IGIHE

Author: Publisher

  • Bella’s Murderer Blames Her Family of Negligence

    Bella’s Murderer Blames Her Family of Negligence

    {Hagumamahoro Sylvain. The murder suspect pictured above gestures during a court trial held in Public at Kigali Regional stadium in Nyamirambo. The suspect blames the family members of his victim (Bella) for not preventing him from killing the teenage girl.}

    {{The man who brutally murdered Bella (Simbi Shalom Bella) has today blamed the victims family of negligence arguing that during the fateful incidence there were several people in the House and did nothing to prevent him from doing what he did.}}

    The suspect has neither denied nor admitted to the murder charge during a public trial held at Nyamirambo stadium where hundreds of people turned up to catch a glimpse of the suspect and followed public court proceedings.

    Born Hagumamahoro Sylvain the suspect has been using several names including; Hora Sirivesitiri, Mpore Siriveri and Hagumamahoro Sirivani. He hails from Gisagara district in the Southern Province. His parents are Ssematama (father), Uwimana (mother).

    Hagumamahoro appeared for trial barefooted, wearing a blue tracksuit trouser with white stripes and a Lacoste T-shirt and a white jacket looked frightened but maintained eye contact with the magistrate.

    On his arrival at the stadium, he was handcuffed but later the cuffs were removed. During the trial he sat on a comfortable office chair.

    The suspects mother Uwimana was also present at the trial. She wept when her son (suspect) spoke for the first time since his arrest.

    Asked to proclaim whether he was aware of the murder charges levied against him, he said;

    “There were many people in the house. Why didn’t they come to prevent me from doing what i did to the young girl? Those people should have been arrested because of negligence”.

    The suspect is accused of stabbing Bella in the chest and cutting off her neck. The victim died later as she was rushed to hospital.

    The Prosecutor intervened saying, “we request the suspect to tell us whether he committed the crime or not before we can proceed”.

    Hagumamahoro remained silent there after.

    Hagumamahoro was also charged with forgery and illegally changing his names.
    He said, when I went to register for the National Identity Card, i was only asked for my names and i told them im Hora sylvestre.

    When asked whether those are the names given to him by his parents, the suspect responded saying ‘No’.

    The Prosecutor submitted to court saying the suspect had knowingly illegally obtained a national ID after providing false information about his names though the ID in his possession had photo of the bearer.

    Prosecution sought a life imprisonment for the suspect on the Murder charge, 7years imprisonment over a forged ID and 5 months for illegally changing his names.
    The next hearing is scheduled for April 21st.

  • Election Map Shows ANC Support Loss

    Election Map Shows ANC Support Loss

    {{The support for the African National Congress has fallen significantly over the last five years.}}

    This shift can be identified by the elections platform built by News24 parent company 24.com. The platform aggregates a number of voting metrics for a visual representation of voting patterns.

    “Percentage-wise, there is a clear shift away from the ruling party toward opposition parties when looking at percentages of votes over the last five years,” said Cathryn Reece.

    The 2014 election is seen as a key test of the ANC’s mandate to govern as the party battles damaging revelations from the public protector and the auditor general on the state of governance.

    Service delivery protests continue to be a factor in South African society and the perception that patronage and corruption is rife in the country has played into the hands of opposition parties.

    {{IEC collaboration}}

    The elections platform was built in-house and analyses data provided by the IEC to map voting patterns in South Africa.

    While the company had produced previous election maps, the 2014 one is unique in that the process is largely automated, but the fact that voting districts had increased and number of political parties presented challenges to the development team.

    “It wasn’t without its challenges – we knew we had to work with the IEC (something we had never done before) to up our game technologically,” said Reece.

    She added that the development of the application, which is available on the internet, mobile, Android and iOS, was done in collaboration with the electoral commission.

    “Throughout the development phase we have been continually checking and rechecking our data displays to make sure they comply with the IEC data supplied to us and freely available via our website.”

