IGIHE

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  • African Union Plans Bigger Peacekeeping force for CAR

    {{The African Union will form a new 3,600-strong peacekeeping mission for Central African Republic (CAR) to step up efforts to stabilize the fractious country, officials said on Friday.}}

    Admore Kambudzi, secretary of the AU’s Peace and Security Council, said an existing regional peacekeeping mission known as MICOPAX would be rolled into the larger new force from August.

    He said its mandate would be to protect civilians and help stabilize the country and restore the central government in the former French colony, which is rich in gold and diamonds.

    Central African Republic, a nation of 4.5 million at the heart of the continent, has suffered decades of instability. Seleka rebels toppled the president in March, causing chaos and a humanitarian crisis.

    Ramtane Lamamra, commissioner of the Peace and Security Council, said 2,600 troops contributed voluntarily by AU members would be sent to beef up the roughly 1,100 troops in MICOPAX.

    “It is aimed at moving from the situation that CAR and the region have been experiencing for quite some time to a different kind of engagement on the part of the international community,” Lamamra said.

    The United Nations says more than 49,000 refugees have fled to neighboring states since December, mainly Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Cameroon and Congo Republic. More than 200,000 people have been displaced within the country.

    Seleka, a grouping of five rebel movements, launched its insurgency in early December, accusing former President Francois Bozize of reneging on a 2007 peace deal.

    Parliament named Seleka’s leader, Michel Djotodia, interim president after Bozize’s removal. He is charged with leading the chronically unstable country to elections within 18 months.

    Local rebellions, banditry, ethnic tensions and spillover from conflicts in Chad, Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo have long undermined stability in the country, which has endured misrule and lawlessness since independence from France in 1960.

    {agencies}

  • Schaeuble says Germany does not want a ‘German Europe’

    {{Germany does not want a “German Europe” and believes no single country can take a leading role, yet Berlin does have a special responsibility for the path to exiting the euro zone crisis, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble wrote in an editorial.}}

    “It is a completely absurd idea, to think that the Germans want to play the role of leader in Europe… We do not want a ‘German Europe’,” Schaeuble wrote in a piece to be published in five European newspapers on Saturday, and made available in German on Friday.

    But he added, “at the same time Germany believes it has a special responsibility for the mutually agreed pathway for solving the euro zone crisis. We assume this leadership responsibility above all in conjunction with our French friends.”

    Much discussion about Germany during the euro zone crisis has been contradictory, he noted, with some criticizing Berlin for doing too much, others too little.

    “It is a misconception to think that in Europe one country should or could lead. Germany’s reserve isn’t only because of our guilt-laden history. The particular political composition of Europe simply does not lend itself to the notion of one nation leading and others following,” he added.

    “Germans least of all could tolerate a ‘German Europe’. We want rather to see a Germany helping economic recovery in Europe, without itself becoming weak in the process,” he said.

    Sound financing and creating the right conditions to keep pace with global competition were not German ideas, Schaeuble said, but rather the necessary steps for a secure future.

    Schaeuble visited Athens on Thursday in a trip presented by the Greek government as a show of support by one of its biggest creditors. But he also bluntly told Greeks to stop asking for a second debt write-down following a restructuring last year that imposed massive losses on private holders of Greek bonds.

    {agencies}

  • North Korean Ship was Carrying Sugar Donation, Cuba told Panama

    {{When a North Korean ship carrying Cuban arms was seized last week in Panama on suspicion of smuggling drugs, Cuba first said it was loaded with sugar for the people of North Korea, according to a Panamanian official familiar with the matter.}}

    Cuban officials were quick to request the ship be released, pledging there were no drugs on board, and made no mention of the weapons which two days later were found hidden in the hold under 220,000 sacks of brown sugar, the official told Reuters.

    “They said it was all a big misunderstanding,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

    Cuba declined to comment on the official’s account.

    Questions still surround the cargo of sugar and what Cuba called “obsolete” Soviet-era weapons which it said it was sending halfway around the world to be repaired in North Korea.

    The discovery has put the already isolated Asian nation under increased diplomatic pressure because the cargo is suspected of being in breach of a U.N. arms embargo against Pyongyang over its nuclear and ballistic missile program.

    For Cuba, the benefits of smuggling out-of-date weapons to North Korea did not seem to make up for the potential pitfalls, experts said.

    “It’s baffling. It’s hard to believe Cuba would risk so much for so little,” said Frank Mora, the Pentagon’s senior official for Latin America during president Obama’s first term.

    Panamanian officials say the shipment was probably part of an arms-for-sugar exchange aimed at refurbishing Cuba’s aging air defenses.

    “We understand it was a barter deal, arms for sugar, that’s what our intelligence sources are telling us,” said the Panamanian official familiar with the investigation.

    A U.S. official confirmed that one of the theories being studied is that it may have been a barter deal.

