Speaking before the Senate on February 24, 2026, Minister Paula Ingabire stated that 1,828,763 individuals have so far had their data captured. The exercise has been conducted in nine districts, including the initial pilot districts of Huye, Nyanza, and Gisagara, as well as Kamonyi, Muhanga, Ruhango, Nyarugenge, Gasabo, and Kicukiro.
The digital ID, known as the e-ID or Single Digital ID, will be a permanent identification assigned to every Rwandan from birth and linked to key public and private services. The $50 million initiative aims to cover at least 15 million residents, including citizens, refugees, and migrants.
According to the Minister, nationwide biometric capture is expected to be completed by the end of this year, with the official issuance of the digital IDs set to begin in August 2026.
The e-ID will support access to vital services such as healthcare, education, banking, taxation, social protection, voting, and business registration. It will also simplify account opening and reduce the cost of linking bank and mobile money services.
Minister Ingabire emphasised that the system is not designed for surveillance and that data will be protected under Rwanda’s data protection law, which strictly requires any breach to be reported within 72 hours.
To ensure accessibility for all residents, including those without smartphones, the ID will be issued in three modalities: a physical card with a QR code, a digital ID number, and a secure token for online transactions.
Senators welcomed the initiative during the session, noting that it is expected to streamline service delivery and significantly improve efficiency across government institutions.
More than 1.8 million people have completed biometric enrollment under the country’s national digital ID project.Senators welcomed the initiative during the session, noting that it is expected to streamline service delivery.Minister Ingabire emphasised that the system is not designed for surveillance and that data will be protected under Rwanda’s data protection lawThe digital ID, known as the e-ID or Single Digital ID, will be a permanent identification assigned to every Rwandan from birth and linked to key public and private services.
In a statement released on Tuesday, MONUSCO said the assessment mission, running from February 23 to 27, follows consultations with Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Tshisekedi, who also serves as chairperson of the ICGLR.
The statement noted that the deployment is a preparatory step toward operationalising the agreed ceasefire architecture. The team is evaluating access, security, logistics, and engagement requirements to ensure that future monitoring and verification efforts are credible, safe, and operationally feasible.
The initiative comes amid sustained diplomatic efforts to stabilise eastern DRC. In October 2025, the DRC government and the AFC/M23 rebel alliance signed the Doha Framework for Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Doha, establishing a joint monitoring and verification mechanism to investigate and prevent ceasefire violations. Observers from the United States, the African Union and Qatar are also part of that mechanism.
MONUSCO recalled that under UN Security Council Resolution 2808 (2025), the mission is authorised to support the implementation of a permanent ceasefire. This includes backing the Ceasefire Oversight and Verification Mechanism as well as the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (EJVM+), created following the Doha agreement.
During their stay in and around Uvira, the joint team will assess political, security, logistical and socio-environmental conditions to inform comprehensive planning for a future deployment.
“Effective ceasefire monitoring is intended to reduce violence and create the necessary space for a durable political solution,” said Vivian van de Perre, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the DRC and Head of MONUSCO ad interim.
She noted that, unlike in North Kivu and Ituri, MONUSCO’s mandate in South Kivu is limited to ceasefire monitoring and does not include Protection of Civilians responsibilities under Resolution 2808 (2025).
The mission emphasised that the current deployment is exploratory in nature. The scale and configuration of any subsequent ceasefire monitoring presence will depend on agreed parameters, security guarantees and operational requirements.
ICGLR Executive Secretary Dr. Mbita Luwabeha said regional cooperation remains key to lasting stability. “The Great Lakes region has vast potential for peace and prosperity. By uniting and cooperating, we can tackle challenges and create a brighter future for everyone,” he said.
Repeated ceasefire violations and ongoing hostilities have hampered efforts to stabilise the region, and it remains to be seen if the latest attempt to implement a lasting truce will succeed.
During their stay in and around Uvira, the joint team will assess political, security, logistical and socio-environmental conditions to inform comprehensive planning for a future deployment. The assessment mission runs from February 23 to 27.The team is evaluating access, security, logistics, and engagement requirements to ensure that future monitoring and verification efforts are credible, safe, and operationally feasible.
