Author: Publisher

Gicumbi: Félicien Kabuga property auctioned off

{After postponing the seizure of property to genocide bankroller and master minder Félicien Kabuga on 11th /November/2013 due to failure of bidders to show-up, finally Indian businessman Habibu Mohammed managed to buy it off on Wednesday 11th/December/2013.
}

Habibu Zara is a popular Indian businessman who owns Zara Company and apparently the legal owner of 115 hectares of land worth 153, 250,000, once owned by one of the most wanted Rwandan genocide mastermind.

Among the seized properties include business houses and tea plantations, located in Mukarange sector, Gicumbi district, in the Northern Province.

In an interview with Flash radio, prosecutor Niyonshuti Idi, said more other properties are still awaited to be auctioned, in order to cover defects of the genocide victims.

He also added that it’s not yet over because a big number of victims suffered defects during the 1994 genocide, so the seizure of Kabuga felicien property still continues, since he is still accused by hundreds of genocide victims.

Kabuga was born in Muniga, in the commune of Mukarange, prefecture of Byumba, Rwanda, roughly 30 kilometers off the Rwanda-Uganda Border. Kabuga amassed his wealth by owning tea farms in northern Rwanda, among other business ventures.

A multimillionaire, he was closely connected to Juvénal Habyarimana’s MRND party and the Akazu, an informal group of Hutu extremists from northern Rwanda that strongly contributed to the Rwandan Genocide.

Kabuga was also allegedly heavily involved in the founding and bankrolling of RTLM, as well as Kangura magazine In 1993, at an RTLM fundraising meeting organized by the MRND, Felicien Kabuga allegedly publicly defined the purpose of RTLM as the defense of Hutu Power.

During the ICTR’s so-called “media trial”, former RTLM presenter Georges Ruggiu named Kabuga as the “Chairman Director-general” of the station, with duties such as “presiding over RTLM” and “representing RTLM.

From January 1993 to March 1994, a total of 500,000 machetes were imported into Rwanda, statistically one for every three adult Hutus in the country.

Kabuga has been named as one of the main importers of these machetes; he is married to Josephine Mukazitoni while two of their daughters are married to two sons of Former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana.

December 12, 2013
Algeria – Rwanda: FM Mushikiwabo talks with his Algerian counterpart

{Rwanda and Algeria have decided to advance bilateral cooperation to raise the height of the special partnership between the two countries. This was revealed to Algeria’s Press by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo, shortly after meeting in Algiers with his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra.}

She said that Algeria and Rwanda agreed to stamp a “qualitative impetus “to bilateral cooperation and raise the level of political relations between the two countries.

The two countries agreed to organize a joint commission during the first half of 2014.

Apart from working on specific exchanges in the fields of security and culture, two sides also agreed on other areas of cooperation, including the business community.

The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Algeria, Amar Belani, told APS that Algeria and Rwanda have expressed their “determination” to boost bilateral cooperation in all fields: political, security, economic and cultural.

The two countries have also decided to” reactivate “the mechanism of political consultation meetings for consultation on all common issues and it” can be held on a regular basis.”

They also decided to start in the short term, cooperation in training in several specialties in the field of national security.

Algeria and Rwanda have, on this occasion, decided to start the process of preparing the next session of the Joint Committee to be held in 2014.

“Both countries want to focus on the renovation of the legal framework of bilateral cooperation and explore opportunities for setting up a business council to exploit investment avenues in the public and private sectors,” he added.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo had participated for three days in Algiers, a high-level seminar on peace and security in Africa.

{{Algeria Press}}

December 12, 2013
19 Ugandan LRA rebels surrender in CAR

{Ugandan Army said that nineteen fighters from Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have surrendered following an offensive against the rebel group in the Central African Republic (CAR).}

Six children were among those who gave themselves up, the army said.

The LRA was forced out of Uganda in 2005 and since then has wreaked havoc in CAR and other neighbouring states.

The group says its mission is to install a government in Uganda based on the Biblical Ten Commandments.

It is notorious for abducting children to serve as sex slaves and child soldiers.

The US has listed it as a terrorist group and has offered up to $5m (£3.3m) for leads resulting in the arrest of its leader, Joseph Kony.

December 12, 2013
From Burundi into CAR: US flight starts today

{The U.S. military expects on this Thursday, 12th December, to begin flying Burundi forces into the Central African Republic to help stop the violence in that war-torn country, according to a U.S. military official.}

The United States has two C-17 aircraft in Uganda that will pick up the forces in Burundi and unload them in Bangui, the capital. The official emphasized the U.S. planes will remain on the ground in Bangui for a very short period due to the violence there.

