Burundi

Re-Globalising the World – Mia Amor Mottley and Ngozi Okonjo Iweala

admin — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 18:00:01 +0000

Re-Globalising the World – Mia Amor Mottley and Ngozi Okonjo Iweala

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admin Mon, 06/05/2023 - 18:00

Saturday, April 15, 2023

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Political – The Bajan Reporter

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Re-Globalising the World – Mia Amor Mottley and Ngozi Okonjo Iweala

The COVID-19 Pandemic derailed economies everywhere, and in most developing countries, incomes remain well below pre-pandemic levels. Inflation, made worse by the war in Ukraine, is particularly painful in low-income and vulnerable countries where essentials like food and energy dominate household budgets. Higher interest rates are exacerbating debt distress across much of the developing world...

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Three Kenyans, two foreigners arrested in Nyayo Estate with narcotics

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 20:50:01 +0000

Three Kenyans, two foreigners arrested in Nyayo Estate with narcotics

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admin Mon, 06/20/2022 - 20:50

Saturday, June 18, 2022

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Nairobi News

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Three Kenyans, two foreigners arrested in Nyayo Estate with narcotics

Three Kenyans and two foreigners were on Thursday arrested by detectives with narcotics at Nyayo Estate, Embakasi in Nairobi County. The five suspects were arrested by detectives drawn from the Anti-narcotics Unit at an apartment within the estate where they had taken cover. “The five suspects, who include two foreigners of South African origin and three Kenyans, are believed to be part of a larger group that has been operating a transnational drug trafficking syndicate,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement. Detectives conducted a search in the apartment and recovered several items, including 240 pellets of unknown substances believed to be narcotic drugs, five mobile phones, a laptop and travel documents. Also impounded was a Toyota Mark X with Burundian registration numbers. The five were then taken to Muthaiga Police Station where they spent the night before being arraigned in court. The court allowed the detectives to continue holding the suspects in custody as they continue with investigations. “All the exhibits have since been dispatched for forensic analysis at the Chemistry and Toxicological lab, based at the recently commissioned DCI National Forensic Laboratory,” the DCI further said.

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Sh32bn port terminal begins operations

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 07:50:01 +0000

Sh32bn port terminal begins operations

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admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 07:50

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

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Business

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Sh32bn port terminal begins operations

Mombasa port is to underline its position as the gateway to East Africa as operations at the new Sh32 billion Container Terminal 2 started Tuesday following the successful docking of the first ship.

It brings an additional capacity of 450,000 containers, which will increase the port’s cargo handling volume from 1.42 million to 1.732 million.

It is part of the Mombasa Port Development Programme designed to accommodate larger vessels, giving it a competitive edge over Dar es Salaam and Djibouti ports.

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Mombasa is the preferred entry point for landlocked countries such as Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) took control of Berth 22 – which is 300 metres wide – from the Toyo Construction Company last week.

MV Jamaica, which operates under the Asia East Africa Kenya Service (ASEA service) that links the region with the Far East, became the first ship to dock at the terminal.

Construction of Berth 23

KPA acting managing director John Mwangemi said the completion of the berth will pave the way for the construction of Berth 23.

“Our engineers and the marine team successfully docked a 264-metre-long ship using two tugboats and two mooring vessels. It is discharging 2,704 containers and loading 3,738 for export cargo carrying agricultural products and minerals ores from East Africa,” he said.

“The terminal will have three berths with lengths of 230, 320 and 350 metres. They will handle panamax container ships of 20,000 deadweight tonnage and post-panamax vessels of 60,000,” he added.

It is estimated that the port will handle 47 million tonnes in the next 10 years from the current 30 million and 111 million by 2047.

KPA has procured multipurpose salvage tugboats and three ship-to-shore gantry cranes at Sh2.89 billion for use at the new terminal to boost efficiency and bulk handling activities.

Agreement with Jica

In 2017, Kenya signed an agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) for a loan of Sh32 billion for construction of Phase II of the second container terminal. Toyo commenced work in September 2018.

The Jica loan was taken within the Special Terms for Economic Partnership (Step) at an interest rate of 0.2 per cent and a repayment period of 40 years with a 10-year grace period. One of the conditions for funding was that it would be managed privately.

The bidding firms that sought to manage the terminal included Hutchison Ports Investments, DP World, PSA International, China Merchants Holdings and SSA Port Terminal.

