Dar es Salaam. Good morning! The Chanzo is here with a rundown of major news stories reported in Tanzania on Thursday, November 3, 2022.
Samia says Tanzania ‘firmly’ supports China on Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong
President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday said that Tanzania will continue to provide China with “firm support” on issues concerning China’s core interests such as Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
The Tanzanian leader is currently visiting China at the invitation of the Asian nation’s President Xi Jinping, becoming the first African leader to visit the world’s most populous country since the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
On the afternoon of November 3, 2022, President Xi Jinping held talks at the Great Hall of the People with President Samia which concentrated on how the two historical allies could upgrade China-Tanzania relations to “a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation,” according to a joint communiqué released on Thursday.
“[Our aim is] to become a model of Africa-China relations in the new era,” President Samia told her host. “Tanzania will continue to provide China with firm support on issues concerning China’s core interests such as Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong.”
Taiwan, Xinjiang and Hong Kong are thorns in the flesh of Chinese authorities and are some of the key issues that have been putting the socialist country against other world nations as well as human rights organisations.
China considers Taiwan and Hong Kong part of its territory despite movements from the two islands demanding to be autonomous. In Xinjiang, China has been criticised over alleged human rights violations in the province against the Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities.
A United Nations report released in August said that “serious human rights violations have been committed” in the region in northwest China. The Chinese government has however been rejecting those allegations, describing them as “slanderous attacks.”
Upon her arrival in China on Thursday, a 21-gun salute was fired in Tiananmen Square, 17 soldiers of salute lined up on both sides of the red carpet on the steps, and trumpeters sounded their horns to welcome the guests.
President Samia and her host boarded the reviewing stand, and the military band played the national anthems of China and Tanzania. Accompanied by Xi Jinping, Samia reviewed the honour guard of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and watched the breakdown.
Full story here.
Govt says Mount Kilimanjaro fire is being contained
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said Thursday that the fire that continues to burn Mount Kilimanjaro for almost two weeks has been largely contained after hundreds of military personnel were deployed to help.
Mr Majaliwa told the parliament in the capital Dodoma that the exercise to put off the fire was “going well with impressive successes,” despite heavy winds that prevent the efforts from going on efficiently.
The Chief of Defence Forces of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) General Jacob John Mkunda said in a statement on Tuesday that troops will be deployed to Kilimanjaro Mountain to put off a fire that has been burning Africa’s highest peak for 12 days.
Firefighters in the Kilimanjaro region are trying to put off a fire that broke out on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, with police and local people helping firefighters tackle the blaze.
The fire started on Friday evening and was spread by strong winds during the night, according to authorities in the region.
Officials have not yet established how the fire started, but it comes two years after a blaze raged for a week in October 2020 across 95 sq km (37 sq miles).
On Thursday, Mr Majaliwa informed lawmakers that authorities were investigating the source of the fire so that they could take appropriate measures.
KOICA provides WFP Tanzania with $6 million to boost smallholder farming
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday welcomed the Republic of Korea’s contribution of $6 million to boost smallholder farming and enhance food and nutrition security among refugees and host communities in Kigoma for the next four years.
According to a statement released yesterday, more than 200,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, mostly women and children have been living in the Kigoma region of Tanzania.
The funding, which has been provided through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) comes at a critical time and will help WFP improve refugees’ food security, the statement said.
Funding will also help WFP to support 20,000 smallholder farmers and their families, as well as to build institutional, technical, financial and agricultural capacities of community-based organizations in the area.
“I have no doubt that the project will strengthen smallholder farmers’ agriculture value chain, and improve gender equality and peace in refugee hosting districts in the Kigoma region,” the statement quotes Mr Kyucheol Eo, KOICA’s Country Director in Tanzania, as saying. “The project will fully include KOICA’s values in partnership with WFP in Tanzania.”
Known as ‘The Kilimo Tija Kigoma’ (KITIKI) project, KOICA and WFP are supporting the initiative to enhance peaceful co-existence among refugees and host communities by promoting community engagement and dialogue.
Under the initiative, Tanzanian smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, will receive training on good agricultural practices, post-harvest handling and accessing markets. Additionally, WFP will link farmers with refugee communities to provide a ready market for their produce.
“WFP is grateful for the generous support from the government and the people of the Republic of Korea, through this partnership with KOICA,” Sarah Gordon-Gibson, WFP’s Country Director in Tanzania, said in a statement.
“We are not only empowering smallholder farmers but also contributing towards the triple nexus of humanitarian assistance, development and peacebuilding in the Kigoma region,” she added.
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