Security sources have confirmed that at least six soldiers have died while two others have been “seriously” injured after their vehicle struck a landmine in the region.
“We can confirm that six soldiers died in the terrorist attack. The two other injured soldiers are receiving treatment in the hospital,” a military official in the region, who asked not to be named, told Xinhua by phone.
The explosion occurred on the road between the localities of Bavongola and Zeleved in the region where Boko Haram militants have recently stepped up attacks on civilians and the military, according to local media.
Local officials said the army was in pursuit of the assailants who were suspected to be Boko Haram militants.
According to security reports, this was the deadliest attack by the terrorist group on the army since the start of this year.
The series of colored images were released at the launch event of the Space Day of China held in Hefei, capital city of east China’s Anhui Province.
Processed in accordance with mapping standards with a spatial resolution of 76 meters, the images include the orthographic projection of the eastern and western hemispheres of Mars, the Robinson projection of Mars, and the Mercator projection plus an azimuthal projection of the planet.
According to the CNSA, these images are based on 14,757 image data acquired by a remote-sensing camera on the Tianwen-1 orbiter over eight months from November 2021 to July 2022.
China’s Tianwen-1 mission, consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, was launched on July 23, 2020 and entered the orbit of Mars after 202 days of flight.
The lander, carrying the rover Zhurong, touched down on May 15, 2021 in the southern part of Utopia Planitia, a vast plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars. Zhurong drove down from its landing platform to the Martian surface on May 22, starting its exploration of the red planet.
“The global images of Mars will provide a better quality base map for Mars exploration and scientific research,” said Zhang Rongqiao, the chief designer of China’s first Mars exploration mission.
“It is an important contribution that Tianwen-1 has made to human deep space exploration,” he added.
Zhang noted that starting from May 1 this year, the scientific data of Tianwen-1 will be open to the world.
The research team has also identified a large number of geographical entities near the landing site from high-resolution images of Mars. The International Astronomical Union has named, according to relevant rules, 22 of the geographical entities after the historical and cultural villages and towns in China with a population of less than 100,000.
“The scientific exploration data obtained by the Tianwen-1 mission will make a contribution to human’s in-depth knowledge of Mars,” the CNSA said.
According to the CNSA, the Tianwen-1 orbiter had achieved global remote sensing detection on Mars by June 29, 2022. So far, it has been operating for more than 1,000 days in good condition and continuing to accumulate remote sensing raw data. The rover Zhurong, currently in dormancy, traveled 1,921 meters on the red planet.
The group of youth, all men, are particularly behind violent theft on April 10, along Sonatubes-Rwandex road in Kicukiro District where they allegedly assaulted a man, stolen his phone and money.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Sylvestre Twajamahoro, the Police spokesperson for the City of Kigali said Monday, April 24, that four of the suspects were arrested in Kigali while the fifth member was tracked to Mukarange in Gicumbi District where he was hiding.
“The five delinquents arrested separately, belong to the same racket connected to series of theft and other criminal activities since 2021, including the most known recent one of April 10, when they attacked a pedestrian at about 01a.m, assaulted him, stolen his money and smartphone,” CIP Twajamahoro said.
The victim working in a bar at Sonatubes, was that night returning home from work.
That night, CIP Twajamahoro said, the same group pelted stones at a vehicle as the driver came out to rescue the man whom they were assaulting.
It is the same driver that first reported the violent theft that night, although the group had already fled when the Police arrived shortly after.
“Police in partnership with the public managed to identify and apprehend one member of the group, who named all his accomplices,” said CIP Twajamahoro.
All the five graduated from Nyamagabe rehabilitation center in January this year.
There are reports that a mother to one of the suspects was aware of his criminal acts but shielding him. Her second son is also detained over theft.
“It is so unfortunate that some parents shield their children and worse still seem to be happy with the criminal activities they engage in,” CIP Twajamahoro said.
Prince Rubera, the driver who called the Police, said that as he was driving home that night, he witnessed a group of men that was assaulting a man.
“I stopped and tried to rescue the man but the group, which was armed with stones also attacked me, they started pelting stones at my vehicle and vandalized one of my car glasses. As they were attacking me, the man managed to escape from them, so I drove off to the nearest Police officers, who were on patrol along Sonatubes-Rwandex road where I reported the incident,” Rubera narrated.
CIP Twajamahoro said that the Police has strengthened its operations particularly against theft and that many others have been arrested in different parts of Kigali.
“We urge the public to always be quick to share information on such criminal acts, enhance community policing and neighborhood watch in particular.”
Article 168 of the law determining offences and penalties in general in Rwanda, provides an imprisonment of between five and seven years and a fine of between Frw3 million and Frw5 million for any person convicted violent theft.
During a conversation attended by spokespersons for the President and State of Burundi, Bangiricenge disclosed that Bunyoni is being prosecuted for “threatening national security, national economy and office abuse.”
When asked about Bunyoni’s place of detention and rights to visit him, Bangiricenge stated that he is being held at the SNR and his family ‘will be allowed to visit him soon’.
Bunyoni was arrested on April 21, 2023, in Nyamuzi, in the Mubone zone of Kabezi commune, Bujumbura province, where he was hiding.
The General Prosecutor’s Office confirmed his arrest in a press release on Sunday, April 23, and stated that the evidence gathered during a recent search at his residence would be examined to determine the next steps in the case, in accordance with the penal code.
These protests, which were initially held on Monday and Thursday in the capital city of Nairobi, were suspended in April.
