DRC's army recovers largest Ugandan rebel stronghold

Beni - Democratic Republic of Congo's army says it has captured the largest stronghold for the Uganda-born Allied Democratic Forces rebels in Congo's northeast.

Capt. Mak Hazukay Mongba, spokesperson for Operation Sukola, said on Monday the army released hostages and took control of the "grand bastion" of ADF rebels in Mwalika, about 80km from Beni.

According to Human Rights Watch, ADF rebels have killed about 1 000 people in the Beni region over the last three years. The Congolese army has captured dozens of rebels including a dozen who were sentenced to death.

A December 7 attack on a UN base outside Beni killed 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers in the deadliest single assault on a peacekeeping mission in almost 25 years.

The ADF, which formed in the 1990s, eventually relocated from Uganda to eastern DRC.

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North Korea slams Trump's State of the Union address

FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 22, 2018 file photo, a North Korean girl walks past the Taedong Gate in Pyongyang, North Korea. Temperatures were forecast to drop below -19 degree Celsius (-2.2 degree Fahrenheit) this week in the North Korean capital. North Korea on Sunday, Feb. 4, slammed President Donald Trump's State of the Union address and said its nuclear capabilities would "deter Trump and his lackeys from showing off on the Korean peninsula."(AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin, File)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Sunday slammed President Donald Trump's State of the Union address and said its nuclear capabilities would "deter Trump and his lackeys from showing off on the Korean peninsula."
In his address last week, Trump said that "no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea."
"We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to America and to our allies," Trump said.
On Sunday, a North Korean foreign ministry official shot back at the president.
"If Trump does not get rid of his anachronistic and dogmatic way of thinking, it will only bring about the consequence of further endangering security and future of the United States," the official said, in comments carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
The official disputed Trump's claim in his address that the United States had "made incredible progress and achieved extraordinary success" over the last year, calling it "the height of Trump-style arrogance, arbitrariness and self-conceit."
Trump also said in his speech that the U.S. was "waging a campaign of maximum pressure" to prevent North Korea from being able to attack the U.S. with nuclear weapons.
The foreign ministry official said that North Korea's "self-reliant defense capability with the nuclear force as its backbone will, however, completely deter Trump and his lackeys from showing off on the Korean peninsula."
On Friday, Trump sought to increase pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear program by consulting with allies and highlighting the human rights abuses suffered by defectors from North Korea.
Trump hosted about a half-dozen North Korean defectors in the Oval Office, including Ji Seong-ho, who had used crutches to escape the reclusive country after a train ran over his limbs. Days earlier, Ji raised his crutches in triumph when Trump singled him out during his State of the Union address.
Trump has expressed a willingness to deal with rising tensions with Pyongyang through diplomacy, but he has said the United States would use military force on North Korea if needed.

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Police arrest suspected killer of singer Mowzey Radio

Godfrey Wamala (in red shirt), who is suspected to have assaulted Mowzey Radio in a bar in Entebbe, being led by Katwe Police Station commander Frantile Lwamusaayi to the police pick up on Monday morning. The suspect was transferred to Entebbe Police Station where the offence was allegedly committed. Photo by Andrew Bagala.  

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By just the facts

Police have arrested a man suspected to have beaten Uganda singer Moses Ssekibogo alias Mowzey Radio causing his head injuries that later led him to his death at Case Hospital where he had been admitted for about a week.

Radio was beaten into coma at De Bar, a popular hangout in Entebbe town on the night of January 22.
Godfrey Wamala alias Troy was arrested at Kyengera in Wakiso District on Sunday night after a tip off by a team led by Katwe Division Police commander Frantile Lwamusaayi.
Upon arrest, Wamala was taken to Katwe Police Station where he recorded a statement before he was transferred to Entebbe Police Station where the offence was committed.

Mr Lwamusaayi confirmed the arrest but said the details can be got from the Commander Kampala Metropolitan Police, Mr Frank Mwesigwa, whom he said supervised the tracking of the suspect and his operation.
“We have handed him over to Entebbe Police Station where he is facing a charge of murder. Details of what he told police should be got from the police spokesmen or Kampala Metropolitan Police commander,” Mr Lwamusaayi said.

At the time of his arrest, Wamala was staying with a friend.

Deceased: Singer Mowzey Radio. COURTESY PHOTO

According to officers, who participated in his arrest, said he confirmed to them that he was with Mowzey, David Washington Ebangit, Pamela Musiimire, one Hassan and others on the fateful day.
He said when the fracas started they were seated on the same table.
He said the fracas was sparked off when Mowzey poured alcohol on Hassan, who got angry and attempted to fight but two were separated before they could even exchange fists.

He said the bar personnel intervened.
He reportedly told investigators that during the scuffle, men whom he didn’t know came and grabbed Mowzey near the table and dragged him outside of the bar.
He said Mowzey’s colleagues, including Washington, remained seated, but he moved out of the bar only to find Mowzey lying down motionless near the entrance.

Although he denied beating Mowzey, De Bar managers, who are currently detained by the police accuse him of have assaulted the deceased.
He said it was then that all the people came to his aid and Pamela, Washington and others took the motionless Mowzey to the medical centre.
He said thereafter, he went back to home but learnt two days after the incident that the police was hunting for him, which triggered him to go into hiding.
Mowzey died at Case Hospital on February 1 and he was buried on Saturday at Nakawuku in Wakiso District.

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