Category: News

During an event held at the Marriott Hotel on August 20, 2025, RDB emphasized that Law No. 12/2014 of May 19, 2014, governing the organization of tourism in Rwanda, stipulates in Articles 5, 20, and 29 that every institution operating in the tourism sector must have an approved operating license. The same law grants RDB the authority to suspend or permanently close any businesses that fail to comply.

This warning follows earlier calls for compliance made on June 27, 2025, when RDB’s Chief Executive Officer, Jean Guy Africa, addressed tourism stakeholders and reminded them that “compliance is not just a bureaucratic requirement, it is a strategic necessity.”

On that occasion, he stressed that the Tourism Operating License is both a legal instrument and a quality assurance mechanism, the very foundation of consumer protection and Rwanda’s reputation as a high-end destination.

Institutions considered part of the tourism sector include hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, motels, lodges and guest houses, tour operators, bars, and others.

Speaking at the Marriott Hotel, CEO Jean-Guy Africa reiterated this message, noting that inspections to assess compliance had already begun and urging operators to secure the required licenses without delay.

“Your dedication reflects our shared goal of building a strong, competitive, and welcoming tourism and hospitality sector. Partnership between government regulators and the private sector is what enables us to deliver quality services to every visitor or customer who chooses Rwanda,” he said.

He added: “When a guest walks into a hotel or a nightclub in Kigali, it is not only a private business transaction but also part of the country’s image. Their experience will shape their perception of Rwanda, determine whether they return, whether they act as our ambassadors abroad, or even decide to invest here or do the opposite.”

The CEO further underlined that ensuring quality standards and accountability is not only the responsibility of government, but also of private operators.

“Licensing ensures that every hospitality activity aligns with Rwanda’s tourism and hospitality regulations. It is essential for protecting clients’ safety, guaranteeing quality services, and safeguarding Rwanda’s reputation. When I speak of reputation here, I mean the reputation of Rwanda itself,” he said.

In his earlier remarks in June, he had also warned that operating without a license has three major consequences: it puts clients at risk, it creates unfair competition, and it erodes Rwanda’s image—a concern he repeated during the Marriott event.

The RDB CEO stressed that Rwanda has heavily invested in promoting the “Visit Rwanda” brand, and this must be matched with service quality. He urged all operators to comply with requirements and maintain high standards.

Ongoing inspections are being conducted to verify compliance across the tourism sector. RDB is working in partnership with the Rwanda National Police, the City of Kigali, and the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB).

The inspections began on April 30, 2025, with five- and four-star hotels. In Kigali, 47 hotels were inspected; 27 in Musanze and Rubavu; and six in Karongi. The campaign was extended to the Eastern Province from August 11 to 22, 2025.

In a statement released on August 20, 2025, the armed group described the HRW report as “fake, politically motivated, and an instrument of propaganda” aimed at demonising the AFC/M23.

The report, according to HRW, accused the M23 of targeting primarily ethnic Hutu civilians during the alleged killings in the Virunga region.

The statement, issued by the AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, criticised HRW’s methodology, saying the organisation relied on unverified telephone testimonies and satellite imagery without on-the-ground verification.

Kanyuka also accused the report of ignoring atrocities committed by other armed groups in the area, including coalition forces of the Kinshasa regime, the FDLR, Nyatura militias, PARECO, and Wazalendo.

“The Human Rights Watch report of August 20th, 2025, is fake and falsification of reality. Its methodology is fraudulent, its sources are corrupt, and its context is truncated,” the statement reads.

“It is based on no tangible evidence, only on hearsay, deceptively interpreted imagery, and complicit silence regarding the crimes of the coalition forces.”

The group insisted that the HRW report serves to divert attention from what it described as “military failures and crimes against humanity” committed by the Kinshasa regime.

The AFC/M23 rebel group is currently engaged in ongoing peace processes in Doha, Qatar, aimed at ending the conflict in eastern DRC, where the rebels accuse government forces of targeting Kinyarwanda-speaking communities through marginalisation and violence.

A report released by Amnesty International on August 20, 2025, documents multiple cases of rape and abuse in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

One 40-year-old woman told Amnesty that in late March this year, she was stopped by 10 Wazalendo fighters travelling in a vehicle. They demanded money from her, speaking in the Tembo language.

“I was terrified. I kept begging them, ‘Please, forgive me.’ They refused. Six of them dragged me into the forest while four stayed in the vehicle. They tore off my clothes, tied me up, and raped me. They beat me and covered my mouth with cloth,” she recounted.

