Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

People sit on a pickup truck as they prepare to travel about 250 km south to Adre, on the Chad-Sudan border, at a transport station in Tine, eastern Chad, November 25, 2025. The movement comes amid the ongoing conflict between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Delhi:

Swiss industrialist Pankaj Oswal filed an appeal with the United Nations against the alleged illegal detention of his 26-year-old daughter in Uganda.

Vasundhara Oswal was seized by around 20 armed men, who did not produce an identification or warrant, from Oswal’s extra-neutral alcohol (ENA) plant in Uganda. While she was detained on October 1, purportedly in a missing man’s case, an urgent appeal to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) was filed earlier this week.

A post on Vasundhara’s Instagram handle detailed her “unlawful detainment and arrest”, showing a toilet with blood and faeces on the floor. The post claimed that she forced to sit in a room full of shoes for over 90 hours, and not allowed to bathe or change her clothes for nearly five days.  The woman was denied basic necessities, like clean water and proper food, given a small bench to sleep on, and made to participate in a suspect parade.

The EU Reporter said Vasundhara was denied vegetarian food and denying access to her family and lawyers.

Another post on her Instagram handle quoted her brother as describing Vasundhara as a “workaholic”, who developed the $110 million ENA plant in Uganda’s Luwero from “a small tent on a bare land in 2021”. He said her detention was a result of corporate jealousy of an unnamed 68-year-old man, whom he charged with an attempt to extort the Oswal money and drown her reputation. 

Vasundhara’s brother further claimed that the authorities did not release her despite a court order, and instead took her to a look court where she was charged with murder.

The WGAD is an expert body of international human rights specialists appointed by the Human Rights Council to investigate the misuse of the police powers, to shine a light on abuse and to intervene with the governments responsible.

Meanwhile, Vasundhara’s mother Radhika Oswal, in an appeal to the Ugandan government, said, “My young daughter has been thrown into a foreign jail. She has been stripped of her basic human rights and her dignity. Vasundhara is an innocent bystander. All I want is her safety.”

The Monitor, on the other hand, claimed that Vasundhara, also the executive director of PRO Industries, and the company’s lawyer were remanded to prison on charges of kidnapping with intent to kill chef Mukesh Kumar Menaria, who has worked for the family for seven years.

People gather at a site of a collapsed landfill in Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday, August 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

The death toll from a landslide at a vast garbage dump in the Ugandan capital Kampala has risen to 18, police said on Sunday, amid claims the site was a disaster waiting to happen.

Local media said homes, people and livestock were engulfed in mountains of waste at the landfill in the Northern Kampala district of Kiteezi on Saturday after a collapse caused by heavy downpours.

President Yoweri Museveni said he had directed the army’s special forces to help in the search and rescue operation and demanded to know who allowed people to live near such a “potentially hazardous and dangerous heap”.

Kampala’s metropolitan police spokesman Patrick Onyango told reporters at the scene that 14 bodies had been recovered on Saturday, and another four on Sunday.

He gave no breakdown, but on Saturday the Kampala Capital City Authority, which operates the landfill, had given a death toll of eight including two children.

Earlier, Mr. Onyango told AFP that an estimated 1,000 people were displaced and that the police were working with other government agencies and community leaders to see how to help those affected.

Kampala mayor Erias Lukwago told AFP that “many, many more could be still buried in the heap as the rescue operation is ongoing”.

He described it as a “national disaster”, accusing corrupt officials who have been syphoning off money that should have been used to maintain the landfill.

– ‘Danger zone’ –

Mr. Museveni said in a statement posted on X that he had ordered payments to the victims’ families of five million Ugandan shillings ($1,300) for each fatality and one million shillings ($270) for each injured person.

He also called for an investigation into how people were allowed to live so close to the site and ordered the removal of all those living in the “danger zone”.

Excavators were still churning through huge mounds of rubbish on Sunday as crowds of residents watched, some wailing in despair.

Lukwago had on Saturday raised concerns about the safety of the 36-acre (14-hectare) Kiteezi landfill which was established in 1996 and takes in almost all garbage collected across Kampala.

“This is a disaster and was bound to happen as the landfill was full to capacity,” he told AFP, adding that it received about 1,500 tonnes of waste a day.

In January, Lukwago had warned that people working and living near the site were at risk of numerous health hazards due to overflowing waste.

