembechai ndipo ambapo Polisi waliingia mskitini wakaua watu, wanawake wakateswa kwenye magereza na kadhalika, watu wakakaa miezi mitano gerezani bila kushtakiwa lakini hapakuwa na mtukio yoyote ya namna hii. Waislam na wakristo wa nchi hii ni wamoja. Wananchi wetu ni wa moja lakini sisi viongozi kwa kutoa kauli ambazo ni “very irresponsible” tunawagawa watu wetu na ni lazima tukatae hali hii. Tunafanya nini?

Mheshimiwa Mwenyekiti, lazima twende mbele. Kwanza ni lazima sasa Serikali ijenge utamaduni wa kufuatilia “grievances” zote ambazo wananchi wanazo bila kujali dini zao. Pili turuhusu watu kuwa huru kusema. Nimesikia hapa watu wanasema kwamba maandamano ni tatizo nakadhalika. Maandamano si tatizo, ukimzuia mtu kuandamana akiweka hasira zake kesho atafanya nini? Atatoka na bomu. Turuhusu “honest discussions” miongoni mwetu kama wananchi.

Mheshimiwa Mwenyekiti, tatu ni lazima sasa tuseme ya kwamba ni marufuku kuwa na kauli za chuki “hate speeches”. Kama hatuna vipengele vya kisheria tutunge sheria kwa sababu kumekuwa na “hate speeches” nyingi sana katika hii nchi na hakuna hatua ambazo zinachukuliwa.

Mheshimiwa Mwenyekiti, state, dola, ihakikishe inajiondoa kwenye shughuli za uendeshaji wa mambo ya kidini. Ijiondoe kabisa. Kwa mfano kuna lawama ya muda mrefu sana ya waislam kuhusu BAKWATA, Waislamu miaka mingi toka mwaka 1969 wakati Serikali imeunda BAKWATA wanalalamika. Leo hii Serikali ikitaka kuzungumza na waislam inafanya nini? Inaenda kuwaita BAKWATA. Hawana legitimacy ya waislam, hamtaweza ku-addres masuala ya waislam lakini ni rahisi sana kuweza kuongea na CCT kwa sababu CCT ni chombo ambacho kina uhuru wake. Kwa hiyo Serikali ijiondoe kwenye uendesheji wa shughuli za kidini. Hapa ndipo tutakapoweza kuhakikisha kwamba tunakuwa na nchi moja nchi ambayo ina amani.

Mheshimiwa Mwenyekiti, namaliza kwa kusema nchi hii si ya waislam peke yake, nchi hii si ya wakristo peke yake. Nchi hii si ya CCM au ya CHADEMA, CUF au ya NCCR-Mageuzi au TLP na kadhalika. Nchi hii ni moja, nchi hii ni ya Jamhuiri ya Muungano wa Tanzania. Lazima wote tusimame kuhakikisha tunailinda Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania

Mheshimiwa Mwenyekiti, nakushuru sana asante.

Rais Kikwete Akutana na Askofu Mkuu wa Arusha

Rais Kikwete alipoongea na Maaskofu wa madhehebu mbalimbali wa Arusha nyumbani kwa Askofu Mkuu Jimbo la Arusha Muadhama Josephat Lebulu jijini Arusha 

Mei 7, 2013

Video kwa hisani ya Kaka Michuzi

Rais Kikwete Aongea na Waandishi wa Habari - Mlipuko wa Bomu Kanisani Arusha

RAIS KIKWETE ALIPOONGEA NA WANAHABARI BAADA YA KUTOA POLE KWA WAFIWA NA MAJERUHI WA WAATHIRIKA WA MLIPUKO WA BOMU KANISA LA OLASITI, ARUSHA Video kwa hisani ya Kaka Michuzi

Waarabu Kutoka Saudia Wakamatwa Kuhusiana na Mlipuko wa Bomu Kanisani Arusha!

Waarabu wanne kutoka Saudi Arabia na WaTanzania wanne wamekamatwa na kushikiliwa na polisi kwa tuhuma za kuhusika na mlipuko wa bomu katika kanisa katoliki mjini Arusha jumapili. Watu wawili wamepoteza maisha yao na watu 60 kuumia.  Balozi wa Vatican nchini Tanzania, alikuwepo katika hapo kanisani, lakini hakuumia.

