IGIHE

Category: News

  • Mai Mai Militia Clash With FLDR

    {{Reports from Eastern DRC indicate that Rwandan FDLR Rebels engaged in a fierce battle with Mai Mai militia on October 10 resulting into the death of 13 people.}}

    The clash was reported along the Katwiguru kisharo axis, north-east from Rutshuru town.

    Mai mai Shetani militia lost three combatants and several deaths reported on the FDLR side.

    The security situation was still confused about this axis in the day Thursday.

    Residents in several villages in the area of fighting fled frightened by the violence.

    The fighting is said to have began Wednesday at 5:00 pm and continued until late evening.

    Some residents of the area say that the Mayi-Mayi Shetani have received a reinforcement of men in military uniforms from Nyakakoma sector.

    Frightened civilians said they heard heavy explosions and have crossed the border into Uganda.

  • USA: Joe Biden & Paul Ryan Quarrel in Debate

    {{US Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan quarreled aggressively on Thursday night over the administration’s handling of foreign affairs and the nation’s economic recovery, using a debate here to highlight the sharp contrasts facing voters in November.}}

    The two vice presidential candidates not only picked up where President Obama and Mitt Romney left off at their debate last week, they also expanded the arguments into a combative and wide-ranging discussion ranging from Iran’s ability to obtain nuclear weapons to the unemployment rate. They delivered some of the most forceful exchanges of the campaign, with neither man holding back.

    Within a single minute of the debate’s first 25 minutes, Biden worked in three attacks that Democrats were disappointed Obama did not level against Romney, referring to Romney’s opposition to the bailout of the auto industry, his statement that the nation’s foreclosure crisis would have to “run its course” and his comment about the “47%” of Americans who he said were overreliant on government benefits.

    “These guys bet against America all the time,” Biden said.

    But Ryan offered a point-by-point rebuttal, showing fluency in foreign affairs. He said the administration had no “credibility” in its international approach to Iran, because it had sent mixed signals, and that the tough sanctions that are in place came about only because of the fortitude of Congress, as the administration sought to “water down” the sanctions.

    He assailed the administration’s handling of the terrorist strike in Libya that killed the U.S. ambassador, saying: “It took the president two weeks to acknowledge that this was a terrorist attack.” (Obama labeled the incident an “act of terror” during his remarks on Sept. 12, a day after the attack, in the White House Rose Garden.)

    A Romney administration, Ryan said, would send Marines to protect an outpost like the one in Benghazi. “Look, if we are hit by terrorists, we’re going to call it for what it is — a terrorist attack,” he said.

    Ryan chastised Obama, questioning why the United States did not have protection for the diplomatic compound. He declared, “This is becoming more troubling by the day.”

    {{Important moment in race}}

    But as Biden reminded Ryan that he and House Republicans cut the budget for the security, he sought to use the question about the attack on Libya to immediately begin the attack on Romney’s positioning. He contrasted Obama’s overall foreign policy record with Romney’s, ranging from Iraq to the killing of Osama bin Laden.

    “The president has led with a steady hand and clear vision: Gov. Romney hasn’t,” Biden said. “The last thing we need is another war.”

    The men repeatedly talked over each other, with Biden growing visibly agitated at Ryan’s remarks, which at one point he called “malarkey.”

    But Biden made it clear from the start that he was not going to repeat the mistakes of Obama. And Martha Raddatz of ABC News, the moderator, made it clear she was not going to repeat what many people in both parties saw as the mistakes of the last moderator, Jim Lehrer, and took control of the debate with tough questions and sharp follow-ups.

    “This is a bunch of stuff,” Biden said at one point, offering a forceful rebuttal of criticism that the administration has not aggressively worked with Israel to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

    “What does that mean, a bunch of stuff?” Raddatz said.

    “It’s Irish,” Ryan jumped in.

    The vice presidential candidates arrived here at an important moment in the race, with Republicans eager to build upon Romney’s strong showing at his first debate with Obama. The performance energized the Romney campaign, created angst among supporters of the president and prompted some voters to take a second look at Romney in the final weeks of the contest.

