Category: News

  • Five cars Involved in Morning Crash

    {{Five cars have been involved in an accident at Kanogo area commonly known as Sopetrad. The cars were speeding bumper to bumper and suddenly the car in the lead applied breaks to stop forcing others to ram into one after the other. }}

    All the five cars were heading towards the city center. The Audi car Registration Number RAA 918 B was the lead car which suddenly stopped when the driver noticed a car in another lane swaving into his lane. The driver stopped and all four cars speeding behind him rammed into his car.

    Other cars have been identified by IGIHE as; Ugandan Registered BMW UAK 051 E, RAB 610 T, Toyota RAB 214 N, and a saloon car model Toyota Corolla RAB 423 D.

    A source told IGIHE that the driver of the AUDI car that was in the Lead is responsible for repairing all the other four cars that came tumbling after his car.

    However, there were no reported cases of Injuries.

  • Rwanda to participate in Grow Africa Investment Forum

    {{Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture will participate in the Grow Africa Investment Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia scheduled to take place on May 8th, 2012.}}

    The Forum, which is organized by the World Economic Forum, the African Union Commission and the NEPAD Agency, is aimed at attracting and promoting private investment in the agriculture sector in Africa.

    The objective of the Rwandan mission is to meet with potential investors and showcase investment opportunities in the Agribusiness sector through various group presentations and bilateral discussions.

    The event is expected to engage up to 200 African and global leaders from the private sector and government, international organisations, development agencies, civil society, farmers’ organizations and academia to discuss opportunities to engage in the priorities presented by Grow Africa countries.

    Clare Akamanzi, the Chief Operations Officer of the Rwanda Development Board explained that RDB continues to put forth its efforts into attracting more local and foreign investments in the country and actual results have continued to manifest themselves through tangible investments.

    She said, “The Grow Africa investment Forum is yet another platform for Rwanda to engage and network with investors specifically in the Agribusiness sector and thus advance high value added products in order to further grow the Rwandan economy.”

    RDB expects that as a result of creating awareness about the attractiveness of Rwanda’s agribusiness sector, this will lead to increased inflow of foreign investments, crafting joint ventures between local and foreign investors, increased exports and employment opportunities due to investments.

    The Grow Africa Forum is a multi-country platform that has included seven countries as part of its ‘first wave’. These countries include Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Burkina Faso.

    The first meeting of the Grow Africa Forum was held in Dar Es Salaam in November 2011, and included representatives from this first wave of countries, alongside private investors and major development partners.

    The focus of this meeting was to kick-start a country-led process to identify priorities and opportunities for private investment and agree on key next steps.

    Rwanda presented a range of investment proposals, packaged under a Food Basket framework, which had been agreed on at a National Stakeholder Roundtable that was organized by Ministry of Agriculture last October.

  • Police Seize large Package of Narcotics

    {{Police in Rubavu district has seized 4842 rolls of cannabis which was left behind by an unknown person.}}

    The seizure was made possible by collaboration between the RDF, Police and Local population in the area. The seized narcotic is being kept at Gisenyi Police station.

    Efforts to find the suspects are ongoing.

    Police statistics indicate that Rubavu and Kirehe districts have been commonly used by drug traffickers to smuggle narcotics into the country as repetitive instances of drug trafficking have been intercepted.

    Police Spokesperson Superintendent Theos Badege noted the importance of cooperation in crime fighting saying it always succeeds. He urged the public to remain vigilant and report any drug dealing or trafficking to security organs.

  • ICTR to Deliver Judgment in Case of Former Youth Minister

    {{The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) will deliver its judgment in the case of former Rwandan Youth Minister Callixte Nzabonimana on May 31, 2012.}}

    Nzabonimana is charged with genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, extermination and murder, as crimes against humanity.

    Both parties presented their closing arguments on October 20 and 21, 2011, with prosecution requesting the court to hand down life imprisonment sentence to the defendant for his role in the 1994 Tutsi genocide.

    According to the prosecution, Nzabonimana was the main instigator of the killings in his home prefecture of Gitarama.

    ‘Nzabonimana was not a Minister in Norway or Sweden but a Minister in Rwanda. He was seen as a lion in Gitarama prefecture in 1994.