The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), through the Kenya National Shipping Line (KNSL), was picked to run the terminal. KPA, MSC and KNSL made requests at the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) Competition Commission. The transaction would give MSC and KPA joint control of KNSL.

Africa

Business

Pay dispute sparks cargo delays at port

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 07:50:01 +0000

Pay dispute sparks cargo delays at port

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admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 07:50

Thursday, June 16, 2022

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Business

Original Article

Pay dispute sparks cargo delays at port

Importers using the Mombasa port are experiencing delays in cargo delivery and collection following a payment dispute between the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) and shipping lines.

The Nation has learnt that several containers are stuck at different port facilities in Mombasa and Nairobi after KPA, which is owed billions of shillings by KRC and shipping lines, suspended collection of cargo until all debts are cleared.

In correspondences seen by the Nation, KPA has been writing to shipping lines, which use the standard gauge railway (SGR) to ferry cargo to Nairobi and Mombasa, to clear their arrears in vain, forcing them to take action.

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“This is a follow-up notice which we sent two months ago. We bring to your attention that your account has unpaid debts and is operating way above your bank guarantee. A cursory look into your account reveals that there are invoices aged over 30 days.

The authority’s credit policy 2021 stipulates that invoices should settle within six days from the date of invoicing,” a letter to shipping lines by KPA’s credit control department reads. KPA has asked shipping line to liaise with KRC to clear the arrears before the end of June, which also marks the end of the government’s financial year.

Delivery of cargo affected

On Thursday, the Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) said its members have been affected by the suspension of services.

“What is happening ... is affecting delivery of cargo since importers pay upfront for any services rendered by KPA, SGR and shipping lines,” said KTA chairman Newton Wang’oo. KTA also accused the government of forcing them to use SGR despite increasing inefficiencies, leading to higher transport costs.

The dispute comes just weeks after Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation chairman John Ngumi’s two-year term ended last month, sparking a management crisis.

Mr Ngumi’s term ended on May 31 with very little to show as traders continue to experience inefficiencies and staff in the four agencies complain of bureaucracy challenges.

Mr Ngumi has defended his tenure, saying, a lost has been since the Kenya Transport and Logistics Network (KTLN) was formed.

KTLN was formed in September 2020 to coordinate operations at KPA, KRC and Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC).

It was meant to reduce penalties paid to port facilities and curb detention charges paid to shipping lines, delays in railage to the inland container depot in Nairobi, delays in off-loading and return of empties and unstable automated systems by agencies.

Increased competition

A recent study revealed increased competition from the central corridor in cargo throughput to DRC, Rwanda and Burundi.

The report indicated that 80 per cent of imports through Mombasa are handled as “through bill of lading” due to unpredictable operational environments resulting in an additional cost of between Sh10,000 and Sh15,000 per container.

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Africa

Business

East Africa’s tourism resources remain untapped despite vast potential

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 05:10:01 +0000

East Africa’s tourism resources remain untapped despite vast potential

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admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 05:10

Thursday, June 16, 2022

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The Citizen

Original Article

East Africa’s tourism resources remain untapped despite vast potential

Arusha. The vast natural resources in the East African Community (EAC) bloc have not been fully tapped for tourism.

Visitors to the recently-held Tourism Expo said the world acclaimed attractions the region is endowed with do not match the number of visitors.

Richard Gafabusa, a lawmaker from the Uganda Parliament said joint efforts must be undertaken to promote the bloc jointly for tourism.

"EAC is endowed with a lot of resources that still remain largely untapped", he said at the Magereza grounds in Arusha where the Expo took place.

The annual fair was jointly organised by the Moshi-based Kilifair Promotion Company Limited in collaboration with the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato) and other stakeholders.

It attracted over 400 exhibitors from 12 African countries, 500 international and regional travel agents and a combined visitors estimated to be 8,000 for the three days.

The major tourist attractions in the EAC include the ice capped mountains; Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kenya and Mt. Ruwenzori, the Serengeti/Maasai Mara ecosystem and the coastal beaches.

Before the outbreak of Covid-19, the region used to receive about six million foreign tourists annually but dropped to about two million in 2020.

Mr. Gafabusa, however, decried failure by the partner states to collectively agree to market the region as a single tourist destination.

