This recognition comes as Rwanda showcases its tourism offerings at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London.
From November 4 to 6, 2025, a Rwandan delegation, including representatives from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the Rwandan High Commission in the United Kingdom, RwandAir, and several private sector operators, is attending the event to promote the country’s attractions and build partnerships with international buyers and media.
Participating companies include RwandAir, Primates Safaris, Hermosa Life Tours, Wilderness, Blue Monkey, Triple Legacy Travels, Kings Safaris, and Wildlife Tours.
During the trade show, Rwandan representatives engaged in business meetings and media sessions to highlight the country’s unique experiences, including business travel, safaris, adventure, and leisure. The goal is to convert interest into tangible travel opportunities.
RDB emphasized that the country’s participation aims to enhance Rwanda’s global tourism profile and encourage sustainable visitor flows.
WTM London, recognized as the “birthplace of the global travel trade,” provides a vital platform for making connections, fostering collaboration, and driving growth within the travel sector.
The arrest follows a recent operation in which 14 tons of coffee were seized at the Kobero border, a legal trade route between Burundi and Tanzania.
Investigators believe the shipment was ultimately intended for Rwanda. According to sources cited by SOS Médias Burundi, SNR agents were dispatched to Ngozi to arrest Colonel Ndoreraho.
Upon hearing about the planned arrest, he is said to have gone into hiding. In response, authorities reportedly detained his wife in an attempt to pressure her into disclosing his location.
After several days on the run, Colonel Ndoreraho is said to have voluntarily turned himself in to SNR agents on November 3, 2025, and was then taken to Bujumbura for further interrogation.
Following his arrest, Lt Col Jean-Bosco Niyonsenga was appointed as the acting police commander for Ngozi. Colonel Ndoreraho remains in SNR custody as investigations into the alleged coffee smuggling and attempted corruption continue.
The returnees crossed through La Corniche main border post, which links Rwanda with the DRC. The majority of returnees are women and children.
They arrived on November 6, 2025, before they were taken to Nyarushishi Transit Center in Rusizi District.
These returnees had been living in a temporary camp in Goma after fleeing from various regions of eastern DRC, where they had been held captive.
The Mayor of Rubavu District, Prosper Mulindwa, welcomed the returnees, reminding them that Rwanda is a caring motherland. He assured them that the country would continue to take care of their well-being.
“Even if you don’t have a biological parent, the country will take care of you. It will continue to protect you in the face of the challenges you have encountered. Those who had property in the areas they left will be helped to reinstate ownership. Those who do not have property will be assisted to rebuild their lives with support from the government,” he said.
Mulindwa also mentioned that once the returnees receive their identification documents, the government would provide assistance to help them reintegrate into normal life.
The support will include basic financial aid to help them restart their lives. Those aged above 18 will receive $188 (approximately Frw 272,000), while those under 18 will get $113 (approximately Frw 192,000). Additionally, each person will receive basic food supplies valued at Frw 45,000.
Rwanda had recently welcomed 326 other Rwandans who had been held captive by the FDLR, joining thousands of others who have returned since January 2025.
The research project is looking to develop a foundational AI model capable of detecting a wide range of systemic diseases from retinal images, according to a statement released Thursday by Australia’s Monash University, which led the study.
By using advanced AI to analyze retinal images linked with health data from hundreds of thousands, the team aims to generate accurate, non-invasive screening tools for earlier diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, it said, adding existing tools for detecting these conditions are often insufficiently personalized, invasive, or too costly to be widely used.
Instead of relying on onerous manual analysis of large image datasets, the project uses advanced AI on de-identified, linked, decades-long data to build a multimodal model that detects multiple systemic diseases more comprehensively than single-disease approaches, said Monash University Associate Professor Ge Zongyuan.
Optain Health President Zachary Tan, who co-led the study, said early identification through retinal imaging could enable timelier interventions and shift healthcare “towards prevention rather than treatment.”
Organized by internationally acclaimed dancer and UN IFAD Advocate for Rural Youth, Sherrie Silver, the gala celebrated creativity as a force for social change while raising funds to empower young Rwandans through the arts.
During the gala, BK Foundation announced the sponsorship of 100 young talents affiliated with the Sherrie Silver Foundation. The support covers school fees for the upcoming academic year, reinforcing a shared commitment to empowering young Rwandans to access quality education and pursue their artistic growth.
