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FDLR to surrender weapons to the Rwandan government and MONUSCO

{The Acting Executive Secretary of the Rwandan rebels-FDLR has said they are willing to surrender their weapons to the Rwandan government and MONUSCO, RFI reported
}

The Congolese government believes that the approach is encouraging, but MONUSCO is cautious. Rwanda has immediately rejected negotiations with FDLR rebels which have committed Genocide crimes in 1994.

The spokesman of the Kinshasa government, Lambert Mende said “We expect them to cease all offensive operations against a country that is not theirs and to which they have nothing to claim. Then they disarm, demobilize and agree to participate in the program of repatriation to their country. For the rest, it is a problem for their country”

February 3, 2014
Iran warns: ‘No boundary to response’ if US strikes

{Iran ramped up its rhetoric against the United States over the weekend even as Western powers began easing sanctions on the Islamic Republic, saying that the country would “recognize no boundary for its response” if America exercised its military option.}

“The US military option is of no care to us,” said Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps deputy commander Hossein Salami in a televised interview Saturday night, according to the semi-official Iranian Fars news agency. “They can use this option but should take the responsibility for its destructive consequences too.”

“The US can have different scenarios against Iran, including air, missile and limited ground incursion,” Salami added. “All these scenarios have been identified, all possibilities have been studied and we have complete intelligence superiority in all these cases and operational strategies.”

Salami was apparently responding to a January 23rd Al Arabiya interview, in which US Secretary of State John Kerry said that if Iran continues enrichment of uranium beyond permitted levels or breaks out toward a nuclear weapons capability, “then the military option that is available to the United States is ready and prepared to do what it would have to do.”

Shortly after Salami’s interview, Defense Minister Hossein Dehgan adopted a similar tone during a ceremony marking the return from exile of Islamic Republic founder Ruhollah Khomeini, Fars reported.

“The world’s arrogant powers are today scared of Iran’s high defensive capabilities and for the same reason their style of sanctions and threats are changed everyday,” said Dehgan.

This is not the first time senior Iranian defense officials derided the US military threat. Last week, IRGC Navy Commander Ali Fadavi joined the criticism, saying, “The military option is a laughable subject. Even John Kerry’s children snicker at it.”

Despite the rhetoric coming from Tehran’s defense establishment, Iran and the P5+1 are scheduled to hold a new round of talks in Vienna on February 18 in a bid to discuss a comprehensive solution to Tehran’s contested nuclear program.

Iran signed the interim deal in November with the P5+1 group — Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany — and began implementing the agreement on January 20.

Under the agreement, which is to last six months, Iran committed to limit its uranium enrichment to five percent, halting production of 20 percent-enriched uranium.

In return, the European Union and the United States have eased crippling economic sanctions on Iran.

The Times of Israel

February 3, 2014
Rwanda eyes Turkey to boost trade relations

{Over thirty business people from Rwanda’s agro-processing, textile, food, steel and furniture industries will early next month visit Istanbul, Turkey as part of the efforts to boost trade relations between the two countries, and the East African region generally.
}

The three-day trade mission code named “Turkey-East Africa Trade Bridge 2014” is organized by the Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey, Tuskon.

The visit that runs from February 9-13 in Gaziantep, Istanbul, is tipped to give local investors insights on how they can benefit from the vast business opportunities Turkey presents, Adem Sanliturk, the secretary general of the Rwanda Active Businessmen Association (RWABA), said.

RWABA promotes a two-way trade and investment relationship between Turkey and Rwanda, and also within the East Africa region.

“The mission is an opportunity for business people from both countries to learn from each other and see how they can work together to promote trade and investment between the two countries. Participants will meet Turkish exporters and manufacturers, who will share their experiences on industrial development,” Sanliturk said.

The move has been lauded by analysts, saying it will help link local traders to European markets given Turkey’s strategic geographical location in Europe.

Hannington Namara, the Private Sector Federation (PSF) chief executive officer, said the expedition comes at the right time when the private sector is scaling up efforts to deliver the country’s growth blueprint, EDPRS II objectives.