*******************************************

Kutoka Reuters:

.DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Tanzania has arrested four men from Saudi Arabia and four Tanzanians in connection with the bombing of church on Sunday that killed two people, an attack that has heightened sectarian tensions in the east African nation.


Investigators said they were still determining the type of device used in the attack on the Catholic church in Arusha, a town in the north of the nation of about 45 million people that is roughly evenly split between Muslims and Christians.

A statement from President Jakaya Kikwete's office on Monday said two people had now died from the blast after the death toll had previously been put at one. Sixty people were injured.

The Vatican's ambassador to Tanzania, Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, was attending the official opening of the church when the explosion occurred. He escaped unharmed.

"So far eight people have been arrested, including four nationals from Saudi Arabia and four Tanzanians," Arusha Regional Commissioner Magesa Mulongo told Reuters by telephone.

He said the Saudis, aged between 30 and 45, had arrived at an airport near Arusha on Saturday and were detained late on Sunday trying to cross the border to neighboring Kenya. Mulongo said they were being questioned regarding the incident.

Arusha lies near the snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in a part of Tanzania that is predominantly Christian.

Highlighting tensions between the religious communities, two Christian leaders were killed in Tanzania's semi-autonomous, predominantly Muslim islands of Zanzibar earlier this year and there have been attacks on Muslim leaders and mosques.

"We are trying to establish if it was a home-made explosive device or a specialized bomb," Tanzania's director of criminal investigation, Robert Manumba, told Reuters.

The president's office said Kikwete had cut short his state visit to Kuwait following the bomb attack on the church.

(Reporting by Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Alison Williams)

Mlipuko wa Bomu Katika Kanisa Katoliki Arusha

 HABARI KWA KIFUPI:Mkuu wa Mkoa Mulongo nae yumo kwenye hili sakata. RPC Anatoa hotuba.
Anasema ni tukio la kighaidi.
Anasema alihusika alijitokeza nyuma ya jengo kwa kujificha na kurusha bomu.
Anasema wanawasaka waliohusika. Anomba mwenye taarifa yo yote aisaide polisi.
Waliojeruhiwa ni 30 majeraha ya kawaida, na 3 wamejeruhiwa sana.
Mtu mmoja anashikiliwa kwa mahojiano

Eneo lenye utepe ndipo kitu hicho kinachodhaniwa kuwa bomu kilipoangukia. Pichani unaweza kuona wigi za kichwani na viatu vya waumini vikiwa vimesambaa baada ya wenyewe kuviacha, miongoni mwao wakiwa ni majeruhi.

Viongozi wa Kanisa wakitoa taarifa ya kilichotokea kwa waandishi wa habari kabla ya Balozi wa Papa kuondolewa Kanisani hapo chini ya ulinzi mkali wa Polisi.

Tanzania Field Force Unit (FFU) on site of Catholic church bombing

Kaimu Kamanda wa Polisi Mkoa wa Arusha Kamishna Msaidizi wa Polisi (ACP) Ibrahim Kilongo.


JESHI la Polisi Mkoani Arusha linamshikilia mtu mmoja ambaye anahusishwa na kutokea kwa mlipuko uliotokea katika kanisa la Katoliki la St Joseph Olasiti Arusha leo asubuhi.

Tukio hilo lilitokea wakati Balozi wa Papa kutoka Vatican akizindua Parokia hiyo mpya ya St Joseph Olasiti ya Jijini Arusha.

Kanisa lililolipuliwa likiwa linaonekana kwa mbali huku wananch wakilitazama kwa mbali kutokana na tishio la kutokea kwa milipuko mingine ...Mtu mmoja amekamatwa kuhusiana na tukio hilio wakati wengine wanasadikika kukimbia.

Majeruhi wa tukio hilo wakiwa katika hali mbaya..

Waumini pamoja na baadhi ya wanacchi wakiwa katika hali ya taharuki wasiamini nini kilichotokea kutokana na mlipuko mkubwa uliotokea asubuhi ya leo.

Magaidi Walipua Mabomu Kenya!