    On the day of voting, the IEC will provide team with voting results as they become available and this will be incorporated into the live results page in regular updates.

    “When it comes to our live results map, we’ll be getting the results directly from the IEC and will have a team monitoring updates 24/7 to ensure nothing goes wrong,” said Reece.

    {{Sentiment}}

    “That having been said, working with data this complex, there may yet be one or two small errors, and we urge members of the public to please report anything they may find to us so we can investigate and fix as soon as possible!” she added.

    The elections application reveals that sentiment turned away from the ANC in favour of the Democratic Alliance in the Western Cape province, but in KwaZulu-Natal, it shifted toward the ANC at the expense of the Inkatha Freedom Party.

    “For accuracy’s sake we did not factor in local government election results into our shifts map, as we felt this would introduce too many distracting variables to accurately report on the data, but it does look like Gautengand the Eastern Capewill be two other areas to watch,” said Reece.

  • Belgian Head of Wildlife Reserve Shot in DR Congo

    Belgian Head of Wildlife Reserve Shot in DR Congo

    {{Emmanuel de Merode, the Belgian head of Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, suffered gunshot wounds in an ambush on Tuesday. Park officials say his injuries are serious but not life-threatening.}}

    “We are very relieved that he is in a stable condition,” Joanna Natasegara, a spokesperson for the park, told FRANCE 24 on Wednesday. She added de Merode was in hospital in the regional capital Goma, where he was to remain until his condition allowed him to be transported out of the country.

    De Merode was driving alone at around 4:30pm when his jeep came under fire from unidentified attackers 30km north of Goma.

    “De Merode’s car was attacked by three men with assault rifles as he returned to his home at the park’s headquarters in Rumangabo from Goma. Despite receiving bullet wounds, he reached the HEAL Africa hospital in Goma conscious and was operated on by a UN surgeon,” the British-based NGO Global Witness, which investigates illegal extraction of natural resources in DR Congo, said in a statement.

    Hospital staff said the head of the Virunga park had received several gunshot wounds but that the bullets had missed vital organs.

    {{‘Dedicated conservationist’}}

    Local conservationists issued a statement condemning the attack, which they said was aimed at “discouraging community development and conservation efforts”.

    WWF head of conservation Lasse Gustavsson told AFP de Merode was a “dedicated conservationist” who put his life on the line every day to protect the park and the people who depended on it for their livelihoods.

    Nothing was stolen from his car and authorities in both DR Congo and Belgium have opened investigations into the attack, which appears to have targeted him as director of Africa’s oldest national park.

    Virunga’s deputy director Norbert Mushenzi told FRANCE 24 that de Merode was “not hot-headed” and “always told his staff to be prudent”.

    {{Many enemies}}

    Although the surrounding North Kivu province has been the scene of violent rebellions in recent years and many park rangers lost their lives to armed militias, the site of the shooting is regarded as mostly safe.

    “He was attacked on a major, busy road where there are normally no attacks in broad daylight,” Belgian MP François-Xavier de Donnea told FRANCE 24.

    A long-time supporter of Virunga National Park, de Donnea added that the Belgian conservationist had made many enemies defending the nature reserve, from rebel militias who profit from illegal charcoal manufacturing and fishing to farmers and supporters of oil exploration in the park.

    The Belgian MP said de Merode had called him four hours before the attack to say he was driving to Goma to file a report on activities by the British-based Soco oil company.

    “Two to three years ago, a prosecutor asked the park authority to investigate some facts about Soco,” de Donnea said. “Park rangers collected evidence in the report that was filed yesterday.”

    {{Oil exploration}}

    Soco obtained an oil exploration licence covering part of the park in 2010, but international pressure has put the permit in jeopardy. The world cultural body UNESCO has listed Virunga as a “world heritage site in danger” and repeatedly criticised the Congolese authorities for planning oil exploration there.

    The park features stunning scenery shaped by active volcanoes and a rich wildlife including some of the world’s last mountain gorillas.