She explained that her right hand was tied to one tree, the left to another, before being forced to kneel and assaulted. “All six of them raped me, one after another,” she said.

Afterwards, the fighters abandoned her, and she was rescued by passersby who took her to hospital. Although she received treatment and has since returned to work, she still suffers physical pain from the ordeal.

Another woman, a mother of four living in a camp in southern Masisi territory, said that in January 2024, she returned to her farmland to gather food for her children, where she was captured by three fighters from APCLS, a militia allied with the FDLR.

“They told me if I tried to run, they would shoot me. One said, ‘Instead of killing her, let us use her body.’ They pinned me to the ground and stripped me. I could not resist, my children would have been left without their mother and father. I accepted it to save them,” she said.

After raping her, the fighters warned her never to speak of what happened or they would kill her if they saw her again. “What I wish is that they too, may one day suffer what I went through. Only God knows the punishment they deserve,” she said.

In North Kivu, another woman, referred to as “Safia” for her safety said she encountered four armed men while collecting cassava leaves in her field. She suspected they were from Nyatura and FDLR, describing them as filthy, poorly dressed, and smoking marijuana.

“They told me I could not return home, then slapped me when I tried to respond. They accused me of working with the M23, saying that was why they had to rape me. I screamed for help, but no one came. They told me I was only calling for M23 to hear me, but even if they did, they would do nothing,” she explained.

She recalled how two of the men carried weapons while the others held her down, tearing off her clothes before raping her. “When they finished, I was left naked. I hid, waiting for someone to pass by and give me something to cover myself so I could return home,” she said.

“Safia” added that after people in her community learned of the assault, she was ostracised, and even her husband abandoned her because of what had happened. Ashamed, she decided never to return to her church.

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In February 2025, as M23 fighters advanced to capture the city of Bukavu, soldiers of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and members of the pro-government Wazalendo militia fled towards Uvira territory, leaving behind a trail of atrocities.

A 28-year-old woman from Bukavu recounted that on the night of February 12, while she was sleeping with her husband and children, FARDC soldiers forcefully entered their home.

“They banged on the door, demanding that we open immediately or they would shoot. When they entered, they saw my husband and asked, ‘What are you still doing here?’ They started beating him. There were three of them, speaking Lingala. Two took my husband outside and continued beating him,” she said.

She described how one of the soldiers dragged her into the living room and threatened her life.

“They asked me, ‘Do you want to die or do you want us to spare you?’ I started crying and pleading. One soldier pushed me to the ground. I told him, ‘I am pregnant.’ He replied, ‘I don’t care.’ While one handed his weapon to another, he raped me. When he finished, a second soldier took his turn. I screamed loudly,” she explained.

Her family has since called on the DRC government to investigate FARDC officers implicated in war crimes and gross human rights violations committed during the ongoing conflict in North and South Kivu.

“The time has come for President Félix Tshisekedi of the DRC to honour his pledge of justice and accountability, to ensure that Wazalendo fighters who committed these crimes face prosecution, and that others are reintegrated into civilian life.”

Yaache, who was part of the African UN peacekeepers deployed to Rwanda, recalled that when the UN Security Council voted to reduce the peacekeeping force to just 270 soldiers in 1994, both Gen. Roméo Dallaire and Ghanaian Gen. Henry Anyidoho opposed the decision, fearing the atrocities against the Tutsi. Despite the downsizing, some Ghanaian troops refused to withdraw and under Gen. Anyidoho’s leadership, they remained to protect civilians.

During the 100 days of the genocide against the Tutsi, Ghanaian troops managed to rescue an estimated 30,000 people.

Speaking to the media in Kigali, Yaache strongly rejected the hero narrative surrounding Rusesabagina, popularised by the film Hotel Rwanda.

“I haven’t watched the film, but I’ve heard many times, and to the effect that an individual was mainly responsible for rescuing people from the hotel. And the propaganda, I would call it, went far and near. I would say that the attitude and that statement are a fallacy. It’s ingenious, it is very, very unhelpful, and it’s not the truth,” Yaache said.

He stressed that it was UN peacekeepers, not hotel management, who were responsible for the safety of those sheltering at Mille Collines.

“The truth is, we had a shelter in the hotel. That’s the truth. We had UNAMIR troops stationed in the hotel. That’s the truth. And we had protection for the people who were there. It wasn’t the management that provided protection. It was UNAMIR. The movement, the planning, the meetings, everything was done by the UN force, not an individual,” he emphasised.

