Category: News

{{Britain has remained silent over a proposal from Ecuador that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange be transferred from London to Sweden but stay under Quito’s protection.}}

Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said on Saturday he was weighing such a transfer as a possible alternative for Assange to “remain under our protection while also satisfying the demands of the Swedish justice system”.

Assange took shelter in the Ecuadoran embassy in London in June after exhausting all appeals against extradition from Britain to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over sexual assault allegations.

Ecuador has granted him diplomatic asylum.

Patino hinted to “new” developments in the Swedish case, saying “several elements of proof have been dismissed,” though he declined to provide further details.

In a sign diplomatic moves are afoot in the Assange case, Patino said he planned to discuss the issue with his British counterpart William Hague on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

In London, the Foreign Office refused to be drawn on the Ecuadoran proposal.

A spokesman said: “We’ve made our position very clear on Mr Assange, mainly that he has exhausted the option of appeal and we are under a binding obligation to extradite him to Sweden and we have to carry out this obligation and we fully intend to do so.”

Assange, a 41-year-old Australian, fears Sweden will hand him over to the United States, where he could face prosecution over the release of a vast cache of leaked Iraq and Afghanistan war reports and diplomatic cables.

{{Gorilla Football club has contributed Frw500,000 to the Agaciro Development fund.Gorilla FC is located in Kanombe a Kigali city suburb. }}

This was made possible through a match played among the Gorilla FC members during which the half a million funds were raised to be deposited into the Agaciro Fund.

The captain of Gorilla FC, Katayihunga Gerard told IGIHE that the club is pleased to join other Rwandans in expressing their self worth by contributing to the Agaciro Fund.

{{A six-year old child, Emmanuel Muhayimana drowned in Rumiya river stream and died yesterday in Gituntu cell, Gasharu sector, Karongi District.}}

Muhayimana, a primary one pupil at Gituntu primary school drowned and died while swimming with other children.

There have been several cases where, during heavy rains, children get washed away by floods; fall in water trenches, ponds and deep potholes.

All these temporary water bodies have contributed to children’s death by drowning.

According to reports, children who die from drowning fall in water while adult people are absent and those responsible to watch them are for many reasons incapable to rescue them resulting into death.

“It is parents and guardians responsibility to protect children from such demise. Children should not be left alone in such instances,” said Karongi District Police Command superintendent Gilbert Ruhorahoza.

Ruhorahoza added that in a space of two months, six people including one woman were victims of drowning in different river streams and Lake Kivu.

Parents and guardians are actively called upon to participate in educating children on the dangers temporary water bodies pose to their lives and always leave children under the watchful eye of minders.

Rwanda National Police (RNP) urges the public, especially parents not to leave children alone and ensure that ponds are covered up to avoid their being used as swimming pools.

Police also reminds people that these ponds cannot kill only children but also adults especially those under influence of alcohol.

It calls for all such temporary water bodies to be covered up without which they will always claim lives especially those of children.

{{A Rwanda Police peace Keeper Sgt.Bisangwa Hassan who was on a United Nations Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) has reportedly died.

The Police spokesperson Supt. Theos Badege was quoted by state media saying that sgt.Bisangwa was accidentally short by his collegue also at a rank of seargeant.}}

The MINUSTAH has immidiately launched an investigation into the matter to accertain what could have caused the September 19, incidence.

Sgt. Bisangwa was working in the Haitian western coast town of Jeremie. He was accidentally shot by a colleague during a night patrol.

Bisangwa was part of a contingent of 160 Police Officers under the Formed Police Unit (FPU) who were deployed in the in Jérémie Town, South of Haiti in December last year.

The FPUsprovide humanitarian assistance, conduct patrols and guard VIPs and key installations in the Earth quake torn country of Haiti.

They also help in crowd control and provide security of Internally Displaced People.

{{The United Nations will hold September 24, a High-level Meeting of the 67th Session of the General Assembly on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels taking place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.}}

Currently President Paul Kagame of Rwanda is in the United States where he had also gone to attend the Rwanda Day event held in Boston Massachusettes.

During the general assembly, all Member States, non-governmental organisations and civil society represented at the highest level will discuss and agree on a forward looking agenda on strengthening the rule of law.

Words of warning and defiance are expected when US President Barack Obama, Iran’s leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu join more than 120 heads of state and government at the UN General Assembly.