The event was attended by government officials, artists, diplomats, and fashion icons, turning the red carpet into a showcase of African creativity and global style. The gala positioned Kigali as a continental hub for art, fashion, and purpose-driven philanthropy.
Speaking at the event, Ingrid Karangwayire, Executive Secretary of BK Foundation, highlighted the importance of creative inclusion in national development.
“Investing in young creative talent is investing in Rwanda’s future. Every young person with talent deserves the chance to learn, to grow, and to contribute confidently to our country’s cultural and economic life. We are pleased to work alongside the Sherrie Silver Foundation in creating pathways for young Rwandans to thrive,” she said.
BK Foundation’s support complements the ongoing efforts of Bank of Kigali, which continues to expand financial access and tailored solutions for Rwanda’s creative sector from young entrepreneurs to emerging cultural enterprises.
The gala was also sponsored by Bank of Kigali (BK), reflecting the bank’s ongoing commitment to Rwanda’s creative sector, not only through financial support but also by developing tailored products and tools designed to match the lifestyle, aspirations, and business models of creative professionals.
{{About BK Foundation}}
BK Foundation is the philanthropic arm of BK Group, a leading financial institution in Rwanda. Established in 2023, BK Foundation drives social progress through strategic investments in education, empowerment, and environmental conservation.
Through grant funding and co-funded partnerships, BK Foundation works alongside communities and organizations to expand equitable opportunity and deliver measurable, long-term impact for Rwanda’s development.
{{About Bank of Kigali Plc}}
Founded in 1966, Bank of Kigali is Rwanda’s largest commercial bank, serving over 1 million customers through an extensive branch network and digital channels.
The bank is committed to fostering economic growth by providing innovative financial services to individuals, SMEs, and corporations, and continues to evolve as a trusted partner in Rwanda’s journey toward a more prosperous future.
Its excellence has been consistently recognized, with multiple wins as Best Bank in Rwanda from Euromoney Awards for Excellence (2021, 2024, 2025) and Global Finance Magazine, most recently in 2025 for the 5th time.
These illnesses have been treated for decades at Ndera Neuropsychiatric Hospital, which has been providing mental health services in Rwanda for nearly 57 years. However, the facility is currently operating at 116% of capacity, as the number of patients continues to exceed its capacity.
Data indicates that in 2024/2025, the hospital received 119,859 patients, a 17.7% increase from the previous year.
In an interview with IGIHE, Dr. Arthur Rukundo, who has worked at CARAES Ndera Hospital for 20 years, discussed the factors driving this trend, the most affected groups, and what can be done to reduce the growing burden.
He explained that the hospital treats both neurological disorders and mental illnesses, and clarified that not everyone who goes to Ndera is mentally ill in the way many people assume.
“Someone might come to Ndera because they’ve suffered paralysis in an arm. But when people hear someone has gone to Ndera, they automatically think it’s a psychiatric case. Not everyone who seeks care at Ndera has a mental disorder,” he said.
In 2024/2025, Ndera received 66,335 psychiatric cases and 53,524 neurological cases.
{{Most common mental disorders
}}
The most common condition treated was epilepsy, which accounted for 36,097 patients (29.08%) of all admissions. The second most prevalent was schizophrenia, a severe mental disorder often associated with psychosis. The hospital treated 24,991 schizophrenia patients, making up 20.14% of all cases.
Another frequent condition is Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorder (ATPD), a short-term psychotic episode that can be triggered by stress, trauma, or drug use. It usually resolves faster than other psychiatric illnesses and is sometimes locally described as “nervous breakdown” or “overstress.”
Ndera Hospital operates through several branches across the country. Its main facility, CARAES Ndera, located in Gasabo District, serves as the primary treatment centre and receives the largest number of patients, about 67%, equivalent to more than 68,000 people in the 2023/2024 fiscal year.
The CARAES Butare branch in the Southern Province accommodates around 21% of patients, while the Icyizere Psychotherapeutic Centre in Kicukiro District accounts for the remaining 12%.
Men are more affected
Dr. Rukundo noted that men make up the majority of patients, accounting for 54%, while women represent 46%. Young people are the most affected demographic overall.
“Young men represent the largest group of patients we treat. Most of them come due to severe depression often triggered by drug abuse,” he said.
He explained that while sadness is a normal emotion, prolonged depression caused by factors such as grief or loss requires medical intervention.