Survivors and several former UNAMIR officers, including Maj. (Rtd) Peter Sosi, have also criticised the film for spreading falsehoods. Sosi recalled once telling an instructor in Ireland that the movie was “riddled with inaccuracies” and should not be used as a teaching resource.

In reality, Rusesabagina only assumed management of the hotel on April 16, 1994 — nine days after the genocide began. Testimonies suggest he often exercised selective control over admissions, favouring those who could pay or those he knew, while disregarding instructions from Sabena Hotels, the Belgian company that owned Mille Collines, which had ordered that all refugees be sheltered free of charge.

Some survivors further accuse him of obstructing arrangements for refugees who sought safe passage abroad.

Yaache concluded that the protection and survival of those at the hotel were due to the sacrifice of Ghanaian peacekeepers and UNAMIR personnel, not one man.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the ICC as “a national security threat that has been an instrument of lawfare” against the United States and Israel.

The officials sanctioned include Canadian Judge Kimberly Prost, who approved the court’s investigation into alleged war crimes by U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and French Judge Nicolas Yann Guillou, who authorised arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal were also sanctioned for supporting the warrants.

Netanyahu welcomed the U.S. move, calling it a “firm measure against the mendacious smear campaign” targeting Israel. Washington emphasised that neither the U.S. nor Israel recognises ICC jurisdiction. The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets held by the four officials and bar them from access to the American financial system.

The ICC condemned the designations as “a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution,” stressing that the sanctions threaten the court’s ability to function and undermining global justice.

France also criticised the sanctions, with its Foreign Ministry stating they contradicted the principles of an independent judiciary. United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric warned that the U.S. measures could “impose severe impediments on the functioning of the office of the prosecutor.”

This latest action follows a previous round of sanctions earlier this year, which targeted ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan KC and four judges over cases involving U.S. personnel in Afghanistan. Rubio said the United States remains “steadfast in our opposition to the ICC’s politicisation, abuse of power, and illegitimate judicial overreach.”

The ICC, established in 2002, prosecutes genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in its 125 member states or when referred by the U.N. Security Council. Its current high-profile investigations include the Israel-Hamas conflict, as well as cases in Sudan, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Venezuela.

While the court has jurisdiction over member states, major countries, including the U.S., Israel, Russia, and China do not recognise its authority.

In response to the sanctions, the ICC urged member states to continue supporting the court and its work, which it said is carried out solely in the interest of victims of international crimes.

Since late July 2025, the DRC’s military oversight body, led by Gen. Gabriel Amisi Kumba, has been probing whether senior military officers played a role in the withdrawals. Gen. Kumba has identified 25 high-ranking officers, all holding the rank of General, who were involved in the command of operations across Kinshasa, eastern Congo, and other regions.

Among those under scrutiny are Gen. Christian Tshiwewe, former Chief of Staff of the Congolese armed forces, and Gen. Franck Ntumba, who oversees military operations at the President’s office. Both were arrested last month on suspicion of plotting against the Head of State.

Other officers on the list include Army spokesperson Gen. Maj. Sylvain Ekenge Bomusa, Lt. Gen. Constant Ndima, former commander of North Kivu, Gen. Chico Tshitambwe Jérôme, and Lt. Gen. Padiri Bulenda David, head of the Rapid Intervention Force.

Gen. Kumba stated that the investigation aims to identify weaknesses in the army’s battlefield operations and implement measures to strengthen military performance.

The AFC/M23 coalition captured Bunagana in June 2022, seven months after launching its offensive. Its leader, Corneille Nangaa, said in June 2025 that the group now controls areas spanning 34,000 square kilometres.

The research, based on World Health Organisation (WHO) data from 102 countries, shows that the average suicide rate decreased from 10.33 per 100,000 people in 1990 to 7.24 in 2021, representing a 29.9% drop.

The decline was steeper in high-income countries, where cases fell by 32.1%, compared to 27.3% in low- and middle-income nations. The study was conducted by Soeun Kim and Selin Woo from the Department of Medicine at Kyung Hee University in Seoul.

The authors cautioned that differences in how suicide is defined and reported across countries could influence the reliability of statistics.

In Europe, they noted, several factors contributed to the downward trend, including responsible media reporting and initiatives aimed at strengthening the social and emotional skills of young people.

Expanded access to psychiatric and psychosocial care, a reduction in stigma surrounding mental health, and the implementation of prevention programs were also identified as major drivers of progress.

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In 1990, high-income countries recorded a relatively high suicide rate of 12.68 per 100,000 people. By 2021, this had dropped to 8.61. In low- and middle-income countries, the rate fell from 7.88 to 5.73 over the same period.