Hivi fujo za kigaidi zitaisha lini? Walilipuma mabomu nchini Kenya inasaidia  nini? Jamani,  na huko Tanzania muwe macho!

******************************************
GARISSA, Kenya (AP) - A local official says twin grenade blasts have injured four people in a northern Kenyan town.

North Eastern Province Police Commissioner James Seriani says one grenade was thrown into the staff canteen at the prison in the town of Garissa late on Thursday. The other explosion happened simultaneously at a local hotel.

The attacks are the most recent in a string of grenade and bomb blasts since Kenya sent troops into Somalia two months ago.

Kenya says it wants to break the al-Qaida linked Somali insurgency, which it blames for a series of attacks on Kenyan soil.
  

Polisi Kenya Watoa Onyo Kuhusu Nairobi na Mombasa!

SECURITY UPDATE - PLACES YOU SHOULD AVOID IN NAIROBI

ALERT:

Police have issued a statement giving areas, we should avoid in Nairobi and Mombasa.

In Nairobi

Avoid Corner House, Burger Dome, Ambassadeur Hotel, Akamba Bus, Marble Arch Hotel, River Road, Bus Station and Betty’s Pub.

In Mombasa:

Be on the lookout the Mtongwe ferry and Nakumatt Nyali.

If you must be in these places, be on high alert for suspicious activity or characters.


Report anything un-toward by calling 999 or 112.
The calls go directly to Vigilance House.

Listen to the radio (esp. 98.4 Capital FM Radio Jambo) for more updates as they come.

Stay Safe!

Onyo Kwa Watalii Kenya!!! (Travel Warning for Kenya)

Halahala kwa wanaosafiri kwenda Kenya! Magaidi waSomali wamepania kulipua sehemu wanazotembelea watalii Kenya!

*******************************************************
Kutoka CNN.com

Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- The U.S. Embassy in Kenya warned it has credible information of an imminent terror attack, days after the east African nation announced it is sending troops to Somalia to battle Islamist militants.


The attack is likely to target places that foreigners congregate in Kenya, including malls and night clubs, the embassy said.

The U.S.Embassy did not offer details on who might carry out such an attack, but said it has taken measures to limit official U.S. government visits. It urged its citizens to consider deferring travel to Kenya.

The warning comes after Kenya sent troops across the border into Somalia to pursue Islamist Al-Shabaab militants. The terror group has threatened Kenya with retaliatory attacks, saying it considers the forces' incursion an affront to Somalia's sovereignty.

Al-Shabaab, which is linked to al Qaeda and has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, is fighting to impose its own interpretation of Islamic law, or sharia, on Somalia.

Kenya has blamed some recent abductions of tourists and aid workers on the terror group, which has heightened tensions.

On September 11, armed bandits broke into a beachfront cottage where Britons Judith and David Tebbutt, both in their 50s, were staying. David Tebbutt was shot dead while trying to resist the attack. His wife was grabbed and spirited away on a speedboat, and is believed to have been taken into Somalia.

On October 1, pirates made another cross-border raid, this time snatching a French woman in her 60s, who used a wheelchair and was believed to be in bad health, from a holiday home on Manda Island where she lived part of the year. She later died, likely because of the kidnappers' refusal to give her medicine, according to the French Foreign Ministry.

Also this month, gunmen abducted two Spanish workers from the medical charity Doctors Without Borders from the Dadaab refugee complex, about 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) from the Somali border.

Al-Shabaab has denied responsibility for the abductions.

**************

UPDATE:   NAIROBI NIGHT CLUB BOMBED

Monday 10/24/11
(CNN) -- Twelve people were injured when someone either placed or threw a grenade into a Nairobi night club early Monday morning, Kenyan police said.


Police have not linked the attack to any particular group, but it comes a day after the U.S. Embassy in Kenya warned it had credible information of an imminent terror attack.

"We have not yet linked attacks to anybody as we are still investigating," said police spokesman Charles Owino. "We will give you an answer when we're satisfied with what we have. It could be Al-Shabaab or an individual. We are still investigating."

Kwa habari zaidi BOFYA HAPA:

Kenya Wachachamaa! Kampeni Dhidi ya Magaidi Kutoka Somalia

Hao magaidi kutoka Somalia wanaleta fujo nchini Kenya. Sasa serikali ya Kenya imechachamaa!