Odinga has accused President William Ruto of rigging the August presidential election and failing to manage the country’s high inflation rate.
According to media reports, Odinga warned that the protests will resume if no progress is made through ongoing discussions with the government to revise the electoral code.
The situation has sparked fears of ethnic violence, and the international community and religious leaders are urging for calm.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid has further stated that the incident “underscores the need to exercise utmost caution” to preserve the safety of Egyptian citizens and diplomats in Sudan.
He noted that the number of Egyptian citizens in Sudan exceeds 10,000, which requires a tight, safe and orderly planning process to ensure their safe evacuation from the conflict-ridden country.
EgyptAir has suspended its flights to and from Khartoum International Airport since the beginning of the fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on April 15.
The clashes have left over 400 people dead and about 3,500 others injured, according to the country’s health ministry.
The shooting commenced on 15 April 2023, after days of tension arising from the redeployment of members of the RSF across the country, which the army perceived as a threat.
While there were initial expectations of talks to resolve the conflict, they never materialized.
The party responsible for the first shot remains uncertain, but the violence quickly escalated in various regions of the nation.
On Sunday 22rd April 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron revealed that citizens from European and other countries were being evacuated from Sudan to Djibouti.
“Sudan is in the grip of violent clashes. The first plane repatriating our compatriots, European nationals, and nationals from other countries has just landed in Djibouti. I commend the mobilization of our armed forces and the agents of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs,” he tweeted.
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has disclosed that 388 citizens have been evacuated under this operation that continued in the morning of Monday 24th April 2023.
French Ambassador to Rwanda, Antoine Anfré has via Twitter handle confirmed that the evacuees include a few Rwandans.
“Among the non-European citizens evacuated from Khartoum by the French operation there are a few Rwandan citizens [this embassy doesn’t know yet the precise number].This is what’s called solidarity!” he tweeted.
On Sunday, the United States of America and the United Kingdom also revealed that they were evacuating their citizens from Khartoum.
The plaintiffs, who hail from Iran, Iraq, and Syria, are contesting the decision to send them to Rwanda, and they have appealed the High Court’s ruling confirming the implementation of the Migration and Economic Development Partnership between the British government and Rwanda to receive immigrants who enter the UK illegally.
Migrant rights groups have expressed concern that immigrants face the risk of persecution in Rwanda, which is what they fled from in their home countries.
The judges of the British Court of Appeal will examine evidence to show that the High Court’s decision was mistaken in assessing the security situation in Rwanda and the risks faced by immigrants.
Rwanda and Britain have established a joint committee to monitor compliance with the terms of the agreement.
However, the British government intends to revise the immigration law to include provisions that permit the government to send migrants to other countries for national security reasons, despite being refused by the court.
The first migrants were supposed to arrive in Rwanda in June 2022, but the deportation was called off at the last minute due to a swift complaint filed by migrant rights groups.
The hearing is expected to last four days beginning from this Monday, and the results of the British Court of Appeal will have far-reaching implications for the future of the agreement between Britain and Rwanda.
The case also raises broader questions about the responsibility of Western governments towards migrants fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries.
He arrived one day before his 49th birthday celebration, which he announced would be celebrated in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
The delegation that came with him includes Norbert Mao, the Ugandan Minister of Justice, Maj Gen (Rtd) Jim Muhwezi, the Interior Minister, and Andrew Mwenda, the Spokesperson of MK Movement.
Upon arrival in Kigali, Gen Muhoozi was received by Maj Gen Willy Rwagasana, the Commander of the Republican Guard, and Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga, the Spokesperson of Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).
Gen Muhoozi recently announced plans to replace his father upon the end of his term in 2026.
Last year, his birthday celebration was held in Kampala, Uganda, and was attended by President Paul Kagame.
Before his visit in April 2022, President Kagame had not been in Uganda since 2018 for discussions on the strained relations between both countries.
Last year, Gen Muhoozi was involved in the process to restore relations to normal and warned Rwanda’s dissidents that they have no place in Uganda.
Since then, there have been positive developments, including the reopening of Gatuna border and all land borders between the two countries.
Gen Muhoozi’s visit to Rwanda comes after the Rukundo Egumeho Thanksgiving Concert held in Kabale town last week to celebrate the reopening of the Uganda-Rwanda border.
During the event, the General attended a number of activities, including laying a foundation stone for the construction of the Museveni-Kagame Market at the border point and officiating a friendly football match between Gicumbi F.C. from Rwanda and Kigezi Select from Uganda.
Among the confirmed attendees are President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi, King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini and President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia.
The Transform Africa Summit is an annual event that brings together leaders from across the continent to discuss the latest developments in technology and innovation, and to explore ways in which these advancements can be leveraged for the benefit of African societies.
This year’s summit promises to be particularly exciting, with representatives from over 100 countries set to attend, along with almost 40 Ministers, Heads of International Organisations, Diplomats, and Captains of Industry.
In addition to the Heads of State in attendance, representatives from Angola, Estonia, and Tunisia have officially delegated representatives from their Heads of State to attend, while Siniša Mali, the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Serbia, will also be present.
President Kagame has been a long-time advocate of technology and innovation in Africa.
Through initiatives such as the Smart Africa Alliance, Kagame has worked tirelessly to promote the development of the continent’s digital infrastructure, and to ensure that African societies are able to fully harness the potential of technology and innovation.
The Transform Africa Summit presents a unique opportunity for African leaders to come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and to explore ways in which technology and innovation can be used to drive growth and development.