Several areas in Uganda and other parts of East Africa have been battered by heavy rains recently, including Ethiopia, the second most populous country on the continent.

Devastating mudslides in a remote mountainous area in southern Ethiopia last month killed around 250 people. In February 2010, mudslides in the Mount Elgon region of eastern Uganda killed more than 350 people.

New Zealand put up a clinical performance to notch a comprehensive but a consolatory nine-wicket win over minnows Uganda in the T20 World Cup in Tarouba. Left-arm pacer Trent Boult (2/7) and fellow veteran quick Tim Southee (3/4) wrecked havoc as Uganda folded up for a mere 40 in 18.4 overs, missing the lowest total in the T20 World Cup by just a run. Uganda had been bowled out for the joint-lowest team total of 39 against West Indies last week. The gulf between them and top nations has been pretty evident in the tournament.

Opener Devon Conway (22 not out off 15, 4x4s) then fuelled New Zealand’s first win of the tournament with the Kiwis knocking off the target in 5.2 overs.

Having lost their opening two games to Afghanistan and hosts West Indies, New Zealand finished outside of the semifinals for the first time in 10 years.

The Kiwis flexed their muscle against debutants Uganda, whose batters continued to struggle in the tournament. The African side has not gone beyond the 80-run mark in the tournament and conclude with three losses and a win.

With the ball swinging prodigiously in the powerplay, New Zealand made the most of it, giving away just 9/3.

Boult set the tone of the match with twin strikes in the first over.

He swung the ball away from a clueless Simon Ssesazi to trap him leg before wicket on the third ball of the innings.

Boult then knocked over Robinson Obuya’s stumps on the very next delivery. The 34-year-old, however, was denied a hattrick by Alpesh Ramjani, who negotiated an out-swinging yorker.

Southee claimed Uganda’s third wicket fell in the fourth over, as he trapped Ramjani in front of the wickets.

Wickets continued to tumble for Uganda as spinners Mitchell Santner (2/8) and Rachin Ravindra (2/9) and pacer Lockie Ferguson (1/9) joined in on the action.

Southee then returned in the 18th over to claim two more wickets, trapping Fred Achelam and Juma Miyagi leg before wicket on consecutive deliveries. But like Boult, he too was denied a hattrick.

Kenneth Waiswa (11) was the only Ugandan batter to reach a double digit score.

New Zealand vs Uganda, T20 World Cup 2024 LIVE Updates© X (formerly Twitter)

Two-time champions and co-hosts West Indies are grouped with New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. West Indies and New Zealand are the top-ranked teams in Group C, but will face strong resistance from Afghanistan, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea as they aim to make it through to the second round. West Indies will be aiming for a record third T20 World Cup title, and are in great form in the lead-up to the tournament. Uganda will make their debut on the global stage, and will look to pull off further miracles in their romantic journey.

West Indies:

A series victory against defending champions, England, towards the end of last year revealed how dangerous a full-strength West Indies side can be. Despite their lacklustre performance in the 2022 edition, the Rovman Powell-led side poses a major threat this time around.

They are well covered in all departments with several all-rounders and big-hitters, capable of swinging games. The surprise inclusion in their squad for the tournament was Shamar Joseph, uncapped in T20Is until featuring against South Africa recently, but a supreme talent in the making as he showed in Australia during the Test series at the start of the year.

West Indies also get a fairly easier start to the tournament with games against the lower-ranked teams in the group, PNG and Uganda. If they start well, the co-hosts will be favourites to top the group.

Squad:

Rovman Powell (c), Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd

Fixtures:

Sun, 2 June 2024 – West Indies v Papua New Guinea, Guyana, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Sat, 8 June 2024 – West Indies v Uganda, Guyana, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Wed, 12 June 2024 – West Indies v New Zealand, Trinidad, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Mon, 17 June 2024 – West Indies v Afghanistan, St. Lucia, 08:30 PM LOCAL

New Zealand:

New Zealand made very little change from the 2022 edition to this one with their squad selection. It highlights the consistency in selection on the one hand, and also how well-rounded the Blackcaps unit is.

The team is also well prepared for the event with 36 T20Is under their belt since the end of the last T20 World Cup, the most among full-member teams.

The depth of talent at their disposal was evident in the recent T20I series in Pakistan, where a second-string squad managed to level the series.