The official also said the United States believes its planes and crews will be safe, because French forces control the airport there. The airlift of Burundi forces is expected to last about a week. Discussions about what additional assistance the United State may provide continue.

The Pentagon announced Monday that American military would fly African and European peacekeepers to the Central African Republic, which is in the midst of a bloody internal conflict between various proclaimed Christian and Muslim militias and other rebel factions.

That announcement was followed by a statement from President Barack Obama, who called on the country’s citizens to reject violence and urged the transitional government to join “respected leaders” in Muslim and Christian communities in calling for “calm and peace.”

“Individuals who are engaging in violence must be held accountable in accordance with the law. Meanwhile, as forces from other African countries and France work to restore security, the United States will support their efforts to protect civilians,” Obama said.

Pentagon spokesman Carl Woog said “the United States is joining the international community” in aiding the peackeeping effort “because of our belief that immediate action is required to avert a humanitarian and human rights catastrophe.”

Agencies

December 12, 2013
Burundi ex-VP arrested while having sex

{Burundi’s opposition on Tuesday condemned the arrest of one of its key leaders, claiming he had been “set up” in a sex and bribery scandal designed to block a challenge to the country’s president. }

Frederic Bamvuginyumvira, a former vice-president of Burundi and current deputy of the Front for Democracy in Burundi (Frodebu) party, was arrested on Thursday “while having sex… in a house of ill repute”, said senior Supreme Court official Emmanuel Rumbete.

Bamvuginyumvira, 52, is alleged to have then tried to bribe his way to freedom, while a woman, reportedly an old family friend in her fifties, was released.

But his party said his arrest was organised by President Pierre Nkurunziza, adding to political tensions in the small central African nation, torn in the past by civil war, rebellion and massacres.

“This is outrageous,” said Frodebu president Leonce Ngendakumana. “We are witnessing a shameless and growing campaign orchestrated by Pierre Nkurunziza to remove a man known for his integrity, and who could pose a threat in the general election in 2015.”

Bamvuginyumvira, a highly respected leader with a reputation for being tough on graft, was Burundi’s vice president from 1998 to 2001, and is touted as one of the most serious potential opposition presidential candidates for 2015.

According to eyewitness accounts, Bamvuginyumvira was arrested while riding in a car in the centre of the capital Bujumbura.

One of his lawyers, Fabien Segatwa, criticised the lack of evidence against him, as well as condemning his treatment in prison, where he said the politician was “forced to sleep on the floor” without a mattress or blankets.

“He was first prosecuted for adultery, but that charge was quickly abandoned because it requires a complaint from his wife,” Segatwa said, adding that police also considered charges of rebellion and incitement to debauchery.

Frodebu won the 1993 general elections, bringing to power the country’s first elected president Melchior Ndadaye.

Ndadaye was assassinated a few months later, triggering a brutal civil war that ended in 2006.

Like other opposition groups Frodebu boycotted legislative elections in 2010.

Sapa-AFP

December 12, 2013
FDLR fighters in Congo surrendering in large numbers: U.N.

{Members of a Rwandan Hutu militia, FDLR, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been surrendering in large numbers to U.N. peacekeepers trying to neutralize armed groups in the region, a senior U.N. official said on Wednesday.}

According to Reuters, Congolese troops and the U.N. peacekeeping mission – which includes a unique Intervention Brigade mandated to eliminate armed groups in eastern Congo – have turned their attention to combating the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) after defeating the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group last month.

Martin Kobler, head of the U.N. mission, said operations against the FDLR began on November 27. He said the group had up to 1,800 fighters, but only 30 percent were Hutus who fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide against Tutsi and moderate Hutus.

“Most of them are young people, 70 percent of them are young people below the age of 30. They were not involved in the 1994 genocide so it is easier for them also to surrender to us,” Kobler told reporters after briefing the U.N. Security Council on the situation in Congo behind closed doors.

“We have quite a number of surrenderees, a whole platoon every month is surrendering without fighting,” he said.

Millions of people have died from violence, disease and hunger in eastern Congo since the 1990s while dozens of rebel groups have fought for control of its rich deposits of gold, diamonds, copper, cobalt and uranium.

French U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud, the president of the Security Council for December, said Kobler told the 15-member Security Council that tackling the FDLR involved a different approach to that used against the M23 rebels.

