The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, December 20, when DJ Toxxyk, driving at high speed, lost control of his vehicle while descending Payage Road from Kiyovu. The officer, who was standing across the road, was struck and dragged for approximately 30 meters.
RNP spokesperson ACP Boniface Rutikanga said the driver initially fled the scene but was later apprehended in Karongi District.
“He is currently held at Remera Police Station,” ACP Rutikanga stated.
Preliminary reports suggest that DJ Toxxyk may have swerved to avoid construction barriers on the road before hitting the officer.
The Rwanda National Police said the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident is ongoing.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum and focused on advancing the traditionally friendly relations between Moscow and Kigali. According to officials, discussions centred on identifying practical ways to expand mutually beneficial cooperation, particularly in trade, economic engagement and humanitarian affairs.
Both sides also reiterated their shared resolve to deepen political dialogue and enhance coordination within the United Nations and other multilateral fora in addressing global and regional challenges.
Opening the talks, Lavrov said the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum had evolved into a key platform for engagement since its establishment following the Russia–Africa Summit. He described the forum as more than an organisational framework, noting that it provides a convenient space for consultations on regional issues as well as bilateral relations.
“We value our warm relations with Rwanda,” Lavrov said, expressing hope for a productive exchange on bilateral ties alongside regional and international matters.
Nduhungirehe welcomed the discussions, describing the meeting as constructive and expressing satisfaction with the growing Russia–Africa Partnership Forum. He said the talks provided an opportunity to review the “excellent bilateral cooperation” between the two countries and to explore ways of further expanding it.
The two ministers also discussed the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with Nduhungirehe thanking Russia for its continued support of ongoing peace processes.
In line with broader Russia–Rwanda cooperation, Rwanda plans to establish a nuclear research centre in collaboration with Russia by 2030. The centre is expected to focus on producing radioactive materials for cancer diagnosis and treatment, improving agriculture through radiation technologies, and advancing industrial testing methods. Additionally, Rwanda is preparing to host Africa’s first demonstration of a Dual Fluid nuclear reactor and is exploring small modular reactor (SMR) technology to sustainably meet the country’s growing energy demands.
Beyond bilateral issues, Nduhungirehe, while speaking during the ministerial conference, highlighted Rwanda’s appreciation of Russia’s consistent support for a more just and representative international system. He referred to the African Union’s flagship Agenda 2063 initiative, Silencing the Guns, noting that the goal of ending conflicts on the continent remains unrealised.
“We believe it is high time for African countries and the AU to reflect on the root causes of conflicts in order to provide sustainable solutions,” he said.
The Second Ministerial Conference in Cairo builds on earlier engagements, including the first ministerial meeting held in Sochi in November 2024 and the Second Russia–Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in July 2023. The meetings laid the groundwork for enhanced cooperation across security, diplomacy and development.
“In a pre-dawn action early this morning on December 20, the US Coast Guard with the support of the Department of War apprehended an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela,” Noem said on X.
The U.S. military seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on December 10, a move the Venezuelan government condemned as “a blatant theft and an act of international piracy.”
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has ordered a total blockade of all U.S.-sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. He also said in a later interview that the United States will continue seizing additional oil tankers.
He made the remarks on Friday, December 19, 2025, during the 17th National Congress of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which convened over 2,200 party members to discuss key priorities for Rwanda’s transformation.
“But even as things change, and they must change continually, not everything changes. There is always something that remains constant: who you are, and the values and aspirations that define how you should live and respond in the midst of change. The core must remain constant,” President Kagame, who also serves as the party chairman, stated.
He emphasised that while strategies and tools may adapt over time, fundamental principles endure.
“The RPF has always said we must fight corruption. That principle does not change. The idea of fighting corruption from 31 years ago cannot be abandoned simply because we now live in a world that tolerates corruption, whatever that world may be. Rather, what changes are the methods we use to fight it. The principle itself does not change,” he added.
Rwanda continues to rank highly in global anti-corruption efforts. According to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International, Rwanda is ranked the 49th least corrupt country globally and the least corrupt in East Africa.
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Meanwhile, Friday’s Congress ratified a series of organisational changes within the party. Christophe Bazivamo was appointed Secretary General of FPR–Inkotanyi following revisions to the party’s statutes and leadership structure approved during the Congress. Under the new arrangement, the National Executive Committee now comprises two Vice Presidents and two Secretaries General.
Consolée Uwimana was confirmed as First Vice Chairperson, Kayisire Marie Solange as Second Vice Chairperson, and Stephen Gasana was appointed Deputy Secretary General. Bazivamo replaces Gasamagera Wellars, who previously held the position.
In a statement, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the alliance had declared the ceasefire “in a spirit of responsibility and in order to offer a real chance for the return of peace.” However, he accused the Kinshasa government of persisting with “a plan for the systematic extermination of our compatriots, in flagrant violation of all its commitments.”
Kanyuka detailed that early Friday morning, Congolese government forces launched coordinated attacks on Makobola and Minembwe in South Kivu.