This, according to him, would have enabled the region to reap maximum economic value from the initiative by increasing the number of visitors.

Under the initiative, the EAC would become a single tourist area with a single tourist visa issued to travellers from abroad.

Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda have been using the single tourist visa for about a decade now while Tanzania and Burundi are yet to join the system.

Ugandan member to the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) James Kakooza called for promotion of regional tourism through creating synergies among tourism associations in the region.

The Ugandan legislator underscored the importance of promoting local tourism through creating synergies among tourism associations in the region.

He said the Karibu Fair/Kilifair has enhanced the level of networking among the tourism stakeholders in the region in a bid to revive the sector recently hit by Covid.19.

When she opened the Expo, the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Pindi Chana said although the tourism industry was badly hit by Covid-19, it was now recovering.

Statistics indicate that the number of visitors dropped from about 1.5 million in 2019 to slightly over 620,000 in 2020; the peak of the pandemic.

Last year, the visitors to the tourist sites increased to 922,992, a significant number of them being domestic tourists.

Projections of the number of visitors for this year have not been revealed but the government still targets five million tourists in 2025.

Africa

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East Africa's private sector wants rules of origin finalised

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 05:00:01 +0000

East Africa's private sector wants rules of origin finalised

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admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 05:00

Thursday, June 16, 2022

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The Citizen

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East Africa's private sector wants rules of origin finalised

Arusha. The private sector in the East African region wants finalisation of Rules of Origin under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) speeded up.

The call was made early this week in Nairobi by the business leaders during a consultative meeting organised on AfCFTA and Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA).

It emerged at the forum co-organised by the East African Business Council (EABC) and Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) that 43 out of 55 African countries have ratified the AfCFTA agreement.

Forty five countries have already submitted the schedule of liberalisation plus 87 percent of Rules of Origin for products that have been agreed upon. However, according to Mr Prudence Sebahizi, the chief technical advisor on the AfCFTA at the African Union (AU) Commission, the process is yet to be finalised.

He said products such as textiles and clothing products alone compose 10.5 percent of the outstanding Rules of Origin yet to be finalised under the AfCFTA trade arrangement.

Motor vehicle parts and accessories compose 1.4 percent of the outstanding Rules of Origin while tobacco and tobacco substitutes and fish and others compose one percent. Speaking at the meeting, EABC executive director John Bosco Kalisa said finalisation of Rules of Origin negotiation at AfCFTA was crucial for the new trade regime.

“It is crucial because the outstanding products are central in the East African Community (EAC) regional value chains and job creation,” he said.

Mr Kalisa called for compliance to the agreed-upon protocols and implementation of customs processes such as tariff reductions for trade to materialise under the AfCFTA.

He said the AfCFTA should be anchored on strong private sector engagement, calling for trust building and mindset shift to promote ‘Made in East Africa’ and ‘Made in Africa’ products. Mr Sebahizi said intra-Africa trade stood at 18 percent while under the AfCFTA arrangement trade within the continent would be boosted to 70 percent. Due to the recent devastation by Covid-19 and war in Ukraine, the industry leaders are calling for import substitution to boost intra-Africa trade.

On the other hand, the EAC regional value chains should feed seamlessly into the continental value chains, delegates at the meeting observed.

Ms Anatanria Uwamariya, TMEA director of Business Competitiveness, said strengthening early monitoring and detection mechanisms and resilience of the EA economies was “important in light of the global disruptions.” She urged the EAC partner states to tap into competitive and comparative advantages in order to boost cross border trade in the region.

“Access to market intelligence data is important for businesses to trade under AfCFTA”, she stated, noting that TMEA would promote public-private partnerships to improve infrastructure connectivity in Africa.

Besides, finalisation of the negotiations on the Rules of Origin at the AfCFTA level, the business leaders called from strong trade dispute resolution mechanisms to be put in place.

Other requests included open skies for the EAC bloc, capacity building at AfCFTA, publication of AfCFTA e-tariff books and host of the next edition of intra-Africa Trade Fair in East Africa.

The meeting was attended by over 50 business and industry leaders and policy experts from the private sector associations from Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda

Africa

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Dar, Mombasa ports behind global rivals in efficiency

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 04:50:01 +0000

Dar, Mombasa ports behind global rivals in efficiency

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admin Sat, 06/18/2022 - 04:50

Friday, June 17, 2022

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The Citizen

Original Article

Dar, Mombasa ports behind global rivals in efficiency

East African ports are trailing their global peers in operations through red tape and under performance, a global report says.

