Thursday 30 October 2014

Missing children found dead, burnt

Missing children found dead, burnt


By  Beldina Nyakeke,The Citizen Correspondent
In Summary
  • Before their deaths the children were reported lost last Saturday when they went to graze their goats and did not come back home in the evening
  • VILLAGERS REACT TO THE KILLINGS: Residents saythey now fear for their children’s lives since they might be killed or get lost in mysterious circumstances whereby they asked responsible authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to identify those who were involved in the incident. Mr Jomo Kananda called on the responsible  authorities to conduct a manhunt and take immediate measures  to arrest the killers to help  identify the motive behind the killings.
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Musoma. Two children from the same family were found dead with their bodies bearing wounds that looked like they were scalded with hot water at Kwangwa in Musoma Municipality.
Before their deaths the children were reported lost last Saturday  when they went to graze their goats and did not come back home in the evening.
Speaking to The Citizen at the Musoma Central Police Station the father of the children, Mr Samson Nyaganya, named the deceased as Emmanuel Samson, 7, and Happy Samson, 8. The father explained that on Saturday his children left home at noon as usual to graze their goats and did not come back home in the evening. Instead, the goats came back home without their shepherds.
He said that the situation created fear among the family members who went on the search for the children without success, before reporting the matter the following day to the village leaders.
“I went to report the incident to Kyagangala street government officials, where the authority also informed the community about what had happened. We started searching for my kids for more that two days without success,” he explained amid tears.   
He narrated that the authority in collaboration with the family and community members started searching for the missing children before they found their bodies lying near a pond at a rice field.
He added that the bodies of the deceased were found yesterday around 8.30 am after a long search. Police were investigating the matter, with several people said to have been interrogated.
Mr Nyaganya also added that the bodies of the youngsters were found with wounds on their private parts, a situation  that showed that the killers left with some portions  of their body parts. He said that the search party found the children’s clothes and slippers beside their bodies.
The distraught father said that though the bodies were found near the pond it seemed that the youngsters were killed before their bodies were taken to the scene since the pond could not be used for swimmin because it was too small.  Speaking to The Citizen, some residents of Kwangwa area said the incident has created fear amongst them with many of them not knowing the motive behind the killings.
They said that they now fear  of their children’s lives since they might be killed or got lost in undefined circumstance whereby they asked responsible authorities to conduct a thorough investigation so that they can identify those who involve in the incident.
Mr Jomo Kananda said that it was better for the responsible   authorities to conduct a mana hunt hence took immediate measures so that to arrest the killers the situation that will help to  identify the motive behind the killings.

Make 18 legal age to marry: activists

Make 18 legal age to marry: activists

 
By Songa wa Songa The Citizen Reporter
In Summary
The marriage Act 1971 sets the minimum age at 18 for boys and 15 for girls with parental consent but also permits both boys and girls to marry at 14 with the court’s permission.
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Dar es Salaam.With four out of 10 girls married before the age of 18, Tanzania should protect its young population by setting 18, the internationally recognised age of majority, as the minimum age for marriage.
In its new report entitled ‘No Way Out: Child Marriage and Human Rights Abuses in Tanzania’ launched in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found that the practice severely curtails girls’ access to education and exposes them to exploitation and violence, including marital rape and female genital mutilation.
The study conducted in 12 districts interviewed 135 girls and women, and identified dowry, child labour-related abuses, adolescent pregnancy, child abuse and neglect,as well as limited access to education as major contributing factors.
Releasing the findings, research fellow at HRW and author of the report Ms Brenda Akia said it was unfortunate that the proposed constitution did not provide minimum age for marriage.
“The Tanzanian government should show leadership on child protection by making 18 the minimum age in the marriage Act,” she said.
The marriage Act 1971 sets the minimum age at 18 for boys and 15 for girls with parental consent but also permits both boys and girls to marry at 14 with the court’s permission. HRW recommends that the limit be set at 18 for both boys and girls without loopholes to permit underage nuptials.
Speaking at the event, British High Commissioner Dianna Melrose expressed disappointment at Tanzania’s hesitation to sign Girl Summit Charter—the joint initiative by the UK government and Unicef aimed at mobilising domestic and international efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) within a generation.
“We are very disappointed that the government of Tanzania has not signed yet,” she said and added: “Now is the time to act.”
Ms Catherine Revocatus from Shinyanga who fell pregnant at the age of 14 and got expelled from primary school in her final year, brought the audience to tears with the narration of how she suffered physical and emotional abuses after getting married thereafter to the man who impregnated her.
“I got pregnant with my second child when I was 16 but I couldn’t stand the abuses; I ran away from the village and went to Shinyanga town where I worked as a domestic worker,” she said.