    A senior Panamanian official said on Friday that investigators unloading the cargo may have discovered explosive material on board the ship, and would check it this weekend.

    While Cuba needs to upgrade its arsenal, Mora and others say, the botched smuggling operation was so clumsy and ill-conceived that it appeared out of character for the usually circumspect and highly disciplined Cuban military.

    Nevertheless, it may not have been the first such attempt.

    Security experts say five North Korean-flagged vessels have transited through the Panama Canal in the last three years. One ship, the O Un Chong Nyon Ho, passed through the canal and docked in Havana in May 2012.

    “It’s interesting that this kind of relationship exists between Cuba and North Korea,” said Bruce Bagley, a Latin America expert at the University of Miami and former consultant to Panama’s intelligence service.

    “It shows that both Cuba and North Korea are quite isolated and are seeking some solace in each other’s commercial and diplomatic embraces. They have few alternatives and they don’t have any hard cash,” he said.

    {reuters}

  • Police Launches Mobile Vehicles Inspection Lane

    {{Rwanda National Police (RNP) on Friday officially launched the Motor Vehicle Mobile Test Lane to facilitate owners of cars operating in the countryside.}}

    It was a moment of joy at Huye IPRC in Huye District, where the event was held, as road users and car owners in particular, who turned up for the launch, commended the RNP for “bringing the services closer.”

    The launch was presided over by the Governor of the Southern Province, Mr. Alphonse Munyenwari and the Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel K. Gasana.

    Mechanical faults are among the causes of road accidents.

    Mr. Munyenwari thanked Rwanda National Police for decentralizing and offering quality services to the beneficiaries.

    He said the lane is a fulfillment of the President’s promise to the people of Nyaruguru, who had in February informed him of the challenges they face commuting to Kigali to have their vehicles inspected.

    “Road accidents can be a bottleneck to the country’s development, and Rwanda can’t allow that,” he said, calling on road users to respect traffic rules.

    He pledged commitment to further enforce road safety.

    The lane is a boost to the force’s efforts to promote road safety by providing fast quality services and facilitating car owners in the countryside.

    With the introduction of the mobile inspection facility, owners of vehicles in the countryside will no longer have to travel to Kigali for the same services, as they will now be served from their areas of operation.

    The mobile lane, which has the capacity to inspect between 80 and 100 vehicles per day, comes to supplement other three Remera-based lanes which have the capacity to inspect between 300 and 350 vehicles daily.

    The mobile centre will be stationed in Huye for seven days serving car owners in the neighbouring districts, before we head to the Northern and Eastern respectively.

    All vehicles are subjected to a periodic technical inspection and those that are not roadworthy are required to be repaired before hitting the road again.

    The mobile lane will cater for both private and commercial vehicles and issues a certificate valid for one year and six months respectively after successful inspection.

    The presidential decree No. 85/01 of September 2, 2002, regulating general traffic police and road traffic; stipulates, in part, that “vehicles not satisfying the set technical criteria will not be issued a certificate. Owners of vehicles using public roads without the certificate will be liable to a fine of Rwf 25, 000.”

    The IGP also echoed the force’s commitment to bring services to the people, adding that plans are underway, in partnership with the Workforce Development Authority (WDA), to introduce other mechanical inspection centres in Huye, Ngoma, Musanze, Karongi and Kigali.

    Jean Pierre Rutayisire, who hails from Nyanza District, said the mobile lane will support them in their businesses “since we will no longer have to commute to Kigali to have our vehicles inspected, which was time consuming, costly and holding back our businesses.”

    RNP

  • Palliative care Education Program at Kibagabaga Hospital for Medical Students

    {{Kibagabaga Hospital has launched an integrated education program for medical students during their Internship period focused on assessing and managing of pain and symptoms control.}}

    Over the last decade, Rwanda has made significant strides towards improving public health and achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

    Rwanda has seen significant improvement in maternal and child health and in combating infectious diseases. Integrating palliative care into medical education can expand the scope of health delivery for Rwandans.

    In its Vision 2020, Rwanda aims to achieve its Objectives through seven strategies and/or pillars, which include reducing birth rate, increasing access to education and enhancing healthcare to general population.

    The government of Rwanda recognizes that achieving the Millennium development goals cannot be based only on emphasizing infectious diseases; they must also address treatment of non-communicable chronic diseases.

    Thus the government advocates that palliative care should be adequate, that equity be ensured in all aspects of healthcare service delivery including dispensation of palliative care in cases of incurable diseases.

    Kibagabaga Hospital is a public hospital located in Gasabo district, Kigali city. Sixty percent of the total population of Kigali resides in Gasabo district.

    Kibagabaga Hospital has two hundred and thirty beds and four main departments: Pediatric, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Internal Medicine and Surgery. The Hospital also supervises sixteen health centers and one prison.

