Author: Théophile Niyitegeka

Sunday Deadline Looms for Deal on New DRC Government

{Political parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a deal on New Years’ Eve that eased the political crisis after deadly unrest over delayed elections. But now that agreement risks falling apart as the two sides wrangle over its implementation. Observers say they are running out of time if they are to have any hope of holding the polls this year.}

The December 31 deal demands the polls be held by the end of this year and keeps President Joseph Kabila in office until then. In the accord, Kabila’s political alliance agreed that he will not seek a third term, though some in Congo still fear the president means to change the constitution so he can do just that.

The agreement provides for a new government led by a prime minister from the largest opposition platform, the Rassemblement.

The deal’s survival, however, is not assured and the Congolese Catholic Church, the deal’s increasingly frustrated mediator, says the two sides have until Saturday to reach an agreement on the make-up of the new government and how to implement the rest of the deal.

Christophe Lutundula, a senior Rassemblement politician, told VOA they expect to make the deadline. He says what we have seen from the other side since the signing of the accord does not incite blissful optimism. But, he says, the Rassemblement remains vigiliant and committed to finding a solution.

Ruling alliance vs Rassemblement

For its part, the ruling alliance has denounced the Rassemblement for wanting to impose a prime minister upon the president. It argues that the opposition must present Kabila with five options.

Even if the two sides do agree on a new government this weekend, experts say organizing nationwide polls by the end of the year will be difficult. The Democratic Republic of Congo is a vast and poorly connected country, and public finances are particularly strained at the moment, largely due to the global dip in commodities prices since 2014.

Experts say the new government will need to muster rapid international support to fund the elections.

In December, the president of the electoral commission estimated that the full electoral package will cost $1.8 billion. In October, the Constitutional Court authorized the delay of the polls, which were scheduled for November, because the commission said it needs to redo the voter registry. That work has begun but it is a massive undertaking expected to take until at least the end of July.

January 28, 2017
Swiss arrest ex-Gambian minister in crimes against humanity probe

{Switzerland on Thursday detained former Gambian interior minister Ousman Sonko, who is under investigation for crimes against humanity during the regime of ex-president Yahya Jammeh.}

The arrest and probe come as The Gambia Monday welcomed their new president Adama Barrow, who had fled to Senegal after winning a landmark election as Jammeh refused to give up power sparking a political crisis.

Bern prosecutor Christof Scheurer told AFP that Sonko was being investigated under article 264a of the Swiss criminal code, which covers crimes against humanity.

Sonko had been one of Jammeh’s top aides, serving in his presidential guard before heading the interior ministry from 2006 to 2016.

Jammeh sacked him in September and Sanko fled to Sweden where his request for asylum was rejected.

Sonko was detained in the Swiss capital Bern following a complaint filed by rights group TRIAL.

“He will be interrogated soon,” Amael Gschwind, a spokesman for Bern prosecutors told AFP, confirming the arrest.

TRIAL, which campaigns for the Swiss judicial system to act on crimes committed abroad, described Sonko as one of Jammeh’s “strongmen” and claimed he must have been aware of the violations committed under the fallen authoritarian regime.

“Sonko could not have ignored the large-scale torture that political opponents, journalists and human rights defenders suffered,” charged Benedict de Moerloose of TRIAL’s criminal law division.

According to TRIAL, Sonko arrived in Switzerland in November and applied for asylum.

It was not immediately clear where he had lived between his arrival and his arrest.

TRIAL urged Switzerland to move forward with prosecution, suggesting it could give positive momentum to the unprecedented political developments under way in The Gambia.

“The crimes of Jammeh’s government have never been judged, and torturers walk free. At the time Gambia is preparing for a democratic transition, these developments send a strong message of hope,” the rights group claimed in a statement.

Jammeh refused to step down after his election loss to Barrow, but was ultimately forced to quit power and flee to Equatorial Guinea amid strong regional and international pressure.

On Thursday, military officials and senior members of his coalition government, along with jubilant Gambian citizens welcomed Barrow home as he stepped off a plane from neighbouring Senegal, where he had taken shelter on January 15.

His return marks the first ever democratic transfer of power in The Gambia’s history.

January 28, 2017
WFP chooses Dar Port as most reliable gateway

{World Food Programme (WFP) has opted to ship their future consignment through Dar es Salaam Port, following timely clearance of its 20,000 metric tonnes of maize destined for Malawi.}

In a press statement issued in Dar es Salaam yesterday, WFP Head of Supply Chain, Mr Riaz Lothihas, said his organisation has observed timely clearance of its vessel Mv. Matakana Island at the port this week which discharged the maize consignment.

