Uganda says troops to stay in DRC as long as needed to defeat ADF

Uganda said on Friday that its troops sent this week into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo would stay as long as needed to defeat Islamist militants, with the progress of the mission to be evaluated after two months.

Uganda and Congo launched a joint operation this week, but have so far shared few details about its size or expected duration, even as some voiced alarm about the presence of Ugandan troops on Congolese soil.

At least 1 700 Ugandan soldiers have so far crossed into eastern Congo to join Congolese forces battling the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group aligned with Islamic State, two security sources and local media said on Friday.

The Ugandan defence ministry did not confirm how many troops had been deployed, but said infantry, artillery, armoured and special forces would be in Congo under Operation Shujja, which means hero in Swahili.

In its first clear indication of the duration of the planned operation, Uganda’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement that the operation would be reviewed after two months to gauge its progress against the ADF.

“The duration of this operation will be determined by the military-strategic end-state… to defeat the rebels and defeat their will to fight,” Major General Kayanja Muhanga said in a video posted to Twitter.

The campaign will target four ADF camps: Yayuwa, Tondoli, Beni One and Beni Two, he said.

Joint forces have already conducted search operations in the wake of air and artillery strikes against suspected ADF bases in the forests of eastern Congo earlier this week, according to both countries’ military.

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SAFA to consider its options after FIFA’s dismissal over World Cup qualifier loss against Ghana

The South African Football Association (SAFA) says it will consider its options, after world football governing body FIFA dismissed it’s protest following a  Bafana Bafana 1-0 loss in a world cup qualifier against Ghana, last month.

FIFA, has reportedly issued a single line statement, that does not get into its reasons for dismissing the appeal.

SAFA says, it will forge a way forward after hearing FIFA’s reasons.

SAFA to consider options after FIFA dismisses Ghana protest https://t.co/ZCfD6Sbt2v @BafanaBafana

— SAFA.net (@SAFA_net) December 3, 2021

Local newspaper sports reporter says FIFA’s response comes two weeks later than previously expected, and is a blow to the South African soccer team.

“This afternoon, they finally responded with an email, giving us their outcome, which is very disappointing to for South African football and for Bafana Bafana, the young players who gave it their all and put up a brave fight in Ghana.

It was quite a bizarre statement and information that they sent out. Not even a paragraph, a one sentence thing saying that they matter is being dismissed and there’s no details and I think that’s what is frustrating SAFA.

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Benin soldiers killed in jihadist attack in north: military sources

Two soldiers were killed on Thursday when jihadists attacked a military post in north Benin near the border with Burkina Faso, military sources said, in a rare Islamist militant assault in the West African state.

Benin borders three countries battling a jihadist insurgency that has spread across the Sahel region and prompted calls for more cooperation to halt its expansion south to Gulf of Guinea states.

BENIN SOLDIERS CASUALTIES 

“We lost two of our men,” said one Benin military official after the post in Porga in Atacora region was attacked in the early hours of Thursday. “We also have some wounded soldiers.” 

A second source close to the army chief of staff blamed the attack on jihadists and confirmed the toll of two soldiers dead and also one of the assailants.

JIHADISTS SPILLING INTO BENIN 

Benin’s military has not officially commented on the attack.

The small coastal country has been a relatively safe haven in a region struggling with jihadist violence that has spilt over from Nigeria and Mali.

Only one jihadist attack has been officially confirmed in Benin.

JIHADIST ATTEMPTS ON BURKINA FASO 

Two French tourists were kidnapped in 2019 and their tour guide killed in the remote Pendjari park on the border with Burkina Faso.

They were rescued soon afterwards by French special forces in northern Burkina Faso where they had been taken.

READ: Burkina says killed dozens of ‘terrorists’ in border sweep

GROUPS COMMUNAL CONFLICTS 

But several jihadist groups operate just over the border from north Benin in Niger and Burkina Faso, including groups tied to Islamic State’s African affiliates.