With the midterm elections approaching later this year, Trump is using this high‑profile speech as an opportunity to defend his record and rally support from Americans who remain sceptical about the direction of the country.
Domestically, Trump’s approval ratings have slipped as inflation and cost‑of‑living concerns continue to trouble many households. Recent data shows the U.S. economy has slowed more than expected, and the public is worried about job security and everyday expenses, forcing the president to try to reassure voters that his policies are working.
At the same time, a Supreme Court decision invalidating his global tariff program has undercut one of his signature economic strategies, and the impasse over immigration enforcement has led to parts of the Department of Homeland Security being temporarily shut down.
Internationally, the Trump administration is confronting rising tensions, particularly with Iran, where U.S. military assets have been repositioned amid ongoing nuclear disputes and regional instability. These foreign affairs challenges add to the pressure on Trump to present a confident and persuasive vision of U.S. leadership to both domestic and global audiences.
White House aides and Republican strategists see the State of the Union as a critical moment to shift the narrative, encouraging Trump to focus on economic gains such as stock market performance and tax cuts, even as polls show mixed public confidence in those outcomes. Trump is also expected to highlight his administration’s border policies, including deportation and enforcement efforts, despite controversy around these issues.
The address is expected to be lengthy and somewhat unscripted, a style Trump has used before giving him room to cover a wide range of topics and reinforce his message to voters ahead of the November elections. However, his administration’s troubles from economic discontent to geopolitical uncertainty will likely shape how the speech is received and influence the broader political climate in the months to come.
Trump prepares to address the nation at a critical moment, with economic challenges and political tensions shaping his upcoming State of the Union speech.
Officers arrested the 72-year-old Mandelson at an address in Camden on Monday, and he has been taken to a London police station for interview, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
“This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas,” the spokesperson said via a statement published online, adding that they were not able to provide further information to “prevent prejudicing the integrity of the investigation.”
In late January, the U.S. Justice Department made public a large cache of files related to the dead American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prompting renewed scrutiny in Britain. British police confirmed later that they had opened a criminal investigation into Mandelson over alleged misconduct while in public office, including the possible disclosure of market-sensitive information.
Mandelson previously served as a senior cabinet minister under former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He was appointed ambassador to Washington in early 2025 but was dismissed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after seven months as questions over his past resurfaced.
Earlier this month, Starmer apologized for his decision to appoint Mandelson as British ambassador to the United States.
Speaking at an event in the town of Hastings in southeast England, Starmer said he had underestimated the seriousness of Mandelson’s past association with Epstein. He offered an apology to victims connected to the Epstein case and said he understood the anger voiced across parliament.
Due to the Mandelson-Epstein scandal, Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, communications director Tim Allan, and Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service Chris Wormald have all stepped down from their posts.
Former British Ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson is seen in London on February 14.
The request follows South Africa’s recent decision to withdraw its troops from eastern DRC, where they had been deployed under a Southern African regional mission against the AFC/M23 rebel alliance. Pretoria has also announced the withdrawal of its contingent serving under the United Nations peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO.
South Africa’s Presidency said the decision to pull its troops out of MONUSCO was driven by the “need to consolidate and realign the resources of the South African National Defence Force”, following 27 years of supporting UN peacekeeping efforts in the DRC.
DRC Minister of Defence Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita visited Pretoria on February 21, 2026, where he held talks with his South African counterpart, Angie Motshekga. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral military cooperation.
In a statement, the DRC Ministry of Defence said the two officials met in a closed-door session to review various aspects of military and strategic cooperation between the two countries. Revisiting the 2004 military agreement between Kinshasa and Pretoria was among the key items on the agenda.
Both sides agreed to establish a joint team of experts to examine potential areas of renewed cooperation, drawing on the provisions of the 2004 accord. The outcome of these consultations could inform the negotiation and signing of a new agreement.
The original Pretoria Agreement was signed in June 2004, shortly after the DRC emerged from years of armed conflict. At the time, the accord was part of broader efforts to stabilise the country and rebuild its security institutions and economy, particularly in a nation endowed with vast mineral resources.
