The statement released last night shows that 208 people have caught the virus out of 11269 sample tests, four recovered while eleven are critically ill.
A total of 1,652,475 people have been fully vaccinated while 2,107,695 received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation program on 5th March 2021.
Coronavirus symptoms include coughing, flu, and difficulty in breathing. The virus is said to be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
Rwandans are urged to adhere to COVID-19 health guidelines, washing hands frequently using soaps and safe water, wearing face masks and respecting social distancing.
Prayer gatherings are only allowed in places of worship that were permitted to resume services and observing the health guidelines against Coronavirus.
Police and local leaders found the group at about 1pm, congregating in the cave located in Gakokobe Village, Bwerankori Cell in Kigarama Sector.
Worshippers belong to the Pentecostal Church; and had come from Gahanga, Kigarama, Runda, Gisozi and Nyamirambo sectors.
RNP spokesperson, CP John Bosco Kabera said the worshippers were arrested due to the information provided by concerned local residents.
“It has been so much explained that gatherings for religious services are prohibited. Some of these worshippers have been caught in related violations before and educated on the directives, but inappropriate behaviors seem to be continued. We remind that such behaviours will not be tolerated,” CP Kabera warned.
He told them that holding such gatherings exposes them to the risk of catching and spreading the virus, more than that worshipping under the caves especially in this rainy season can deprive them of lives.
“Players must be conducted in places of worship that were allowed to resume and worshippers must strictly adhere to directives so as to prevent catching Covid-19, spreading it.”
The RNP Spokesperson equally thanked members of the public, who facilitate the enforcement of directives through information sharing on those flouting the Covid-19 prevention directives.
The violators arrested were taken to IPRC Stadium where they were educated on health measures, and fined by administrative authorities.
The workshop held at the RNP General Headquarters in Kacyiru, was officially opened by the Minister of Local Government, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi.
It was also attended by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dan Munyuza, the Director General in charge of Gender Promotion in the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, Batamuriza Mireille and Schadrack Dusabe from UN Women.
Minister Gatabazi said that the workshop for media practitioners and youth volunteers is a step further in breaking silence and fighting the vice of gender and sexual violence.
“Violence against women and girls is an inhuman crime that should not be tolerated in Rwanda where all people have equally rights, which should be respected,” Minister Gatabazi said.
The government of Rwanda, he said, reviewed laws, governance policies and other measures to effectively respond the the vice.
“The media and the young people equally have the duty to fight violence directed to women and girls,” the Minister said.
He further lauded the impact of the ‘Regional Center of Excellence on GBV and Child Abuse’ in conducting training and raising awareness against the scourge.
Violence against women and girls, he added, has diverse effects to the victims, their families and the community in general, including spreading HIV/AIDS, homicide, unwanted pregnancy sometimes influencing suicide.
IGP Dan Munyuza asked the journalists, youth volunteers and the public in general to report any form of sexual and gender based violence adding that there are some cases of sexual and gender based violence that are not reported.
“This training provides another platform to exchange ideas and partnership in addressing this problem,” IGP Munyuza said.
He outlined defilement, harrasment of spouse, assault, rape and fraudulent use of family property and the majority domestic and gender based crimes.
Between January and August this year, a total of 11046 cases related to sexual and gender-based violence were recorded.
They include 3877 cases of defilement, 2350 spousal harrasment, 1195 of battery, 954 of rape and 813 cases of fraudulent use of family property
“The media and youth volunteers are among the Police key partners in fighting crimes, and a reason we are here today to set another line of further partnership in addressing this pressing concern of gender-based violence,” IGP Munyuza said.
Schadrack Dusabe from UN Women, said that the issue of GBV is covered by the media from different sources on daily basis, which he said that it is an indicator that there is recognition of the problem.
“GBV prevention and response requires multisectoral approach and this awareness rising with the media and youth volunteers is timely,” Dusabe said.
The workshop looked at two key aspects; policy and status of GBV in Rwanda and reporting on GBV with focus on raising awareness, ethics and challenges.
The dealer identified as Twishime Semagori Serukundo, 29, was caught on Monday September 27 in Kigoma village, Bisizi cell, Nyakiliba sector, Rubavu district with drugs in a bus heading to Kigali.
The Western region Police spokesperson, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi said that the suspect was arrested due to a tip off by local residents.
“A resident in Mahoko cell reported a man who was boarding a public bus in Mahoko taxi park with a sack suspected to be containing narcotics. ANU officers swiftly responded to the tip off and mounted a check point at Kigoma village, Bisizi cell,” said CIP Karekezi.