    Although Soco has always claimed it would act in accordance with Congolese law and stay away from gorilla habitats, park authorities reported at least one case in which Soco workers forcibly entered Virunga in 2011 despite a legal ban on oil prospection inside the reserve.

    “I am not saying there is a link” between de Merode’s investigation into Soco and the attack, de Donnea said. “But the coincidence can be disturbing.”

    france24

  • Real Madrid Beat Barcelona to Lift Copa del Rey

    Real Madrid Beat Barcelona to Lift Copa del Rey

    {{Welshman Gareth Bale scored a stunning winner as Real Madrid beat old foes Barcelona 2-1 in the final of Spain’s Copa del Rey on Wednesday.}}

    A trademark Bale gallop and goal sealed a 19th Copa del Rey title for Real Madrid at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium.

    The Welshman filled the void left by the injured Cristiano Ronaldo to score his first goal in three “Classicos” against Barcelona, and thereby claim his first career trophy.

    Madrid led for most of the game thanks to Angel Di Maria’s 11th-minute goal, but Marc Bartra headed Barcelona level in the 67th.

    Barcelona star Neymar thought he had brought it back to 2-2 as the match drew to a close but his shot came back off the post and into the hands of Madrid keeper Iker Casillas.

    The loss is a blow for Barcelona, with the Catalan club eliminated from the Champions League and its domestic league title defence in danger.

    Real on the other hand are still in the Champions League — they play holders Bayern Munich in the semi-finals next week — and are second in La Liga, three points behind city rivals Atletico Madrid.

    {france24}

  • China President to Replace Corrupt Officials with Loyalists

    China President to Replace Corrupt Officials with Loyalists

    {{Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to use a purge of senior officials suspected of corruption to put his own men and reform-minded bureaucrats into key positions across the Communist Party, the government and the military, sources said.}}

    Xi hopes that removing corrupt officials and those resisting change will allow him to consolidate his grip on power and implement difficult economic, judicial and military reforms that he believes are vital to perpetuate one-party rule, said the sources, who have ties to the leadership.

    In the most far-reaching example of his intentions, Xi plans to promote about 200 progressive officials from the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang, where he served as party boss from 2002 to 2007, to senior positions across the spectrum in the years ahead, two of them said.

    “The anti-corruption (drive) is a means to an end. The goal is to promote his own men and like-minded officials to key positions to push through reforms,” said one source.

    To be sure, Xi is also tackling endemic corruption to try to restore public faith in the party, other sources said.

    The seven sources interviewed for this article sought anonymity to avoid repercussions for discussing secretive elite politics.

    The biggest investigation Xi has ordered so far revolves around retired domestic security tsar Zhou Yongkang, who is under virtual house arrest.

    Reuters reported on March 30 that more than 300 of Zhou’s allies, proteges, staff and relatives had been taken into custody or questioned since late last year as part of China’s biggest graft scandal in six decades.

    The government has yet to make any statement about Zhou, who retired in late 2012 from the Politburo Standing Committee, the apex of power in China, or the case against him. It has also not been possible to contact Zhou, his family, associates or staff for comment. It is not clear if any of them have lawyers.

    Another source who met Xi in private this year quoted him as saying implementing reforms had been “very difficult” due to opposition from state-owned enterprises along with influential party elders and their children, known as “princelings”.

    State-owned firms and princelings in business enjoy many privileges and virtually monopolize certain sectors, something at odds with China’s efforts to steer its economy away from a reliance on heavy industry and investment to one driven more by consumption and innovation.

    On the judicial front, Xi has overseen reforms that limit the ability of the party to interfere in most court cases – apart from politically sensitive ones – but more still needs to be done to deal with frequent miscarriages of justice that outrage the public, legal experts said.

    While Xi appears set on driving reform on many fronts, human rights activists have said major political change was not on his agenda. For example, authorities have increased controls over the local media and prominent bloggers in the past year.

