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{{U.N. Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region Mary Robinson has said she is prepared to address the DRCongo issue directly with Rwanda. }}

She said on arrival in Goma on Monday,“I do not say one thing in Goma and another thing in Rwanda. I say tough things, especially to people who need to hear those tough things directly.

And I am prepared to speak very truthfully, but also to continue to engage with Rwanda, because that is my role and my responsibility”.

Robinson arrived Monday in Goma as part of a diplomatic tour of the region.

Other foreign envoys, including Boubacar Diarra of the African Union and Russ Feingold from the United States, are due to join Robinson on her tour of the region, which includes a stop in Rwanda.

Robinson said she supports MONUSCO’s aggressive operations, which she sees as having opened up a chance for dialogue.

“What I see as being valuable is that there is now potentially a window for the political discussions,” she said.

Robinson also said she would like to see the renewal of the Kampala talks between the Congolese government and M23. Those talks fell apart as fighting intensified during the past few months.

{{All 13 Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) are to receive over 100,000 new books to help build a culture of reading. }}

The Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) and the USAID-funded Literacy, Language, and Learning (L3) Initiative have received the shipment of books and are preparing them for distribution to TTCs in the coming weeks.

The books have been donated through the International Book Bank (IBB), an American organization dedicated to improving literacy world-wide.

Publishers donate overstock to IBB, and organizations in developing countries can then select titles and place an order.

This shipment for TTCs includes children’s storybooks, reference books for teachers, and novels and nonfiction books for recreational reading.

“KIE is committed to promoting reading at TTCs and nearby primary schools,” says Dr. Faustin Habineza, Head of Primary Education and Coordinator of TTCs at KIE.

“These books will be an invaluable resource towards that end and will contribute to improving quality education in Rwandan schools.”

The storybooks will be particularly useful to TTCs this year as they roll-out a new curriculum, including a newly-developed course on language methods.

The use of story in teaching children how to read is heavily emphasized; techniques for before, during, and after reading, including the use of props, actions, songs, and expressive reading voice, are included.

“Storytelling can be used as an effective means to promote reading comprehension,” says Jean Pierre Mugiraneza, an assistant lecturer at KIE. “Children like stories.”

With the new books, TTC tutors can model effective use of story in the classroom for TTC students, who will then practice this during their student-teaching at primary schools.

Both TTC tutors and students will benefit from reference books, some of which focus on reading strategies. Additionally, novels and nonfiction books will provide them with materials for recreational reading.

When TTC students themselves love to read, they will share that love of reading with primary school children and other teachers once they themselves become teachers.

“Students in TTCs…have a very limited access to reading books, especially for leisure,” said Mugiraneza.

“This shipment is a long [awaited] response to these challenges. Undoubtedly, TTCs students’ fingers are crossed to receive this shipment.”

Funded by USAID, the L3 Initiative is implemented by Education Development Center (EDC) in partnership with KIE and the Rwanda Education Board with assistance from Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), Concern Worldwide, International Education Exchange, and the Peace Corps.

{{Foreign and defence ministers from the region are today meeting in Kampala ahead of the emergency meeting by regional heads of state to discuss the situation in Eastern DR Congo.}}

The heads of state are set to meet at the Commonwealth Resort Munyonyo on Friday September 6, under the auspices of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).

An Official from Uganda foreign affairs ministry said, “This coming extraordinary summit should be seen as an effort by the chair to bring all parties to the conflict and all regional leaders to help find a lasting solution to the conflict aimed at creating stability in eastern DRC and the region as whole.”

The expected delegations to the summit include that of Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, DR Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.

The UN is also expected to be represented at the summit.

{{New changes have been effected in both the Rwanda Defence Forces and Rwanda National Police.}}

ACP Theos Badege is the new director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Rwanda National Police.

Lt. Col. Wilson Kayitare is now transfered to Rwanda National Police at rank of ACP and head Gishari Police training School.

Lt. Col. Denis Basabose is now transfered to Rwanda National Police at rank of ACP and will be in charge of Logistics.

Major Safari Uwimana is now transfered to Rwanda National Police at rank of CSP and will serve as Director of Training.

Capt. Edward Kalisa has been transfered to Rwanda National Police at a rank of SSP.

Capt. Rene Ruganji has been transfered to Rwanda National Police at a rank of SSP.

Capt. Nelson Bugingo has also been transfered to Rwanda National Police at rank of SSP.

Capt. Bernard Mukama transfered to Rwanda National Police at rank of SSP.

Capt. John Mulisa transfered to Rwanda National Police at a rank of SSP.

Lt. Alphonse Ngarambe transfered to Rwanda National Police at rank of SP.