Because of international divisions over the 18-month-old Syria conflict, the UN is holding no formal meeting on the civil war.

But Obama and Western leaders are expected to call for action in their speeches. The US president is one of the first speakers on Tuesday after the event is opened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Resolution A/RES/66/102 further states that the organisational arrangements of the High-level Meeting should be as follows: The High-level Meeting will be held as a one-day plenary meeting on Monday, 24 September 2012;

The President of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General, the President of the International Court of Justice, the President of the Security Council, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme,

the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Chair of the International Law Commission, Member States and Observers, as well as a limited number of representatives of non-governmental organisations active in the field of rule of law will be invited to speak at the plenary;

The President of the General Assembly shall draw up a list of representatives of non-governmental organisations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council who will participate in the High-level Meeting;

The President of the General Assembly shall draw up a list of representatives of civil society organisations, including non-governmental organisations active in the field of rule of law and, taking into account the principle of equitable geographical representation, to submit the list to Member States for consideration on a no-objection basis, for participation in the High-level Meeting;

The General Assembly resolution A/RES/66/102 also decided that the High-level Meeting will result in a concise outcome document.

It requested that the President of the General Assembly would, in consultation with Member States, finalise the organisational arrangements of the meeting.

{{Kenneth Kaunda a former President of Zambia was on Saturday hospitalised for an undisclosed ailment, forcing a requiem mass for his late wife to be cancelled, an official said.}}

“Family members have decided that the church service be postponed due to Kenneth Kaunda’s sudden illness. Dr Kaunda has… been hospitalised at the University Teaching Hospital,” said secretary to the cabinet Roland Msiska in a statement.

Kaunda’s wife, Betty, died on Wednesday aged 83 in Zimbabwe where she was visiting her daughter.

Officials said she died in her sleep at the home of daughter Musata Kaunda-Banda in Harare’s Borrowdale Brooke area.

The Zambian government declared three days of national mourning and with a state funeral due to have been held on Sunday.

Kaunda attended a funeral service held in Harare before the body was flown to Zambia, accompanied by several Zanu PF officials including national chairman Simon Khaya Moyo, party spokesman Rugare Gumbo, and politburo members Nicholas Goche, Kumbirai Kangai, Oppah Muchinguri and Victoria Chitepo.

{{A contingent of eighty female police officers were praised for exercising good professionalism by the Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel K Gasana after successfully serving 23 months under the United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in Darfur, Sudan.}}

Addressing the female officers at Rwanda National Police (RNP) headquarters in Kacyiru September 22, Gasana commended them for their commitment in serving to their required standards.

“Rwanda has been praised for being ahead in offering female police officer in Peace Support Operations. This is a good thing to note. After nearly two years in Darfur, we should be happy because your efforts have helped our country to continuously be acknowledged globally.”

“What you achieved is because of the positive values, doctrine, discipline and the profession you demonstrated, which is what we expect of you during your return back to the force,” he added, encouraging them to maintain three key values-disciplines, image and Agaciro in the Police force.

He thanked them for their outstanding discipline during their mission and appealed to them to use the experience gained in enhancing the force’s professionalism.

The IGP also briefed them on the current activities within the force which include having peace support centre to professional training, support welfare for police officers which include the housing scheme, Zigama CSS among others.

He also said that they have good bilateral relations with regional countries; they are working on electronic policing, logistic school and the ongoing exercise of sending officers for further studies both within and outside the country.

According to the Director of Peace Support Operations in Rwanda National Police, Supt. Egide Ruzigamanzi, the female police officers were selected in line with the UN Resolution 1325 which advocates for gender mainstreaming in all activities and ending violence against women.

{{Following the recent order by Prime Minister Dr Pierre Damien Habumuremyi, some mining activities have been temporarily stopped in order to find an experienced and qualified company that will carry out these activities at the same time protecting the environment.}}

The temporally order will be applicable in four districts of Nyabihu, Rubavu, Rutsiro and Ngororero.

Natural resources Minister Stanislas Kamanzi made the decision 19th September 2012, in a community work held in Muhanda sector of Ngororero District.

The community work was held in order to reconstruct Giciye River through one of its sources called Nyagikero which was damaged because of illegal wolfram mining which caused disasters in the region.

Minister of Natural Resources Stanislas KAMANZI told residents of Ngororero that in most cases the disasters are caused by bad environment management, adding that the decision marks “the beginning of activities aiming to protect the environment and Natural resources in General.