A Dutch security report earlier this year warned that jihadist groups could coopt communal conflicts in Benin’s north to extend their influence.

TENSIONS OVER RESOURCES 

Benin, like other parts of the Sahel, has struggled with growing tensions between farmers and nomadic herders over resources, land and water.

Benin’s northern border region is also a haven for gangs involved in smuggling, who are believed to maintain informal ties with jihadists.

SECURITY FORCES TARGETED 

Last year, one Benin police officer was killed when gunmen attacked a police post in the far north of the country – the first time Benin security forces in the border area have been targeted.

Benin officials played down links to jihadists, but the incident deepened concerns over spillover from the Sahel.

WEST AFRICAN UNREST 

Last month, Ivory Coast also began strengthening military deployments on its northern border and seeking stronger security ties with neighbours as it looks to contain the threat from the north.

Since the Sahel conflict first erupted in Mali in 2012, fighting has spread to Niger and Burkina Faso, claiming thousands of lives and displacing more than two million more.  



by Josue Mehouenoh

© Agence France-Presse

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DStv Premiership UPDATED fixtures after Kaizer Chiefs’ NO SHOW

Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs have sensationally elected to FORFEIT their home DStv Premiership clash against Cape Town City FC on Saturday.

PICTURES | GORGEOUS! PITSO MOSIMANE’S ‘PRETTY’ DAUGHTER

That means the Citizens will be handed a walkover victory – and the full three points – while Amakhosi have been dealt a devastating blow to their title chances thanks to Covid-19.

Kaizer Chiefs are isolating at home

Kaizer Chiefs reported that no fewer than 31 staff and players had returned positive tests for the coronavirus and were isolating at home.

In matches that will go ahead at the time of publishing, look out for the KwaZulu-Natal derby between AmaZulu and Royal AM, while new Swallows coach Dylan Kerr will look to get his tenure off to a winning start at home against Maritzburg United.

Fourth-placed Stellenbosch FC will host log-leaders Mamelodi Sundowns at the Danie Craven Stadium in Saturday’s late match.

DSTV PREMIERSHIP MATCHES – WEEKEND 4/5 DECEMBER

SATURDAY, 4 DECEMBER

AmaZulu v Royal AM – 15:30

Chippa United v Golden Arrows – 15:30

Swallows v Maritzburg United – 15:30

Stellenbosch FC v Mamelodi Sundowns – 21:15

Kaizer Chiefs v Ajax Cape Town FC – OFF (Kaizer Chiefs have forfeited the match)

SUNDAY 5 DECEMBER

SuperSport United v Sekhukhune United – 15:30

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Kaizer Chiefs forced to FORFEIT clash against Cape Town City!

Kaizer Chiefs have elected to forfeit their home DStv Premiership match against Cape Town City FC which was scheduled to take place at the FNB Stadium on Saturday, 4 December.

PICTURES | GORGEOUS! PITSO MOSIMANE’S ‘PRETTY’ DAUGHTER

This comes after the Soweto giants confirmed no fewer than 31 staff and players had tested positive for Covid-19.

Amakhosi also confirmed that they wrote to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to have their five league matches this month postponed, starting with their clash against the Citizens.

READ | KAIZER CHIEFS LODGE URGENT APPEAL TO PSL AFTER COVID-19 CRISIS

However, that appeal was declined by the PSL’s executive committee.

"The league did respond to Kaizer Chiefs and rejected their plea to postpone the matches. PSL is considering going back to the biobubble. The meeting will take place on Monday." – Cape Town City Chairman on #PowerSportExtra. pic.twitter.com/Y6qJet7TFS

— A Dog That Bites (@SkepeMatsebane) December 3, 2021

Cape Town City FC chairperson John Comitis – who is part of the PSL exco – confirmed that they had sat and decided against Kaizer Chiefs’ request to have their matches put on hold.