    {reuters}

  • EU’s first Sentinel satellite images Earth

    EU’s first Sentinel satellite images Earth

    {Sentinel-1a radar satellite }

    {{The European Union’s new Sentinel-1a radar satellite has returned its first images of Earth.}}

    Launched on 3 April, the spacecraft is part of a fleet of orbiting sensors that will go up over the next few years to monitor the state of the planet.

    Its maiden pictures depict Brussels, flooding in Namibia and one of the mightiest ice features on Earth – Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica.

    The images give a flavour of the sort of work Sentinel-1a will be doing.

    Radar data is particularly useful for urban planning purposes, for making maps following natural disasters, and for monitoring remote locations such as polar ice fields.

    The sample of images released by the European Space Agency (Esa) is just a taster. The satellite’s imager will require further calibration before full operational service can begin in about three months’ time.

    “It’s going fine; the satellite is performing really well – as you can tell from the new images,” confirmed Ian Shurmer, who leads the team that is operating the Sentinel from Esa’s “mission control” in Darmstadt, Germany.

    “We took the very first image just three days after launch, but that was just a functional test. We’re now operating the Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument on a daily basis, with the input of [the mission planners].”

    One task requiring attention is a refinement of the Sentinel’s near-700km-high orbit.

    It is a few kilometres lower than perfect in its semi-major axis, but Shurmer’s team can easily fix this with a sequence of firings on the spacecraft’s thrusters.

    And in what is a sign of the times, the engineers have already had to manoeuvre Sentinel-1a to avoid the possibility of a collision with a defunct American satellite.

    Space debris is a growing problem, and Esa’s operations teams have to be alert to other objects moving through their orbits.

    “Maybe once or twice a year, you have to give yourself a little nudge to get out of the way of something,” explained Shurmer. “We just pushed Sentinel-1a down by about 50m to make sure nothing happened.”

    {wirestory}

  • President Putin Hosts Marathon Call-In on Russian Television

    President Putin Hosts Marathon Call-In on Russian Television

    {{Ukraine and high housing bills are expected to be among the top issues on President Vladimir Putin’s live call-in show Thursday when he answers questions from across Russia and perhaps as far afield as Alaska. }}

    12:48 p.m. – Putin is asked whether Russia would consider strengthening its relations with China with a political union. He expresses his doubts on the creation of a new political bloc, but says the countries are neighbors and allies.

    12:44 p.m. – Putin says he resents the fact Yanukovych fled Kiev following mass protests.

    12:40 p.m. – Putin said Berkut fulfilled its professional obligations in an honorable manner and Ukraine is wrong in its treatment of these “professionals.”

    12:38 p.m. – A former member of Ukraine’s Berkut, the riot police force which was disbanded after the ouster of Yanukovych, asks Putin whether Yanukovych has “always been a traitor.”

    12:36 p.m. – The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Alexander Vitko, asks Putin whether Russia will develop a training program for the military in Crimea.

    12:36 p.m. – Putin says that Russian soldiers in Crimea conducted themselves in a “professional” manner. He also repeats that the peninsula’s referendum on joining Russia was legitimate and transparent.

    12:29 p.m. – Putin says Crimea is a place for “tourism” but has large potential to prosper in other economic sectors as well.

    12:25 p.m. – Putin refers to the Ukrainian authorities as “our Ukrainian partners.” He also says Crimeans’ pensions will be raised “step by step.” Putin says he hopes Crimeans will feel the material benefits of having joined Russia.

    12:23 p.m. – A man from Sevastopol thanks Putin for having returned Crimeans to the “Motherland.” The crowd in the background chants: “Thank you, thank you!”

    12:19 p.m. – An elderly woman tells Putin that the situation in Ukraine has created new political divisions, as well as division within families. Putin says Russia was always close to Ukraine in the past and will maintain close ties to the country in the future.

    12:17 p.m. – Question three: A citizen of Sevastopol asks Putin what will happen with funding for the Black Sea Fleet. Putin says some of Novorossyisk’s fleet would be moved to the city.