Kane Williamson, who will be playing his sixth T20 World Cup, will lead a strong side that has a wealth of experience alongside the exuberance of youth in the likes of Rachin Ravindra, who sizzled with the bat in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and the exciting Finn Allen.

Veterans Trent Boult and Tim Southee will lead the pace attack, which also has Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry. There are ample options in the spin department too with Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Michael Bracewell, and Ravindra.

New Zealand open their campaign against Afghanistan in Guyana and then take on co-hosts West Indies in Trinidad.

Squad:

Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee. Travelling Reserve: Ben Sears

Fixtures:

Fri, 7 June 2024 – New Zealand v Afghanistan, Guyana, 07:30 PM LOCAL

Wed, 12 June 2024 – New Zealand v West Indies, Trinidad, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Fri, 14 June 2024 – New Zealand v Uganda, Trinidad, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Mon, 17 June 2024 – New Zealand v Papua New Guinea, Trinidad, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Afghanistan:

Afghanistan are ranked 10th in the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, but are more than capable of pulling off big wins.

They recorded series victories against UAE (twice), Pakistan and Ireland since the end of the last T20 World Cup and also reached the final of the Asian Games Men’s Cricket Competition, where they lost to India.

The squad is boosted by the return of Rashid Khan after the leg-spinner’s long injury layoff. He leads a versatile spin department that also has the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Nangyal Kharoti and veteran Mohammad Nabi.

Afghanistan begin their campaign against Uganda in Guyana on June 3.

Squad:

Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik. Reserves: Sediq Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Saleem Safi

Fixtures:

Mon, 3 June 2024 – Afghanistan v Uganda, Guyana, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Fri, 7 June 2024 – Afghanistan v New Zealand, Guyana, 07:30 PM LOCAL

Thur, 13 June 2024 – Afghanistan v Papua New Guinea, Trinidad, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Mon, 17 June 2024 – Afghanistan v West Indies, St. Lucia, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Uganda:

Uganda secured a spot in the T20 World Cup by comfortably defeating Rwanda in their last match of the Africa region qualifier. With five wins in six games, Uganda was the standout team alongside Namibia in the Africa Qualifier as they sealed their berth in the mega event.

Uganda have a stellar record leading up to the tournament with 41 wins in their last 49 T20Is, a win percentage of 83.67 per cent.

Led by Brian Masaba, Uganda will feature in the tournament with plenty of experience in the squad. The 43-year-old Frank Nsubuga aside, the squad also features Alpesh Ramjani, who was one of the nominees for the 2023 ICC Men’s T20I cricketer of the Year.

Uganda play their first three games in Guyana and have the opportunity to spring a surprise from Group C.

Squad:

Brian Masaba (c), Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa, Cosmas Kyewuta, Dinesh Nakrani, Fred Achelam, Kenneth Waiswa, Alpesh Ramjani, Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo, Bilal Hassun, Robinson Obuya, Riazat Ali Shah, Juma Miyaji, Ronak Patel. Travelling Reserves: Innocent Mwebaze, Ronald Lutaaya

Fixtures:

Mon, 3 June 2024 – Uganda v Afghanistan, Guyana, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Wed, 5 June 2024 – Uganda v Papua New Guinea, Guyana, 07:30 PM LOCAL

Sat, 8 June 2024 – Uganda v West Indies, Guyana, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Fri, 14 June 2024 – Uganda v New Zealand, Trinidad, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Papua New Guinea:

Like Uganda, PNG come into the tournament with an impeccable record of 14 wins in their last 18 games. They are led by the enterprising Assad Vala, PNG are set to appear for the second time at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Papua New Guinea maintained an unbeaten record in the qualifiers, winning six consecutive matches.

With plenty of all-rounders in the squad, PNG have a versatile unit that can test the bigger teams in the group.

Papua New Guinea kicks off its campaign with a challenging opening match against the host nation, West Indies, on June 2. They then face Uganda on June 5, followed by matches against Afghanistan and New Zealand.