*************************************
By JASON STRAZIUSO and JOE MWIHIA
Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Signaling a stepped-up campaign against Somali militants, Kenya's top security chiefs said Saturday that Kenyan forces will pursue militants into Somalia, a response to a spate of attacks in which four Europeans have been kidnapped and one killed since September.

Following the kidnappings of two Spanish aid workers Thursday and the abductions of British and French women in recent weeks, Minister of Internal Security George Saitoti said Kenyan forces will pursue al-Shabab militants into Somalia.

"For the first time our country is threatened with the most serious level of terrorism," Saitoti said.

The plan to pursue fighters inside Somalia signals a huge change in Kenya's approach to the security threat posed by the lawless state of Somalia. While the African countries Uganda and Burundi each have thousands of troops fighting al-Shabab militants in Mogadishu, Kenya has not actively engaged in the fight.
 
Al-Shabab has already carried out one devastating suicide attack in Uganda - killing 76 people last year - and Kenya's decision to increase military engagement against the militants could open it up to more attacks inside its borders.

Gunmen on Thursday entered the world's largest refugee camp, Dadaab, and snatched two Spanish women working for the aid group Doctors Without Borders. Dadaab is filled with nearly a half million Somali refugees fleeing conflict and hunger. Tens of thousands of Somalis have swelled the camp's ranks in the last three months after fleeing famine.

Saitoti said Saturday that because of the kidnappings, the border with Somalia would now be closed.
   "We have now closed the border and we have no apologies as far as that is concerned," he said. "You will recall yourself that when a very large number of refugees were coming from Somalia because of the drought there we did agree to receive them in fulfillment of our international obligation. We did of course warn the international community that while Kenya was willing to take these people there were inherent risks."

One such risk is that Kenyan officials have almost no way of telling apart legitimate refugees and al-Shabab militants posing as hungry Somalis.

A spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency noted Saturday that the border has officially been closed for three years, so it wasn't immediately clear if Saitoti's announcement signaled a new policy or a reiteration of the old one.

The head the Spanish office of Doctors Without Borders said Friday in Madrid that the group has had no contact with their workers after they were seized Thursday. Juan Antonio Bastos identified the women as Montserrat Serra i Ridao, 40, from Girona in northeast Spain and Blanca Thiebaut, 30, from Madrid.

The U.N. temporarily suspended all non-lifesaving aid operations in the Dadaab refugee camp following the kidnappings, a spokeswoman said. Hundreds of staff are confined to their offices, forcing the cancellation of services like education, counseling and relocation of families until further notice.

Security has long been a concern at Dadaab, where representatives from various factions seek to recruit disaffected young male refugees as fighters. Aid workers live in guarded compounds surrounded by high barbed-wire walls, and the U.N. requires its staff to travel in the camps with armed escorts.

On Oct. 1, Somali gunmen took a wheelchair-bound French woman from her home near the resort town of Lamu. Somalis also abducted a British woman from a Kenyan coastal resort in September. Her husband was killed in the attack.

Safari Yangu World Trade Center 1991 na Kumbukumbu Zangu za 9/11

Wadau, mwaka 1991 nikiwa Alfred Friendly Press Fellow, nilibahatika kutembelea World Trade Center, New York. Watalii walikuwa wanapenda sana kwenda juu ya WTC kuaangalia view ya New York City. Duh! Hizo Towers ziliangushwa September 11, 2001.


Me on Top of the World Trade Center in August 1991



Me checking out the view of New York City from the top of the World Trade Center

Tanzania Flag on Display in the Lobby of the World Trade Center

My fellow AFPF Fellows (Sameh From Egypt  standing andAbdul on his back from Pakistan)

View of New York City

*****************************************************************

MARUDIO - KUMBUKUBU ZANGU ZA SEPTEMBER, 11, 2011

Nikikumbuka siku ya Septemba 11, mwaka 2001, naweza kusema ni siku nchi ya Marekani ilibadilika. Maana waMarekani hawakutegemea kuwa kitendo cha kigaidi hivyo kingeweza kutokea hapa japo mwaka 1995, mzungu Timothy McVey alilipua jengo la serikali huko Oklahoma.


