Royal expert Jennie Bond has exclusively told OK! that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle accepting the Ripple of Hope award is a "rude and hurtful dig" at the Royal Family.
But Jennie has now criticised them for accepting the award, exclusively telling OK! that it's "another dig" at the institution.
"Meghan and Harry receiving this award makes me feel quite queasy, actually. I think that accepting this award by definition accuses the Royal Family of racism yet again - structural racism this time."
"It's another dig at the family, the Queen and now The King, a head of a Commonwealth of Nations where the huge majority are people of colour, have, like a lot of firms, had to address the structure of the institution, and they are working hard on improving diversity.
"Yes, there is always room for improvement, and they're aware of that. So, I don't get Meghan and Harry's behaviour at all."
She continued: "They welcomed Meghan, who has dual heritage, into the family. They welcomed her mother, Doria, and showed her the utmost courtesy at the wedding and in photographs alongside the Queen and Archie."
"So, I just think that accepting this award is another open declaration that they believe Meghan was treated in a racist way."
"It's really hurtful and a very rude presumption. I don't believe there is structured racism in the Royal Family. This very public accusation is a huge kick in the teeth for them again."
She added: "It's very brazen of them to have accepted the award. I understand that there are limited options of what you can do after being presented with an honorary award . Should they have refused it? Or say it's not appropriate? It's hard to say, but overall, it's a really sad situation."
They will accept their award at a gala organised by the the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights foundation, which honours "exemplary leaders" who have shown "an unwavering commitment" to social change.
Previous winners of the Ripple of Hope award include former US presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as Hillary Clinton and Al Gore.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is also set to be honoured at the event next month. By Kirstie Sutherland & Rhianna Benson, Microsoft Start
GOMA, DR Congo, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- A contingent of the Kenyan army arrived Saturday in Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province, located in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as part of the military intervention by the East African Community (EAC) to stem the armed violence in this part of the country.
Received by officers of the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) at the airport, the Kenyan contingent will be deployed in the Rutshuru territory where the FARDC have been fighting for several months the rebels of the March 23 movement (M23).
General Chiko Chitambwe, FARDC deputy chief of staff who welcomed the troops at the Goma airport, thanked the Kenyan elements for coming to the aid of the Congolese people during this difficult time.
"Good friends are those who help you during difficult times. This is why on behalf of the President of the Republic, I would like to pay tribute to you for your presence in our country," said Chitambwe during the ceremony on the tarmac of the airport.
Leaders of the seven-nation EAC bloc, in which Kenya is the regional heavyweight, had agreed in April to establish a joint force in order to help restore security in the DRC. - Xinhua
Kampala, Uganda - In a plea to President Felix Tshisekedi, a group of legislators and civil society leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo accuse Uganda of aiding the M23 rebels in their advance.
They also want Kinshasa to put an end to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels' year-old joint military onslaught, code-named Shujaa, started last November by the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC).
Henry Oryem Okello, the state minister for international relations in Kampala, called the allegations that Uganda had engaged in subversion against Tshisekedi's government "hogwash, garbage," and said they were not backed up by any evidence.
"The claims are untrue. That is nonsense, garbage! He pressed the accusers to present any material that could be used to support Uganda and declared that there was not a shred of proof.
Mr. Oryem-Okello continued, "Those (accusers) are publicity seekers," arguing that a tranquil Congo is advantageous to Uganda. They should carry out some research and gather proof. Uganda does not back M23 (rebels). In eastern DRC, Uganda is aiming for complete peace. Following the severing of diplomatic ties with Rwanda, which Congo accuses of supporting M23, Kampala has been named negatively.
The DRC removed Rwanda's ambassador and barred the national airline, RwandAir, from using its airspace. Kigali, though, refutes any charges of plotting highly regarded.
The improvement to bitumen of 223 kilometers of roads connecting Beni, Goma, and Butembo in eastern DRC has been put on hold ten months after the governments of Congo and Uganda handed the project over to the Ugandan contractor Dott Services.
It is unknown if the business is compensated after putting equipment in place for the launch in December 2021.
According to some reports, a last-minute demand by some officials in Kinshasa that Dott Services pay taxes and subcontract the engineering work, totally or partially, to a Congolese company caused unexpected difficulties for the $330 million project, which was to be funded by Uganda.
There were further negative events as well.
Particularly Ugandan exporters are counting the losses as a result of M23's July conquest of Bunagana, a significant customs station on the DR Congo side, and the rebels' subsequent restriction on cross-border trade, despite the fact that the DRC gives Uganda the largest market share in the region.
But after a flurry of activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Monday, including public statements and street protests in Beni City, where protesters carried placards jointly denouncing President Museveni and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame for their alleged support for M23 rebels, this economic fortune orbited in the risk zone.
According to Mr. Pepin Kavota, head of the civil society in Beni, "On the other side in Rutshuru, Uganda is assisting the M23 rebels with Rwanda, but when you come here in the Beni territory, there is some type of hypocrisy."
According to Mr. Kavota's remark from Politico Magazine, "It is on that basis that we suggest that our country must break the diplomatic relations not only with Rwanda but also with Uganda."
A week before members of the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee on DRC visit for a firsthand assessment of the situation there, there is a commotion in Congo.
According to sources briefed on the state of regional security, Congo's suspicion of Uganda increased after Kampala signed a military cooperation agreement with Kigali in May of this year, according to which Rwanda reportedly established an intelligence coordination presence at the headquarters of Uganda's Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence in Kisoro, a town in Uganda that borders the DRC.
The Congo's Minister of Communication, Patrick Muyaya, stated earlier on Monday that they were looking into whether Uganda was aiding the rebels who were making gains on the battlefield.
The M23 is a rebel group that was established in 2012. Its concerns include political and marginalization allegations made by the Tutsi, a tribe that is widely dispersed, in particular.
Ineffective fulfillment of agreements made with the administration of previous DRC President Joseph Kabila gave rise to the current animosity, which the government of President Tshisekedi has labeled the rebels as "terrorists."
In response to M23 rebel activity in the nation's east, Democratic Republic of the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi called on young people to create "vigilance groups" on Thursday.
In a speech that was aired on national television, Tshisekedi asserted once more that the M23 was supported by Rwanda, which he charged with harboring "expansionist goals."
The M23, a predominantly Congolese Tutsi faction, started fighting again in late 2021 after going years without engaging in hostilities. They claimed the Democratic Republic of the Congo's government had broken a deal to incorporate its members into the army.
Regional ties in central Africa have become unstable as a result of the group's rebirth, with the DRC accusing its smaller neighbor Rwanda of supporting the militia.
According to Tshisekedi, Rwanda has the goal of "appropriating our minerals."
In order to accomplish this, he claimed, "it is attempting to destabilize eastern Congo in order to establish a lawless zone to satiate its criminal appetites."
He noted that there hasn't been "any tangible result" from diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions.
He claimed that "sacrifice" and "the engagement of all (the nation's) daughters and all of its sons" would be necessary in the fight.
"I ask the youth to organize themselves into vigilance groups in response to the strong demand from the youth with a view to prop up, accompany, and support our military forces."
Tshisekedi reaffirmed his plea for young people to join the military while urging them not to "stigmatize Rwandophone groups."
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