    Kibagabaga serves fifty-five thousand in-patients & outpatients, annually. The goal is to provide the highest quality of care, which will lead to improve the quality of life for Rwandans.

    Kibagabaga Hospital hosts a team of qualified physicians composed of five specialists: Internal Medicine, Ear/Nose/Throat, Ophthalmology, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics and fiften General Physicians.

    Ten medical students are assigned for their internship training at Kibagabaga. The hospital works closely with the community based health insurance program, which supports 90% of patient costs.

    Palliative care has been integrated into care at Kibagabaga since 2010.

    Guiding principles of the program are:
    Improving quality of life of patients by relieving pain and controlling symptoms by integrating a holistic approach at all level and departments.

    Reducing costs by giving supplies and medications to the patients and their families; advice families to avoid unnecessary travel which is not beneficial to the patient, and focus on care, rather than cure.

    Recognising that freedom from pain is a human right and incorporate that value and the respect for individual dignity into teaching of health professionals.

    Kibagabaga Hospital launched a new education program led by Dr. Christian NTIZIMIRA & Dr. Olive Mukeshimana for medical students from July 5th, 2013 till the end of their internships.

    According to the curriculum from the Faculty of Medicine of Rwanda, every medical student must spend one year at the district level and work in at least 2 main departments. Kibagabaga is among the medical student sites. Palliative care is one of the focus areas integrated into medical student education at Kibagabaga.

    The aim of this program is to introduce medical students to the concepts and principals of palliative care; to enable them to integrate these principles into care that improves services to patients with terminal and chronic diseases.

    Students will participate in the program one day a week for six months under the guidance of two supervising physicians.

    Teaching sessions will include relevant topics and case studies based on four areas of focus:
    o Application of the concept and principals of palliative care;
    o Assessing and managing pain and other physical symptoms appropriately;
    o Communication with patients and their families with sensitivity and respect;
    o Appreciating and working within a multidisciplinary, interprofessional team.

    The program’s goal is that at the end of the internship, the medical students, upon graduation, will be deployed by the Ministry of Health to different health facilities throughout the country, will be competent in management of terminal and chronic diseases, including safe administration of analgesics such as morphine.

    Every group of medical students who will participate in the internship program at Kibagabaga Hospital will benefit by working with the palliative care team that focuses on assessing and managing pain and controlling symptoms.

    At the end of their internship, a certificate of completion for Palliative care will be awarded to each student.

    Kibagabaga Hospital is also a site for student nurses, midwives and anesthetist training. The majority of these students spend more than 3 months at Kibagabaga.

    In the future, we hope to extend the program to create a curriculum of palliative care for all health care student disciplines, so that every person studying to be a doctor, nurse, mid-wife, and anesthetist will be trained in palliative care during their education.

    Let’s me wind up by quoting what Ghandhi inspired: “We have to be the change we would like to see in the world”.

  • Kenya Ports Authority Opens Liasion Office in Kigali

    {{Aimed at facilitating the quick flow of goods from sea ports to mainland East Africa, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has opened an office in Kigali at the Grand Pension Plaza located in the heart of the city.}}

    Most of Rwanda’s imports and exports go through Mombasa Port in Kenya and the new KPA office in Kigali will cater for the business community in the transit market in Rwanda, routing their cargo through the Mombasa port.

    Michael Kamau, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure presides over the commissioning of KPA liasion office in Kigali.

  • Ruhwa One-stop-Border Crossing to Facillitate Trade

    {{Rwanda and Burundi are committed to enhancing cross-border trade through establishing various mechanisms and infrastructure at border points.}}

    A new one-stop border post has therefore been established at Ruhwa in Rusizi District expected to reduce time spent by traders while clearing goods. Processing of documents will take about 5Minutes.

    With the one border post, travellers shall access services at a single entry point as opposed to the previous arrangement where traders processed documents at different locations each located on either side.

    The Minister of State for Transport, Dr Alexis Nzahabwanimana said Wednesday that the new facility will “strengthen brotherhood between our peoples and boost trade between our two countries.”

    Deogratias Rurimunzu, Burundi’s Minister of Transport and Public Works noted that the post is “another step forward in the cooperation and friendship between Rwanda and Burundi.”

    {Ministers Rurimunzu (L) and Nzahabwanimana open the Ruhwa One Stop Border Post. The New Times Photo.}

  • Defence Attachés, Media visit Rwandan Territory Bombed by FARDC

    {{Defence and Military Attaches accredited to Rwanda and Members of the media, on 18 July 2013 visited Rwanda Territory bombed on 15 July 2013 from FARDC/MONUSCO DRC controlled Goma outskirts. }}

    The bombs landed in the two villages of Gasiza and Kageshi, Busasamana in Rubavu District, 3.5km inside Rwanda and away from the scene of fighting proving this was a provocative and deliberate act.