“The positive example set by the professional han- dling of the vessel by TPA and all parties involved has proven that the decision to bring the vessel to Dar es Salaam port was right,” he said.

Due to efficiency in discharging the Malawi-bound cargo, WFP Tanzania expressed commitment to con- tinue using Dar es Salaam Port as a gateway for the region. “WFP Tanzania will share the positive experience on the vessel Matakana Island with WFP offices in the region and is confident that they will consider Dar cor ridor as a preferred option,” he said, adding that the actual number of future vessels depends on their op- erational requirements.

“The Dar es Salaam port offers good opportunity for cargo in transit to the East, Southern and Central Africa as for many of these countries, only one border has to be crossed.

On average, WFP reaches more than 80 million people with food assistance in 82 countries each year,” he added.

According to him, WFP chooses the port of entry to maximise operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the entire supply chain including port and road/ rail transport.

WFP is willing to support the Fifth Phase Government of President John Magufuli in promoting Tanzania as an effective corridor for the region with an efficient integrated supply chain which includes port operations, rail transport, road transport, border cross- ings and modernising the information systems.

He said WFP has greater logistical capacity and operates a larger transport network than any other humanitarian organisation. On any given day, 5,000 trucks, 70 aircraft and 20 ships are delivering food across the globe.

Mr Lothihas appreciates the excellent partnership with the TPA and its cooperation to support the WFP operations as among the factors for choosing Dar es Salaam Port. It is worthwhile mentioning that apart from the bulk vessel, WFP continues to use Dar port for con- tainerised cargo for Tanzania and the neighbouring countries.

During his visit in October, last year, Democratic Repub lic of Congo (DRC)’s Presi dent Joseph Kabila assured to continue using Dar port due to improved services. He said 50 per cent of total DRC exports are going through Dar port.

“We will continue using the Dar port, as things have improved in recent days.” Mr Kabila said transport infra- structure should be improved to support smooth moving of cargo

. DRC copper production has increased from 100,000 tonnes to around 1.2 million tonnes in the last ten years.

Thus Tanzania should prepare best to handle those tonnages. President Magu- fuli assured President Kabila of close business cooperation between Dar es Salaam and Kinshasa.

January 28, 2017
Go slow on regional integration – IMF Chief warns

{The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director, Ms. Christine Lagarde advised the East African countries in pursuit of integration to go slow on the project. The countries within East Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi have been integrating over the years with projection to have a political federation in about 20 years. The caution from the IMF chief is coming from the lessons that Europe has had to have especially after the United Kingdom held a referendum and the people chose to exit the European Union.}

“Coming from the European Union and a country that is part of the Euro area, I would certainly stress that, hasting slowly is probably the best way to go and consolidate one step at a time and make sure that the steps you have taken are actually solid, sustainable and will take you the next level. Don’t rush to integration. Infrastructure integration, market integration, custom integration.

Those are the steps that have been taken and are being taken,” Ms. Lagarde said while addressing a joint press conference with President Museveni at State House Entebbe on Friday afternoon.

She did point out that integration had its advantages and was perhaps one of the best options for the country to pursue its growth agenda. Uganda’s largest trade market for exports is East Africa but more significantly South Sudan. South Sudan was in March 2016 given the green-light to join the EAC.

Uganda also trades with the EAC and also enjoys lower tariffs on exports to the COMESA region, another regional body on the continent. Lagarde noted that Uganda had enormous potential for growth if it is part of a regional grouping.

The EAC is also pursuing a single currency and monetary union in order to further facilitate trade within the region. President Museveni noted that African countries needed to integrate further if they are to reap the benefits. He criticized countries that are taking isolationist policies and questioned how long they can sustain the inward approach.

“Those who are pushing isolationist policies will not be able to sustain the prosperity of their people. For us we are definitely working for the common market of East Africa and you see how much it is helping us. For instance, we produce 4 million tonnes of maize and we consume only one million. If we did not have that common market, that industry would have collapsed,” he said.

He pointed out that the isolationist strategy implemented by some countries would fail.

The joint press conference was addressed after both President Museveni and Ms. Lagarde held bilateral talks that discussed among others Uganda’s economic progress as it attempts to reach middle-income status by 2020. Lagarde has been in the country for the last two days on an official visit.

