Rebel leader targeted in DR Congo

Mr Kony is thought to have been rebuilding his forces. The Democratic Republic of Congo's army and the UN have begun a military operation to try to contain the activities of rebel leader Joseph Kony.

The campaign follows failed attempts to negotiate an end to the rebellion by his Lord's Resistance Army.Congo's army has sent 200 troops to the northern town of Dungu, where hundreds have sought refuge from the LRA.

The LRA fought a 20-year war against the government in northern Uganda. Some two million people were displaced.

In April, Mr Kony refused to sign a deal agreed by his representatives after nearly two years of talks.The BBC's Africa editor Martin Plaut says Mr Kony has begun strengthening his forces, using the respite he gained during the protracted negotiation process.

Mr Kony is now seen as a growing regional menace, looting villages and abducting civilians from the Central African Republic (CAR), Sudan and Congo, he says.
Between January and March he is reported to have abducted a further 300 people to act as porters, fighters and sex slaves.

He is also reported to have six new bases in northern Congo and to be running diamond mines in the CAR. UN military spokesman Col Jean Paul Dietrich told the BBC that the new campaign aimed to deter or prevent human rights violations by the LRA against the local population.

"The operation will last until there is no more danger for the local population in the north of DRC."

Some 900 more troops are expected to reinforce the initial deployment of 200.
Joseph Kony has always managed to elude efforts to neutralise his group, our Africa editor says.

An operation involving 80 Guatemalan special forces under UN auspices in January 2006 resulted in eight of the troops losing their lives.

The LRA leader is accused of numerous war crimes, including abducting and mutilating civilians and forcing thousands of children into combat.

Source: BBC report Monday, 8 September 2008
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7605164.stm

Internet link to Kenya's Newspapers

East African Standard

Daily Nation

Link to Acholi connection:

partner groups and organisations,

Acholi Proverbs by Okot p'Bitek

Proverbs relating to authority

Proverbs about co-operation

Proverbs concerning personal qualities

Horn of My Love by Okot p'Bitek

Children's songs

The love song

Satirical verse

Songs of the spirit possession dance

Chants at the ancestral shrine

Songs of war

The dirges

Also of interest about Northern Uganda are the following Links:

• 1. Expose Uganda’s Genocide
• 2. ProtectAfrica
• 3. Human Life

Obama Used 21 Century Technology Driven Campaign

Technology such as the Internet plays an important role in the political process and a candidate's ability to connect with voters on a personal level, increasing the candidate's chance of getting elected.

Senator Barack Obama(D) from Illinois, son of a black father from Kenya and white mother from Kansas, won presidency in U.S. history. It came 45 years after the height of the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King, and Marcus Garvey movement.

The use of the Internet and other electronic mediums also became more widespread, political candidates especially Senator Obama for example begun using Web sites, e-mail, blogs, podcasts, and other forms of electronic media effectively to convey his campaign messages to an even broader sector of the population in an effort to win the presidency in 2008 and he succeeded,with the help of Face book founder Chris Hughes - who devised an innovative Internet fund raising system - the campaign eventually attracted more than three million donors. He also used other source of Internet to (e-mail, face book, flickr, My Space etc) to raise money and mobilized his volunteers. The campaign used a masterful way at getting people out the vote. It ran a huge registration drive for likely Democrats.

Obama probably had one of the most sophisticated tech-driven election operations ever. His MyBarack Obama.com and later Change.gov are just one part of the use of the new media,the campaign devised. His campaign has an active presence in some 30 to 40 social networking sites and services, says Todd Ziegler with the online consultancy The Bivings Group. He set a new trend in campaign especially in a technology driven digital climate and data bank world wide without raising question about data mining!

His use of mobile phones came into play for this election. His campaign for example , told supporters that "he would announce his vice presidential choice via text message, and Garrett says that the campaign collected 3 million numbers in the lead up to the announcement".

Barack Obama told supporters that "change has come to America," as he addressed the country for the first time as the president-elect.

"It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, at this defining moment, change has come to America," Obama, 47, told 125,000 ecstatic and jubilant supporters gathered in Chicago's Grant Park to celebrate his victory. He is now elected the 44th president of the United States, according to NBC, winning 338 electoral votes so far compared with 159 votes for his rival John McCain, according to NBC reports.

With results in from more than two-thirds of U.S. areas, he led McCain by 51 percent to 48 percent in the popular vote. Obama promised to ease the country's sharp political divisions and work for those voters who did not support him. Obama ran a brilliant, and disciplined campaign, a vast amount of money and a favorable political climate, the junior senator from Illinois has risen to the most powerful job in the world.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there."

In his victory speech in Chicago, Obama said he was looking forward to working with McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin "to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead."

Full text: Obama's victory speech

President Obama New Web page!

Obama believed in a CHANGE from a world as it is into a world as it should be and declared his candidacy to fight for the highest office that offers him a possibility of influencing the change he dreams of and he is ready to deliver!
Change.gov












For inauguration preparation Check this link:

http://inaugural.senate.gov