Author: IGIHE

Vedaste Hakizimana, 38, was using his shop as cover to sell cannabis to consumers.
He was arrested on Thursday after 98 pellets of cannabis were recovered from his shop located in Rusumo Cell of Gatumba Sector.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region, said that Hakizimana had used his shop as address for cannabis abusers.

“Residents reported Hakizimana to local leaders that he sells cannabis in his shop; local authorities in turn called the Police,” CIP Karekezi said.

“We later conducted an operation recovered the pellets in his shop, which were concealed in other goods,” he added.

“It is said that Hakizimana was a retailer of cannabis in Gatumba Sector and is connected to a ring of drug traffickers; some of them have been arrested and others still at large.”

CIP Karekezi said that there is a ring of cannabis traffickers and retailers, some of whose particulars have been discovered through information sharing with the public, including Hakizimana.

He warned that operations are continuous for any drug dealer to “face the wrath of the law.”

“The law is very clear and the punishment for engaging in drug related crimes is severe. We appeal to the public to maintain the spirit of information sharing so as to prevent such people from poisoning Rwandans and the young people in particular, who are the majority of victims,” CIP Karekezi warned.

Anyone convicted of trafficking and selling narcotic drugs faces a sentence of between 20 years and life in prison, and a fine of up to Rwf30 million, as stipulated under article 263 of the penal code.

The vehicle, plate RAC 526F Hiace was intercepted in Rugabano Sector, Gitega Cell loaded with the jerrycans of illicit drinks. Three people, who were aboard were taken into custody. The seized psychotropic substances were also disposed of.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, the police spokesperson for the Western region identified the suspects as Damascene Niyomugabo, 29 (driver), Pascal Habineza, 34, and Hamisi Iraguha, 44.

“The suspects had ventured into this business and were collecting the illicit brew from different distillers in the area. They were at the time going to sell them to local bars located in the trading centres of Rambura, Rutovu and IDP Model Village in Kabuga, Rugabano Sector,” said CIP Karekezi.

He commended the “general sense and understanding” among the public to fight crimes and drug abuse in particular.

“These are harmful substances, seizing and destroying them is in the general interests of ensuring a healthy living, preventing other crimes these drugs bring along especially after consumption.”

The spokesperson noted that most cases of assault and domestic violence recorded are related to the consumption of such illicit substances.

All drinks with alcoholic content above 45 percent or with unknown alcoholic content are considered as a psychotropic substance.

Article 263 of Rwanda penal code stipulates that any person who, unlawfully, produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances commits an offense, with a sentence upon conviction, ranging between seven years and life in prison, and a fine of between Rwf20 million and Rwf30 million.

This change also made Rwanda the fourteenth most peaceful country in Africa, from the 17th position in the previous report.

GPI is a peace metric produced by the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP), a global think tank dedicated to analyzing peace and quantifying its economic benefits.
The index defines peace as the harmony achieved by the absence of violence or fear of violence.

It uses qualitative and quantitative indicators grouped into three key domains: ongoing conflict, safety and security, and militarization.

The 2020 GPI released Wednesday revealed that Rwanda performed best in militarization with a score of 1.6, ranking 34th globally; this domain includes various indicators such as military expenditure, weapon imports and armed forces rate among others.

According to the report, the economic cost of peace in Rwanda was $1.4 billion or 5 percent of its GDP.

Regionally, Rwanda is the second most peaceful country after Tanzania which has maintained the top position since 2008.

Uganda, Kenya and Burundi follow in that order.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and South Sudan came in the nine least peaceful countries in the world.

Mauritius is the most peaceful country on the continent and 23rd globally, followed by Botswana, Ghana and Zambia.

Worldwide, Iceland leads the global ranking, a position that it has held since 2008.
It is joined at the top by New Zealand, Austria, Portugal, and Denmark. Afghanistan remains as the least peaceful country, a position it has held for two years, followed by Syria, Iraq and South Sudan.