Siku enyewe kwangu ilikuwa hivi. Nilienda kazini kama kawaida. Ajabu hali ya hewa ilikuwa ni nzuri sana, jua na si joto sana. Wazungu wanasema ilikuwa ni "perfect day". Nilivyofika kazini mume wangu alinipigia simu na kuniambia anaangalia TV na wanaripoti kuwa ndege imegonga World Trade Center. Wala sikutilia manani sana, nilidhani labda ndege ndogo.

Haijapita muda, mume wangu kanipigia simu tena. Alisema kuwa akiwa anangalia taarifa ya ile ndege ya kwanza, aliona ndege nyingine ikigonga jengo la pili huko World Trade Center na sasa wana hofia kuwa ni terrorism!

Sasa mimi niliingia kwenye internet, lakini ilikuwa haifanyi kazi vizuri. Pages hazifunguki. Hatukuwa na TV ofisini. Dada moja ofisini alifungua redio. Mume wangu alinipigia simu nyingine na kusema kuwa ndege imeanguka Pennsyvania na nyingine imeangusha Sears Tower Chicago. (Kweli ilitokea uzushi kuwa Sears Towers imeanguka). Kukaa kidogo kanipigia simu na kusema kuwa ndege imeguka huko Washington D. C. na Pentagon inaugua moto. DUH! nilivyowaambia watu hivyo kuna mzungu moja alisema," Ah, huwezi kuamini kila kitu unachosikia, hata siku moja Pentagon haivamiwi!" Yule dada aliyekuwa anasikiliza aliwaambia watu kuwa nilichosema ni kweli naye alisikia kwenye redio.

Basi wazungu ofisini walianza kuingiwa na kiwewe na kuanza kulia. Wengine walisali, maana ofisi yetu nayo ni ghorofani na tulikuwa financial district kama World Trade Center. Wengine walisem ni mwisho wa dunia! Watu walisema huenda wakavamia Boston. Nilienda dirishani na kutazama nje. DOH! Sijawahi kuona! Wazungu walikuwa wanatembea haraka haraka, wengine walikuwa wanakimbia na suti zao na ma briefcase kuelekea South Station kupanda matreni!

Na mimi nilirudi kwenye deski yangu na kuanza kumpigia simu mdogo wangu ambaye alikuwa anafanya kazi karibu na World Trade Center. Simu zilikuwa haziendi! Wakati huu walianza kutangaza kuwa Tower imeanguka na watu 20,000 wamekufa!



Huko nami nasali namtafuta mdogo wangu. Wake wa watu waliosafiri kutoka ofisini nao walianza kupiga simu kujua hali za waume zao maana walitangaza kuwa ndege ziliondoka Boston, Logan Airport na wengine walikuwa wanasafiri siku hiyo. Bahati hakuna aliyekuwa kwenye ndege iliyoangushwa. Ila huyo shujaa Amy Sweeney, aliyekuwa Flight Attendant na ndiye alitoa habari za nani kateka ndege alikuwa ni jirani wa bosi wangu. Kukaa kidogo walitangaza kuwa jengo letu linafungwa na kila mtu aondoke kwenda makwao.

Basi tuliondoka. Njiani kwenda subway ungeona macho ya watu walivyokuwa wanazubaa na kushangaa. Ajabu watu wasiofahamiana walikuwa wanaongea habari hizo mitaani. Na kama unajua maisha Marekani hiyo siyo kawaida. Nikiwa kwenye treni ndo nilisikia kuwa Tower ya pili imeanguka!

Nilianza kumtafuta mdogo wangu wa New York. Ubaya simu landline na cell phones zilikuwa hazifanyi kazi kwa long distance ilikuwa ukipata ni bahati. Wanasema simu zilikuwa overloaded siku hiyo ndo maana hazikufanya kazi. Ajabu nilishindwa kupiga simu New York, na sehemu zingine Marekani, lakini niliweza kupata simu ya Tanzania mara moja. Nilipiga simu nyumbani kwa wazazi wangu na kuongea na baba. Alikuwa na wasiwasi kweli na alisema mama analia hajiwezi na hawezi kuongea, maana aliambiwa kuwa watu laki mbili wamekufa na alijua mdogo wangu anafanya kazi karibu na pale.



