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North Korea is closing its embassy in Uganda, officials said, ending a half-century diplomatic presence in one of its longest-standing African allies. The move was announced after a meeting Monday between Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and North Korean Ambassador Jong Tong Hak.
“Ambassador Jong informed the president that North Korea has taken a strategic measure to reduce the number of embassies in Africa, Uganda inclusive. This is in order to increase efficiency of the country’s external institutions,” said a Ugandan presidency statement shared with AFP on Tuesday.
“Our good friendship will continue and will be further strengthened and developed,” Jong was quoted as saying, adding that diplomatic links would now be handled through its embassy in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Jong hailed Museveni “for consistently supporting the Korean government in enforcing its peaceful efforts to realise a harmonious unification of the Korean Peninsula”, the statement added.
North Korea forged links with Uganda shortly after independence from Britain in 1962. It supported Idi Amin when he seized power in 1971, providing his forces with training and weapons. It opened the embassy in Kampala a year later. This was as the international community shunned Amin, whose brutal rule lasted until 1979.
After Museveni took power in 1986, Kampala and Pyongyang signed cooperation agreements. This saw North Korea provide the East African country with weapons. This is along other military equipment as well as training for its security forces. However, in May 2016, Uganda said it was halting military cooperation with Pyongyang. This came after the UN imposed heavy sanctions over its nuclear programme.
Museveni has made several visits to North Korea, where he met the late leader Kim Jong Il.
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![[dropcap]A[/dropcap] section of women in Bugongo parish and Nawangaiza parish in Nawandala Sub County, Iganga District have decried the near-impossible terms set for them to access GROW funds. They have now petitioned their woman member of parliament for Iganga Hon. Kauma Sauda Alibaawo to ask the government for revised terms and conditions. This is to enable them to benefit from the program. The disgruntled women accuse the implementers of the program of charging the money. They are also asking for their land titles and land agreements. They said that such properties are governed by their husbands. These, therefore want the government through their woman MP to intervene and revise the requirements for one to benefit. The women were on Wednesday at Namabwere primary school in Nawandala Sub County. They had gathered in their respective groups to receive over 300 chickens from Hon Alibaawo in her campaign to improve the livelihood of women in Iganga district. Each group was given 50 chicken as start-up capital in their journey to prosperity. Read what some leaders said; Ms Naigambi Lydia from Nawandala Trading Centre says, “They solicited money from us through opening bank accounts and depositing Shs80,000. They also asked for land titles and land agreements from us yet we don’t have such things. I was informed that I needed to have a business with a capital of Shs4m yet my capital was very small.” The chairperson Kisoboka Saving Group in Nawandala Ms. Nakagolo Faith said they were not able to join the program. This is given the many conditions attached. She also asked their woman MP to raise their concerns to the relevant offices. The MP condemned the mode of implementation of the program. She cited that it has turned to benefit the well-off class of women other than the intended group. She further asked the government to intervene saying the current strings attached to the programme are very tight to accommodate a common woman. GROW project is a Government of Uganda initiative that arose out of the need to respond to the needs of women entrepreneurs. This is especially those who want to grow their businesses, sustain their self-employment and create more jobs. Check Also; Iganga District NRM Leaders Urge Museveni To Fulfill Election Promises Of 2021 International Women's Day: Celebrating Progress Towards Equality](https://i0.wp.com/newslexpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Iganga-women-decry-tough-terms-to-access-GROW-funds-e1731738339732.jpg?resize=300%2C160&ssl=1)