He said the assault began at around 5:00 a.m., when coalition forces targeted Makobola using kamikaze drones and naval troops deployed from Baraka. Shortly after, at approximately 5:30 a.m., Minembwe came under attack with drones and heavy artillery, spreading terror among the civilian population.
“These repeated and deliberate violations of the ceasefire, along with the continuation of massacres against our compatriots, demonstrate unequivocally that the Kinshasa regime seeks neither peace nor the protection of civilians,” Kanyuka said.
The announcement follows AFC/M23’s recent withdrawal from the strategic city of Uvira, which the alliance had captured earlier in December. The group described the move as a confidence-building measure intended to support ongoing peace talks under the Doha Peace Process.
The withdrawal, which was announced on Monday, December 15, 2025, was carried out at the request of the United States.
Despite this gesture, AFC/M23 maintained that government forces and allied militias, including Wazalendo and Burundian troops, have previously exploited trust-building measures to retake territory and target civilians sympathetic to the alliance.
Kanyuka called on the guarantors of the peace process to implement measures ensuring civilian protection, demilitarisation, and neutral monitoring of the ceasefire in Uvira and surrounding areas.
The decision was taken during the 17th National Congress of FPR–Inkotanyi on Friday, where party members approved amendments to the party’s statutes and endorsed a revised structure of the National Executive Committee. Under the new structure, the committee comprises two Vice Presidents and two Secretaries General.
The Congress also approved new members of the National Executive Committee, with Consolée Uwimana confirmed as First Vice President and Kayisire Marie Solange as Second Vice President.
Christophe Bazivamo was endorsed as Secretary General, while Stephen Gasana was appointed Deputy Secretary General.
Bazivamo replaces Gasamagera Wellars, who previously held the position.
The casualties occurred between April 11 and April 13, 2025, when Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stormed the Zamzam displacement camp, once the largest refuge for people fleeing violence in Darfur. The camp, which sat near the provincial capital of el‑Fasher, had been home to almost half a million internally displaced people.
According to the U.N. report, the RSF restricted access to food, water, and essential supplies for months prior to the assault. During the takeover, fighters directed attacks against civilians, and survivors recounted widespread killings, rape, torture, and abductions as the camp was overrun.
At least 319 people were summarily executed either inside the camp or as they tried to flee, the report found. One witness told U.N. investigators that fighters shot into a room where civilians were hiding, killing everyone inside.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the deliberate targeting of civilians, saying such attacks “may constitute the war crime of murder.” He urged that those responsible be held accountable under international law.
The findings are based on interviews conducted in July with 155 survivors and witnesses who escaped to neighbouring Chad. Many described scenes of chaos and violence, with fighters entering homes, marketplaces, schools, and health facilities to commit atrocities.
The takeover of Zamzam was part of the RSF’s broader effort to seize el‑Fasher, the last major urban stronghold of Sudan’s regular army in the Darfur region. Late in October, the RSF captured the city in a prolonged offensive, and international rights groups reported further massacres and mass detentions there.
Humanitarian organisations describe the conflict in Sudan, now in its third year, as one of the world’s most severe crises. Millions have been displaced, and large swaths of territory have seen repeated violence against civilians.
The United States government has suspended its green card lottery program, formally known as the Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery, after a suspect in fatal shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was found to have entered the country through the program, senior officials said Friday.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that, at the direction of President Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has ordered the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to pause the diversity visa lottery program immediately. The program, created by Congress decades ago, annually grants up to 50,000 green cards to applicants from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.
Noem said in a post on the social media platform X that the suspect, 48‑year‑old Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, “should never have been allowed in our country”, a remark reflecting broad criticism by Trump and his allies of the lottery system.
Valente entered the United States in 2017 under the green card lottery program and later became a permanent resident. He is suspected of carrying out two deadly attacks that shook college communities in New England earlier this month.
In one incident at Brown University, two students were killed and nine others were wounded during a classroom shooting. Days later, Valente is suspected of fatally shooting an MIT professor at his Massachusetts home. He was later found dead of a self‑inflicted gunshot wound in New Hampshire during a manhunt.
The diversity visa program was designed to foster immigration diversity by allowing people from countries with relatively low rates of U.S. immigration to gain lawful permanent residency through a randomized selection process. Although winners are subject to interviews, background checks, and other standard vetting, critics say the system poses security risks. Supporters contend these safeguards are robust and that the program contributes meaningfully to U.S. society.
In announcing the suspension, Noem and other Trump administration officials cited concerns about national security and the integrity of the immigration system. They said the pause will remain in place while the government reviews the program’s procedures and eligibility standards.
The suspension marks one of the most significant changes to legal immigration policy under the Trump administration since it took office. The lottery has been a longstanding pathway for many aspiring immigrants around the world, and its discontinuation could spark legal challenges from civil liberties groups and immigration advocates.
Critics of the program have pointed to the recent shootings as evidence that the system’s vetting process can fail, while supporters argue that isolated incidents should not lead to dismantling broad legal immigration avenues. As the country grapples with rising concerns about gun violence and immigration policy, the suspension adds a new dimension to the ongoing national debate.