    He stood up and called upon the population to begin the killings against Tutsis, and his orders were carried out”, Prosecutor Paul Ng’arua submitted.

    The defence, on the other hand, sought for acquittal of the accused on all counts stating that allegations against him were ‘’fabricated” and “full of lies”.

    Nzabonimana’s co-Defence Counsel Philippe Larochelle submitted that witnesses coming from Rwandan prisons admitted that they were persuaded to implicate authorities who were in power during the genocide in order to get a reduction of sentence.

    Nzabonimana’s trial opened on November 9, 2009 and was concluded on September 12, 2011.

    The prosecution called 20 witnesses, while the defence fielded 38. The ex-minister was arrested in Tanzania on February 18, 2008.

  • City Council Cuts Construction Permit Fees

    Kigali City Council has cut down fees required to acquire construction authorisation commonly known as (Autorisation de Batir).

    The city council has also reduced the fees for acquiring plot deed Plan document (Fiche Cadstrale) and reduced fines previously imposed on parking fees defaulters.

    The City authority has also banned the employment of children below 18years of legal age. The City Authority has reduced by 30% on fees previously imposed on construction permits as agreed upon during the city council meeting held 29 April 2012.

    The City Council meeting also reduced fees imposed on Deed Plan (Fiche Cadastrale) from Frw 60,000 to Frw40,000. In addition, construction permit fees were dropped from Frw200 to Frw 140 per square meter.

    The City Council meeting also agreed that a Fine accruing from late payment of parking fees has been reduced from Frw50000 to 10000 per person after every 24hours of failure to pay the fine.

    The City Council has issued directives against the employment of minors (below 18years of legal age) in jobs including housemaids.

  • Two Seriously Injured in KIMIHURURA Accident

    {{The driver of a Motorcycle above and a passenger have been seriously injured today in an accident that occurred near La Colombière Bus stop at KIMICANGA at Kimihurura in Gasabo district. The accident involved a pickup truck and a motorcycle.}}

    The Motorcycle registration (RB 618 L) was heading towards Kimironko from the city center. The motorcyclist was knocked down by Hilux truck (Registration No. IT 632 RC) while attempting to make a turn back to the city.

    The truck was speeding towards the city center from Kimihurura.

    Eye witnesses say the pickup truck tried to break nearly 12meters away but failed and incidentally knocked down the motorcycle which had made a sudden turn into a lane back to Kigali without caution.

    The motorcycle was knocked and sent into the air leaving the passenger in the middle of the road and the motorcyclist fell over the road on the pedestrian path.

    The Driver of the pickup truck was not hurt. The injured were rushed to CHK Hospital where they are receiving treatment.

    IGIHE captured the accident scene and also went to the Hospital to check on the injured.

  • North Kivu Governor Dismisses Control by Insurgents

    {{The governor of North Kivu, Julien Paluku has dismissed reports that the insurgents have taken control of several towns in the province.
    Governor Paluku told local radio Okapi that the military does not deal with unruly villages.}}

    “They were deployed as FARDC units. And when, at some point, they consider themselves as belonging to any one group, we cannot say that they took these places. That’s the truth that I need to restore, “said Paluku.

    Witnesses claimed to have seen Monday a large influx of people from Mushaki Karuba, Ruvunda, Matanda, Kingi, Kibati and Rubaya. The displaced people continue to arrive in Sake, Mugunga and Goma.

    Some reportedly crossed the border into Rwanda seeking refuge. The provincial government met on Monday, in an extraordinary council to address the current situation in the territories of Masisi and Walikale.

    The Local Population has been urged to remain calm “because the situation remains under control of the government troops,” said his spokeswoman, Adele Bazizane.

    A crisis committee has been established to urgently develop a contingency plan, she said. This same situation is experienced in Walikale where men of Cheka took control of the localities of Luvungi, and Mpofi Kibua.

    The humanitarian community, meanwhile, said they have begun discussions with provincial authorities to establish measures for meeting the needs of displaced populations.

    The humanitarian concern follows the fighting between the regular army deserters loyal to General Bosco Ntaganda and FARDC. Hundreds of families in the chiefdom in the Masisi Bahunde have left their villages.