“The local business community will be able to share and learn from the Turkish experience on how to improve production processes.

“This exposure will fuel the private sector, strengthen business relations between the two nations and make it easy for local firms to penetrate European markets,” Namara said.

The event will also feature product exhibition, business-to-business meetings and a tour of Gaziantep industrial development zone.

Sanliturk said overall, 12 countries from all over the world will participate in the event that will bring together 2,000 business people, including 135 from Africa, 30 of whom will be from Rwanda.

In 2012 governments of Rwanda and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding that provides a co-operation framework between the two countries in a bid to strengthen mutual understanding and investments.

Tuskon is a non-governmental and non-profit umbrella that brings together seven business federations and 211 business associations, representing 55,000 business people and more than 140,000 companies

February 3, 2014
Huye: I&M Bank resume discussions on customer care boost

{Rwanda financial institution I&M Bank Rwanda limited (former BCR) visited its clients in Huye district to discuss on their problems on customer care in order to boost their financial relationship.}

During the visit, clients expressed appreciation and thanked the administration and officials of I&M bank on the best services they have been offering them for over 50 years of its operation within the Country (Rwanda).

According to one of the clients,” he urged the bank to expand through opening new branches around the country in order to eliminate the long lines and time consumptions in the bank during withdrawals and deposition.

Speaking to Sanjeew Anand the CEO of I&M Bank, among the first plans of I&M Bank limited expansion and opening of new branches around the country (Rwanda) is the first priority in order to bring closer to them our services for their development”.

He also added that another plan is on technological improvement through Mobile Banking, ATM cards and ATM machines in order to facilitate easier deposition and withdrawal of funds.

Up to now I&M Bank Ltd has secured over 3270 clients in Huye district in 2 branches while it has 17 branches in 30 districts around the country (Rwanda) .

February 1, 2014
COGEBANQUE officially opens Nyagatare branch

{One of the best if not first financial institutions in Rwanda COGEBANQUE Friday 31st January 2014, managed to emerge officially while it opened its new doors and services for its clients in Nyagatare district located in the eastern province.}

During the opening ceremony COGEBANQUE officials gathered together with the local leaders and residents of Nyagatare district.

Among the officials who were present on the occasion include; the General director of COGEBANQUE MR Alain Lepatre Lamontagne, Marketing Manager Mujyambere Monfort, the Vice mayor in charge of finance in Nyagatare district Muganwa stanley, leaders in charge of security and others.

Speaking to IGIHE, on behalf of clients, Nkubiri Charles who has spent over 18 years working as a client with ECOBANK dedicated all his life achievements to ECOBANK and reffered to it as a mother to its clients.

Nkubiri managed to expose the building he has managed to build in Nyagatare district, through a loan he was offered by COGEBANQUE in a period of18 years working together.

According to Muganwa stanley the vice mayor in charge of finance in Nyagatare district ,he reffered the opening of this new branch as the beginning of circulation of new funds within the district as it will lead to easy acquisition of loans by the residents of Nyagatare district.

Muganwa also urged workers to embark on offering good service to the clients who come before them.

Speaking to the General Director of COGEBANQUE Alain Lepatre, said COGEBANK will continue supporting and interacting with its clients around the country through provision of the best customer care services around the country..

While concluding the ceremony, various popular musician around the country performed and danced for the crowd, some of these include Munyanshoza Dieudone, and orchestre Impala.

COGEBANQUE resumed offering its services in Nyagatare district including ATM,s and other products on 1st October 2013.

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February 1, 2014
Rwanda stock exchange Market report for Friday 31st January, 2014

Yesterday on RSE, the market activity was higher compared to the previous trading session. The total turnover for the day was Rwf 27,000,800 from BoK counter which recorded 4 transactions of 107,000 shares traded between Rwf 245-255 and Bralirwa counter which recorded 2 transactions of 900 shares traded between Rwf 830-838.