“There is a major obstacle in that the FDLR are living with their families,” Araud told reporters.
“The M23 was waging a traditional war with a front with armed forces quite easily identifiable while the FDLR are small groups, very, very often living in small villages with their families, which means among civilians,” he said.

Kobler also spoke about the unarmed surveillance drones that the United Nations started to use earlier this month to monitor the volatile border between Congo and its neighbors Rwanda and Uganda.

“This is a deterrent I think to all armed groups,” Kobler told reporters. “If you see the imagery, you can see from 2,000 meters (6,561 feet) children playing football in a backyard and you can identify the faces.”

December 12, 2013
Kenya celebrates 50 years of freedom with challenges ahead

Nairobi: {{Kenyans mark half a century of independence from Britain on Thursday, celebrating progress of the regional economic powerhouse but also struggling to shake off a legacy of corruption, inequality and ethnic violence. }}

Celebrations got underway at midnight yesterday, with the Kenyan flag raised in Uhuru Gardens – meaning “freedom” in Swahili – in a reenactment of the moment 50 years earlier when Britain’s rule since 1895 came to a close.

Climbers are also raising another flag on the snow-capped peak of Mount Kenya.

In another echo of history, President Uhuru Kenyatta will address crowds and regional presidents later today as his father Jomo Kenyatta did in 1963, when he became the first Kenyan to lead the east African nation.

Back then, Kenyans sang and danced wildly in the streets at the end of the British colonial rule.

Today, anti-colonial rhetoric is being drummed up again, amid international pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta ahead of his international crimes against humanity trial early next year.

Kenyatta, who denies all charges of masterminding violence following contested elections in 2007 in which over 1,00 died, has campaigned hard to have his trial at International Criminal Court suspended, appealing for support from fellow African presidents and at the African Union.

The president is expected to echo recent speeches vowing to defend Kenya from her “enemies”.

“Our forefathers rejected colonialism and imperial domination in their time,” Kenyatta said in a speech in October for Hero’s day, commemorating those who died in the Mau Mau uprising, a largely ethnic Kikuyu insurgent movement in the 1950s brutally suppressed by colonial powers.

“We must honour their legacy, and stay true to our heritage, by rejecting all forms of domination and manipulation in our time.”

Government advertisements in newspapers to celebrate the independence jubilee have included full page pictures of the Mau Mau, urging unity in the country.

A competition has also been launched to design a Mau Mau memorial for central Nairobi for those who suffered during the insurgency, with backing by the British government.

But for many Kenyans, the anniversary is a date to rather look forward to build their nation rather than dredge up the ghosts of the past.

“This will be a season of hagiography,” wrote Patrick Gathara, a well known media commentator and cartoonist in a recent article.

“Kenya will put on its Sunday-best gear and apply some patriotic perfume to cover the stench of the last five decades.”

{{AFP}}

December 12, 2013
Rwanda wants Development partners who don’t dictate

{Rwanda values organisations and individuals that do not seek to impose their will but rather align their support with the priorities of the recipient countries, President Kagame has said.}

The President was on Tuesday speaking in New York where he delivered a keynote speech on the occasion to honour Howard G. Buffett, an American philanthropist, for his significant contributions to the improvement of the quality of life in developing countries, including Rwanda.

“As we, in Rwanda, look back on our journey of recovery and nation building and as we reflect on the core values of dignity and self-determination that guide our efforts, there are organisations and individuals whose partnership and support stand out. Howard’s is one of them,” he said.

For his work in making significant and lasting contributions to individual, family and community well-being locally and around the world, Auburn University’s College of Human Sciences honoured Howard with the International Quality of Life Award.

Buffett is chair and chief executive of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, a private charitable foundation working to improve the standard of living and quality of life for the world’s most impoverished and marginalised populations.

{{‘Unique partner’}}

Describing him as a unique partner, the President said the IQLA laureate was different from many visitors from foreign governments, academic institutions and NGOs, who arrive in Africa with “preconceived ideas based upon where they come from, what they have heard or read”

Some of these partners, Kagame said, while they often come to the region with good intentions, tend to believe that they understand the situation better than those they seek to help, thereby making the mistake of being overly prescriptive.

“However, Howard [Buffett] has been different. He came to our region with an open mind, ready to listen, learn and share; and not to dictate – and he genuinely used what he learned to inform his actions and investments,” the Head of State told the audience.

“Howard [Buffett] has been a friend to many, including the people of Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region of Africa for more than fifteen years. He has made significant contributions to the improvement of the quality of life that should be recognised and respected,” the President said of the laureate.