    Here in Danville, on the campus of Centre College, the only debate of the campaign between Biden and Ryan took on a sense of magnitude that extended beyond a typical vice presidential debate.

    As Democrats demanded a more aggressive posture against the GOP ticket than Obama displayed last week in Denver, Biden faced pressure to reassure the campaign’s nervous supporters, even as he worked not to be too forceful and overplay his hand against Ryan.

    The two men walked on stage in Newlin Hall and took their seats around a table, rather than standing at lecterns as their counterparts did last week.

    The choice facing voters was clear in substance and in style between Biden, 69, and Ryan, 42. But even though their age difference spans more than a generation — Ryan is one year younger than Biden’s oldest son — they are far better acquainted from serving together on Capitol Hill than Obama and Romney, who had not dealt with each other until this race.

    When Raddatz moved to the economy, Biden went back on the attack, bringing up Romney’s comments on 47 percent of Americans being dependent on government. Defending Obama for the auto industry bailout, Biden said Romney had wanted to let Detroit go bankrupt.

    “But it shouldn’t be surprising for a guy who says 47 percent of the American people are unwilling to take responsibility for their own lives,” Biden said. (Romney did not make the comment about Detroit going bankrupt. It was a headline on an op-ed that Romney wrote. Romney repeated the line on television.)

    Ryan responded that the country was going in the wrong direction, reminding Biden that the unemployment rate of the vice president’s own hometown had grown to 10 percent from 8.5 percent since Obama took office. “This is not what a real recovery looks like,” he said.

    On abortion, the contrast between the candidates — both of whom are Catholic — was made stark. “The policy of a Romney administration will be to oppose abortion with the exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother,” Ryan said.

    Biden countered: “Life begins at conception. That’s the church’s judgment. I accept it in my personal life,” he said. “But I refuse to impose it on equally devout Christians and Muslims and Jews and — I just refuse to impose that on others.”

    {StarTribune}

  • Woman Intercepted With Plastic Bags

    {{A woman identified as Justine Nyiratora 26, was intercepted with 62 bundles of polythene bags at a check point in Muhoza sector, Musanze district.}}

    Nyiratora was headed for Kigali from Rubavu district when she was arrested by traffic police October 10.

    The suspect is currently held at Muhoza Police Station in Musanze District.
    She carried the illegal plastic bags on her back disguising as a mother carrying a baby on her back.

    Police says she is suspected to have sneaked the bags into the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
    The use of polythene bags is illegal in Rwanda.

  • President Kagame Receives Credentials from New Envoys

    {{President Paul Kagame has received credentials of envoys from Kingdom of Netherlands, the Republic of Germany and the Holy See accredited to the Republic of Rwanda, in a special accreditation ceremony organized at Urugwiro Village.}}

    The new accredited Ambassador of Netherlands to Rwanda, Leoni Margarita Cuelenaere, has served at Ambassadorial level in Colombo, Sri Lanka (2008-2011).

    Her new posting in Rwanda comes after a brief assignment as Dutch resident Ambassador in Sana’a, Yemen.

    Speaking to the press after presenting their credentials, the envoys expressed their country’s interest in strengthening their relationship with Rwanda in different cooperation areas.

    Ambassador Leoni Margarita Cuelenaere told the press:

    “I am fortunate to be here in Rwanda where we aim to maintain the very good relations with Rwanda and continue on path of good partnerships you have taken.”

    Mgr. Luciano Russo, the designate Apostolic Nuncio in Rwanda has served at various positions in pontifical representations in Papua New Guinea, Honduras, Syria, Brazil, Holland, United States; the latest of his postings being in Bulgaria. He is fluent in Italian, English, French and Spanish.

    Ambassador Peter Fahrenholtz, the new German Ambassador to Rwanda, is a career diplomat who joined the German Federal Foreign Office in 1988 and has since served mostly in Eastern Europe and Asia.

    He was the recent Head of Division of West and Central Africa at the German Federal Foreign Office headquarters.

    Ambassador Peter Fahrenholtz expressed his country’s interest in increased private sector partnerships between German and Rwandan businesses.

    “We want to encourage private business from Germany to invest, to trade, create employment in Rwanda and ensure win win propositions,” he noted.

