Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

The party leadership addressed this issue on February 16, 2025, during a Political Bureau meeting, where they also discussed the security crisis in eastern DRC and its impact on Rwanda.

PDI emphasized that these countries have repeatedly shown intentions to destabilize Rwanda’s leadership, stressing the importance of denouncing such threats.

“The PDI condemns the collaboration between the DRC, Burundi, and some SADC countries, which enables the FDLR to work alongside their military forces in a scheme that threatens Rwanda’s security and sovereignty,” the statement read.

The party also criticized European nations for warning of possible sanctions against Rwanda while remaining silent on countries allegedly supporting the FDLR, which is responsible for atrocities amounting to genocide against Congolese Tutsis in North and South Kivu.

PDI commended President Paul Kagame for his firm leadership in strengthening Rwanda’s security institutions, particularly the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), which has been built into a highly professional and well-equipped army.

The party further praised the RDF for successfully fortifying Rwanda’s defense system, which has mitigated the impact of cross-border attacks from the DRC.

“PDI applauds the RDF for its expertise and capability in neutralizing threats aimed at destabilizing Rwanda from the Democratic Republic of Congo,” the statement added.

Led by Sheikh Mussa Fazil Harerimana, the PDI reaffirmed its full support for Rwanda’s defense measures and urged all Rwandans to stand firm against those who wish harm upon their country while upholding values of dignity and self-reliance.

The energy sector policy released by the Ministry of Infrastructure in February 2025 states that Rwanda’s power plants have achieved a total capacity of 406.4 megawatts.

Statistics show that 27% of this electricity is generated from hydroelectric power, while methane gas contributes 21.1%, and diesel accounts for 7%.

Beyond hydropower, Rwanda began producing electricity from methane gas in 2015, initially generating 26.4 megawatts. By the end of 2024, this capacity had risen to 82.4 megawatts.

Currently, coal-fired power plants contribute 85 megawatts, while solar power plants generate 12 megawatts.

The Rusumo Hydropower Plant, a joint project between Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania, began supplying electricity to the regional grid last year. This plant has a total capacity of 80 megawatts, evenly distributed among the three countries.

According to the Rwanda Energy Group (REG), hydropower accounts for 43.9% of the country’s electricity production, while solar energy contributes 4.2%.

Electricity access in Rwanda has reached 81.4% of households, with 56.5% connected to the national grid and 24.9% relying on alternative sources, primarily solar energy.

Gakenke District currently has the highest electricity access rate at 99.3%, followed by Muhanga at 98.8%. Nyabihu District has the lowest access rate, with 69.9% of households connected to electricity.

By 2024, a total of 2,227.6 kilometers of roads had been electrified, with a goal of reaching 3,237 kilometers by 2029.

Electricity losses due to technical issues or other factors stand at 18.9%.

The Ministry of Infrastructure states that in the next five years, newly completed hydroelectric plants will add 81 megawatts to the grid, including the Nyabarongo II plant, which will generate 45 megawatts.

The national energy policy aims to expand electricity production from various sources by 2034, including hydroelectricity, methane gas, coal, and wind power, while reducing the impact of climate change.

By 2034, planned hydropower projects include Rusizi III, expected to generate 68 megawatts, Rusizi IV with 95 megawatts, and Nsongezi, which will contribute 12 megawatts.

According to the official National News Agency, firefighting teams have extinguished the flames engulfing the vehicle and retrieved the body of the killed person from the targeted car.

The Al Hadath TV channel said on the X Platform that the target of the airstrike was Mohamad Chahine, a military official from Hamas.

A ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and the Israeli military has been in effect since Nov. 27, 2024, halting over a year of clashes triggered by the Gaza war.

The agreement requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory within 60 days while the Lebanese army assumes control along the border and in the south, ensuring no presence of weapons or armed groups south of the Litani River.

On Jan. 27, Lebanon’s caretaker government announced an extension of the ceasefire agreement until Feb. 18, following the expiration of the initial 60-day period without a complete Israeli withdrawal.

Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces have continued to conduct strikes in Lebanon, citing security threats.