The 2020 GPI shows that the world is now less peaceful than it was in 2008. Civil unrest has doubled since 2011, writing a sustained rise which is set to worsen with the economic impact of COVID-19 take hold.

IEP says the economic downturn as a result of the pandemic pause a significant threat to peace. Many African countries are expected to face famine conditions, creating further stress in fragile populations.

However, the report notes that countries able to maintain peace have higher resilience to absorb, adapt and recover from shocks, such as COVID-19 and the ensuing recession.

The president who was participating in a virtual Africa Union meeting Thursday, where heads of task forces fighting coronavirus in different African countries exchanged views, said that the as EAC,

“We still have problems in addressing coronavirus challenges for which collective action should be sought and implemented to make sure that this problem of the pandemic is squarely defeated.”

He, however, appreciated the current cooperation among the EAC countries in getting together to prevent the spread of coronavirus but emphasized that more needs to be done in strengthening crossborder trade and assuring the health of the Community citizens.

As this month began, the governments of Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda established standard operation procedures in enabling cross-border truck drivers carry out their duties without interruption including pre-cross testing, among other interventions.

Currently, the three countries have established standards and uniform procedures in testing, sharing information and designated parking lots for trucks and drivers in transit, among other actions.

Among other standards agreed upon among the EAC, every truck driver embarking on a cross-border is tested and given a health certificate that he carries along and valid for j14 days.

Some EAC member states including Tanzania, Burundi and South Sudan have not yet joined this solidarity of testing and information sharing.

The campaign, which comes in light of the resumed transport services in the majority parts of the country, is meant to reinforce the government directives and recommended safety guidelines against the pandemic.

It focuses mainly on educating people especially in bus stations, markets and other business centres on the recommended safety practices as they go about their errands to curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus.

The official launch was held in the City of Kigali where drivers and passengers in Nyabugogo, Downtown, Remera and Nyanza bus terminals, were enlightened on the safety and preventive practices and urged to respect them to be safe and to save others.

Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera, the RNP spokesperson said that the campaign is primarily aimed at changing mindsets and attitudes of drivers and passengers.

“Transport services and all local businesses resumed, but the problem of COVID-19 is still in our midst, so we have gone a step further from social media and other channels we were using during the lockdown, to delivering messages physically to educate the public on how to behave to be safe,” said CP Kabera.

He added: “The campaign is all about influencing positive behaviors and practices to prevent further virus infections. In bus stations, vehicles, markets and other business centres; safety guidelines must be respected. Some movements and journeys could be unnecessary and we urge people to put every aspect into consideration and order of preference before their leave their homes.”

“We request everyone to take ownership of this campaign in the fight against #Covid-19 now that movements have resumed.” CP Kabera added.

He further reminded the public to wear face mask, be at home at 9PM, wash hands regularly with soap and water, avoid unnecessary movements and socializing in groups, and respect for social/physical distancing.

The #RwanyaCovid-19 campaign is primarily aimed at changing mindsets and attitudes of drivers and passengers.

We encourage everybody to be part of this campaign by reporting those who violate the guidelines put in place to prevent the spread COVID-19 on 112 or 0788311155 (also on WhatsApp). The Spokesperson emphasized.

Ziyada Mukandahiro, the Executive Secretary for Nyarugenge sector emphasized the role of local leaders to ensure that all set directives are fully implemented and respected.

“Respecting recommended safety instructions is for everyone’s safety. We are going to double efforts in inspection and supervision to ensure that any violator is punished accordingly,” Mukandahiro said.

Godfrey Nkusi, the manager of RITCO, a local travel agency, said that the directives are clear and that they have to be known and respected by everyone.

Nkusi said that as transporters, they labour to explain these safety measures and to operate in accordance with the directives including controlling and monitoring their drivers, preventing contacts in bus terminals and in vehicles, wearing face masks and washing hands before boarding.