WO1 (Warrant Officer I/Adjudant Chef) Musafiri Francois has been transfered to Rwanda National Police at rank IP.

However, in the new and unique changes CP Faustin Kalisa and ACP Charles Shema have been transfered to the Rwanda Defence Forces.

{{In a followup to the tripatite regional infrastructure development summit,officials from member countries of the East African Community will in october convene in Kigali to discuss the roadmap for the realisation of the political federation.}}

The meeting is slated among others to deliberate on the terms of reference and the roadmap. Technical experts and ministers are also set to prepare a draft of the Federal constitution.

Article 5(2) of the treaty establishing the EAC envisages a Customs Union, a Common Market, a Monetary Union and ultimately a Political Federation in order to strengthen and regulate the industrial, commercial, infrastructural, cultural, social, political and other relations of the Partner States.

Uganda tasked to spearhead the establishment of the one regional government will chair the discussions will chair the Kigali discussions.

The national coordinator of the tripartite initiative, Monique Mukaruliza, said,“Realising political federation will be based on the success of Customs Union, a Common Market, and a Monetary Union. Once people are moving freely within the Community I have no doubt that the federation will be realised.”

It is envisaged that the Federal State will comprise a Federal Executive, Federal Legislature and a Federal Judiciary, with functions based on the principle of separation of powers.

The political federation is expected to create a unified authority to coordinate policies, address the associated challenges as well as ensure sustainable growth and development in all sectors.

{{Although Rwanda and Britain have no extradition treaty, a British cout has set October 28 for a hearing to determine whether five men suspected of having a hand in the 1994 Rwanda Genocide can be extradited to Rwanda.}}

The suspects have been identified as Emmanuel Nteziryayo, from Mudasomwa commune, Charles Munyaneza, from Kinyamakara, and Celestin Ugirashebuja, from Kigoma, all in the current Southern Province.

Others contesting their extradition to Rwanda include; Dr Vincent Bajinya, former head of the National Population Office, and Celestin Mutabaruka, who headed a project called ‘Crete Zaire Nil’.

According to John Bosco Siboyintore, the head of the Genocide Fugitives Tracking Unit (GFTU), “Under international law, a country has the obligation to either extradite or try suspects of such serious crimes as genocide and crimes against humanity.”

He added that; “We are only going to follow up the case in court, hear what is said.”

Siboyintore explains that although there is no extradition treaty between Rwanda and Britain, “a memorandum of understanding can be considered.”

Under international law, cases as serious as genocide or complicity to commit genocide do not require an extradition arrangement to be in place.

{{Three suspects including; a man and two women have been arrested in Ruhango cell, Gisozi sector of Gasabo district for allegedly kidnapping a man.}}

Elias Nsengiyumva, Véronise Nyirarukundo and Dénise Nikuze purportedly kidnapped Modeste Sengoga last Friday in Kabuye cell of Jabana sector and forced him to call his wife for a ransom of Rwf1 million.

They are currently detained at Remera police station.

Sengoga said he was apparently looking for a land to buy in the area.

Police investigations indicate that the victim met Nyirarukundo and asked her if she knew any land on sale in the area. The two knew each other.

She directed him to Nsengiyumva saying he’s a broker of land in the area.

Nyirarukundo then invited the victim to his house as they waited for Nsengiyumva’s arrival; little did he know that the former had other hidden agenda.

As Sengoga tried to leave, however, Nsengiyumva pulled out a knife and threatened to kill him if he didn’t give them Rwf1 million.

The wife, who didn’t know that the husband was kidnapped, then sent Rwf500, 000 through mobile money, to his husband’s phone, which was withdrawn by his captors.

The wife then got suspicious and reported the matter to police after the husband kept pressurising her to send another Rwf500, 000 on top of having not returned at home the previous night.

Police then launched investigations and arrested Nsengiyumva as he tried to withdraw the second portion of the money at a Tigo Cash agent in Gisozi, who disclosed his accomplices.

Nyirarukundo argued that the victim owed her Rwf1 million, but could not explain what the money was for or why she used that method to get her alleged money, when asked.

The victim labelled Nyirarukundo’s claims as lies and that the two never had any financial deals together.

Nsengiyumva, however, confessed to the crime but denied having used any harmful tool to intimidate the victim.

“My task was only to force the man [Sengoga] to give the money back. Knowing whether he had borrowed the money [from Nyirarukundo] was not part of my deal,” Nsengiyumva explained.

Nsengiyumva told police that Nyirarukundo had paid him Rwf130,000 for the mission.

Kidnapping, under article 273 of the penal code, is punishable with a prison sentence of between two and five years.

source: RNP