“When sadness persists and begins to affect one’s ability to work or function, that person needs to see a doctor. Many of those cases are treated in our psychiatry department,” he added.
{{Acute psychosis on the rise
}}
Acute psychosis is also among the leading conditions treated at Ndera. It often affects individuals who have gone through extreme stress or trauma, leading to abnormal brain function.
The condition manifests through symptoms such as talking to oneself, seeing or hearing things that others cannot, or acting out of fear and confusion.
“You’ll find someone running away from things they believe they see. They can’t stay still; some lock themselves in their houses or say they’ve been hearing threatening voices for weeks. They often stop taking care of themselves,” Dr. Rukundo said.
He added that cannabis use is another common cause of psychotic episodes.
“When someone smokes marijuana, the active chemical interacts with brain hormones, especially dopamine, causing overstimulation. This can make the person hear voices or see things that don’t exist, and their behaviour becomes erratic,” he explained.
{{Some Patients have stayed at the hospital for over 30 years
}}
At Ndera Hospital, 36 patients remain with no families to return to. Among them is one man who has lived at the facility for more than three decades, having originally come from Burundi. Over the years, all attempts to trace his relatives have failed, and he has grown old within the hospital’s care.
The hospital provides both outpatient and inpatient services. For patients with severe mental health conditions, treatment may last from a month to nearly two months. However, during that time, some families abandon their relatives, leaving them permanently under the hospital’s responsibility.
According to Dr. Rukundo, most patients arrive at Ndera either through referrals by security agencies or are brought in by their families. Yet, he notes that stigma and denial surrounding mental illness remain deeply entrenched in society.
“Even today, many people have not yet accepted what it means to have a loved one with a mental illness,” he said. “Some bring a patient here and then disappear, never returning to check on them. There is still stigma, both toward the patients and their families. That’s why many of the people you see here have been here for years. Some were already here when I first arrived.”
Because of its long-standing reputation as a national referral and teaching hospital, Ndera also receives patients from neighbouring countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Nigeria, among others.
{{Mental health care starts before birth
}}
Dr. Rukundo emphasised that mental health prevention must begin as early as pregnancy. He explained that one of the main drivers behind the rising number of mental health disorders is poor parenting, as many parents spend long hours working and have limited time to nurture emotional connections with their children. The rapid growth of technology, particularly unregulated exposure to social media, has further compounded the problem.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) data, one in every twenty children aged 10 to 19 exhibits signs of mental health problems linked to excessive or inappropriate social media use.
“When a 12-year-old watches movies intended for adults, it harms rather than builds their mental development,” Dr. Rukundo said. “We are seeing more children struggling emotionally because they are exposed to content that is not appropriate for their age.”
He explained that a child’s emotional and mental well-being begins developing in the womb.
“A child starts to experience emotions and movement before birth. Their mental health is influenced by the bond they share with their mother during pregnancy. That’s why sometimes a baby may be born appearing emotionally unresponsive,” he said.
Such early developmental challenges can manifest as autism or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), often seen in children who avoid eye contact or have difficulty forming emotional connections.
Dr. Rukundo also raised concerns about parents who delegate childcare to domestic workers without understanding their background or emotional well-being.
“Sometimes, when a child cries, the caregiver just gives them a phone to quiet them. We’ve had cases of children as young as three or five being abused by caregivers. When you leave your child with someone, do you know their upbringing or emotional stability? How would they react if the child angers them? We must also care about the mental state of those who look after our children,” he cautioned.
{{One in five Rwandans has experienced a mental health problem
}}
National statistics released in August 2025 show that one in five Rwandans has experienced a mental health problem at some point in their life. The most common conditions include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorders.
Depression affects 11.9% of the population, anxiety disorders 8.1%, and PTSD 3.6%. Severe mental illnesses such as psychosis are found in 1.3%, while antisocial behaviour disorders affect 0.8%, and suicidal tendencies are reported among 0.5% of Rwandans.
“War is one of the biggest contributors to depression,” Dr. Rukundo noted. “We went through the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and global crises, conflict, and the fast pace of life continue to fuel these numbers. The rates here are above 10%, and we must address this through prevention because most of these illnesses can be avoided.”
He added that personality disorders are also becoming more prevalent, often linked to poor emotional upbringing and weak moral foundations during childhood.