Squad:

Assadollah Vala (c), Alei Nao, Chad Soper, CJ Amini, Hila Vare, Hiri Hiri, Jack Gardner, John Kariko, Kabua Vagi Morea, Kipling Doriga, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Sema Kamea, Sese Bau, Tony Ura

Fixtures:

Sun, 2 June 2024 – Papua New Guinea v West Indies, Guyana, 10:30 AM LOCAL

Wed, 5 June 2024 – Papua New Guinea v Uganda, Guyana, 07:30 PM LOCAL

Thur, 13 June 2024 – Papua New Guinea v Afghanistan, Trinidad, 08:30 PM LOCAL

Mon, 17 June 2024 – Papua New Guinea v New Zealand, Trinidad, 10:30 AM LOCAL

The 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will see the return of a major global cricket tournament to the West Indies after 14 years. The USA will also host World Cup games for the first time ever. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced India’s 15-man squad on April 30. Rohit Sharma will lead the side, while Hardik Pandya retained vice-captaincy despite a difficult IPL 2024 season. Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul were the headline absentees. The T20 World Cup gets underway on June 2 as USA take on Canada. The final is on June 29, at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

All 20 T20 World Cup Squads:

India (ICC T20I Rank-1):

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan

Australia (ICC T20I Rank-2):

Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Reserves: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matthew Short

England (ICC T20I Rank-3):

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood

West Indies (ICC T20I Rank-4):

Rovman Powell (c), Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd

New Zealand (ICC T20I Rank-5):

Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee. 

Reserve: Ben Sears

Pakistan (ICC T20I Rank-6):

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan

South Africa (ICC T20I Rank-7):

Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs

Sri Lanka (ICC T20I Rank-8):

Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka

Reserves: Asitha Fernando, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage

Bangladesh (ICC T20I Rank-9):

Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Taskin Ahmed, Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmud Ullah Riyad, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanvir Islam, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib

Reserves: Afif Hossain, Hasan Mahmud

Afghanistan (ICC T20I Rank-10):

Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik

Reserves: Sediq Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Saleem Safi

Ireland (ICC T20I Rank-11):

Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

Namibia (ICC T20I Rank-13):

Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Michael Van Lingen, Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Tangeni Lungameni, Niko Davin, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, JP Kotze, David Wiese, Bernard Scholtz, Malan Kruger, PD Blignaut

Scotland (ICC T20I Rank-14):

Richie Berrington (c), Matthew Cross, Brad Currie, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Jack Jarvis, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Charlie Tear, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal

Netherlands (ICC T20I Rank-15): 

Scott Edwards (c), Aryan Dutt, Bas de Leede, Kyle Klein, Logan van Beek, Max O’Dowd, Michael Levitt, Paul van Meekeren, Ryan Klein, Saqib Zulfiqar, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Teja Nidamanuru, ⁠⁠Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh, Viv Kingma, Wesley Barresi

Reserve: Ryan Klein

Nepal (ICC T20I Rank-17):

Rohit Paudel (c), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee

United States (ICC T20I Rank-18):

Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones, Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Nethralvakar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Shayan Jahangir. Reserve Players: Gajanand Singh, Juanoy Drysdale, Yasir Mohammad

Oman (ICC T20I Rank-19):

Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale, Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi, Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Rafiullah, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Shakeel Ahmad, Khalid Kail

Reserves: Jatinder Singh, Samay Shrivastava, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra

Papua New Guinea (ICC T20I Rank-20):

Assadollah Vala (c), Alei Nao, Chad Soper, CJ Amini, Hila Vare, Hiri Hiri, Jack Gardner, John Kariko, Kabua Vagi Morea, Kipling Doriga, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Sema Kamea, Sese Bau, Tony Ura

Uganda (ICC T20I Rank-22):

Brian Masaba (c), Simon Ssesazi, Roger Mukasa, Cosmas Kyewuta, Dinesh Nakrani, Fred Achelam, Kenneth Waiswa, Alpesh Ramjani, Frank Nsubuga, Henry Ssenyondo, Bilal Hassun, Robinson Obuya, Riazat Ali Shah, Juma Miyaji, Ronak Patel

Reserves: Innocent Mwebaze, Ronald Lutaaya

Canada (ICC T20I Rank-23):

Saad Bin Zafar (c), Aaron Johnson, Ravinderpal Singh, Navneet Dhaliwal, Kaleem Sana, Dilon Heyliger, Jeremy Gordon, Nikhil Dutta, Pargat Singh, Nicholas Kirton, Rayyankhan Pathan, Junaid Siddiqui, Dilpreet Bajwa, Shreyas Movva, Rishiv Joshi. Reserves: Tajinder Singh, Aaditya Varadharajan, Ammar Khalid, Jatinder Matharu, Parveen Kumar