    12:15 p.m. – The broadcast takes an elaborate video question from Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Hundreds of people gathered on the waterfront say that they voted in favor of joining Russia.

    12:12 p.m. – Putin says Russian action in Ukraine was not planned. He says Russia’s actions stemmed from the necessity to respond to a “security” situation. Putin says that he waited for the results of the Crimean referendum to conclude the “will” of the people was to be part of Russia.

    12:11 p.m. – The threat to the Russian-speaking population was real, Putin says. Putin says the threat was the basis for Crimeans’ desire to join Russia. “We wanted our Russians to live in comfortable political circumstances, where they are not under threat.”

    12:08 p.m. – “We need to talk to the people, to speak with legitimate representatives,” Putin says. Putin says dialogue and democratic procedures are the only way out of the conflict. Question two: What is your reaction to allegations that there are Russian agitators in eastern Ukraine? “Nonsense,” Putin says. “There are no Russian operatives in Ukraine.”

    12:06 p.m. – Putin enumerates the reasons for discontent in Ukraine, including the new Ukrainian government’s withdrawal of the law on minority language. “We need to think how we can get out of this situation,” Putin says.

    12:05 p.m. – Putin calls the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych “unconstitutional.”

    12:04 p.m. – Putin says that the signing of an association agreement between Ukraine and the EU would have undermined Ukraine’s economic and political position.

    12:03 p.m. – Putin gets asked his first question: What is your assessment of the situation in eastern Ukraine?

    12.02 p.m. – More than 2 million questions have been submitted, one of the moderators says.

    12.01 .p.m. – President Vladimir Putin walks onto the stage, shakes hands with the show’s moderators. The studio audience greets him with polite applause.

    12.00 p.m. – In Sevastopol, people are lining up to watch together

    Ukraine and Crimea dominate the 10 most popular questions published on the call-in show’s official website. People are asking Putin how he will deal with “further worsening of the crisis in Ukraine,” how he can help residents of Crimea obtain Russian passports, and — in a jab at the West — how he is “able to keep a clear head amid an incoming barrage of lies and unjustified accusations.”

    On domestic issues, people are more worried about housing than the weakening ruble, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

    “Housing is the scourge of all Russia,” Peskov said on Rossia 24 state television on Wednesday night. “People from different regions are dissatisfied with how much they have to pay for housing and utilities and what they have to pay.”

    He said people were less worried about the ruble, which has lost 8.7 percent of its value against the U.S. dollar since January.

    Putin will be accepting questions submitted by the official website, as well as by text message, telephone, a special cell phone app, and a live video link from Sevastopol, the Black Sea port in Crimea that Russia annexed last month. The Kremlin also has sought questions from politicians and regular people in the U.S. state of Alaska, according to Canadian news site Eye on the Arctic.

    After Russia’s annexation of Crimea, which the Kremlin said corrected a “historical mistake,” some in Russia would like to see the divide with Alaska eliminated by having Russia stake a new claim on the territory, which Tsar Alexander II sold to the U.S. for $7.2 million in 1867.

  • Argentina Girl Kept For 9 Years in Garage Rescued

    Argentina Girl Kept For 9 Years in Garage Rescued

    {{Police in Argentina say they have rescued a 15-year-old girl who had been starved, beaten and kept in a garage for nine years by her foster parents.}}

    The girl weighed only 20 kilos (44 pounds), and said she had been fed only bread and water in her captivity.

    Her only company had been that of a dog and a monkey, and she said she was beaten with a belt if she tried to eat the leftover food thrown to the pets.

    Her carers have been arrested and charged with slavery and abuse.

    The teenager was found in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, by one of her biological sisters, who had lost track of her.

    The girl, who has been hospitalised, said she had been out of the garage only twice in nine years.

    According to officials, her foster parents took the girl into care provisionally in 2001 after a court found that her biological parents, who had seven more children, were financially unable to look after her.

    At first, the two families kept in contact, but it is unclear what happened after 2005 and why her biological family reportedly lost track of the girl.