“I think it’s quite straightforward. The game has not been postponed officially by the league. We will be at the game. It was discussed at the exco. And the circumstances were debated but unfortunately, those are confidential,” Comitis said.

The Citizens took to social media to post images of the team preparing to depart Cape Town International Airport on Friday, heading to Johannesburg to honour their clash against the Glamour Boys.

Travel Day



The Citizens depart for JHB ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Kaizer Chiefs.#iamCityFC pic.twitter.com/gxfJSYjHlF

— Cape Town City FC (@CapeTownCityFC) December 3, 2021

Amakhosi, though, issued a statement early in the evening, saying they’ve forfeited the match.

The Kaizer Chiefs statement read:

In light of the recent outbreak of Covid-19 infections that has befallen the Club, Kaizer Chiefs submitted two letters to the Premier Soccer League pleading for the postponement of the remaining matches scheduled for the month of December following the outbreak.

In the interim, the prevailing circumstances dictate that Kaizer Chiefs must sadly confirm that the Club will be unable to host the match against Cape Town City, scheduled for Saturday, 4 December at 18:00. At least 31 employees have tested positive for the virus and the Club has subsequently been obliged to instruct all players, members of the technical team and staff, who are deemed primary contacts, to quarantine as per official protocols.

Unfortunately, this is the only option available in the current situation and, as a responsible corporate citizen, Kaizer Chiefs upholds its duty to protect the lives of those around us – including others – and do our best to avoid an outbreak that might potentially affect the league and the country.

The match will likely be deemed a walkover for Cape Town City, with Kaizer Chiefs losing the match and all three points.

Amakhosi are said to have had only 13 players available for the match, which incredibly is deemed more than enough to play a match. The minimum number is seven!

Kaizer Chiefs’ next match is away against Golden Arrows on Wednesday, 8 December (19:30). It remains to be seen if they will be able to field a team for that match.

Mzansi has also seen a sharp spike in positive Covid-19 cases after the detection of the new variant, Omicron, a week ago.

Friday night’s most up to date count revealed the country had recorded 16 055 new cases – almost 4 000 more new cases than the day before.

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Blitzboks book quarter-final clash against Kenya at Dubai Sevens

The Springbok Sevens team was too strong for Great Britain and won their Pool A decider 21-7 on Friday to finish unbeaten on the first day of the second HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series tournament in Dubai.

WATCH | CARDIFF RUGBY FINALLY HEAD HOME AFTER COVID-19 CHAOS IN SA

Their third win of the day booked the Blitzboks a date with Kenya in Saturday’s quarter-final action, which will kick off at 08:50 (SA time) in The Sevens Stadium.

On a dramatic day which saw double Olympic champions Fiji miss out on the Cup quarter-finals for only the second time in World Series history, South Africa extended their record winning streak to 21 matches.

Blitzbok coach Neil Powell said afterwards that although his side played well on attack, they somehow could not get into their full stride.

READ | STUART BERRY QUITS REFEREEING FOR FULL-TIME TMO ROLE

“Maybe that was due to our form of last weekend, with the teams coming out to throw everything at you,” said Powell.

Powell also pointed to some missed opportunities, such as a forward pass just before half-time against Ireland and their failure to score against Great Britain when their opponents had a man in the sin bin.

Powell was, however, encouraged by their defensive effort: “I think we really worked hard on our defensive system, although there are still some room for improvement.”

Regarding Saturday’s quarter-final against Kenya in the knockout stages, Powell said: “An African derby will always be a physical one, so we have to make sure we make our tackles – we will have to make those one-on-ones stick.”

Against Great Britain, South Africa scored three converted tries through Zain Davids, Shilton van Wyk and Ronald Brown, while Branco du Preez (2) and Brown added the conversions. Alex Davis scored the only British try while Robbie Fergusson slotted the extras.

Blitzboks scored eight tries against Japan

In their first match of the day, the Springbok Sevens scored eight tries in their 48-0 victory over Japan to start their quest for a second tournament win in two weeks. Interestingly, all of the eight tries were scored by a different player, with the Blitzboks scoring 24 unanswered points in each half.