In the case of Rwanda, Kagame said, Howard [Buffett] has “sought to understand the country and brought in support and perspective that have helped address our particular challenges.”

{{Approach to partnerships}}

Sharing Rwanda’s approach to partnerships, President Kagame explained that in order to achieve the country’s national vision and overcome adversity, Rwanda has continued to challenge conventional wisdom.

“Our situation has taught us to value and appreciate people of conviction who have the courage to do the right thing even when it is considered controversial by others. Howard [Buffett] is one of those people,” he added.

President Kagame said when he met Buffett in August, the American philanthropist committed to two things: partnering to modernise and develop DRC-Rwanda border post; and supporting Rwanda’s Strategic Capacity Building Initiative to strengthen government institutions.

In a statement released yesterday, the Howard Buffett Foundation announced a US$3.7 million grant for the Government of Rwanda Strategic Capacity Building Initiative (SCBI).

“Rwanda’s development successes can be attributed to its aid effectiveness and its investments in governments and institutions,” Buffett said.

“If Western donors truly want to support African-led development, and bring an end to Africa’s reliance on outside aid, it’s critical they support important efforts like SCBI.”

President Kagame also lauded the American for his Africa Great Lakes Peace Initiative which seeks to fund specific development projects in eastern DR Congo, with the President saying this “will play a significant part in lasting peace and stability that is sought in the DRC and beyond”

“Howard’s work should serve as an example to those who want to build meaningful partnerships that make an actual difference in the lives of those who need it the most,” the President said of the recipient of the IQLA.

Howard, the eldest son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, also operates a 1,500-acre family farm in central Illinois, and is involved with improving production practices for smallholder farmers in developing countries in Africa and Latin America.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, received a lifetime achievement award. Other notable attendees were UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson and actress Eva Longoria.

Source: {{The New Times}}

December 12, 2013
Mel B: Scary Spice’s ‘amazing’ Christmas with Rwandan President

{MEL B is looking forward to Christmas thanks to the “amazing trip” the former Spice Girl is planning to Rwanda.
}

According to msn News site, the singer, whose real name is Melanie Brown, is friends with Ivan and Ange, the adult children of Rwanda’s 56-year-old president Paul Kagame. He has invited her and her three children to spend Christmas at his palace in Rwanda/ East Africa.

Mel B on her Twitter wrote:”Christmas is different every year,” “Last year we were in Australia and it was lovely but this year we’ve decided to go to Rwanda. We’ve got this amazing trip planned and we’re staying with the president, Paul Kagame.”

She added: “I know his son and daughter because they live in New York and they’re adorable people. They invited us out there. “We will probably have our own Christmas in LA with stockings, presents and a big roast dinner, and then we shall go off to spend time with the president.”

December 12, 2013
Kigali: U.S. Embassy Announces 16 Days Campaign Poetry Contest Winner

{Winnie Rugamba, 18, from Kigali, is the winner of the U.S. Embassy’s Inaugural 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign Poetry Contest, U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda Donald Koran announced Tuesday. }

He made the announcement at a poetry reading hosted by the U.S. Embassy at Rwanda Library Services in Kacyiru.

Embassy officials organized the event in commemoration of the 16 Days Campaign and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Rwandan youth were invited to submit 10-line poems on the theme “GBV – We Can Make It Stop!” The Embassy published one poem per day during the 16 Days Campaign and culminated the Campaign with the poetry reading at Rwanda Library Services.

Young Rwanda writers whose poems were selected for the reading as well as youth from around the country were invited to the event. Ambassador Koran noted that two important goals – promoting English as well as fighting GBV – were on display that day.

“The creative minds of these young people can help those throughout Rwanda better understand the important mental and emotional anguish associated with GBV and the resilience and support expressed by those willing to stand up and Make It Stop,” he said.

The event also featured testimony from Jacqueline Niyonsaba, a young Rwandan woman who shared her GBV story with the assembled students. She’s worked with the USAID Rwanda Family Health Project since her incident some years ago.

The U.S. Embassy in Kigali will print Rugamba’s poem, entitled “GBV – We Can Make It Stop”, and distribute copies of the poster to schools and youth centers in Rwanda in a continuing effort to help raise awareness of gender based violence and the role young Rwandans can play to help fight GBV.

All 16 poems selected for the contest can be read on the U.S. Embassy’s website: http://rwanda.usembassy.gov/16days_poetry_contest.html

{{angedelavictoire@igihe.com}}

December 11, 2013