    Her foster parents were waiting for the girl’s adoption papers to be finalised.

  • Interpol Experts Meeting on Closing Impunity Gap Concluded

    Interpol Experts Meeting on Closing Impunity Gap Concluded

    {{The 6th international experts meeting on genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity came to climax on April 16 after three days of deliberations on how to close the impunity gap.}}

    Participants from 41 Interpol member countries, representatives of international organizations, civil society and academia took part in the meeting, the first of its kind to be held in a country that experienced genocide.

    The Minister of Internal Security, who presided over the closing ceremony, said narrowing the impunity gap requires close cooperation to ensure that justice is served.

    He acknowledged the role played by Interpol in locating and apprehending fugitives of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and countries that have enacted laws to try suspects of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    He also challenged other countries that are yet to enact such laws to follow suit.
    Stefano Carvelli, head of Interpol Fugitive Investigative Support unit said the meeting has strengthened cooperation among member countries to investigate serious international crimes like genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and serious violation of human rights.

    “It’s the first time such meeting is conducted in a country that experienced genocide; we decided to do this for Rwanda, for Africa. This was an important step forward.

    The fact that we decided to bring all Interpol representatives and experts on serious international crimes to Rwanda, is a demonstration of the attention paid by Interpol to what happened in Rwanda in 1994,” Stefano said.

    The Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) in Kigali issued about 200 red notices of fugitives responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which killed more than one million innocent people, but only 40 have since been honoured.

    “We have been successful in tracking down some Rwandan genocide fugitives together with the National Central Bureau in Kigali, but getting information on fugitives is the beginning of the investigations.

    Sometimes it can take long process to locate them but the strength of police cooperation is the strength and success of the network,” Stefano noted.

    RNP

  • Kizito Mihigo Plotted to Overthrow President Kagame

    Kizito Mihigo Plotted to Overthrow President Kagame

    {{Kibeho in Nyaruguru District was the site of the mass murder of students from Marie Merci School. Hundreds were slaughtered in churches.}}

    In one church in Kibeho, the Interahamwe threw grenades and asphyxiated victims with smoke from outside.

    The French-led Operation Turquoise, which provided a safe haven for genocidaires’ transit into neighbouring Zaire after the end of the genocide, meant that Kibeho became a stronghold of the Interahamwe until the Rwanda Patriotic Front liberated the area in 1995.

    It’s here that Augustin Buguzi, the father of Rwanda’s most popular musician, Mihigo, was killed by the Interahamwe.

    Having been brought up in a Catholic Christian educational environment, Mihigo started composing songs at the age of 9.

    Five years later, when he was a secondary school student at the Petit Seminaire de Butare, he became the most popular liturgical organist composer in the Catholic Church of Rwanda.

    The slaying of his father emboldened the talented musician to release more songs to soothe the hearts of the genocide survivors and encourage reconciliation in a country torn apart by unprecedented levels of bloodshed.

    The tragedy further inspired the young musician to become the organist-singer-author and composer of the most popular songs in Rwanda.

    A year after the genocide, Mihigo composed hundreds of liturgical compositions which were rapidly exploited in several parishes in Rwanda.

    At the age of 19 in 2000, Mihigo was already author and composer of over 200 liturgical songs, sung in all the parishes of Rwanda.

    In 2003, noticed by the authorities of the country, he was sent to Europe to follow his music studies.

    In 2008, Mihigo’s star continued to shine. He received the postgraduate diploma (DFE) at the “Conservatoire de Musique in Paris”.

    From 2008-2010, after his graduation, he was a music teacher in Belgium.

    In 2010 he founded the KMP (Kizito Mihigo for Peace) a non-profit foundation with the mission of using Art in peace building.

    In 2011, Imbuto Foundation, the organization of the First Lady of Rwanda, handed Mihigo the price CYRWA (Cerebrating Young Rwandan Achievers), in recognition of his artistic activities for Peace and Reconciliation.

    {{The plot}}

    Early this year, something strange, shocking and unbelievable happened.

