Author: Publisher

{{Zambia has reaffirmed its promise to continue protecting Rwandan refugees in the southern Africa country whether or not the refugees are genocide suspects.}}

The Zambia Home Affairs Ministry official Jacob Mpepo told journalists in the capital Lusaka Thursday that his country is not compelled to extradite 1994 Rwandan genocide suspects due to a lack of a bilateral treaty, an official said.

“We don’t have an extradition treaty with Rwanda. We have with other countries, not Rwanda,” he said.

Rwanda has called on Zambia several times, to screen its refugees and hand over those it claims were perpetrators of the 1994 genocide.

“To extradite a Rwanda who lives here can be a bit problematic,” the minister said.

He added: “I was involved in arresting a lot of those people, but when we did the screening against the UN list of suspects, we only found one and that person was actually taken to Arusha.”

He said Zambia was among the first countries to respond to the call by the UN to arrest suspects of the genocide living in the country as refugees.

Although not obliged to extradite any suspect, the government can arrest those found wanting, said Mr Mpepo

Rwandan nationals residing in Zambia recently rejected a request by Kigali to give details of their names to obtain their national passports fearing they will be targeted.

NMG

{{Rwanda’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Dr. Nkurunziza Williams with Gary Miller the Mayor of Liverpool City lay a wreath of flowers on a monument in honour of the Victims of the 1994 Genocide against Ethnic Tutsi.}}

{{Eight young women from around Rwanda have won scholarships to top U.S. Universities, including Harvard University.}}

The winners include; Ange Sandrine Uwisanze,Bonnette Ishimwe,Chartine Iraguha,Grace Mutavu,Jocelyn Mizero,Nicole Mugeni and Yvonne Musiime.

Open A Door, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping talented young women from Rwanda gain access to university scholarship opportunities in the US, and then return home to become agents of change in Rwanda, organized another competition this year to get more future young women leaders into their program.

The program involved conducting a thorough interview process to find the best and brightest young women.

Candidates were nominated from as well as other organizations. After selecting this year’s group, Open A Door provides them with SAT and TOEFL training and preparation classes and then matches them with US mentors who help them navigate the college application and financial aid process.

Mentors also negotiated scholarships and will provide emotional support when the students are in the US.

The US Embassy provided additional services as well as access to more TOEFL, SAT and other college application materials.

Each student continues to have access to additional material on studying the US through free membership to the Information Resource Center located in the US Embassy.

Open A Door will be accepting its fourth class of Rwandan women into the program for the 2015 school year.

Interested students can contact Open A Door through their website www.openadoorfoundation.org or through the US Embassy Information Resource Center.

{Access Bank-Rwanda Staff at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. the Bank donated Frw6million to the memorial site at Gisozi.}

{{Access Bank Internantionl In Rwanda has donated U$10,000 (approx. Frw6M) to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. }}

The funds will facilitate activities of the memorial site where thousands of victims of the 1994 genocide are buried.

The 1994 Genocide against ethnic Tutsi claimed over a million lives.

Acess Bank staff were shown around the Memorial site where they also received explanations on the causes of the genocide in Rwanda and how to avert it.

Chris Osisiogu the head of Acess bank in Rwanda told IGIHE that their gesture was aimed at honouring the victims of the genocide and work with others in preventing genocide.

He said, “Access Bank does not engage in business activities alone but its the banks responsibility to support the people and initiatives where its working from”.

{Access Bank Staff listen to explanations from Kigali memorial Guide}

{Mutangana Frederic of AEGIS Trust}

{Access Bank Staff lay a wreath of flowers at the site where genocide victims are buried}