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East African states threatened on Tuesday to slap South Sudan’s warring sides with sanctions unless they cease all military operations in a conflict which has sparked fears that it could spiral into genocide.

South Sudan’s government and rebels, locked in heavy fighting since mid-December, signed a second ceasefire agreement in May after a previous deal failed to hold.

But government forces backing President Salva Kiir and soldiers loyal to his sacked deputy Riek Machar violated the ceasefire hours after it took effect, with the continued bloodshed compounding the worsening humanitarian crisis in the world’s youngest country.

Fighting has already killed thousands of people and driven more than 1.3 million from their homes. The United Nations has warned that 4 million people could be on the brink of starvation by the end of the year because violence had disrupted the planting season.

On Tuesday, leaders from the Intergovernmental Agency for Development (IGAD) – the East African bloc brokering peace talks – held discussions with both Kiir and Machar to push for an end to fighting ahead of negotiations on the formation of a transitional government.

“They (Kiir and Machar) agreed fully to commit themselves to the already signed agreements and to complete all negotiations within the coming 60 days and then establish a transitional government of national unity,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn told reporters after the meeting late on Tuesday.

“If they don’t abide to this agreement, IGAD as an organisation will act to implement peace in South Sudan. On that, we have different options including sanctions and (other) punitive actions as well,” added Hailemariam, who is also current chair of the bloc.

It is the first time that South Sudan’s neighbours have issued such a warning, indicating growing frustration in a region increasingly concerned that the unrest may escalate into a broader regional conflict.

{{Twenty one Police officers from Ethiopia, Burundi and Rwanda, on June 10, started a one month United Nations peacekeeping pre-deployment course at the Rwanda National Police peacekeeping training centre in Gishari, Rwamagana District.}}

The course is meant for ‘Training of Trainers (TOT)’ from the three countries who will help in UN pre-deployment training of police officers in their respective countries.

The course was organized by the Rwanda National Police in partnership with Eastern Africa Standby force Coordination mechanism (EASF-COM).

The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dan Munyuza, who presided over the official launch of the course, urged participants to utilize this chance to be competent trainers for the good of their respective forces and to help execute their peacekeeping duties effectively.

The course, he observed, will help police forces “to be an answer to security challenges in the region.”

He urged them to take “full advantage of the course to improve Formed Police Unit capabilities in peace keeping missions.”

Senior Superintendent Wanderi Mwangi, a representative from EASF-COM thanked Rwanda and RNP in particular for playing a key role in bringing peace in other countries.

Wanderi appealed to EASFCOM member countries to implement the UN Resolution 1325 which urges all actors to increase involvement of women in conflict prevention, management, resolution, peace building and reconciliation.

The Gishari Peacekeeping pre-deployment training centre was established in 2012 and has since conducted eight FPU intakes including a contingent of 140 Police officers from Burundi Police Force.

The centre was also certified by EASFCOM as a ‘Regional Centre of Excellence’ and so far eleven regional countries have attained UN courses at the centre.

RNP

{{U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda Donald Koran on Monday hosted Rwanda’s six Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Washington Fellows prior to their departure for a six-week exchange, training, and networking program in the United States. }}

“They’re an impressive group of dynamic young people who I expect to play pivotal roles in the future of Rwanda and in its relationship with the United States.” Ambassador Koran said Monday.

The YALI Washington Fellowship is U.S. President Barack Obama’s flagship exchange program and is at the heart of his effort to invest in the next generation of Africa’s leaders who are already transforming the continent.

As President Obama said, “We created this initiative out of recognition for the critical and increasing role that young Africans are playing in strengthening democratic institutions, spurring economic growth, and enhancing peace and security in Africa.”

Fellows will participate in a six-week academic training and exchange at one of several dozen U.S. universities in one of three tracks: Business and Entrepreneurship, Civic Leadership, and Public Management. After the course, Fellows will gather in Washington, D.C. for a Presidential summit with President Obama.

But the experience doesn’t end there. When Fellows return to their home countries, U.S. Embassies across the continent will continue to work with them via Youth Councils, grant funding opportunities and follow-on networking and training to ensure the momentum of meeting with 500 other young, dynamic African leaders is not lost.

This is the first year for the Washington Fellowship program. The program is already being expanded, with a goal of hosting more than 1,000 YALI Washington Fellows by 2016.

More than 1,000 Rwandans applied earlier this year for the first iteration of the Washington Fellowship.

{Rwanda’s six Fellows include:}

{{Ms. Colombe Ituze }} is a Fashion Designer at INCO Icyusa. She will be focused on the business and entrepreneurship track and will visit Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

{{Ms. Doreen Karake }} is a Legal Analyst at the Rwanda Development Board. Her focus will be public management while staying at Florida International University in Miami.

{{Mr. Gilbert Mucyo }} is a Communications Researcher in the Office of the Government Spokesperson. He will focus on the public management track while at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

{{Mr. Marcel Mutsindashyaka}} is the Founder & CEO of Umuseke IT Ltd. His track, business and entrepreneurship, will take him to Yale University in Connecticut.

{{Ms. Nadia Hitimana}} is a Health and Hygiene Officer with Sustainable Health Enterprises. She will be in the civic leadership track at the University of Delaware.

{{Mr. Vincent Kalimba}} is a Senior Business Advisor with Technoserve Inc. He will focus on the civic leadership track at Wagner College in New York City.

The Fellows leave for the United States this weekend.

{{Tigo announced Monday that its parent company Millicom has acquired the controlling stake owned by the Frankfurt-based African Development Corporation AG in RSwitch. }}

RSwitch is Rwanda’s main provider of bank-to-bank payment switching services.
This acquisition is a world first, where a telecommunication and media company comes together with a national payment switch.

RSwitch holds one of the two switching licenses in Rwanda, which is a fast-growing market with increasing interoperability between mobile operators and traditional banking services.

RSwitch has evolved to become an electronic payment service provider operating internationally with global standards.

Millicom, the international telecommunications and media Company listed in Sweden, provides Mobile Financial Services (MFS) to over seven million customers In Africa and Latin America.

In February this year, Tigo launched the world’s first cross-border mobile money payment system with integrated currency conversion.

The company’s commitment to innovation was underlined in March with the announcement of a new tech incubator, called “think”, to be opened by Millicom with Tigo in Kigali.

Tongai Maramba, the General Manager of Tigo, commented: “This acquisition will enable Tigo and Millicom to become an even more dynamic provider of financial services for the Rwandan market.

As we move into an era where more and more money will be exchanged electronically and via mobile devices, we will be a catalyst for the coming innovation in the financial services sector.”

{{A woman identified as Murekatete Clarisse 25 sleeping in her bed inside her house survived death by a whisker when a Commuter taxi veered off the road and rammed into the house she was sleeping in.}}

However, two passengers and the driver were seriously injured in the accident were immidately rushed to hospital. The Commuter taxi ‘Hiace’ was on its way from Kagugu in Kinyinya to Nyabugogo and the accident occurred at Gisozi.

Murekatete told IGIHE that happened to her was like the sky falling onto her. ” I was sleeping. But incidentally I felt things falling on me and people shouting. I hadn’t known what had happened only to realise that a car had rammed into our house” she said in disbelief.

According to the Taxi conductor Uwizeyimana Claude, the cause of the accident was due to failure of the breaking system.

{{Taxi conductor Uwizeyimana Claude Says the breaking system of the car failed to function forcing the car to veer off the road ramming into the house.}}