The region’s busiest ports by cargo handled — Mombasa and Dar es Salaam — are still a far cry from gateways in the Middle East, for example. They are ranked 293 and 362, respectively, out of 370 in the global Container Port Performance Index (CPPI).

The latest report for 2021, released last week, shows that the two ports were bogged down by shipment delays, supply chain disruptions, additional costs, and reduced competitiveness resulting in inefficiencies.

The report points out that lack of adequate access of infrastructure, whether inland waterway, rail, or road to the hinterland, contributes to the poor operations. Such infrastructure plays a crucial link to the global marketplace.

“Poorly performing ports are characterised by limitations in spatial and operating efficiency, limitations in maritime and landside access. Inadequate oversight and poor co-ordination between the public agencies involved results in lack of predictability and reliability,” the index reads. “Ports and terminals, particularly for containers, can often be sources of shipment delays, supply chain disruptions, additional costs, and reduced competitiveness.”

The study found that most African landlocked countries are suffering due to their transit neighbours’ high levels of corruption, delay in customs clearance and theft of goods in ports.

The ranking is based on the time vessels needed to spend in port to complete workloads over the course of 2021, a year that saw unprecedented port congestion and disruption to global supply chains.

During the period under review, both Northern and Central corridors which serve Mombasa and Dar es Salaam ports respectively were marred with delays as a result of truck drivers’ clearance procedures at the borders.

The delays resulted in a sharp increase in transporting cargo. The latest Mombasa Port community report indicates that the Kampala-Mombasa route is the most expensive in the region at $2.5 per metric tonne on a payload, followed by Dar es Salaam-Kampala at $2.17 per tonne, with Bujumbura-Dar es Salam being the lowest at $1.02 per tonne.

In 2021, East African countries introduced a number of containment measures, among them Covid-19 testing requirement of all cargo crew, which resulted in congestion at port entries.

“Inefficient ports represent a significant risk for many developing countries in that they can hinder economic growth, harm employment, and increase costs for importers and exporters,” said Martin Humphreys, the lead transport economist at the World Bank and one of the researchers behind the index.

“In the Middle East, heavy investments in container port infrastructure and technology are proving to be effective in enhancing efficiency and competitiveness.

‘‘Increasing the use of digital technology and green fuel alternatives are also two ways countries can modernise their ports and make maritime supply chains more resilient,” he added.

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the pivotal role port performance plays in the timely supply of goods.

Africa

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Uganda ordered to pay DRC Shs 1 trillion in war reparations

admin — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 04:10:01 +0000

Uganda ordered to pay DRC Shs 1 trillion in war reparations

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admin Sat, 02/19/2022 - 04:10

Thursday, February 10, 2022

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Headlines

Original Article

Uganda ordered to pay DRC Shs 1 trillion in war reparations

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Uganda to pay the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) $325 million (about Shs 1 trillion) in reparation for the 1998-2003 war.

The judgment was read by the court’s president, Justice Joan E Donoghue yesterday Wednesday in the Hague, Netherlands.

“The court notes that the reparation awarded to the DRC for damage to persons and to property reflects the harm suffered by individuals and communities as a result of Uganda’s breach of its international obligations,” reads the judgment in part.

DRC dragged Uganda to the International Court in 1999 and in 2005 the court ruled that Uganda had to pay compensation for invading Congo. The court asked the two neighbouring countries to settle compensation out of court but negotiations failed hence returning the case to the court to determine the reparations.

Congo demanded $11 billion in damages from a war that left hundreds of thousands of her people dead and millions displaced.

Uganda has now been ordered to pay the $325 million in instalments of $65 million annually. In 1998, a war erupted in DRC with Uganda and other neighbours like Rwanda and Burundi participating directly and indirectly by supporting several groups fighting then-president Joseph Kabila.

During the war, Uganda was accused of committing internationally wrongful acts against the people of Congo. Consequently, in a 2005 judgment, the court found Uganda liable for committing internationally wrongful acts which resulted in injury to the DRC and to persons on its territory.

The acts included illegal use of force, violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity, military intervention, occupation of Ituri, violations of international human rights law and of international humanitarian law, looting, plunder, and exploitation of the DRC’s natural resources.