    According to facts and findings, the two bombs were launched by BM 21 (multiple locket launcher) and another one by T55 (battle tank) were bombed from Democratic Republic of Congo territory controlled by FARDC and MONUSCO on 15 July 2013.

    While on a guided tour, the Defence and Military attachés and members of the media received briefings from Rwanda Defence Force Spokesman, Brig Gen Joseph Nzabamwita and had testimonies of the local people who witnessed the bombings.

    “We have information indicating that these bombs were shot by the FARDC commando brigade led by Colonel Mamadou N’Dala Moustafa. The BM-21 bomb that landed at Kageshi was fired from Carrière in Mugunga, DRC”, said Brig Gen Joseph Nzabamwita.

    The Defence and Military Spokesman continued saying that the BM 21 is manned by gunners of 41 Commando Bn of Col Didier, Commando Bde commanded by Col Mamadou N’dala. The Commando Bde is co-located with MONUSCO.

    He added the team of Officers from the Extended Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) verified those facts.

    The Bomb that landed at Gasiza was a T55 Tank bomb, 100mm Calibre. It was fired by a T55 tank that was located at the general area of Kanyaruchinya, a MONUSCO and FARDC dominated area where tanks were deployed in a mobile offensive role against M23 at the time as witnesses testify.

    Daria Nyirabigori, an eyewitness and survivor of the shelled site in Gasiza Cell testified; “It was in mid-afternoon and I was in my garden.

    I heard a heavy blast and I collapsed. I was woken up by people who came to see what had happened and that’s when I realised that a bomb had dropped nearby,” explained Nyirabigori, an old woman of eighties.

    Nsabimana Theoneste (cattle keeper), said he was nearby when the bomb landed in Kageshi cell (Busasamana Sector), adding that it came from the direction of Mugunga (Congo). Asked about how he knows Mugunga direction, Nsabimana responded that he lived in Muganga as a refugee.

    Though there were no casualties of the recent bombings from the DRC on Rwandan territory, unlike past 15 Bombings on Rwanda Territory in November 2012 by FARDC killing innocent civilians. MONUSCO denial follows a silent pattern in 2012 and defending FARDC even when DRC apologised for firing at Rubavu, saying it was undisciplined officers that fired without orders.

    MOD

  • Letter to President Kagame

    {{Recently two students from the United states who had been conducting Master’s research in Public Health in Rwanda had nearly failed to meet President Paul Kagame after several attempts.}}

    They had also posted posted on their twitter accounts that saying that they were not happy to return to their country without seeing president Paul Kagame that has overseen impressive achievements recorded by Rwanda in a record time, given the fact that the country was emerging from devastating destruction and mass killings during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

    The students said they unsucessfully tried meeting the president including Musanze district on the Mountain Gorilla Naming Day after buying tickets and reserving front seats in the hope to be able to talk to the President but unfortunately he did not attend that ceremony.

    On learning about the students, President Paul Kagame received them at his Office at Village Urugwiro June 26th of 2013 during which the students expressed their special happiness, and hailed him for his sacrifice for the nation, which has resulted in unprecedented rapid development, compared to the situation that was prevailing in the country 19 years ago.

    The students later left Rwanda very happy and below is their Letter to President Kagame..

    {{Dear President Kagame,}}

    {Thank you very much for warmly receiving us during our internship in Rwanda. That was truly the culminating highlight of our entire experience in Rwanda.

    We indeed have had a blast watching everyone’s reaction when we tell them we were able to sit down with the President of Rwanda and converse with him.

    We hope to come back to Rwanda in the near future to work and also to bring along family and friends to witness and enjoy firsthand what we experienced this summer.

    For now, we will continue to be ambassadors of Rwanda like you rightly encouraged us to so that more young people our age will be able to take the appropriate steps to participate in internship experiences in Rwanda and the continent of Africa at large.

    Again, thank you for the warm reception and bravo on the wonderful milestones Rwanda is accomplishing in all sectors, especially the health sector. It was indeed a learning experience that will be embedded in our hearts forever.

    Sincerely,

    Nana Efua Wilmot

    MPH Epidemiology, The Ohio State University

    Class of 2014 }

  • President Obama Recieves Rwanda’s New Envoy to US

    {{US President Barack Obama has recieved credentials of Rwanda’s new envoy Mathilde Mukantabana who will henceforth represent Rwanda to the United States.}}

    A white House statement indicated that Ambassador Mukantabana presented her credentials alongside other six new envoys that will represent their various countries to the United States.

    The new envoys include; Georgios Chacalli of cyprus, Lukman Abdulraheem Abdulkareem Al Faily of Iraq, Oliver Wonekha of Uganda , Ahn Ho Young of Korea , Bakhtiyar Turadjanovich Gulyamov of Uzbekistan and Tanzania’s Liberata Rutageruka Mulamula.