January 28, 2017
Suspected impersonator arrested in Gicumbi

{A man suspected of impersonating Rwanda Energy Group employees and defrauding people has been arrested in Gicumbi District.}

Helpide Mwumvaneza was arrested on January 26 in Kinihira Sector following information provided by one of the would-be victims, police said.

It is alleged that the suspect was charging Rwf350, 000 from each victim, apparently after making them believe that REG intended to put its infrastructures including electric poles in their land, and that he was in position to facilitate them inflate their compensation.

Inspector of Police (IP) Innocent Gasasira, Police spokesperson for the Northern Province, said: “We received information from one of the residents about a man, who was calling himself an employee of REG and asking people to give him money in order to put them on the list of those who will be compensated.”

“When we investigated, we found out that although the energy group has such projects, it was yet to roll them out in this area and Mwumvaneza was not an employee of REG. We worked with one of the would-be victims and the culprit was arrested red-handed receiving the money,” he added.

Mwumvaneza is currently detained at Kinihira Police Station ending further investigations.

“So far, we have identified eleven people who had fallen prey of his criminal tricks and were in the process of paying the said money (Rwf350, 000 each) before he was identified and his evil plans foiled.”

IP Gasasira said that investigations are still underway to identify if there are people that had already fallen prey.

Impersonation under article 609 of the penal code is punishable with an imprisonment of between five and seven years and a five ranging between Rwf300, 000 and Rwf3 million, upon conviction.

“Even if this project was real, it would amount to bribery by trying to solicit money from the people, which is also a criminal offence,” the spokesperson said.

He appealed to the general public to always verify the authenticity of what people tell them and also desist from tendencies of bribery to acquire a service noting that the law penalizes both the receiver and giver of the bribe.

January 28, 2017
Chronic sleep deprivation suppresses immune system

{Study one of first conducted outside of sleep lab}

Many people report getting sick when they don’t get enough sleep. A new study helps explain why.

Researchers took blood samples from 11 pairs of identical twins with different sleep patterns and discovered that the twin with shorter sleep duration had a depressed immune system, compared with his or her sibling. The findings were published Jan. 25 in the journal Sleep.

“What we show is that the immune system functions best when it gets enough sleep. Seven or more hours of sleep is recommended for optimal health,” said lead author Dr. Nathaniel Watson, co-director of the UW Medicine Sleep Center at Harborview Medical Center.

A unique feature of this study was to employ identical twins in order to control for the large genetic determinant to humans’ sleep duration. Researchers say genetics account for 31 to 55 percent of sleep duration and behavior and environment account for the remainder.

Dr. Sina Gharib, director of UW Medicine’s Computational Medicine Core at the Center for Lung Biology, and the paper’s senior author, explained that a lot of existing data shows that curtailing sleep — for a limited time in the laboratory setting — can increase inflammatory markers and activate immune cells. Little is known, though, about the effects of longstanding short sleep duration under natural conditions. This study employed “real world” conditions, he said, and showed for the first time that chronic short sleep shuts down programs involved in immune response of circulating white blood cells.

“The results are consistent with studies that show when sleep deprived people are given a vaccine, there is a lower antibody response and if you expose sleep deprived people to a rhinovirus they are more likely to get the virus,” Watson said. “This study provides further evidence of sleep to overall health and well-being particularly to immune health.

The researchers, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control, said that over the past century people in the United States are sleeping an estimated 1.5 to two hours less, and about one-third of the working population sleeps less than six hours per night.

“Modern society, with its control of light, omnipresent technology and countless competing interests for time, along with the zeitgeist de-emphasizing sleep’s importance, has resulted in the widespread deprioritization of sleep,” they wrote.

January 28, 2017
Parents, head-teachers urged to oversee students’ safety on school buses

{The Rwanda National Police (RNP) department of Traffic and Road Safety has appealed to heads of schools and parents to ensure that school buses transporting students are roadworthy and have all the required traffic related documents.}

The call comes after several school buses were found without operating without insurance and mechanical inspection certificate, among others.

There are also cases where drivers of school buses have been found drunk, sometimes to the extent that he can’t stand on his own.

The spokesperson for the traffic department, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Emmanuel Kabanda, said these are “serious and unfortunate circumstances” which are “unacceptable.”

“Insurance and mechanical inspection certificate are actually a prerequisite for any vehicle to operate. You imagine a vehicle transporting these children and has no insurance and in sorry state. This is like suicide,” CIP Kabanda said.

“It is equally the responsibility of head of schools and parents to ensure that vehicles transporting children have all the required documents, in good mechanical condition, and stability and soberness of drivers for the safety of the children and road users,” CIP Kabanda said.

