Makangale SATELLITE

Demonstrations addressed security challenges in the Indian Ocean..

With an exclusive economic zone estimated at 160,000 square kilometers, the financial health of the Comoros Islands is linked to the water. However, all eyes were on the sky on January 23, when a contingent from the United States Navy arrived on two MV-22 Ospreys and a KC-130 Hercules transport aircraft for an exchange of military expertise.

Comorian Minister of Defense Youssoufa Mohamed Ali and Brig. Gen. Youssouf Idjihadi, chief of the Defense Staff of the National Development Army, were on hand in the capital, Moroni, to meet with U.S. Brig. Gen. Matthew W. Brown, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, based in Djibouti.

Ali declared that the U.S. Navy’s visit was of major strategic significance “in a regional context marked by the rise of transnational threats and the growing importance of maritime security in the southern Indian Ocean.”

He praised the military exchange’s focus on interoperability and underscored his country’s growing partnership with the U.S., saying that the four-day collaboration will help raise the skill level of the Comorian military.

“This exercise, based on the sharing of expertise, experiences and know-how, reflects the common desire of our two countries to strengthen their military cooperation and interoperability in a professional and structured framework,” he said to local media. “The skills acquired will sustainably strengthen the operational effectiveness of our forces, their ability to anticipate and their ability to fulfill the missions entrusted to them in the service of the nation.”

The two contingents gathered at Itsoundzou Training Center, the primary base for Comorian Soldiers, 15 kilometers from Moroni. The exchange focused on identifying the different systems operated by Comorian and U.S. units so that they can improve interoperability in common maritime security goals such as counternarcotics, countertrafficking, counterillegal migration and Comorian participation in multilateral security efforts on and around the continent.

Demonstrations included tactical combat casualty care, tactical drone operations, mortars, snipers, machine-gun firing, medical evacuations and aerial communications. Simulated intervention exercises occupied a significant portion of the four-day training session, which involved units of the Comorian National Gendarmerie, the Comorian Coast Guard and the General Directorate of Civil Security.

“We are very pleased to be here to express our willingness to work with the Comorian forces on several aspects related to maritime security and the fight against trafficking,” Brown said. “This willingness is not new. We have been working on this subject for years. But this time, we are taking another step in this willingness to work with all countries in the region to better address the various threats.”

Lt. Cmdr. Sephora Fortune, head of the U.S. military group in Madagascar and the Comoros, led the U.S. forces’ demonstrations and praised the partnership with Comoros, which focuses on combating drug, arms and human trafficking, and illegal fishing.

“Illegal maritime activities, including irregular migration and illegal fishing, weaken economies, fuel insecurity and threaten sovereignty,” she said. “They fuel criminal networks, destabilize coastal communities and erode public trust in governance.”

Ali said he was pleased with high-level discussions in Moroni on the prospects for military cooperation between Comoros and the U.S. Talks also addressed the strategic and operational role of Comorian forces in securing the southern Indian Ocean.

“The Union of the Comoros reaffirms its commitment to strengthen international cooperation, based on mutual respect, the sharing of expertise, and the building of sustainable capacities in the service of peace and security in the Indian Ocean,” he said.

“Discussions focused on assessing the priority needs of the Comorian defense and security forces, particularly in maritime surveillance, securing maritime borders and strengthening operational capacities adapted to the realities on the ground. We hope that this cooperation will continue and be further strengthened in the service of peace, security and the stability of our country and the region.”

Source: Africa Defense Forum

 Na Mwandishi Wetu, Tarime

Katika mwendelezo wa  utelekezaji wa mkakati endelevu wa kampuni ya Barrick,mgodi wake wa North Mara uliopo wilayani Tarime mkoani Mara umefanikisha upandaji wa miti zaidi ya 40,000  kando ya mto Tighite kwa ushirikiano na shirika lisilo la kiserikali la Jamii wa Watumiaji wa Maji Tigithe Chini (JWMTC)  kwa ajili ya kuhifadhi mazingira na kurejesha na uoto wa asili.

Mto Tighite ni moja ya vyanzo vikuu vya maji vya Mto Mara ambao unatiririsha maji yake katika  Ziwa Victoria upande wa Tanzania na  maelfu ya wakazi wa vijiji vilivyopo jirani na mgodi wa Barrick North Mara  wanategemea mto huo kupata maji ya matumizi ya nyumbani, kunywesha mifugo na shughuli za kilimo.

Akiongea kuhusu programu  hiyo ambayo inaendelea kupata mafanikio,Mwenyekiti wa Jumuiya ya Watumia Maji Tigithe Chini (JWMTC), Mwita Seri, ameeleza kuwa kutokana na uwezeshaji na ushirikiano wanaoupata kutoka mgodi wa dhahabu wa Barrick North Mara hadi kufikia sasa wamefanikiwa kupanda miche ya miti 42,700.