Citizens participated in different activities including tree planting, stopping disorder in mining and controlling soil erosion.

Hon. Kamanzi told the community that when soil erosion is not protected as recommended, farms which are not well protected, damaging of forests especially Gishwati Forest as well as not planting trees where necessary are the main causes of disasters to the population nearby.

{{Huye Residents have asked district leaders to look for solutions of speeding drivers operating in Huye District especially those plying the Mukoni Road near the National University of Rwanda.}}

Pedestrians complain of risking accidents by overspeeding and reckless drivers along the Rango-Mukoni road to Butare town adding that they are afraid of being hit by those drivers when crossing the road from one side to another.

Many University students and citizens use that road in their daily activities.

One of the pedestrians told IGIHE that:” the passengers are at risk.
Those who use Mukoni road want the District to look for solution of the existing problem noting that they have right to use the road safely.

Speaking to IGIHE via telephone, The District Mayor Kayiranga Muzuka Eugene said together with traffic police the problem is to be soon resolved.

Muzuka added very soon they will start putting traffic signs in that road as to facilitate pedestrian cross safely.

{{We came here so that we can meet. Keep networks alive and maintain contact with our country.

When Rwandans come together wherever they are, its like they are at home. It’s an opportunity to talk about Rwanda sing and dance and feel home despite how far we are away from physical home.}}

If some of you didn’t know already, there is Bourbon coffee here in Boston…..you have an opportunity to have a taste of Rwanda coffee in Boston.

Many of you are working hard to improve your lives and those of families back home, as students or employed in various sectors. You have seen how people here work hard.

These are values that have brought such countries to higher quality of life and advancement. Rwanda cant be an exception.

Rwandans back home are also working hard individually and collectively to better their lives, their efforts and yours will undoubtedly take us very far. And that is what it should be.

It’s our responsibility, yours and mine wherever we are to build and develop our country. We cannot delegate it to or expect anyone else to do it for us.

It should be a source of pride that we are able to drive our development. That we belong to a country of dignified people that we have a definite identity as Rwanda.

I am pleased that we are doing a lot to champion Rwanda’s cause via your sizeable remittances and by speaking out for your country and through many other ways.

You must continually tell the story of your country. If you don’t, someone else will want to do it for you and will do it the wrong way.

Its about the history of our country and the peoples resilience and dignity. It should all be bound together by the determination. Our determination to be who we are.

Many things should and must be challenged. We should not allow anybody to define us without us. We have the ability, desire and the right to define ourselves. Yes we have made good progress in this direction and it must go on. Its what we deserve.

Progress comes at a time when we face immense challenges….but thats fine…We did not expect it to be easy in any case why should it be easy?

The progress we have made has been without shortcuts and lies. We don’t tell lies about the fight we make daily to achieve the progress.

Progress invites detractors, still that is fine….I have no problem with detractors. Detractors do your Job, I will do mine. Mine and yours is a duty to continue working towards progress.

If our progress hurts anybody, I will say that was not our intention. Our intention was just to make progress.

We need to be careful and understand. If we spend more time paying attention to detractors wherever they come from….And they are very few but they make a lot of noise…They are like empty drums. The more empty they are the more noise they make.

We can pay attention to some of the criticisms made about us only with the view of improving ourselves if there is something to learn from their criticisms….They are there to divert our attention to make continued progress.

I will say for sure that I have no doubt and Rwandans say it themselves that their lives have improved…..And their self worth individually and as a nation has continued to go up and up…But there are still many problems we must address.

…And here I will say, If anyone is looking for a perfect leader anywhere in this world, they should not look my way, they shouldn’t be considering my way.

Rwanda should not be considered as a perfect nation. I don’t know who is perfect in the first place.

We want and we are ready to do our best for the best of our people and for the best of our country….We are also ready to own up to our imperfections and to keep working at them to improve ourselves.

That’s how we understand our society and responsibility….In fact that’s why many times we have said to people….give us our chance, lets deal with our issues….If you want to help, you are very welcome but you must accept we will take the lead in dealing with our problems.

…And the reason for that is we do not want to be having our imperfections we are working to improve and then you bring your own imperfections to our own.

….There is no society or nation that is perfect. I don’t want to deal with double imperfections. I want to deal with my own.

This is what underlies cooperation….It’s listening, sharing and agreeing that we can work together for the better of everyone.