BoK share price closed up Rwf 5 at Rwf 255 and Bralirwa share price remained unchanged from yesterday’s closing price of Rwf 838. KCB shares last transacted at Rwf 185 while NMG and Uchumi Supermarket shares last transacted at Rwf 1,200 and Rwf 174 respectively

February 1, 2014
Cristiano Ronaldo Is Now Better Than Lionel Messi, Claims Pele

{Brazilian legend Pele believes Cristiano Ronaldo has surpassed Lionel Messi as the best player in the world.}

As the former Santos striker revealed in an ESPN FC interview, he believes the Real Madrid star deserves to be recognised as the planet’s greatest footballer after Messi’s recent injury struggles:
“

I think, no doubt, two years ago the player that was in very, very good condition was Messi. In five years he became the best player in Europe, but in the last two years, and this year, he had a problem: he got injured, he was out this year and he has played few games.

Ronaldo has come through for the past two or three years and is the best in Europe. I think at the moment no doubt Ronaldo is the best player, but until now Messi was the best.
”

The Ronaldo vs. Messi question splits football fans and pundits across the globe. Pele also suggested Ronaldo “would be better” for him to play alongside, because he possessed the “same game” as Messi during his heyday.

No matter which way your allegiance lies, it is mouthwatering to consider Pele alongside either star, especially when you delve into his statistics:

Ronaldo recently received the 2013 Ballon d’Or after a stunning year for both club and country. Summed up by his terrific hat-trick in the second leg of Portugal’s World Cup qualification playoff against Sweden, he is a true leader on the pitch who has the individual ability to rescue any side he represents.

bleacherreport.com

February 1, 2014
Mali midfielder Seydou Keita Keita joins Valencia

{Mali midfielder Seydou Keita has joined Valencia until the end of the season, the Spanish club revealed on Thursday. }

The 34-year-old former Barcelona player arrives at the club on a free transfer from Chinese side Dalian Aerbin.

Valencia said on their website that Keita’s deal will run until 30 June with an option for another season.

Keita won 14 trophies in four seasons with Barcelona between 2008 and 2012 and has also been capped 88 times by his country, scoring 24 goals.

BBC

February 1, 2014
Communal violence turns deadly in Nigeria

{Eight people have been killed in religious violence in Nigeria, including a Christian family of seven, while a roadside bomb has killed seven others in an area known for Boko Haram activity.}

The two incidents on Friday followed a deadly attack on a Catholic church last weekend, which killed more than 60 people and raised fresh questions about the government’s strategy to end the bloodshed and revamp the military.

Boko Haram is an armed group fighting against Western influence in the predominantly Muslim north of Nigeria, where it wants to set up an Islamic state .

In the first attack, unknown assailants in cars and on motorbikes burst into the family’s house in Unguwar Kajit, a village in the mainly Christian part of Kaduna state, and opened fire, locals said.

“Christian youth provoked by the attack, which they blamed on Fulani Muslims, mobilised and launched reprisal attacks, burning mosques and houses,” Emmanuel Zadiok, a youth leader, said.

Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, Kaduna governor, has ordered an investigation.

He condemned the attack and “prayed that God should expose the perpetrators”, Ahmed Maiyaki, Yero’s spokesman, said.

In the second incident, seven people were killed and three others seriously injured when their bus ran over a home-made bomb near Kuthra village in the Gwoza area of Borno state, police said.

Deadly attacks

Boko Haram has ratcheted up deadly attacks in the border area with Cameroon in recent months and Lawan Tanko, Borno state police commissioner, blamed the group for planting the device.

Earlier this month a car bomb targeted a busy market, killing 19 in Gwoza, located about 150km from the Borno’s capital Maiduguri, Boko Haram’s spiritual home.

Boko Haram also attacked military installations in December last year, forcing a city-wide shut-down and raising questions about Nigeria’s counterinsurgency strategy.

A state of emergency imposed on Borno and two neighbouring northeast states in May last year has pushed Boko Haram fighters into more remote, rural areas but attacks have continued. Last Sunday, at least 60 people were killed.

Al Jazeera’s Yvonne Ndege, who was the first journalist to travel to the village of Waga Chakawa in the northern Nigerian state of Adawama, where the attack on the Catholic church took place last Sunday, reported that the church was completely destroyed.