Trump, a long‑time opponent of the diversity visa lottery, has repeatedly sought restrictions on legal immigration and has previously cited tragic cases to call for tighter border controls and policy reforms.
Before Africa, Steffi led a successful life in Germany. She owned four cooking schools across Hamburg, Potsdam, Bremen, and Hamm, had a comfortable home, cars, and a thriving career. Yet, despite her achievements, she felt drawn to something different, something that would push her beyond familiar comforts.
Speaking in a recent exclusive interview with IGIHE, Steffi revealed that her passion for dance had long been part of her life. She discovered it at 16, and it quickly became more than a hobby.
“In the morning, I stand up and dance,” she says.
Dance became a form of expression, connection, and personal freedom. Today in Kigali, she continues to dance several times a week and even hosts classes and events.
The decision to move to Africa came with uncertainty. Steffi and her children travelled across the continent, eventually arriving in Mwanza, Tanzania. It was here, in search of a dance community, that she made a pivotal decision: to cross the border into Kigali.
Their arrival coincided with the global COVID-19 lockdowns, leaving the family confined to a small house with no bed, sleeping on yoga mats. Travel was impossible, money scarce, and options limited.
Steffi responded by turning her skills into opportunity. She began cooking extra meals for her family and selling the surplus. What started as feeding ten instead of three quickly drew attention.
Using a WhatsApp catalogue to showcase dishes she missed from home, she found her first customers. Their encouragement led her to take a bolder step: opening a physical shop. Partnering with a local, Balinda, she launched her first outlet in Rugando. But just as momentum built, thieves broke in, taking everything she had worked to create.
Arriving in Rwanda with limited English and no knowledge of Kinyarwanda, the loss could have been crushing. Yet Steffi refused to give up. She returned to her WhatsApp catalogue, relying on customer trust to rebuild her business from scratch.
Two years later, she opened a second outlet in Remera, dubbed Steffi Metz Gourmet Shop. She converted a spare room and unused parking space into an outdoor cooking school, offering locals an alternative to everyday meals. The business grew, but challenges persisted. A landlord dispute forced her to relocate after just four months. Eventually, she found a larger, more suitable space in Gacuriro.
Along the way, Steffi trained staff in hotels, often without financial backing. She faced personal betrayals and repeated setbacks, yet she found support in Rwanda’s environment, where entrepreneurship and creativity were allowed to flourish.
For Steffi, the appeal of Rwanda goes beyond business opportunity. In Germany, regulations would have prevented her from producing even simple items like cheese in a small setup. In Rwanda, processes are faster and more flexible, even her visa renewal was granted overnight. Most importantly, the country allows her to live authentically.
“As a creative person, it’s absolutely necessary to be myself and not worry whether it’s allowed,” she says.
From a comfortable life in Germany to starting over amid lockdowns and uncertainty, Steffi Metz’s story is one of courage, adaptation, and relentless passion. Through dance, cooking, and entrepreneurship, she has built a life in Kigali that is vibrant, inspiring, and wholly her own.
“Rwanda touched me,” she says, a sentiment that echoes through every step of her extraordinary journey.
Watch the full exclusive interview with IGIHE below.
During a Defence Ministry Board meeting on December 17, 2025, attended by President Vladimir Putin, Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov reported that Ukraine’s combat capability had been reduced by roughly one-third over the past year. He added that Ukraine’s ability to replenish its military forces through compulsory mobilisation of civilians had been severely impacted by the losses.
“Ukraine’s forces have lost nearly 500,000 servicemen, as a result of which Kiev has lost the ability to replenish its groupings through the compulsory mobilisation of civilians,” Belousov said.
In addition to personnel losses, Belousov alleged significant equipment losses by Ukraine in 2025. According to his report, Ukraine lost over 103,000 units of military equipment, including approximately 5,500 Western-made weapons, nearly double the amount lost in 2024. Russian officials argue that the figures reflect the severe toll the ongoing conflict has taken on Ukraine’s military infrastructure.
Ukraine’s struggle to maintain its military strength is further compounded by mobilisation challenges. Since the start of the war, Ukraine has implemented general mobilisation, barring men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country, and reduced the draft age from 27 to 25 in 2024.
Despite the measures, Ukraine has reportedly faced difficulties meeting recruitment targets. Violent clashes between reluctant recruits and conscription officers have been reported, including incidents of officers assaulting or chasing conscripts through the streets. Ukrainian officials have expressed concern over these tactics, and some frontline commanders have complained about the shortage of soldiers to confront Russian forces.
While the figures are provided by the Russian Ministry of Defence, independent verification remains difficult. Both Ukrainian and Russian authorities often withhold or downplay casualty figures due to the sensitive nature of military losses. Independent sources have not confirmed the 500,000-soldier figure, and international monitors report varying casualty estimates, often lower than those presented by Russia.
The war in Ukraine continues, with both sides engaged in an ongoing struggle for territorial control. As the conflict approaches its fourth year, uncertainty remains over Ukraine’s ability to sustain its military efforts amid heavy personnel and equipment losses.
