ENTEBBE, Uganda, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said on Monday that while the developed world must reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Africa should play its part in stopping the destruction of forests and wetlands, which has contributed to adverse climate change effects.

Museveni told reporters here at State House Entebbe, 40 km south of the Ugandan capital of Kampala, that African countries need to restore the wetlands and forests that have been destroyed.

The Ugandan leader has been critical of the destruction of wetlands and forests in the eastern African country to build industries and human settlements. The Ugandan government is embarking on the uphill task of evicting people and industries that have reclaimed swamps.

The president, who addressed a wide range of issues, also said the developed world should help Africa with resources to restore the destroyed environment.

Museveni's comment comes as world leaders and environmentalists meet at a UN conference on climate change held in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh. The meeting, also referred to as the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, kicked off on Sunday as the world seeks possible solutions to climate change challenges. - Xinhua

The Ugandan Air Force attacked and destroyed a big camp of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced Sunday.

The attack was conducted with the authorization of the Congolese government.

“Ugandans and other East Africans: This is to inform you that on Friday, with the authorization of the DRC government, the Ugandan Air Force attacked and destroyed a large ADF terrorist camp,” Museveni said on Twitter.

He noted that it was important for them to know the capacity Africa which possesses that can help it address chronic security challenges.

“The enemy, in desperation, has now fled beyond the boundary of our operations. The ignorant terrorists do not know that within just minutes -- not hours -- we can reach (them) with deadly fire, many areas, far beyond the line of the limit of exploitation,” said Museveni.

“Hence, on Friday, they got their deserved reward. Wherever they go, we shall reach them, as long as the Congo government allows us to operate with them,” he said, congratulating Ugandan and Congolese troops.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda launched joint military operations to flush out the ADF in the east of DR Congo in late 2021.

But the operations have been criticized for doing little to improve the security situation, prompting calls by civil society groups to end them.

In the latest attack attributed to ADF rebels, two people were wounded by gunfire Sunday during an ambush that targeted a civilian vehicle on the Mbau-Kamango road in Beni territory, North Kivu, the Congolese military said.

The ADF have been attacking and killing civilians in eastern DR Congo for over two decades. The group killed more than 1,300 civilians last year, according to the UN.

The joint operations in North Kivu and Ituri provinces were launched following a triple suicide bombing in Uganda’s capital city Kampala in which seven people were killed and dozens injured.

The ADF pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2019.

Last year, the US placed the ADF on its list of “terrorist organizations” affiliated with ISIS. - James Tasamba, Anadolu Agency

The members of a Pakistani investigation team probing the death of journalist Arshad Sharif interrogated two people in Kenya with whom the slain journalist was staying.

The two members of the probe team met with Waqar Ahmad and Khurram Ahmad and asked them questions regarding the shooting incident in which journalist Arshad Sharif lost his life.

In his statement to the Pakistani sleuths, Waqar Ahmad said that Arshad Sharif had been staying at his guest house in Kenya for almost two months. Some ‘friend’ requested him to accommodate the TV anchor, he said adding that before their meeting in Nairobi, he met only once with Sharif at a luncheon. He said he had invited Sharif to his lodge at lunch which was situated out of Nairobi.

Waqar said that on the day of the incident, we ate lunch with Sharif at our lodge and after that ‘the journalist left the place with my brother Khurram Ahmad.’ He went on to say that after half an hour, he was informed that their vehicle came under fire.

While in his statement, Khurram Ahmad said that starting from their lodge there is an 18km-long stretch of dirt road and after that the carpeted road starts.

He said as they were only a few kilometers away from the carpeted road, some pebbles were thrown on the path and as soon as they crossed the pebble-filled dirt road, their vehicle came under fire. He said he got scared and accelerated the speed of his vehicle.  Pakistan Observer