Despite the overall decline, the study highlighted persistent underreporting in some countries, often linked to stigma, religious prohibitions, or the criminalisation of suicide. Conversely, increases were observed in developing countries undergoing rapid urbanisation.

Looking to the future, researchers project that the global suicide rate could decrease further to around 6.49 per 100,000 people by 2050. However, they warned that certain population groups and regions are still at high risk and require targeted interventions.

The announcement was made in a statement issued by the RNP on August 19, 2025, through its official X account.

The statement followed discussions aired on TV1 and later circulated on social media, in which media personality Kakooza Nkuliza Charles (KNC) and journalist Mutabaruka Angelbert raised concerns that some foreigners in Rwanda act with impunity, including physically assaulting citizens.

KNC argued that just as the Government of Rwanda continues to prioritize the fight against violence, assault, and battery among its citizens, the same standards should be applied to foreign residents.

In its response, the Rwanda National Police stressed that the matter is well known and has been under close monitoring by relevant institutions.

“This issue has been under investigation by institutions including the Police, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau [RIB], the National Public Prosecution Authority [NPPA], and the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration. Measures have already been taken,” the Police stated.

According to the RNP, in the past year, over 240 people were handed over to judicial authorities for crimes including assault, battery, and theft, while 64 foreigners were repatriated to their countries of origin.

The Police reaffirmed that no one is above the law in Rwanda and emphasized that all offenders, regardless of nationality, are held accountable without exception.

“We will continue to work closely with embassy officials representing their countries in Rwanda to encourage their citizens to comply with national laws,” the statement added.

Reports of violent conduct among some foreign residents have frequently been linked to students from countries such as South Sudan and others pursuing studies in Rwanda, with cases often involving drunkenness, assault, and theft.

Rwanda remains one of the African countries most open to foreign nationals, welcoming those who wish to invest or pursue education.

In recent years, the country has attracted thousands of young people from across the continent, many of whom are enrolled in private universities operating in Rwanda.

“You have my assurance,” Trump said in a Fox News interview, a day after hosting a White House summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders.

Trump said on Monday during meetings at the White House that the United States would be “involved” in security guarantees for Ukraine after its war with Russia but did not elaborate. He added more clarity in the morning interview with “Fox & Friends.”

“When it comes to security, they’re willing to put people on the ground,” Trump said, referring to the European countries.

“We’re willing to help them with things, especially probably … by air because there’s nobody that has the kind of stuff we have.”

“The issue of security guarantees for Ukraine — and potential U.S. involvement in them — has proved to be a sticking point as Trump works to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia,” reported The Washington Post about the development.

“European leaders have been encouraged that Trump appears open to a U.S. role in peacekeeping in Ukraine, but that could complicate negotiations with Russia, which has spent years working to counter increased military support for Ukraine by its allies,” it noted.

The White House rarely hosts so many foreign dignitaries at once as it did on Monday, when Zelensky and European leaders arrived to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict with Trump.

The Monday meetings at the White House mainly focused on security guarantees for Ukraine and a possible trilateral meeting between Russia, Ukraine and the United States. Disagreements remain on some key issues, such as whether a ceasefire is necessary before further negotiations.

The latest talks came three days after the U.S. and Russian presidents met in the U.S. state of Alaska, when progress was reportedly made but no deal was announced.

The burnt area has more than doubled compared with last week’s tally of 439,568 hectares, underscoring the rapid spread of wildfires in recent days.

According to the JRC’s latest weekly update, this year’s figure far exceeds the 19-year average of 244,000 hectares typically seen by mid-August.

A total of 1,736 major blazes, defined as fires larger than 30 hectares, have been detected in the EU so far, compared with 1,185 during the same period last year. The surge has pushed estimated carbon dioxide emissions to 31.9 million tonnes, almost three times higher than a year earlier.

Looking ahead, the fire danger forecast for Aug. 19-25 suggests easing conditions in the southern part of Europe, including Spain, France, Italy, the Balkans, and Greece. However, risk levels are set to climb in northern and northwestern parts of the continent.

Ireland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, northern Germany, Poland, Denmark, and parts of Sweden and Finland face “very high to very extreme” anomalies in fire danger. Elevated risks are also forecast along the Danube basin in Austria, Hungary, and Romania.

On average, over 60,000 forest fires break out in the EU each year, burning some 500,000 hectares, nearly twice the area of Luxembourg, and causing human casualties and economic losses of around 2 billion euros (about 2.33 billion U.S. dollars), according to JRC data. (1 euro = 1.17 U.S. dollar)