He added: “When the public bus tipped off arrived, immediately at the time it was stopped, the suspect jumped off the window and fled running leaving the sack in the bus, however lucky was not for him because passengers and officers ran after him and returned him.”
On his arrest, Semagori explained that he had got the narcotics from dealers who sneak them into the country from D.R Congo and was going to supply his clients in City of Kigali.
CIP Karekezi warned of heightened operations against drug traffickers and lauded the impact of community policing through identifying and reporting dealers.
The suspect was handed over to RIB at Kanama station for further legal process.
The Ministerial order nº 001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorization classifies cannabis in the category of “very severe narcotics.’’
Article 263 of law No 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 determining offenses and penalties in general states that any person, who unlawfully produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, commits an offence.
Upon conviction for “very severe narcotics,” the offender faces between 20 years and life imprisonment, and a fine of between Rwf20 million and Rwf30 million.
The three-day conference is taking place at Kigali Convention Centre from Tuesday 28th to Thursday 30th September 2021.
As the conference kicked off, Rwanda and Zimbabwe have signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in the areas of Information and Communication Technology and E-Government, Agriculture and Livestock Development, Tourism and Business Events, Environment and Climate Change and another between the confederation of Zimbabwe Industries and Rwanda Private Sector Federation.
The MoUs expected to promote trade relations have been signed today at the inaugural Rwanda-Zimbabwe Trade and Investment Conference.
The Conference, which will include business-to-business meetings between Zimbabwean and Rwandese private sector comes at a time when the country is diversifying its export markets and products as stipulated in the National Export Strategy, launched by President Mnangagwa in 2019.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Zephanie Niyonkuru has said that the agreement will further strengthen existing cooperation.
“Rwanda works closely with Zimbabwe in different areas of mutual interests. These include trade, investment, infrastructure, energy and air transport among others,” he noted.
Niyonkuru also expressed optimism that signed MoUs will take cooperation to greater heights.
The MoUs expected to promote trade relations have been signed today at the inaugural Rwanda-Zimbabwe Trade and Investment Conference.
The Conference, which will include business-to-business meetings between Zimbabwean and Rwandese private sector comes at a time when the country is diversifying its export markets.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Zephanie Niyonkuru has said that the agreement will further strengthen existing cooperation.
“Rwanda works closely with Zimbabwe in different areas of mutual interests. These include trade, investment, infrastructure, energy and air transport among others,” he noted.
Niyonkuru also expressed optimism that signed MoUs will take cooperation to greater heights.
“Rwanda as a land-linked country at the heart of Africa will continue to seize Intra-Africa trade and investment opportunities through participation in the value chains connected to the African market. I wish to reiterate the shared values of our countries. Rwanda and Zimbabwe share a deep commitment to excellence and I believe these are the values that have served our working relationship in the past as they will in the future,” he said.
The conference that kicked off today in Kigali will end on Thursday.
It will be held in each of the two countries every year on rotational basis.
The Conference follows the resolution to intensify cooperation between Rwanda and Zimbabwe that saw several Memoranda of Understanding signed in March this year to cement bilateral relations at the inaugural virtual session of the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC).
The signed agreements include the Rwanda Development Board and ZimTrade cooperation whose objective is to promote mutually beneficial trade between the two countries.
Other agreements signed in March cover the General Cooperation Agreement on the Establishment of a JPCC, Diplomatic consultations, cooperation in the Field of Media, Information and Publicity, collaboration in legal and criminal matters.
To unlock opportunities presented by some of these agreements, the trade and investment conference that started today will unpack sector specific opportunities, compliance needs as well as route to market that will help Zimbabwean companies land products and services with ease in Rwanda, as well as attract foreign direct investment from the country.
Currently, Rwanda is a hub for a rapidly integrating Africa and with its central location in the region, is part of the East African Community Common Market and Customers Union which has a market potential of over 132 million people.
Increasing trade with Rwanda will open further markets to the EAC, and in turn increase Zimbabwe’s exports to the region.
ZimTrade Chief Executive Officer, Allan Majuru, said the trade and investment conference was organised to explore best approaches to unlock trade and investment opportunities in the continent and will create direct networks between the businesses in the two countries.
“The conference will unlock strategic partnerships between businesses in Zimbabwe and those in Rwanda, which will go a long way in growing the nation’s foreign currency earnings as well as improve investment. So, what we are doing through this programme is to provide a platform where businesses can engage meaningfully and take advantage of all available opportunities,” said Majuru.