Doh, ilikuwa kwenye saa kumi na moja jioni tukapigiwa simu na mdogo wangu mwingine. Alisema kuwa aliongea na rafiki wa mdogo wangu wa New York na yuko salama. Mbona tulipumua. Nilipiga simu Tanzania kutoa taarifa. Mbona ilikuwa shangwe kule nyumbani.

Jioni ile niliongea na mdogo wangu, aliniambia kuwa alienda kazini kama kawaida. Alivyotoka kwenye subway aliona makaratasi mengi hewani naoshi, na alishangaa imetokea nini. Aliendelea mpaka ofisini kwake. Kufika huko ofisini, waliwaambia watu waondoke ana walikuwa wanatoa chupa za maji ya kunywa na matunda mlangoni. Anasema watu walikuwa na wasiwasi kweli, huko mbele kuna nini.

Alisema kuwa kulikuwa hakuna usafiri wa treni, basi wala teksi, hivyo ilibidi atembee mpaka Brooklyn alipokuwa anakaa. Na alisema hata hivyo hayuko kwake bali kwa rafiki yake anakaa karibu zaidi na New York City. Pia alisema watu madukani walipandisha bei ya vinywaji na chakula.

Kuna rafiki yangu mwingine wa New York, aliniambia kuwa alikuwa karibu na World Trade Center alijaa mavumbui, hakujua nini inatendeka, lakini alijikuta yuko kwenye ferry kwenda New Jersey. Anasema hajui hata alifikaje kwenye hiyo ferry, lakini alishukuru Mungu kuwa alikuwa hai.

Sasa nikirudi hapa Boston, macho yetu kwenye TV. Walikuwa wanaomba wenye utaalamu wa medical waende New York kusaidia. Misafara ya magari ilienda New York na watu wa kusaidia jitihada za kuokoa watu huko New York.

Kesho yake, Septemba 12, kwenda ofisini ilikuwa kama vile unaenda kumtembelea mtu gerezani! Kuna geti na lazima uonyeshe kitambulisho, wakati jana yake unaingia tu hadi kwenye floor yako, ndo unaingiza kadi kwenye security scanner.

Asante bin Laden, mtu aliyefanana na mwarabu alipata shida kweli. Kusimamishwa na polisi mara kwa mara. Kupanda kwenye ndege ndo ilikuwa usiombe, hiyo security na warabu na wahindi walivyokuwa wananyanyaswa na kupekuliwa. Kuna jirani yangu MPalestina, alikamatwa na uhamiaji siku hiyo ya 9/11 na hatujamwona hadi leo. Watu walijitolea kwa wingi kujinga na majeshi ya Marekani.

Jambo cha kusikitisha, watu walikuwa wanavaa hijab, au nguo za kiislamu na hata wahindi singasinga walikuwa wanapigwa ovyo na wengine walipoteza maisha. Nakumbumuka msingasinga jirani yangu alivua kilemba chake na kuvaa baseball cap kwa muda.

Pia ilikuwa kila sehemu kuna bendera za Marekani, watu wakionyesha uzalendo wao. Na biashara za waarabu na wahindi walijaza hizo bendera na hata kuweka bendera kwenya ma Pizza box.
Cha kusikitisha zaidi ni kuwa kabla ya 9/11 ilikuwa rahisi kuja Marekani na kupata Visa. Sasa hivi ulie tu, ni kama bahati nasibu. Watu wanachunguzwa na inabidi watoe na fingerprints ndo wapte hiyo visa!

Na waarabu waliokuwa wanapendwa kwa pesa zao za mafuta sasa ni maadui! Na nukuu usemi wa kizungu, "HOW THINGS CHANGE!"

Ubaya huyo Rais Bush alienda kuvamia Iraq na vita iko mpaka leo, lakini hiyo ni hadithi nyingine. Juzi kuna Mbunge wa Marekani alisema kuwa, "Bush kuvamia Iraq ni sawa na Marekani kuvamia Mexico baada ya Pearl Harbor kuvamiwa na Wajapani"