We have had to build a new nation….Much as the challenges to overcome are enormous, they are not insurmountable….But for that to happen requires all of us to work together using the differences within our society for the common good.

Those differences should be based on opinion , what everyone can bring on the table for us to forge ahead our nation. Not to tear apart our nation..we have seen the meaning of that.

So those who make so much noise about what they say is negative about us may also want to acknowledge that Rwandans have made huge progress.

Did you know that in 2011, in the world economic forum global competitive index, Rwanda ranks the 3rd in Africa?….And the first in the East African Region …and moved up 7places globally.

Did you know that Rwanda was ranked among the top most corrupt-free country in Africa and the whole world.

Did you also Know that our citizens are ranked among the most contented in the world. These are international rankings.

The rankings are not made in Rwanda but international institutions. We are also the most improved country in doing business reforms in the world.

Did you know that between 2006 and 2011 we lifted one million people out of poverty…in just five years? I could go on and on until cows return home.

This is not enough for us….We have got to do more every day and we want to do more. We just need to play our role wherever we are to build on the energy of our young people.

The youths should not shy away from the responsibility of being leaders of our country. You shouldn’t hesitate to improve yourselves, study hard and improve your talent whenever that opportunity comes. That should improve you as individuals but also your mother nation.

When you have read stories about Rwanda in the Media, ….of recent Rwanda has been in the media for wrong reasons. About Rwanda relating to the situation in DRC.

To make the long story short…..I want to tell you how its unfair but also how one would even be right to be angry about it that Rwanda is always held responsible.

…It has been established as a fact that Rwanda should always be held responsible for the neighbours’ problems.

Some of these problems we are dealing with in that region and the causes of those problems happened way back even before I was born…. For sure where before any of you here was born.

For me I attribute it to two parts of the same thing……A result of a failure of those who should manage that country the people of that country, their leaders and the international community that has always pretended that it is addressing that problem. It’s a failure that cuts across the two.

The international community that deploys with all the huge resources of all kinds pretending they are addressing the problem but have failed… but the easier way out of this is…..Rwanda.

Rwanda is the easier target. Every time there is a problem in that country is more about Rwanda rather than where the failure is.

The Innocent but ignorant will rarely understand what is being talked about….But they are reading more about Rwanda than DRC and of course what brought us here is very important because I want us to understand this point.

The response to problems in DRC sometimes are absolutely irrelevant to actually finding a solution….The moment there was this noise about the issue in DRC, most of the people who otherwise have been involved or want to be involved had to suspend support they were giving to Rwanda.

I told them by the way I wish that some of that support you are taking away from Rwanda would be transferred to help Congolese to solve their problems….That way may be able to make some sense.

This way of managing affairs. Where you are part of the problem and on the other you are the kind of Judge who is dealing with issues with punitive measures against these Rwandans.

They don’t understand that infact…Rwanda even on that basis,..we are so much focused on making this progress we are the first people to want peace and security in that region.

We can’t be the same people who want to make investment in our country and the same time invest in destabilizing neighbours….May be it’s an assumption that we are stupid but we are not.

How does Rwanda benefit from having problems with our neighbours? What sense would it make? It thought people would understand that we are the first people who wouldn’t want problems with neighbours. If we partnered together we would contribute to find a solution.

We had invested to make sure there is peace in DRC and region. We have been pushing more than others to have a successful integration process in the region.

Why doesn’t this register in people’s minds before the blame of Rwanda? We can’t be dealing with our own problems and be forced to carry other people’s problems at the same time.

For some of the sources of misrepresentation of this situation, were not caused by Rwanda. The problem never originated from Rwanda.

But some of those underlined cause including…we have Congolese of Rwandan origin across the border we didn’t send them there.

It has nothing to do with us. It’s a colonial problem. It is not Rwanda that created the problem…it was a problem created for Rwanda.

When people cross the border and communicate how do you hold me responsible? You can’t fabricate a story for Rwanda as a scapegoat and turn-up to tell Rwanda to own up to that problem. We say no way to this.

They usually say prove you are innocent….I think there has been an overreaction arising out of frustration but also maybe arising out of fear to be seen to have failed. How do these big powers accept failure? How.?

How do you tell them to accept failure even when it’s obvious? They will find away of making it somebody’s failure and that’s how Rwanda has found itself in this problem.

This shouldn’t divert us from our path to progress. We need to use all our effort to achieve all we must…..