“Tangu progamu hii ya kupanda miti kando ya mto Tighite izinduliwe mwaka jana wakati wa maadhimisho ya Siku ya Mazingira Duniani tumekuwa tukipata ushirikiano mkubwa kutoka Mgodi wa North Mara na lengo lililokusudiwa la kutunza mazingira katika eneo hili linaendelea kupata mafanikio na eneo hili la mto limebadilika kwa kiasi kikubwa sasa”alisema Mwita Seri.

Meneja Mkuu wa Mgodi wa Barrick North Mara, Apolinary Lyambiko alisema wakati wa uzinduzi wa progamu hiyo kuwa kuwa Dhamira ya mgodi ni kupanda miti ya asili 50,000  katika kingo za mto Tighite ili kuzuia mmomonyoko wa udongo kwa kushikilia udongo kwa mizizi yake ikiwemo na miti ya mbao itakayopandwa mita 60 za mto huo." Programu kama hizi ziliwahi kufanyika mto Mara . Dhumuni letu ndani ya mwaka mmoja tuwe tumekamilisha Programu hii “alisisitiza.

Kwa mujibu wa Seri, uharibifu mkubwa wa uoto wa asili wa mto Tighite ndio uliisukuma taasisi ya Jumuiya ya Watumia Maji Tigithe Chini (JWMTC),  kubuni wazo la kuwa na mpango endelevu wa kuhifandi mazingira ya chanzo hicho cha maji.

Alisema mgodi wa Barrick North Mara unagharimia ununuzi wa miche ya miti, uchimbaji mashimo na ulinzi wa miti iliyopandwa, miongoni mwa mambo mengine katika mradi huu.“Lengo kubwa ni kulinda mto Tighite kwa kurudisha uoto wa asili, na hata miti tunayopanda ni ya asili na rafiki kwa mazingira,” alisisitiza Mwenyekiti huyo wa JWMTC.

Seri alibainisha kuwa Jumuiya ya Watumia Maji Tighite Chini ambayo iko chini ya Bodi ya Maji Bonde la Ziwa Victoria, inasimamia kata nne zenye vijiji 12 jirani na mgodi wa Barrick North Mara. Alitaja vijiji hivyo na kata zake zikiwa kwenye mabano kuwa ni Matongo, Nyabichune, Nyangoto na Mjini Kati (Matongo), Nyamwaga na Komarera (Nyamwaga).

Mbali na kuwezesha utekelezaji wa mradi huu wa mazingira na kulinda chanzo cha maji cha mto Tighete  Mgodi wa Barrick North Mara kupitia fedha za CSR umefanikisha mradi wa maji wenye thamani ya shilingi bilioni 2.665 kwa ajili ya upanuzi wa chanzo cha maji cha Nyamongo, wilayani Tarime vijijini kilichopo ndani ya eneo la Mgodi ambacho awali kilisanifiwa kuhudumia wananchi 27,742 wa vijiji vya Nyangoto, Matongo, Mjini Kati na Nyabichune na unasimamiwa na  Wakala wa Maji na Usafi wa Mazingira Vijijini (RUWASA) na uko katika hatua za mwisho kukamilika.

Kutokana na ongezeko la mahitaji ya maji katika vijiji vingine saba vinavyozunguka mgodi. Chanzo hiki kimesanifiwa upya kwa lengo la kuhudumia wananchi 125,566 katika vijiji vingine sita vya Genkuru, Nyamwaga, nyakunguru, Kerende, Msege na Komarera.

Mgodi wa Dhahabu wa Barrick North Mara unaendeshwa na Kampuni ya Barrick kwa ubia na Serikali ya Tanzania kupitia Kampuni ya Twiga Minerals.

Kampuni ya Barrick kupitia utekelezaji wake wa mkakati endelevu imefanikisha miradi mbalimbali ya kijamii katika maeneo yanayozunguka migodi yake hususani katika kuboresha sekta ya elimu,upatikanaji wa maji salama,afya,mazingira na kuongea wigo kwa ajira.

 Charity Walk 2026

Join us as we walk with purpose, love, and unity.

📅 14 February | ⏰ 06:00 AM

10KM Route for a meaningful cause 

Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea (jumla 4-2): Gunners wafuzu kwenda fainali ya Kombe la Carabao baada ya Kai Havertz kufunga bao la ushindi dakika za mwisho katika mkondo wa pili wa nusu fainali.

Arsenal wameingia fainali ya Kombe la Carabao kwa ushindi wa jumla wa mabao 4-2 dhidi ya Chelsea; bao la Kai Havertz aliyetokea benchi liliihakikishia Arsenal ushindi wa 1-0 katika mkondo wa pili uliokuwa na ushindani mkali; Arsenal watakutana na ama Manchester City au Newcastle kwenye fainali.