“When that foundation is missing, people grow up without emotional resilience. They struggle to handle life’s challenges and easily fall into depression. Sometimes a breakup or emotional loss leads someone into despair, even suicide, which is often misjudged as weakness,” he said.
“When a young man loses a relationship and takes his own life, it’s not because he’s a coward. It’s because he invested all his emotional energy in that one person. When they’re gone, he feels life has lost meaning.”
{{Too few specialists
}}
Despite the growing demand for mental health care, Rwanda continues to face a severe shortage of specialists. Currently, there are only 15 psychiatrists serving a population of 15 million.
This shortfall means that many patients do not receive the attention they need. Ideally, a psychiatrist should spend 50 minutes to one hour per patient, handling about nine patients per day or roughly 30 per week. However, at Ndera, the caseload per doctor is far higher, placing heavy strain on both the health system and its professionals.
According to Léon, the current Rwandan government “is trying to erase” the positive history left behind by his father’s regime. Minister Bizimana responded, calling these statements lies, explaining that Habyarimana’s rule was authoritarian, suppressing the people and even preparing and executing the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Minister Bizimana backed his response with examples of actions taken by Habyarimana’s government, including incidents before he came to power when he was Minister of Defense.
Minister Bizimana pointed out that from February to March 1973, Gen Maj Habyarimana, who was Minister of Defense and Police, collaborated with President Kayibanda Grégoire to expel Tutsis from secondary schools and universities, and to remove them from public and private sector jobs.
He referenced an article in Kinyamateka newspaper No. 23 from September 18, 1973, which revealed that between 1,600 and 2,000 Tutsis had been thrown out in this state operation known as “Déguerpissement” led by Kayibanda and Habyarimana.
Bizimana reminded Léon that when Habyarimana overthrew Kayibanda on July 5, 1973, he arrested more than 70 people from the previous government, imprisoning them in Gisenyi and Ruhengeri prisons, where they were tortured and secretly executed. He described the brutal treatment of political prisoners, such as forced starvation, lack of light, and other inhumane conditions.
The Minister emphasized that those who executed the orders of Habyarimana include Ruhengeri Prison Director Sembagare Théodomir, successively Théodomir Sembagare and Pierre-Désiré Cyarahani, as well as Joachim Ntibandeba, who ran Gisenyi prison.
He also recalled how Habyarimana imprisoned Kayibanda and his wife, and later had them killed, based on his orders. Minister Bizimana asked, “Is this the peace of your father Habyarimana?”
{{Persecution of Colonel Kanyarengwe’s family}}
In the late 1970s, Colonel Alexis Kanyarengwe, then Minister of the Interior and Employment, fled after being accused of attempting to overthrow Habyarimana’s regime. Minister Bizimana explained that while Kanyarengwe was in exile, his family and friends were persecuted by the Habyarimana government, accused of sending him money.
He noted that Kanyarengwe’s associates, including Bahintasi Claude and his brother Sinaruhamagaye Callixte, were imprisoned in December 1988, and Dr. Sebiziga Aloys was also imprisoned in May 1989 on the pretext of being the attending physician of Kanyarengwe’s wife and children.
Bizimana emphasized that sending money to a relative in exile could not constitute an offence under the Rwandan Penal Code but these individuals were held in arbitrary detention for more than two years.
{{Unity was a dream}}
Minister Bizimana elaborated on the segregation policies of the Habyarimana regime, recalling that in September 1973, Col Kanyarengwe was tasked with ensuring that local leaders refused to allow Tutsis expelled from schools or jobs back into the education system or workforce.
Bizimana showed that between 1974 and 1977, out of 501 graduates from the National University of Rwanda, only 21, or 4.19%, were Tutsis, despite the fact that Tutsis were expected to be part of the student body.
He emphasized that from 1973 to 1992, no Tutsi had ever been appointed as the head of any of Rwanda’s 10 provinces. However, in 1992, following the Arusha Accords and the introduction of a multi-party system, a single Tutsi, Dr. Habyarimana Jean-Baptiste, was appointed Prefect of Butare but was killed during the genocide.
Bizimana noted that even soldiers were prohibited from marrying Tutsi girls, and officers could not marry without the intelligence service first conducting an investigation to verify that he was not going to marry a Tutsi girl.
Minister Bizimana continued to explain that under Habyarimana, the Tutsi were restricted to low-level government positions, and ethnic discrimination led to a disproportionate number of people from regions like Gisenyi and Ruhengeri occupying high-level government posts.