Impi Visser, JC Pretorius, Shilton van Wyk and Siviwe Soyizwapi all got onto the scoresheet after an almost flawless first half, denying Japan any decent scoring chance. The second half was equally impressive, with Zain Davids, Selvyn Davids, Ronald Brown and Shaun Williams each crossing the whitewash for a comfortable win.

The Irish were rewarded for their determination when Aaron O’Sullivan crashed over in the left corner for a consolation converted try.

GAME 1: Springbok Sevens 48 (24) Japan 0

Springbok Sevens – Tries: Impi Visser, JC Pretorius, Shilton van Wyk, Siviwe Soyizwapi, Zain Davids, Selvyn Davids, Ronald Brown, Shaun Williams. Conversions: Branco du Preez (2), Brown (2).

GAME 2: Springbok Sevens 21 (7) Ireland 12 (0)

Springbok Sevens – Tries: Shilton van Wyk, Selvyn Davids, Impi Visser. Conversion: Branco du Preez, Ronald Brown (2).

Ireland – Tries: Terry Kennedy, Aaron O’Sullivan. Conversion: Mark Roche.

GAME 3: Springbok Sevens 21 (14) Great Britain 7 (7)

Springbok Sevens – Tries: Zain Davids, Shilton van Wyk, Ronald Brown. Conversions: Branco du Preez (2), Brown.

Great Britain – Try: Alex Davis. Conversion: Robbie Fergusson.

Saturday’s quarter-final draw:

Australia vs Ireland – 07:44

Argentina vs Great Britain – 08:06

USA vs France – 08:28

South Africa vs Kenya – 08:50

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Jurgen Klopp says ‘intense’ Diogo Jota is perfect fit for Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp says Diogo Jota’s intensity made him stand out as an ideal Liverpool player before the Portugal forward even moved to Anfield.

Jota first caught Klopp’s attention with his work-rate and intelligence while playing for Wolves against Liverpool in the FA Cup in 2018.

Less than two years later, Klopp paid £41 million ($54 million) to sign Jota in a deal that already looks a bargain.

“I remember the first time I saw him I thought he could be a player for me because of how intense he was in all situations,” Klopp said on Friday.

“Technically he was on a really high level but the intensity he puts in makes all the difference as at our level all players have technical quality.

“You make a difference with your attitude and that was what I was most excited about adding Diogo to the mix.”

Deputising for the injured Roberto Firmino, Jota has scored four goals in his past three matches, including one in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby at Everton.

SOCCER QUIZ | Test your football knowledge and you could WIN R1 000 in cellphone data!

The 24-year-old has nine goals in all competitions this season, silencing the critics who said he did not score enough at Wolves.

“People said he didn’t score an awful lot of goals but the problem is Wolves had the most intense style of play for offensive wingers,” Klopp said ahead of Jota’s return to Molineux to face his old club on Saturday.

“Raul Jimenez was allowed to stay up but the rest had to cover the whole pitch and it costs you energy. And he was very young then.

“All that made it very interesting for us and it was clear he would make the next steps with us. What I didn’t know when I saw him first is Diogo is an incredible package.”

Jota not the only red-hot Liverpool forward this season

Mohamed Salah, once criticised for being too selfish on the pitch, has provided eight assists in 14 league games to go with his 13 league goals.

Praising Salah’s development, Klopp denied he had spoken to the Egypt star in an effort to make him more of a team player.

“It’s not a coincidence but we didn’t have a specific talk about that as these things happen naturally,” said the Liverpool boss, whose side are third in the table, two points behind leaders Chelsea.

“He was never criticised by us for being too selfish because he never was. For a striker who comes in situations where we want him to finish off and from time to time oversees a mate who is maybe in a better position is completely normal.

“What helps a lot is experience, being in similar situations for plenty of times that you know what happens when we are there.”

© Agence France-Presse

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