The #INFORAFRICA Alliance aims to respond to the challenges faced by Africa in tackling the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign engages with hundreds of opinion leaders, celebrities and influencers to deliver preventive and lifesaving messages across the continent as well as supporting initiatives which fight the disease, create a positive impact on local communities and contribute to achieving resilience against the impact of the disease.

The #INFORAFRICA campaign already has the support of a variety of African influencers including African music legend Awilo Longomba, British-congolese comedian Eddie Kadi, British-Ivoirian superstar Afro B, journalist, activist and author Isha Sesay, Grammy award winning singer Mohombi, Nollywood superstar Destiny Etiko, Ghanaian actor John Dumelo, soccer players Tresor Lualua and Yannick Bolasie.

In addition to the global awareness campaign, #INFORAFRICA aligns with the efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO), African governments and their national health authorities to provide accurate information in order to stop the spread of the pandemic on the continent. Funds mobilised will be directed towards reputable agencies such as the United Nations Foundation Solidarity Response Fund and the Africa Union Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing (PACT). These funds will be used to support frontline efforts such as purchase ventilators, testing, personal protective equipment and hygiene kits (soaps, hydro-alcoholic gels, disinfectants).

Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Eddie Kadi, said: “As the virus spreads away from African capitals, #INFORAFRICA, this unique continent-wide campaign, the first of its kind, will help amplify crucial life-saving messages to stop the pandemic across Africa. In such unprecedented times, artists and influencers must do their part and come together as a community to deliver messages of hope and unity to the very people who supported them during the course of their journey”.

As a prominent media platform in Africa, StarTimes has put a lot of efforts into raising awareness on the outbreak. It will keep doing so by disseminating the #INFORAFRICA influencer messages so their voices can reach more people on the continent, beyond African capitals.

StarTimes Vice-President Luis Lu said: “Today is a special day for Africa, even more special this year as the world is going through an unprecedented crisis. As the coronavirus is still threatening the continent, StarTimes is honored to join the #INFORAFRICA Alliance to bring people together and help them keep safe.”

{{ABOUT THE #INFORAFRICA CAMPAIGN
}}

The #INFORAFRICA Alliance against the coronavirus aims to respond to the challenges faced by Africa in tackling the pandemic. The campaign will engage with hundreds of opinion leaders, celebrities and influencers to deliver preventive and lifesaving messages across the continent as well as supporting initiatives which fight the disease, create a positive impact on local communities and contribute to achieving resilience.

{{ABOUT STARTIMES}}

StarTimes is the leading digital TV operator in Africa, serving 13 million DVB subscribers and 20 million OTT users in 30+ countries. StarTimes owns a 600+ channels’ content platform combining African local channels (75%) and international channels (25%, including Chinese channels 1.5%). The company’s vision is “To ensure that every African family can access, afford, watch and share the beauty of digital TV”.
www.startimestv.com

Munderere was arrested in Rubavu Sector, Rukoko Cell due to information provided by residents.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Karekezi, the police spokesperson for the Western region said that they got information that the suspect was looking for a client, and organize an operation to arrest him.

“When we heard that Munderere was looking for a buyer, we posed as buyers and arrested him red-handed. Munderere didn’t disclose the source of the narcotics but named his boss, who is still at large,” CIP Karekezi said.

Local residents said that Munderere is part of the ring that traffics the narcotics into the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and distributes it to local suppliers in different parts of the country.

The spokesperson warned that the police are aware of all the tricks that drug dealers are using, adding that the ownership of the public continues to play a major part in dismantling rings.

“People, especially the youth are engaging themselves in this black business for money, we urge them to look for other beneficial and legal businesses instead of indulging in criminal activities.”

Article 263 of Rwanda penal code stipulates that any person who, unlawfully, produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances commits an offense, with a sentence upon conviction, ranging between 20 years and life in prison, and a fine of between Rwf20 million and Rwf30 million.