“Ensuring safety of the children especially on roads requires close partnership in vetting and managing transport companies between all stakeholders. As police, penalizing offenders is the last option as a wakeup call, which shouldn’t be the case if each and everyone including drivers themselves took it as an individual responsibility.”

Meanwhile, the traffic spokesperson also reminded that road safety is not only regulating the speed, soberness of the driver or safe overtaking.

“It is also about road cleanliness; littering the road, piling stones and sand on roadsides which narrows the road

January 28, 2017
Dogs share food with other dogs even in complex situations

{Generosity, even among family members, had long been considered to be a specifically human characteristic. Yet rats, chimpanzees and other animals also exhibit similar behaviour. Rachel Dale, Friederike Range and colleagues, of the Messerli Research Institute at Vetmeduni Vienna had already shown that dogs also share food rewards with other dogs. Using a bar-pulling task, the dogs delivered the treats to partner dogs — especially if these were already known to them. A new study by the research team now used a more complex task set-up to confirm the prosocial behaviour of dogs. The experiment showed that dogs continued to prefer familiar partners. However, the increased complexity of the task influenced the readiness with which the dogs delivered a food reward to another animal. The study thus confirmed that the chosen method affects the result and is much more dependent on social proximity than had previously been assumed.}

{{Recognition of objects necessary for giving treats}}

Instead of pulling on a rope, the dogs in the present study had to recognize special objects in the form of tokens in order to deliver a food reward to the other dog. “This time we not only tested a different experimental set-up but also the level of difficulty,” explains Dale. “The dogs were first trained to touch a token in exchange for a food reward for themselves. They were then trained to recognize two more tokens: one that resulted in a reward being delivered to a partner dog and another which did not.” Three experiments were then conducted to test whether the dogs exhibited prosocial behaviour even in this more complex task and whether they would deliver a food reward to a partner or not. The researchers also tested whether it made a difference to the donor dog if the receiver was familiar or a stranger and whether the presence of another dog was enough to trigger generous behaviour in the test dog even if the partner had no access to the food.

{{Do dogs have to see the recipients to reward them?}}

The test set-up consisted of two enclosures. The test dog was trained to wait on a specific location in one enclosure until the researchers revealed a board containing the tokens. The dog could then choose to deliver a food reward to the receiver dog or not. In the first test, either a familiar dog or a stranger sat in the receiver enclosure. The dogs could see each other during the experiment. In the second test, the receiver enclosure remained empty but the other dog was present in the testing room. In a third test, the test dogs were alone in the entire set-up. At the end of each test series, the donor animals could reward themselves by being allowed to touch the token that delivered the food reward to them. This was done to ensure that the dogs remained motivated and unstressed and did not become distracted by an unfamiliar dog.

{{Dogs remain charitable even in complex tasks}}

The experiment confirmed that dogs continue to exhibit prosocial behaviour despite the more complex task. The dogs clearly showed a preference for sharing the food reward with a familiar dog. Unfamiliar dogs were rewarded nearly three times less often than familiar ones. The higher level of complexity, however, impacted the general frequency of the food delivery. This influence could be shown among dogs for the first time by comparing the token choice experiment with the simpler bar-pulling set-up and confirms the results of similar tests performed with small children and chimpanzees.

{{Presence of a partner makes dogs more likely to share}}

The behavioural biologists found another significant difference regarding the question whether the presence of a partner was important for the motivation of the test dog. Even when a second dog was present in the testing room without being in the other enclosure, the donor dogs were more motivated to give a food reward. When the test dogs were alone in the room, the number of food deliveries went down.

This aspect, known as social facilitation, could not be shown in the first study. The social facilitation theory starts from the assumption that animals will perform more readily in the presence of conspecifics. Given a more complex task, the presence of a partner appears to play a greater role. In this case, too, the donor dogs preferred familiar partners. “The difference was smaller, however, than when there was direct visual contact. Social facilitation should therefore be considered and controlled more strongly in future studies and in simple experiments,” says Range.

January 28, 2017
Muhanga: Motorcyclists, youth volunteers join Police in agroforestry conservation

{Close to 500 commercial motorcyclists operating in Muhanga District along with members of Rwanda Youth Volunteers in Community Policing (RYVCP) and district administrative organ (DASSO) personnel joined Rwanda National Police (RNP) on January 26 in clearing shrubs and bushes in a two-hectare forest as part of environmental protection.}

The forest is among the 400 hectares of trees planted by RNP in different parts of the country.