Speaking at the 46th Ordinary Session of the African Union’s Executive Council in Addis Ababa, Gatete emphasized that the current global governance structures have hindered Africa’s economic progress.

He urged for a reformed financial system where Africa has a stronger voice in shaping policies that impact its development.

Gatete also criticized Africa’s credit ratings, which are largely determined by external agencies that often apply unfair assessments.

With only Botswana and Mauritius holding investment-grade ratings, he advocated for the establishment of an African-led credit rating agency to provide more accurate and fair evaluations of the continent’s economies.

Highlighting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a transformative opportunity, Gatete stressed the need for investment in infrastructure and manufacturing to reduce Africa’s reliance on external markets.

He also called for the development of regional value chains to ensure that African resources are processed locally, creating jobs and driving industrialization.

“I have decided for purposes of fairness, that I will charge a reciprocal tariff – meaning whatever countries charge the United States of America, we will charge them no more, no less. In other words, they charge us a tax or tariff and we charge them the exact same tax or tariff. Very simple,” Trump said at the White House.

According to the memorandum, “it is the policy of the United States to reduce our large and persistent annual trade deficit in goods and to address other unfair and unbalanced aspects of our trade with foreign trading partners.”

Under the “Fair and Reciprocal Plan,” the administration will work “strenuously” to counter non-reciprocal trading arrangements with trading partners by determining the equivalent of a reciprocal tariff with respect to each foreign trading partner. “This approach will be of comprehensive scope, examining non-reciprocal trade relationships with all United States trading partners,” it said.

Under World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, “reciprocity” meant overall balance, in terms of concessions given and concessions received, between each country on the one hand and all its trading partners on the other hand, but Trump has redefined the meaning of “reciprocity” to apply on a line item basis, country by country, rather than overall balance, Gary Clyde Hufbauer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Xinhua.

“With reciprocity, as defined by Trump, U.S. tariffs would probably on average 10 to 15 percentage points higher. In my opinion, tariffs actually hurt the U.S. economy, so while they would raise revenue … they would reduce GDP growth,” Hufbauer said.

Observers believe that this logic undermines the traditional principle of overall balance under the WTO framework, potentially leading to trade frictions and negotiation deadlocks, and prompting other countries to take countermeasures in response to U.S. tariff increases.

The closing of the ITC 10th intake and MOI intake eight, on Thursday, February 13, was presided over by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) in Charge of Administration and Personnel, DCG Jeanne Chantal Ujeneze.

The three-month courses were also attended by those from private security companies in Rwanda.

The two instructional programmes train officers on how to design courses, job analysis for training, general instructional methods, psychology of learning, effective communication, and general instructional techniques.

They also develop officers’ understanding and skills in human relations, development of instructional aids, research methodology and micro teaching practices, among others.

DIGP Ujeneze congratulated the trainees for their commitment and successful completion of the courses.

“The role of trainers is not only limited to imparting knowledge and skills to trainees; trainers are custodians of force doctrine and play key roles in shaping professionalism among the force,” DIGP Ujeneze said.

She urged them to be “proud of it and strive to be good trainers.” The RNP, she said, will continue to deepen cross-border cooperation in matters of policing and security.

The Deputy Police Chief pointed out that building a professional Police force can be achieved if there are enough competent trainers and that the two courses are designed to answer these institutional needs.

According to the statement, Foreign Minister Ali Yousif Ahmed sent a letter to the foreign ministers of AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) member states ahead of their scheduled meeting in Addis Ababa on Friday, in which he urged the council to reconsider its stance on Sudan and allow the country to reclaim its position within the AU.

Sudan’s membership was suspended on October 27, 2021, following a state of emergency declared by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council and commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, which led to the dissolution of the ruling council.

The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, the country’s military police, quickly detained the suspect.

While national broadcaster NOS reported that the individual is a 30-year-old man found in possession of a knife, Police have not officially confirmed these details, citing an ongoing investigation.

As a precaution, access to the main chamber and surrounding areas was restricted. The lockdown caused a brief interruption to parliamentary proceedings, but the debate resumed shortly after the suspect was taken into custody.