    As part of their operations aimed at enhancing security for heads-of-state and other high profile dignitaries at events held to commemorate 20 years after genocide, Rwanda security agencies intercepted messages where three individuals were planning to oust or kill President Paul Kagame.

    Among them was Mihigo, a musician whose songs had played a pivotal role in healing the nation.

    {Chimpreports } investigations show that due to his nationwide popularity, Mihigo was last year recruited by the opposition Rwanda National Congress (RNC) which recently joined hands with FDLR to overthrow Kagame’s government.

    According to messages intercepted by security, Mihigo explains why he would want to see the overthrow of the government.

    {{ {Rwanda National Congress leader Callixte Nsabimana, alias Sankara} }}

    On March 10, Mihigo told RNC leader Callixte Nsabimana, alias Sankara, in Kinyarwanda: “Ariko rero mon ami, jyewe numva rwose mubonyeu buryo mukuraho Rwbujindiri hatabaye intambara, byaba byiza kurushaho (But my friend, I think if you could find a way to remove the leaders without war, it would be even better.)”

    This implied that all along Mihigo knew of the plot to overthrow the President by means of war.

    In response, Sankara said “At this point, war is inevitable because he (President Kagame) cannot agree to negotiations.”

    This website understands these messages will be tendered as evidence when Mihigo appears in court next week.

    During the conversation with Sankara, Mihigo sent another message: “Isn’t there a way to force him? Or why don’t we kill him (Kagame) only?” The RNC official answered, “We have to get ready to strike with force, take over one province fast, rally external powers and have them come between us to force negotiations.”

    Mihigo responded: “Numva aricyo Imana yandemeye,” meaning, “I think it’s God’s calling for me.”

    Investigators who have been trying to establish Mihigo’s motives say he saw in himself potential to obtain a huge position in government if the RPF system crumbled.

    “Mihigo was not motivated by money but hunger for power,” said a source who preferred anonymity so as to speak freely.

    As Mihigo and Sankara planned Kagame’s overthrow, a lady indentified as Agnes Niyibizi was carrying money to Jean Paul Dukuzumuremyi, a demobilised soldier to plant explosives which would bring down the towering Kigali City Tower (KCT).

    {{Police quickly moved into action, seizing Dukuzumuremyi.}}

    According to Rwanda National Police spokesperson, ACP Damas Gatare, the law enforcement body is “in possession of ample evidence including grenades and testimonies obtained from other accomplices arrested during the course of investigation.”

    The cache of grenades was found in Dukuzumuremyi’s possession.

    Mihigo’s messianic ambitions were later confirmed in a conversation with Sankara on March 11.

    Sankara told the musician: “Igihugu cyawe kigutezeho kugicungura urubyiruko rwabahutu nabatutsi rukeneye ko uhagarara hagati kugirango ejo hazaza ibara ritazongera kugwa (Your country is waiting for you to save it. Hutu youth and Tutsi are waiting for you to stand up for them to ensure that tragedy never happens again.”

    Mihigo responded: “Numva aricyo Imana yandemeye (I think it’s god’s calling for me)”

    {{BBC Journalist’s Involvement}}

    Investigators would later land on precious evidence before executing Mihigo’s arrest.

    On March 11, Sankara told Mihigo of a plan to secure the latter’s stay in London after releasing a series of songs backing the overthrow of Kagame’s government.

    “I was speaking to Venuste Nshimiyimana, a journalist from BBC London who is a friend,” said Sankara.

    “I was telling him about your song and the bad reaction people have had. Why don’t you let him get you an invitation from BBC so you can get a UK visa? You can go there instead of Belgium.”

    At the time, Mihigo had just released a controversial song titled “Igisobanuro cyurupfu (the meaning of death.)”

    In the song, Mihigo talks about a possible double genocide and insinuates there are people who retaliated for those killed in genocide.

    Mihigo expressed willingness to travel to London. “Brother, I am in,” the singer told Sankara.