Burkina Faso president declares state of emergency

Burkina Faso president declares state of emergency

A man stands in front of a burning car, near the Burkina Faso's Parliament where demonstrators set fire to parked cars - 30 October 2014, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso


Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore has imposed a state of emergency after violent protests at his bid to extend his 27-year rule.
The government and parliament have been dissolved, and an overnight curfew has been declared across the country.
Protests to demand Mr Compaore's resignation are continuing in the capital, Ouagadougou.
Angry crowds had earlier set fire to the parliament and other government buildings.
This forced MPs to abandon a vote aimed at allowing Mr Compaore to seek re-election in 2015.
'Barbaric escalation' The main opposition leader, Zephirin Diabre, told a local radio station that the state of emergency was unacceptable.
"We are calling on the people to show that they are against it. The resignation of President Blaise Compaore is the only thing that can bring peace to the country," he is quoted as saying.
At least one person has been killed in the protests, says BBC Afrique's Yacouba Ouedraogo in the capital.
Burkina Faso's parliament on fire (30 October 2014) Parliament was ransacked and set ablaze
A man stands in front of a burning car, near the Burkina Faso's Parliament where demonstrators set fire to parked cars - 30 October 2014, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Cars were also in flames
Burkina Faso troops try to disperse protesters in Ouagadougou on 30 October 2014 The defence forces have been trying to disperse the protesters
Mr Diabre said dozens of protesters had been killed across the country by the security forces.
It was a "barbaric escalation of violence", he said.
The military fired live bullets to try and disperse protesters who had occupied parliament, our correspondent says.
Protesters had also surged towards the presidential palace, and a government helicopter flying overhead fired tear gas at them, Reuters news agency reports.

The BBC's Laeila Adjovi: "All around me there's black smoke"
Witnesses say dozens of soldiers have joined the protest in Ouagadougou's main square, including a former defence minister, Gen Kouame Lougue.
Protesters are demanding his installation as president, our reporter says.
'TV off air' The city hall, the homes of MPs, and an upmarket hotel in Ouagadougou were also set ablaze.
Similar protests hit the south-western city of Bobo Dioulasso, and other towns in the poor West African state.
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President Blaise Compaore spoke to the BBC earlier this week
  • Served under President Thomas Sankara as minister of state to the presidency
  • Took power after Sankara was killed in mysterious circumstances by a group of soldiers in 1987
  • First elected president in 1991 and again in 1998
  • A new constitution in 2000 limited presidents to two terms in office, and limited terms to five years
  • Won two further terms
  • Protests at attempts to amend the term limits began a year ago, fuelled by the high cost of living
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State television went off air after protesters stormed the building housing it and ransacked it.
This is one of the most serious protests against Mr Compaore's rule.
"A state of emergency is declared across the national territory. The chief of the armed forces is in charge of implementing this decision which enters into effect today," the president's statement said, Reuters reports.
"I dissolve the government from today so as to create conditions for change. I'm calling on the leaders of the political opposition to put an end to the protests. I'm pledging from today to open talks with all the actors to end the crisis," it added.
Map showing Burkina Faso
UN chief Ban Ki-moon's special envoy for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, will fly to Burkina Faso on Friday in an attempt to ease the crisis, the UN said in a statement.
Mr Compaore first took power in a coup in 1987, and has won four disputed elections since then.
The protests forced the government to suspend Thursday's parliamentary vote on a constitutional amendment that would have lifted the limit on presidential terms so that Mr Compaore could run for office again in 2015.
Mr Compaore is a staunch ally of the US and France, which uses Burkina Faso as a base for military operations against militant Islamists in the Sahel region.