Court then ordered Uganda to pay reparation to Congo but asked two countries to negotiate the amount. General international law provides that a state which bears responsibility for an internationally wrongful act is under an obligation to make full reparation for the injury caused by that act. Negotiations failed and the matter was returned to the ICJ for determination.

DRC made four major claims for compensation with the first one being damage to a person. This claim consisted of a loss of life costed at $4 billion, injuries to persons was costed at $54 million, $33 million for rape and sexual violence, $30 million for recruitment of child soldiers and 186 million for the displacement of population.

The second major claim was damage to property which was costed at $239 million, damage related to natural resources at $1 billion, and macroeconomics damage was the highest claim at $4 billion.

Upon assessment, the court awarded compensation of $325 million of which $225 million is for damage to persons, $40 million for damage to property, and $60 million for damage related to natural resources.

The total sum is to be paid in annual instalments of $65 million due on September 1 of each year, from 2022 to 2026. The Court ruled that, should payment be delayed, post-judgment interest at an annual rate of 6 per cent on each instalment will accrue on any overdue amount from the day which follows the day on which the instalment was due.

Although court ruled that Uganda committed internationally wrongful acts and the injury suffered by the DRC occurred, it disagrees with the assessment of the various forms of damage and the amounts of compensation owed.

DRC had put all the blame on Uganda for the atrocities committed by Ugandan forces but also groups like the Congo Liberation Movement (MLC) and its armed wing, the Congo Liberation Army (ALC). But in their decision, the court exonerated Uganda on paying reparation in some areas where Ugandan forces were not directly involved. Uganda was largely blamed for its own participation through extorting, looting natural resources, plunder, and recruitment of child soldiers among others.

An agent of the DRC told the court that the funds shall be fairly and effectively distributed to victims of harm, under the supervision of organs whose members include representatives of victims and civil society and whose operation is supported by international experts.

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Tanzania, Kenya trade approaches $1 billion mark

admin — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 11:00:01 +0000

Tanzania, Kenya trade approaches $1 billion mark

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admin Thu, 02/17/2022 - 11:00

Friday, February 11, 2022

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The Citizen

Original Article

Tanzania, Kenya trade approaches $1 billion mark

Arusha. Bilateral trade between Tanzania and Kenya hit $905.5 million in the first eleven months of last year as their trade relations improve.

Records indicate that total trade between the two states for January to November 2021 trade picked up, enough signs of measures taken on long standing trade disputes.

Kenya imports from Tanzania stood at $501 million and exports $403.9 million during the period which followed President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s official visit to Nairobi last May. “The economies of the East African Community (EAC) region had also manifested resilience to the Covid-19,” the regional business body said yesterday.

The encouraging signs of increased trade between the two countries emerged on Wednesday during a trade facilitation forum at the Namanga border post.

The regional apex body of private sector associations said there were ample signs that the region was recovering steadily from the effects of the pandemic.

EABC says Tanzania has lately registered a favourable balance of trade with its northern neighbour due to sharp increase of exports to the latter.

Tanzania’s total increased marginally by 3.7 percent to $14.5 million in 2020 from $14 million in 2019.

The country’s main export destinations in the EAC during the year were Kenya at $230.2 million, Rwanda at $208 million, Uganda $191.3 million and Burundi at $179 million.

However, trade in services declined from the fourth quarter of 2019, hitting a decline of 67.9 percent in the third quarter of 2020, from a negative growth rate of 0.69 percent in 2019.

According to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) station manager at Namanga Joseph Moywaywa, the border clears an average of 250 trucks daily, most of them from Tanzania into Kenya.

“This is a three-fold increase in comparison to May last year,” he told a meeting attended by officials of trade facilitation agencies from both countries, traders and other business stakeholders.

Several speakers at the day-long meeting at the One Stop Border Post (OSBP) facility called for the setting up of a permanent cargo scanner to facilitate trade.

Leaders of the Freight and Forwarders Association, on their part, urged for the separation of the Import Declaration Form (IDF) from the Integrated Customs Management System (ICMS) of Kenya.

They said despite the increase of trade volume between the two countries, new challenges have emerged in which the cost of cargo clearance has shot up. “The clearing cost of cargo on the Kenyan side has increased by 70 percent due to multiple processes and departments,” lamented Daniel Wainaina, the chairman of the Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (Kifwa).