Then South African Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota pledged that South Africa would support the professionalisation of Congolese forces through training programmes, supply of military equipment and technical assistance.
However, unlike in 2004, when peace processes were underway to integrate former armed groups into a unified national army, the current security context remains marked by ongoing hostilities in parts of eastern DRC.
Kinshasa is now actively seeking multiple international partners to strengthen a military widely seen as under-resourced and structurally weak. Should the discussions advance, the United States is also expected to provide support, including training, equipment and intelligence cooperation.
Ministers Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita and Angie Motshekga held talks on strengthening military cooperation. South Africa’s recently announced decision to withdraw its troops from eastern DRC.
Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi said on Sunday that the next round of U.S.-Iran talks will take place on Thursday in Geneva.
“Pleased to confirm U.S.-Iran negotiations are now set for Geneva this Thursday, with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalizing the deal,” the minister said on social media platform X.
In a phone call on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi stressed the importance of “constructive engagement and using the path of dialogue” to achieve a sustainable nuclear agreement, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported.
This followed Araghchi’s remarks on Friday in an interview with the U.S. media outlet MSNBC that Tehran will prepare the draft of a possible nuclear deal with the United States within two to three days and submit it to the U.S. delegation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi addresses a UN disarmament conference in Geneva, Switzerland, February 17, 2026.
In a CBS News interview broadcast on Sunday, Araghchi reiterated Tehran’s willingness to resolve its differences with Washington through negotiations.
Araghchi said he may meet with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday in Geneva, noting that it is still possible to find a diplomatic solution between Tehran and Washington.
He said the two sides are working on elements of a potential deal, and may discuss a preliminary draft for the deal on Thursday.
Araghchi said the deal should include Iran’s “peaceful nuclear program” as well as lifting U.S. sanctions against Iran, reaffirming Tehran’s resolve to secure its right to uranium enrichment under the national nuclear program.
He added that Iran and the United States can reach a nuclear deal better than the one signed between Tehran and world powers in 2015, noting unlike the previous negotiations, where the involved parties went into so many details, “this time, there is no need for that many details, and we can agree on basic things and make sure that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever and, at the same time, more sanctions would be lifted.”
He also stressed that Tehran has right to self-defense if the United States attacks Iran. “We have to hit, you know, the American base in the region.”
Also on Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said recent negotiations with the United States have “yielded encouraging signals,” while cautioning that Iran is prepared for “any potential scenario.”
“Iran is committed to peace and stability in the region. Recent negotiations involved the exchange of practical proposals and yielded encouraging signals. However, we continue to closely monitor U.S. actions and have made all necessary preparations for any potential scenario,” Pezeshkian said in a post on social media.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks at the celebrations for the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, February 11, 2026.
A senior Iranian official has told Reuters that significant differences remain between the two sides, even over the “scope and mechanism of sanctions relief.”
“Both sides need to reach a logical timetable for lifting sanctions,” said the unnamed official, adding that any roadmap must be “reasonable and based on mutual interests.”
Washington has said that any deal with Iran must include a ban on uranium enrichment, the removal of its enriched material, limits on long-range missiles, and a rollback of support for regional proxies. But analysts have said such conditions would be “very difficult” for Iran to accept.
The diplomatic maneuvers occurred against a backdrop of escalating U.S. military pressure. Media reports said the United States had recently deployed a large number of fighter jets and transport aircraft to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, marking a noticeable increase compared with the base’s usual level of deployment.
Located about 100 km northeast of Amman, the capital of Jordan, Muwaffaq Salti is considered one of the main U.S. military bases in the Middle East. At other U.S. military bases in the region, there have also been reports of significant military build-ups.
The development came amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, and followed two rounds of indirect nuclear talks between the two sides this month, with the first held in Muscat on Feb. 6 and the second in Geneva on February 17.
Tanzania has completed its first large-scale solar power project in Kishapu District of the northwestern Shinyanga region, marking a milestone in the country’s energy transformation agenda, the Ministry of Energy said in a statement on Sunday.