The recently released report titled ‘Rwanda: Round Ups-Linked to Commonwealth Meeting’ reads that Rwandan authorities rounded up and arbitrarily detained over a dozen gay and transgender people, sex workers, street children, and others in the months before a planned The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that was postponed due to COVID-19 related restrictions.
The report shows they were held in a transit center in Gikondo commonly known as ‘Kwa Kabuga’.
Following the release of the report; the Spokesperson of the Government of Rwanda, Yolande Makolo has via Twitter handle refuted the accusations noting that they are part of planned and unfounded allegations meant to tarnish the country’s reputation.
“HRW’s report on Rwanda is a calculated attempt to harm a strategic sector of our economy with fabricated allegations. The sabotage won’t work because the allegations are not true. Rwanda does not discriminate, in law, policy or practice, against sexual or gender orientation,” she said.
HRW has been banned on Rwanda’s land three years ago after series of false reports accusing Rwanda of abusing rights of targeted groups of people.
Before halting partnership with HRW in 2018, the organization released a report dubbed ‘All Thieves Must Be Killed “alleging that 37 people were killed by police officers, soldiers, reservists and members of the District Administration Security Support Organ (DASSO) in the districts of Rubavu and Rutsiro.
It was latter established that all aforementioned individuals were alive following the investigation carried out by the National Commission for Human Rights.
Human Rights Watch has for several times been criticized for making false reports motivated by political reasons.
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The deportees were dumped at the border on Monday 27th September 2021 around 6p.m.
These include four women, four men and six children who were arrested in Mbarara.
Upon arrival in Rwanda, the deportees were tested for COVID-19 and received emergency assistance.
Their deportation follows series of circumstances under which Uganda has been expelling Rwandans after enduring torture in its detention facilities accusing them of being spies yet they had traveled to the country to run businesses or visit relatives among other reasons.
Nine more Rwandans were deported from Uganda last week through Kagitumba border.
Among others, Uganda recently handed over bodies of two Rwandans killed in the country last month.
The deceased include Theoneste Dusabimana, 52, hailing from Rubaya sector and Paul Bangirana, 47, from Kaniga sector. They were respectively killed on 30th August and 1st September 2021.
It is said that murderers dispossessed them of their valuables before killing them in Kabale district.
Rwanda, Uganda relations worsened since 2017. Rwanda has been expressing concerns over Rwandans who travel to Uganda for business purposes but are abducted, imprisoned and tortured accused of being spies.
Rwanda also accuses Uganda of hosting dissidents that are posing a threat to national security.
In March 2019, the Government of Rwanda officially advised citizens not to travel to Uganda for their security following testimonies of over 1000 Rwandans tortured and deported from Uganda.
In August 2019, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame signed memorandum of understanding ‘Luanda Agreement’ in a bid to solve conflicts between both countries.
Despite efforts to sign the agreement between both heads of state witnessed by mediators including the President of Angola, Joao Lourenço and Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the situation is still worsening as Uganda continues with arbitrary detention of Rwandans who are subjected to torture in its facilities.
They were all arrested on various roads in City of Kigali after they were found intoxicated beyond the limit—0.8 blood alcohol content.
While parading the group on Monday, September 27, at Nyarugenge District Police Unit in Rwezamenyo Sector, RNP Deputy spokesperson, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Africa Sendahangarwa Apollo said that these are part of the daily Police operations across different roads of the country to fight one of the major causes of accidents.
Some of the motorists, who were caught driving under the influence, regretted their suicidal actions.
Charles Nkurunziza, one of the riders paraded, admitted that he had taken alcohol before riding.
“I was arrested on Friday, September 24, at about 9:30 pm, at Kicukiro centre, I had taken two bottles of beer and the breathalyzer indicated that I was drunk to the point of 3.12 millilitres,” said Charles Nkurunziza.
Eric Fabrice also said that he was arrested in Kicukiro after he was found to be 1.5 millilitres drunk.
CSP Africa warned drivers of intentional violation of road safety rules and regulations, and putting lives of people at high risk.
“Rwanda National Police conducted campaigns across the country to educate all groups of road users on safer road usage, including potential dangers associated with driving while intoxicated. These 25 people are among those who have continued to defy the road safety standards and decided to drive even when they were in the state of not driving or riding because of the excessive alcohol that was in their blood,” said CSP Africa.
He added that Police does not prevent people from drinking but will not condon anyone, who drives or rides while drunk.