He cited a 20 metric ton (tonne) cargo truck whose cost of clearing has shot up to approximately $200, a situation he said has resulted in “uncompetitiveness”.

Ms Eugenia Mwesiumo, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EAC Cooperation reaffirmed Tanzania’s commitment to economic integration through trade facilitation.

She underscored the important role of border agencies in easing cross-border trade not only between Tanzania and Kenya but five other EAC member countries as well.

She, however, admitted that the Namanga border post was still grappling with a number of challenges which include system failures leading to delay in issuance of C4 documents and multiple roadblocks.

Africa

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38 burnt to death in Burundi prison fire

admin — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 08:10:01 +0000

38 burnt to death in Burundi prison fire

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admin Sat, 12/11/2021 - 08:10

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

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Africa – Capital News

Original Article

38 burnt to death in Burundi prison fire

BUJUMBURA, Burundi, Dec 7 – A massive fire tore through an overcrowded prison in Burundi before dawn on Tuesday, killing dozens of inmates and seriously injuring many more, the country’s vice president said.

Many prisoners were still asleep when the blaze took hold in a penitentiary in Burundi’s political capital Gitega, witnesses said. Much of the facility was destroyed.

Vice President Prosper Bazombanza, who visited the scene of the tragedy with several ministers, told reporters that 38 people were killed and 69 seriously hurt.

The blaze broke out at about 4:00 am (0200 GMT) and grim images posted on social media showed huge flames engulfing the prison, and bodies of men lying on the floor.

“We started shouting that we were going to be burned alive when we saw the flames rising very high, but the police refused to open the doors of our quarters, saying ‘these are the orders we have received’,” one inmate reached by phone told AFP.

“I don’t know how I escaped, but there are prisoners who were burned completely,” he said.

The interior ministry said on Twitter that the disaster was caused by an electrical short-circuit at the nearly century-old prison.

A police source said the emergency services were late to the scene, with the first fire truck arriving two hours after the start of the blaze.

Victims with the most serious burns were taken to hospital, some ferried in police pick-up trucks, while others with milder cases were treated at the scene, witnesses said.

The fire was later brought under control, but many parts of the site were left in charred ruins behind a stone wall showing the date of construction in 1926, when Burundi was a Belgian colony.

– Cramped conditions –

A large contingent of police and soldiers surrounded the site and prevented journalists from approaching or taking pictures until the arrival of the ministers.

Teams from the Red Cross in Burundi were also at the scene to tend to victims.

The facility, the third largest in Burundi, housed a number of political prisoners in a high-security compound, and there was also a women’s wing.

In all, it was home to more than 1,500 inmates at the end of November, according to prison authority figures, far higher than its designed capacity of 400.

The same prison in Gitega, which lies in the heart of the tiny country, was struck by another fire in August, according to the interior ministry, which also blamed an electrical fault.

No casualties were reported from that incident.

Chronic overcrowding is a problem in prisons in Burundi, one of the poorest nations in the world, and inmates often complain about their cramped living conditions and lack of food.

There were a total of 12,878 inmates living in accommodation designed for 4,294, according to November figures, despite a presidential amnesty in March which saw 5,200 prisoners released.

“Sometimes we have gone for up to three days without being given supplies by the prison, and our families cannot help us because since June 2020 we have not been allowed visits under the pretext of protecting us from Covid-19,” one prisoner told AFP.

Africa

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Burundi

Re-Globalising the World – Mia Amor Mottley and Ngozi Okonjo Iweala

Three Kenyans, two foreigners arrested in Nyayo Estate with narcotics

Sh32bn port terminal begins operations

Also Read

Why the future of agriculture is digital

Farm tourism brings in the cash for me

Construction of Berth 23

Agreement with Jica

Pay dispute sparks cargo delays at port

Also Read

Why the future of agriculture is digital

Farm tourism brings in the cash for me

Delivery of cargo affected

Increased competition

East Africa’s tourism resources remain untapped despite vast potential

East Africa's private sector wants rules of origin finalised

Dar, Mombasa ports behind global rivals in efficiency

Uganda ordered to pay DRC Shs 1 trillion in war reparations

Tanzania, Kenya trade approaches $1 billion mark

38 burnt to death in Burundi prison fire