Adamawa is home to Nigeria’s new chief of defence staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh, who has pledged to defeat Boko Haram by the end of April.

Human Rights Watch, the New York-based rights organisation, has estimated that more than 500 people were killed, most of the them Muslims, in southern Kaduna, which is predominantly Christian.

Nigeria is almost evenly split between the Muslim majority north and largely Christian south.

Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies

February 1, 2014
South Sudan rebel leader says government derailing peace talks

{South Sudan rebel leader Riek Machar accused the government on Friday of ethnic cleansing and trying to sabotage peace talks, in his first face-to-face interview since fighting erupted late last year in Africa’s youngest nation.}

Dressed in dark green military fatigues and speaking to Reuters in his bush hideout, Machar branded President Salva Kiir a discredited leader who had lost the people’s trust and should resign.

Thousands have been killed and more than half a million have fled their homes since fighting erupted in the capital Juba in mid-December and spread quickly across the oil-producing nation, often following ethnic lines.

The two sides signed a ceasefire on January 23 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, but each has accused the other of breaking it.

“Salva Kiir has committed atrocities in Juba, he has engaged in ethnic cleansing and he is still involved in the process,” Machar said.

His comments highlighted the gulf between the sides, who are meant to resume their troubled peace talks in Ethiopia next week. Regional and world powers are worried fighting could break out again and spill over into neighboring states.

South Sudan’s justice minister said this week that former vice president Machar and six of his closest allies should face treason charges, accusing him of trying to launch a coup.

“I am not aware of why we should face those charges for an alleged coup that never happened,” Machar said. “(It) is another attempt to stop peace talks.”

Machar has regularly denied starting the violence or trying to seize power, and has accused the president of taking advantage of an outburst of fighting between rival groups of soldiers to round up political rivals.

The United Nations and rights groups say both warring sides have committed atrocities, in a conflict that has taken the country to the brink of civil war. The government and rebels both accuse each other of ethnically motivated killings.

Human Rights Watch said earlier this month that government SPLA forces had targeted civilians from Machar’s Nuer group in Juba early on in the conflict, while rebel forces had butchered members of Kiir’s Dinka tribe in other towns.

GUNS AND LAUNDRY

In Machar’s bush camp, hidden in the thorny scrub of South Sudan’s vast Jonglei state which has untapped oil reserves, assault rifles stood propped up against a tree and laundry hung drying in the branches.

Nearby, Machar’s wife Angelina Teny, a former mining and energy minister in the united Sudan before the South seceded in 2011, was typing on a laptop in front of her tent.

The rebel leader said Kiir had lost the support of the country’s 11 million people. Asked what he wanted from the peace talks, Machar, who was sacked by Kiir in July, said he had no interest in being reinstated as vice president.

“It would be best for Kiir to resign. We are due for elections in 2015. Before the elections there would be an interim government,” Machar said, declining to say who might lead it.

Machar blamed the army for the ceasefire violations. The army was, he said, battling to extend its control outside the towns of Malakal and Bentiu, near the country’s main oil fields, and Bor, scene of some of the heaviest clashes.

Regional leaders said on Friday they aimed to deploy the first members of a team to monitor the shaky ceasefire at the weekend.

Even so, obstacles still lie in the way of the peace talks re-starting on time.

Four of the six senior political figures accused of treason alongside Machar are in detention in Juba. Machar pressed for their release after the government on Wednesday freed seven other detainees, but declined to say if he would call back his negotiators if the government refused.

“It will not be an inclusive peace process if they’re not there. A non-inclusive process would hurt the people of Sudan,” he said.

Machar said Kiir had only survived the uprising because Uganda’s military had intervened. Uganda has admitted its army provided air and ground support to Kiir’s troops, raising concerns among diplomats that the wider region could be sucked into the conflict.

“If it was not for the interference of the Ugandans, we would be in Juba now,” Machar said.

Asked if that meant he would be in power, he replied: “Not necessarily, but Kiir wouldn’t have been president.”

Reuters

February 1, 2014