He cited examples of exclusion from government roles with only a small representation holding menial jobs like driving, clerical work, and gardening.
{{Refugees were not welcomed back}}
Minister Bizimana explained that Habyarimana continued Kayibanda’s policy of preventing Rwandan refugees from returning home. He forced refugees who had fled since 1959 to forfeit their property rights.
In December 1973, Habyarimana ordered Kanyarengwe and Bonaventure Habimana, the Minister of Justice, to sign a decree forbidding refugees from returning and denying them any claim to their property.
Bizimana mentioned that Habyarimana even imposed deadlines for the auctioning off of properties belonging to Rwandan refugees.
“We’re trying to lean into the fact that when we see pressures building in these 40 markets, we just can’t ignore it, and we’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us, we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,” Duffy said.
“I think it’s going to lead to more cancellations that we’re going to work with the airlines to do this in a systematic way,” he said at a joint press conference with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
Bedford said that a 10-percent reduction in scheduled capacity would be appropriate to “continue to take the pressure off of our (air traffic) controllers, and as we continue to see staffing triggers, there will be additional measures that will be taken in those specific markets.”
“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market, where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kind of measures, and again, we’re in a renewed territory in terms of government shutdowns,” said Bedford.
Since the U.S. federal government shutdown began, about 13,000 air traffic controllers and roughly 50,000 airport security officers have been forced to work without pay.
An increasing number of employees have taken leave, leading to acute staffing shortages in the aviation industry, worsening flight delays across many regions, and raising concerns over aviation safety.
Data from the U.S. flight-tracking website FlightAware shows that thousands of flights nationwide are experiencing delays each day. More than 4,000 flights within, into, or out of the United States were delayed on Tuesday, following nearly 5,000 delays on Monday.
On Tuesday, General Kahariri and his delegation visited the Ministry of Defence and Rwanda Defence Force (MOD/RDF) Headquarters, where they were received by the Chief of Defence Staff of the RDF, General MK Mubarak. He also paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Defence, Honourable Juvenal Marizamunda.
During the visit, the two sides held bilateral discussions to review the existing cooperation between Rwanda and Kenya, explore new areas of collaboration, and exchange views on regional defence and security matters.
Speaking to the media, General Kahariri highlighted that his visit seeks to reaffirm and deepen the longstanding friendship between the two nations and their respective defence institutions.
“Our coming here is an affirmation of the strong relationship between our two countries and our defence forces, right from the time Rwanda started the efforts to rebuild its defence forces in the aftermath of the genocide,” he said.
“This visit is about extending our friendship and exploring ways to further strengthen and expand our partnership. The KDF and RDF share much in common in areas such as training, regional peace, and stability, and we continue to learn from each other. We are grateful for the warm reception and look forward to finalising the Defence Cooperation Agreement, which is now in its final stages.”
As part of his visit, General Kahariri paid tribute to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi at the Kigali Genocide Memorial and toured the Campaign Against Genocide Museum.
The Kenyan military chief is also expected to visit the RDF Command and Staff College (RDFCSC) in Nyakinama, where he will deliver a Lecture of Opportunity to participants of the Senior Command and Staff Course.
The Rwandan delegation, consisting of representatives from the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the Rwandan High Commission in the United Kingdom, RwandAir, and various travel and tourism companies, is engaging with international travel buyers and media to build collaborations aimed at attracting more visitors for business, adventure, and leisure travel.
Participating companies include RwandAir, Primates Safaris, Hermosa Life Tours, Wilderness, Blue Monkey Rep, Triple Legacy Travels, Kings Safaris, and Wildlife Tours.
At the travel and tourism trade show, Rwandan representatives are holding meetings and media engagements to promote the country’s offerings and forge strategic partnerships.
The goal is to raise Rwanda’s profile on the global tourism stage and transform connections into tangible travel opportunities.
WTM London, described as “the birthplace of the global travel trade,” serves as a powerful platform for connection, collaboration, and change. It is the world’s most influential international travel and tourism show, bringing together key players in the leisure industry to inspire, train, and create opportunities.
From networking and partner-seeking to training and presentations, WTM enables the industry to grow collectively and more effectively.
Rwanda’s combined public- and private-sector presence at the event highlights its commitment to strengthening ties with international markets and positioning its tourism offerings before a professional and media audience.