  • 9 Arrested Over Subversion

    {{Rwanda National Police is holding 6 men and 3 women for convening an illegal meeting protesting against a court ruling last week which rejected the founder of PS-Imberakuri party appeal and maintained a four year jail sentence and a fine of Frw100, 000.}}

    The group was arrested at Bernard Ntaganda mother’s house located at Nyakabanda sector, Nyarugenge district.

    The group claimed to belong to PS-Imberakuri, Ntaganda’s faction which is illegal.

    The protestors are detained at the Nyamirambo Police station pending investigations to establish everyone’s role in the charges.

    According to Police sources, the group had been warned by Ntaganda’s mother not to return to her house after they had convened at her house a fortnight ago.

    However, they returned on Sunday under the pretence of comforting her over her son’s upheld sentence and staged demonstrations.

    Police Spokesman Supt. Theos Badege revealed that upon a tip off about the activity, Police officers were dispatched to the scene where they found that the group possessed among others inflammatory messages that incited divisionism and rebellion against government.

    “People should understand that illegal political activities, incitement, divisionism and rebelling against government are considered crimes and hence punishable by Rwanda’s penal code,” Badege said.

  • Arrest Genocide Suspects Hiding in the Region–EAC Sec. Gen

    {{The East African Community (EAC) Secretary General Dr. Richard Sezibera has called upon EAC member countries to arrest 1994 Rwandan genocide suspects still roaming in their territories and bring them to justice.}}

    “I call upon member states to stop this traverse and bring the suspects to justice,’’ he said, stressing that genocide was a crime against humanity, which needed to be fought by all humankind.

    Felicien Kabuga a Rwandan tycoon is on a most wanted list of Genocide suspects. He is believed to be hiding in Kenya in one of the posh suburbs in Nairobi city. Several other genocide fugitives are loitering around member states.

    Dr. Sezibera said this in Arusha recently, when addressing about 1,000 people attending the 18th Rwandan genocide anniversary against the Tutsi at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC).

    He noted that Rwanda had almost ceased to exist as a nation in 1994 and paid special tribute to its neighbouring countries that showed solidarity during that difficult time.

    The EAC chief requested Africa and the world at large to now focus on the survivors, who apart from being traumatised by the aftermath of genocide, needed help to cope with their bad memories.

    Dr Sezibera also pleaded with the UN to accept Rwanda to host the archive of case proceedings and documentation emanating from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) now winding up its business.

    The UN has already set an International Residual Mechanism (IRM), which is charged with hosting the remaining work of the two tribunals, ICTR and that of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

    Speaking on the same occasion, ICTR Prosecutor Hassan Bubacar Jallow appealed to countries in the Great Lake Region to arrest genocide fugitives, who still found safe heavens in their countries.

    “I urge all states in the Great Lake Region to live up to their legal obligations by arresting and handing over genocide fugitives to Rwanda for prosecution,’’ he said.

    The Arusha City Acting Mayor Matthysen Paul said: “I call upon the EAC and the African Union to strongly say, never again to genocide.’’

    The occasion, which was organised by the Rwandan Diaspora in Arusha, was preceded by a prayer service conducted by various religious leaders including Christians and Muslims.

  • Beaten to Near Death by Former Genocide Convict

    {{Nyandwi Félicien a former Genocide convict has reportedly wrecked havoc in his village where he recently connived with others and beat up a resident into near comma.}}

    In the night of 27 April 2012 at Nyanza Busasamana in Nyanza District,a man identified as Bineza Alfonse 52years (in Photo) was thoroughly beaten by Nyandwi and left into near comma.

    Residents say there has existed a dispute between Nyandwi and Bineza. It all started when Nyandwi was battling a court case and had requested Bineza to present some deceitful information that would later help Nyandwi get off the hook.

    However, Bineza took an oath in court and provided information which actually pinned Nyandwi further in contravention with what the two had agreed mutually in private. Since then Nyandwi had always threatened to kill Bineza.

    On the fatefull night of 27th April, Nyandwi waylaid Bineza and beat him leaving him to near death after neighbours came to his rescue. He was immediately taken to Nyanza hospital but later transferred to the National University Hospital.

    Bineza has undergone an operation on his Kidney.while Nyandwi is a free man in Nyanza.

    However, when IGIHE contacted Police at Nyanza, CIP Charles Kwizera said, it was the first time he had learnt of the incidence and would immediately make a followup on the matter.