Following a three-hour community work, participants engaged in community policing discussions that aimed at both promoting road safety and crime prevention.

The District Community Liaison Officer (DCLO) of Muhanga, Inspector of Police (IP) Claver Kayihura, commended the existing partnership with all the groups in detecting, preventing and fighting crimes through information sharing.

He, however, called for strong collaboration to narrow the gaps that criminals like drug traffickers use in their illegal business, sometimes facilitated by motorcyclists, an act he urged them to give emphasis to fight it.

He reminded motorcyclists of their duty to ensure safer roads.

“Remember, you are putting your life in danger whenever you attempt to ride under the influence of alcohol…worse still when you are carrying someone with you,” the DCLO said.

Kayihura gave an example of a recent incident where a drunken motorcyclist ran off the road, hit a tree dying instantly.

“This is an accident that was avoidable if the motorcyclist had avoided alcohol or riding under the influence…”

The DCLO also appealed to them to ensure their motorcycles are insured and wear helmets on at all times.

Speaking about environmental protection, Kayihura reminded them it is a responsibility of every Rwandan to protect the environment.

“Let’s ensure our neighbourhoods are not littered with dirt and also ensure hygiene as part of security precaution,” he said.

In line with community policing and environmental protection, motorists formed two clubs; environmental protection and anti-narcotics clubs.

Meanwhile, Jerome Nsabimana, the head of motorcyclists’ cooperatives in the Southern region, who was also part of the exercise, disclosed that they have suspended all commercial motorcycle security personnel in Muhanga for varied unprofessional and malpractices until a new well trained and disciplined team is put in place.

“In the meantime, we will bring other security personnel from neighboring districts to take over temporarily,” Nsabimana said.

This was after the motorcyclists raised concerns over their security personnel that abuse their profession and sometimes assume responsibilities of the police.

January 28, 2017
Scientists find brain hormone that triggers fat burning

{Biologists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified a brain hormone that appears to trigger fat burning in the gut. Their findings in animal models could have implications for future pharmaceutical development.}

“This was basic science that unlocked an interesting mystery,” said TSRI Assistant Professor Supriya Srinivasan, senior author of the new study, published in the journal Nature Communications.

Previous studies had shown that the neurotransmitter serotonin can drive fat loss. Yet no one was sure exactly how. To answer that question, Srinivasan and her colleagues experimented with roundworms called C. elegans, which are often used as model organisms in biology. These worms have simpler metabolic systems than humans, but their brains produce many of the same signaling molecules, leading many researchers to believe that findings in C. elegans may be relevant for humans.

The researchers deleted genes in C. elegans to see if they could interrupt the path between brain serotonin and fat burning. By testing one gene after another, they hoped to find the gene without which fat burning wouldn’t occur. This process of elimination led them to a gene that codes for a neuropeptide hormone they named FLP-7 (pronounced “flip 7”).

Interestingly, they found that the mammalian version of FLP-7 (called Tachykinin) had been identified 80 years ago as a peptide that triggered muscle contractions when dribbled on pig intestines. Scientists back then believed this was a hormone that connected the brain to the gut, but no one had linked the neuropeptide to fat metabolism in the time since.

The next step in the new study was to determine if FLP-7 was directly linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Study first author Lavinia Palamiuc, a TSRI research associate, spearheaded this effort by tagging FLP-7 with a fluorescent red protein so that it could be visualized in living animals, possible because the roundworm body is transparent. Her work revealed that FLP-7 was indeed secreted from neurons in the brain in response to elevated serotonin levels. FLP-7 then traveled through the circulatory system to start the fat burning process in the gut.

“That was a big moment for us,” said Srinivasan. For the first time, researchers had found a brain hormone that specifically and selectively stimulates fat metabolism, without any effect on food intake.

Altogether, the newly discovered fat-burning pathway works like this: a neural circuit in the brain produces serotonin in response to sensory cues, such as food availability. This signals another set of neurons to begin producing FLP-7. FLP-7 then activates a receptor in intestinal cells, and the intestines begin turning fat into energy.

Next, the researchers investigated the consequences of manipulating FLP-7 levels. While increasing serotonin itself can have a broad impact on an animal’s food intake, movement and reproductive behavior, the researchers found that increasing FLP-7 levels farther downstream didn’t come with any obvious side effects. The worms continued to function normally while simply burning more fat.

Srinivasan said this finding could encourage future studies into how FLP-7 levels could be regulated without causing the side effects often experienced when manipulating overall serotonin levels.

January 28, 2017