According to the statement, Lazaro Twange, managing director of the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited, said during a site inspection on Saturday that the project reflects the government’s commitment to expanding access to reliable electricity nationwide.
Twange described the project as a new chapter in the country’s history, saying it is the first solar project of such magnitude since independence. He said electricity has already been generated at the site, with 50 megawatts set to be connected to the national grid by March 1.
Kishapu District Commissioner Peter Masindi said the solar plant is a catalyst for local economic growth, particularly benefiting youth engaged in mining and agriculture.
Mariana Mrosso, acting manager of the power generation plant, said the facility would enhance the stability of the national grid and improve electricity supply, especially across the Lake Zone regions.
“I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries, many of which have been ‘ripping’ the U.S. off for decades, without retribution (until I came along!), to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level,” Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday.
He added that during the next short number of months, his administration will “determine and issue the new and legally permissible Tariffs, which will continue our extraordinarily successful process of Making America Great Again – GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE!!!”
U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday morning in a 6-3 vote that Trump’s tariff policy under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act was illegal.
Infuriated by the ruling, Trump signed an order imposing a 10 percent tariff on imports from all countries hours later.
US President Donald Trump has used tariffs against both friends and adversaries since returning to office.
He emphasised that both countries are members of the East African Community (EAC) and, as such, should not harbour forces hostile to one another.
Major General Muhanguzi made the remarks on February 19, 2026, while leading a delegation of Ugandan soldiers on a visit to Rwanda. The delegation toured the National Commission for Demobilization and Reintegration (RDRC) center in Mutobo, located in Musanze District.
The visit aimed to familiarise Ugandan officers with Rwanda’s demobilisation and reintegration programs, which support the transition of former combatants, including members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and their families, back into civilian life.
Many of these former fighters had been operating from eastern DRC, where members of the militia group responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi sought refuge after their defeat by the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA).
Speaking during the visit, Maj Gen Muhanguzi stressed that regional cooperation requires member states to prevent armed groups from operating within their borders.
“Rwanda should never have enemies originating from Uganda, and likewise, no enemy should be allowed to come from Rwanda to Uganda. However, we want Congo to ensure that it does not harbour enemies that attack both Uganda and Rwanda,” he said.
Maj Gen Muhanguzi praised former FDLR fighters who have chosen to return to Rwanda, saying many still have the capacity to contribute to national development alongside other citizens.
“A country is not built by one individual; it is built by all its people,” he added. “I also commend President Kagame for his leadership of Rwanda, and you, too, should come to understand the truth and return to your home.”
According to the RDRC, since 2001, a total of 12,602 former combatants have been reintegrated into civilian life. However, testimonies from returnees indicate that a number of former fighters, particularly from the FDLR, remain in hiding in the forests of eastern DRC.
Soldiers from Uganda’s Commander of the 2nd UPDF Infantry Division visited the Mutobo Centre.The delegation toured the National Commission for Demobilization and Reintegration (RDRC) center in Mutobo, located in Musanze District.
Reuters reports that the list was presented at a DRC-U.S. meeting in Washington on February 5 to advance their strategic minerals partnership agreed in December.
The proposal offers Washington access to highly sought tantalum, a heat-resistant metal processed from coltan ore used in semiconductors, aerospace components, computers, mobile phones and gas turbines.
Congo estimates that Rubaya needs $50 million to $150 million to restart and ramp up commercial output. The mine accounts for around 15% of the world’s coltan output, all dug manually by locals earning a few dollars a day.
The deal puts the U.S. at the center of Congo’s strategic minerals push. However, with the Rubaya mine and surrounding hills still under the control of the M23 rebels, it remains unclear how Washington could exercise control over the site or secure its operations, given ongoing fighting and the possibility of disputes over mining rights.
AFC/M23 political coordinator, Corneille Nangaa, has in the past criticised the deal, calling it “deeply flawed and unconstitutional” and highlighting concerns over transparency and legal procedures. He said mining sites offered to Washington “could later become the subject of disputes because they may already have been granted to other partners.”
This file photo shows miners at work at a coltan mining site in the town of Rubaya.