    When asked about his stance in the Eastern DRC, Ambassador Peter Fahrenholtz asserted Germany’s support for regional solutions to regional problems. “Germany believes African problems can only be solved by African initiatives,” he added.

    The envoys praised Rwanda for its progress and expressed their commitment to ensuring mutually beneficial partnerships.

  • Farmers Get Low-cost Crop Insurance Scheme

    {{Smallholder farmers in Rwanda stand to gain from crop farming following the launch of a low-cost insurance that covers weather vagaries and yield shortfalls.}}

    This was preceded by signing of a memorandum of understanding October 11, between Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (Minagri) and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), a Swiss non-profit organization.

    The new scheme dubbed ‘Hinga Urishingiwe’ the version of Kenya’s ‘Kilimo Salama’ currently targets smallholder farmers who currently growing maize and beans on plots ranging from 0.10-1 acres but with plans to include more crops in the near future.

    Currently, focus is the districts of Huye, Nyanza, Nyaruguru, Gisagara and Karongi.

    The insurance covers loans provided to farmers by the agriculture service provider One Acre Fund/Tubura.

    Minagri Minister Dr Agnes Kalibata while launching the scheme emphasised its value to the smallholder farmers, stating that it will change the way they have been doing business as they produce for home consumption and the market.

    She added that Government and other stakeholders are ready to work with farmers who will take up the scheme but added that more sensitization was needed on the same.

    The average loan to size insured is for USD 15 (Rwf 9,600) and goes at 15% per interest per annum.

    Through the farmers will pay the premium as part of their loan repayments for fertilizer and other improved inputs offered by Minagri and One Acre Fund.

    “With this insurance our farmers can now protect their families against risk of losing their investments due to erratic weather, said Cor Oudes of One Acre Fund.

    And SFSA’s Executive Director, Dr Marco Ferroni, says that when farmers make losses they may fear to put in more investments in the next season, leading to low farm output, adding that is where Hinga Urishingiwe’ insurance comes in.

    Hinga Urishingiwe, also supported by Swiss Re Corporate Solutions as a partner, is based on the lessons learned from the project’s operations in Kenya where it has been offering agricultural insurance for the last three years.

    To date 73,000 farmers have been insured in Kenya and Rwanda under the scheme. In Kenya, 10,000 farmers have received payouts from the scheme.

    Dr Benjamin Mbundu, Managing Director of SORAS Insurance, also a partner in the scheme says that the scheme avoids expensive and lengthy claims procedures.

    The product has the potential to make agricultural micro-insurance affordable and attractive for small-holder farmers and economically viable for insurance companies in the country that had previously ignored the agricultural sector.

  • Local gov’t Leaders Undergo Management Training

    {{The Minister of Local Government, James Musoni on October 8, 2012 launched the ‘Management for results’ training for local government leaders at La Palisse Hotel in Gashora.}}

    The week-long training will see officials in local governments upgrade their management skills to deliver results.

    The training conducted by Korean experts particularly targeted mayors, directors of planning and Vice mayors in charge of Finance and Economic Development and Vice Mayors in charge of Social Affairs as well as Provincial, City of Kigali and District Executive Secretaries.

    The training is a continuation of the leadership development training that was also attended by Local Government Leaders in May and September 2011.

    Other similar trainings are taking place at lower levels of local governments such as the sectors and cells for Executive Secretaries in the context of implementing the local government capacity building plan.

    Through the trainings leaders will be empowered with skills and capacities to improve their performance and expedite realization of the country’s socio-economic transformation.

    “The Government is building capacities for local government officials purposely to promote efficiency, effectiveness and to develop in them self-confidence, patriotism, sacrifice so as to have dignified Society and Nation,” minister Musoni said.

    Such trainings, minister Musoni said, are designed to provide technical skills and develop values such as integrity and clarity of purpose among Local government leaders.

    He added it was important for leaders to exhibit professionalism by providing people-centered services with urgency and responsibility, echoing that one cannot achieve results without such values.

    The training provided chance for participants to inter-relate management for results skills with leadership development skills.