    The RNC official also showed Sankara the message he had received from journalist Nshimiyimana.

    It read: “Reka nkwereke msg anyohereje. “Umubaze azaze anyure kuri BBC TV and radio. Bamukorera PR atigeze abona mbere (Let me show you the message he has sent. “Ask him to come and be on BBC TV and Radio. They will give him the kind of PR he has never seen.”

    Asked whether he would be available for the TV interview on April 7, Mihigo answered: “With pleasure.”

    Rwandan authorities did not wait for Mihigo to appear on BBC. He was arrested and incarcerated.

    {{Bamporiki}}

    In his conversation with Sankara, Mihigo exhibits distaste for Edouard Bamporiki, Rwanda’s youngest legislator in the Chamber of Deputies.

    “Bro, the way Hutu admire me is the same way Tutsi hate me, but especially that Hutu called Bamporiki who pretends to be more Tutsi than Tutsis,” said the jailed musician.

    Boasting of a network of hit men in Rwanda, Sankara tells Mihigo: “If you want, I can tell the youth that work there to ‘punish’ him. Two weeks and it will be done.”

    He adds: “Iriya mbwa nasabye abasore banjye gukemura ikibazo cyabo (That dog, I have asked our men to solve this problem.”

    On March 13, Mihigo said he would be thankful for the elimination of Bamporiki.

    He told Sankara: “The day you plan to ‘solve the problem’, tell me so I can delete you number (it’s ok I know it by heart). I will then go share a meal with some people so that I have people vouching for me in case they say that I am the one responsible for killing him. It will be true justice because when the State does not know how to give justice and instead expedites injustice, people must do it on their own.”

    {{Tanzania’s role}}

    In a boastful tone, Sankara promised: “Brother, I am with one of my superiors. Leave that problem to me and blame me if it is not solved. Because there, except for pk (Paul Kagame) who is difficult, all the others would not live to see the next day if I decide. Delete these messages.”

    A day later, Sankara exposed the role of Tanzania in attempts to overthrow Kagame’s government.

    He said plans had been finalised for RNC-FDLR to officially declare war on Rwanda.

    An entire province would fall in the hands of rebels after which world bodies would be urged to intervene and force Kagame to the negotiating table.

    Rwanda maintains it will not discuss with anyone linked to the genocide. The FDLR’s leaders were responsible for the 1994 mass slaughter in Rwanda.

    During the war against the M23 rebels in eastern Congo, Tanzanian forces reportedly armed the FDLR militia to battle Brig Sultan Makenga’s fighters.

    The Tanzanian contingent operated heavy artillery, bombing M23 bases from a very long distance.

    South Africa, the home to RNC top leadership, provided the necessary airpower that pounded M23’s positions, with many of the combatants fleeing to neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda.

    The defeat of M23 removed the buffer zone that protected Rwanda from FDLR.

    Initially, Rwanda was opposed to the use of force against M23, saying a political solution was vital for the peace and stability of eastern Congo.

    On March 14, Sankara told Mihigo he was in company of “someone who is supposed to help our group with where we are will make our declaration. Tanzania is ready to help us, give us full security and help us by all means.”

    Mihigo asked, “when would that be?” the RNC official responded: “April.”

    {{Safety}}

    On the same day, Mihigo stated: “That’s too soon. I am looking for a way to leave first. Because that is where I will be able to release the two other songs I have prepared and whatever happens, I have to do it during the Commemoration period.”

    He further told Sankara: “My brother, just wait until I leave this land and you will see. They will talk about me and I will reply in a way that will transform people.”

    “The important thing is that you hide. Take out your battery and find another phone,” Sankara advised the musician.

    “Ahubwo se ubwo ninkuramo batterie ntibashobora kumva ko hari icyo nikeka icyaha kikampama kandi bashoboraga kubura preuve? (But if I take out my battery, won’t they think I am guilty when they could have ended up with no proof?” wondered Sankara.

    The article was published in {Chimpreports}