    The Government says the trainings will help Local Government officials understand their crucial roles and responsibilities in Rwanda’s socio-economic transformation and more especially managing for results, which should provide answers to different challenges facing local government leaders, specifically in planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

  • DRC Opposition Leader Calls for MONUSCO Exit

    {{A DRC opposition leader of the innovative Forces for Union and Solidarity (FONUS), Joseph Olengakoy has called upon the Congolese citizens to rise against what he called ‘Murder of the Republic’.}}

    Olengakoy was referring to the dominant hand of MONUSCO in the management of DRC saying that the absence of a strong army in the DRC has created an imbalance in the state.

    “There is a problem in the country. We are all involved in the assassination of the Republic. We must realize. Today, we are going to put in an ambulance, and soon it will be conducted to the cemetery. We must refuse it, “he said.

    Olenghankoy said the Congolese must rise to take their own destiny.

    “Our whole strength rests today on MONUSCO, an alien force. So, our country has no secret. All countries in the world are here. They know your languages they have mastered all your dialects. When you notice even the briefings of MONUSCO, “he argued.

    The former Minister of Transport under the “1 +4”, was surprised that even the state information to be given to the national press by MONUSCO.

    “What prevents our army to a press briefing a week? Here, you’ll feel the imbalance state, “he said.

    Olengakoy has pledged to mobilise the opposition against government.

  • Chinese Writer Scoops Nobel Prize

    {{A Chinese writer Mo Yan has today won the 2012 Nobel Prize for literature for works which the awarding committee said had qualities of “hallucinatory realism”.}}

    The prize won by the writer is worth 8 million crowns ($1.2 million) and was given by the Swedish Academy.

    The literature prize is the fourth of this year’s crop of prizes, which were established in the will of Swedish dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and awarded for the first time in 1901.

  • Ingabire, Ntaganda & Mushyayidi Deleted From EU Prize List

    {{The three Rwandan inmates that had been nominated for the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize 2012 have been dropped from the final list, RNA reports.}}

    Ingabire Victoire, Bernard Ntaganda and Deogratias Mushyayidi did not pass through the EU parliament’s Foreign affairs and Development Committees which voted on Tuesday.

    Ingabire was jailed 14 October 2010, for allegedly collaborating with a terrorist organization, dividing the people of Rwanda and denying the 1994 genocide against Tutsi which claimed a million lives.

    The committees voted to retain only three finalists for the 2012 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. They include: Belarusian Ales Bialiatski; Russia’s Pussy Riot trio; and Iranians Nasrin Sotoudeh and Jafar Panahi.

    Reports say backing for the Rwandan nominees came from Spanish organizations which were behind the indictment of 40 Rwandan officials back in 2008 for alleged role in the deaths of Spanish nationals after the genocide.

    In striking off the Rwandan nominees, the EU parliament select committees said those blocks which selected Ingabire, Ntaganda and Mushyayidi, had not taken due diligence to thoroughly review the candidates.

    The final winner from among the finalists (laureate) will be announced on Friday, 26 October following a decision of the EU Parliament’s Conference of Presidents.

    The winner will receive €50,000 and be invited to attend the award ceremony on 12 December in Strasbourg (France).

  • Nyagatare Local Leaders Warned Against Complacency

    {{Nyagatare district Local leaders have been cautioned against the culture of complacency in promoting Unity and reconciliation values.}}

    The warning was made by Xaveline Uwimana the vice president of the National Unity and reconciliation commission (NURC).

    The meeting brought together religious and private sector representatives in the district to discuss the progress made in promoting unity and reconciliation in the district.

    Stakeholders contradicted over failure to speed up unity and reconciliation activities in the district.

    NURC vice president blamed them for not working to the norms and values of true Rwandan leaders adding that this is a blame everyone should take.

    The commission is attached to the office of the president that foresees every step taken in attaining reconciliation of all Rwandans.

    However, Participants attributed changes in leadership positions in the district as the main reason for creepy implementation of reconciliation activities in the district.

    “It doesn’t mean that if a top leader steps down all other functioning departments stops…committed people are those that even perform in transition period,” Xaveline noted