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.
In a video shared by MONUSCO, soldiers are seen being trained in the use of drones, handling heavy artillery, and managing casualties and injuries. The training took place in Bunia, Ituri province, under the supervision of General Saiful Alam Bhuiyan, Commander of MONUSCO’s North Sector.
“As you know, our mandate is to eventually transition responsibilities to the local security forces so they can maintain law and order,” General Bhuiyan says in the social media video shared on Tuesday.
“We are trying to train the maximum number of FARDC soldiers. They are also being trained on human rights, and other sectors will continue this work until local forces have sufficient capacity to govern their own people.”
However, Minister Nduhungirehe questioned the wisdom of the training, noting that FARDC’s alliance with the FDLR, a militia linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, raises serious concerns. He argued that arming and training forces associated with such groups undermines civilian protection and perpetuates insecurity in the region, where the Congolese forces are battling M23 rebels.
“If I understand correctly, MONUSCO, which is a UN peacekeeping mission whose main mandate is the protection of civilians, is training the Congolese army, allied with the genocidal FDLR militia, to handle heavy weapons and attack drones, the very same weapons currently being used by FARDC in ongoing ceasefire violations and daily bombardments of densely populated areas,” Nduhungirehe said.
“Thus, 26 years after its deployment, during which nearly 20 billion dollars have been spent, the FDLR has strengthened, armed groups have multiplied, and hate speech and persecution of Rwandophone communities have become normalized, MONUSCO continues to demonstrate, if any further proof was needed, that it is one of the greatest failures in the history of the United Nations.”
Si j'ai bien compris, la @MONUSCO, qui est une mission onusienne de maintien de la paix, dont le mandat principal est la protection des civils, est entrain de former l'armée congolaise (alliée à la milice génocidaire FDLR) à manier des armes lourdes et des drônes d'attaque,… https://t.co/ztjh5JAarJ
Rwanda has often questioned MONUSCO’s mandate in the Democratic Republic of Congo amid growing insecurity, displacement, and the deaths of scores of civilians.
The concerns have been echoed repeatedly by President Paul Kagame, who has in the past sharply criticised MONUSCO over its decades-long presence in eastern DRC. Kagame argues that the mission has failed to stabilise the region, curb violence, or address the root causes of conflict, despite a multibillion-dollar budget.
“What did they actually come to do? To keep peace? What peace? To bring peace? What peace have they brought? Did they come to solve the security problem caused by the FDLR, which has been in Congo for 30 years? Nothing. So why are they still there?” President Kagame posed during an interview with Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur and citizen journalist Mario Nawfal.
The Senate’s latest attempt to pass a “clean” continuing resolution failed Tuesday by a 54–44 vote, six short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster.
The shutdown stems from a prolonged standoff in Congress over a new funding deal. Lawmakers in both chambers have failed to reach agreement despite 14 separate votes on temporary funding measures.
The deadlock has pitted Democrats, who are demanding an extension of healthcare subsidies for low-income Americans, against Republicans, who accuse them of tying unrelated policy priorities to the government funding bill.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed cautious optimism this week that a resolution might be nearing, saying his “gut” suggested “an off-ramp” could be close. But for now, there are few signs of concrete progress.
The previous record for the longest government shutdown was 35 days, set during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2019. Like the current crisis, that shutdown was driven by a bitter partisan dispute, then over border wall funding.
{{Mounting impacts nationwide
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The effects of the ongoing closure are spreading across critical sectors. More than 800,000 federal employees have already missed multiple paychecks, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned this week that the nation’s air travel system could face major disruptions if the shutdown continues. He said about 13,000 air traffic controllers are working without pay.
“If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos,” Duffy told Fox News. “You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.”
The shutdown is also taking a toll on low-income families who depend on government assistance. Funding interruptions have affected the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to about 42 million Americans, roughly one in eight people nationwide.
A federal court recently ordered the Trump administration to release contingency funds to partially sustain SNAP payments, but President Trump has indicated on social media that full benefits will only resume when “Radical Left Democrats open up government.” The White House later stated that it would comply with the court’s directive.
{{Economic consequences and public frustration
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According to the Congressional Budget Office, the shutdown could cost the U.S. economy an estimated $14 billion if it extends to eight weeks. Analysts warn that disruptions in sectors such as aviation, healthcare, and food assistance could worsen if no deal is reached soon.
The political fallout is also deepening. A Gallup poll released this week shows public approval of Congress has fallen to 15 percent, down 11 points from last month, with 79 percent of Americans expressing disapproval of how lawmakers are handling the standoff.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blamed Republicans for “surging healthcare costs” tied to stalled subsidy extensions, while Thune accused Democrats of worsening the shutdown’s toll on American families.
Despite rising frustration across the country, efforts to end the shutdown remain gridlocked.
Moderate lawmakers from both parties have indicated a willingness to broker a compromise ahead of Thanksgiving on November 27, but as of now, Washington remains at a standstill, and millions of Americans are bearing the cost of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Developed and hosted by RSwitch, Rwanda’s national e-payments switch, eKash links banks, SACCOs, mobile money operators, and fintechs under a single interoperable system. The platform allows users to send, receive, and pay instantly, regardless of the bank or mobile wallet they use.
At its core, eKash is about convenience and inclusivity. Transactions are settled in under 15 seconds, enabling individuals and businesses to move money anytime, anywhere, and across any platform. Beyond speed, the platform carries a broader national purpose, which is to strengthen Rwanda’s financial sovereignty and ensure full control over its payment infrastructure.
To accelerate this vision, the platform, which has been rolled out in phases, is set for its official launch on December 5, 2025, at the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC).
{{A platform built for Rwanda’s digital ambitions
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The rollout of eKash comes at a time when Rwanda is deepening its digital transformation agenda. Under the government’s Vision 2050 and the Smart Rwanda Master Plan, the country aims to build an innovation-led economy where cashless transactions become the norm rather than the exception.
In this vision, eKash plays a critical role. The platform represents a national digital payment infrastructure capable of operating even in times of external disruptions or sanctions. By reducing dependence on foreign payment systems, it ensures continuity, security, and local ownership of financial data.
eKash is not just a payment platform; it’s Rwanda’s national financial unifier. By bringing all players together under one system, eKash levels the playing field; banks, SACCOs, mobile money operators, and fintechs no longer have to integrate individually. One endpoint opens a plethora of market opportunities, giving every participant equal footing.
{{Financial inclusion at the centre
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A defining feature of eKash is its focus on financial inclusion. The platform enables credit scoring and financial history portability, allowing previously unbanked Rwandans to access loans and other financial services for the first time.
Through seamless interoperability, money can move effortlessly between formal banks and mobile money accounts. For small traders and ordinary citizens, this reduces barriers to participation in the digital economy. For businesses, eKash offers a single collection point for payments, reducing reconciliation costs and improving cash flow management.
{{Enabling person-to-business (P2B) payments
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Beyond person-to-person transfers, eKash also supports person-to-business (P2B) payments, enabling users to pay merchants, service providers, and utility bills directly from any bank or mobile wallet. This interoperability removes the friction traditionally associated with digital payments, where consumers and businesses often had to rely on multiple platforms or manual reconciliation.
For consumers, this means faster, simpler, and more convenient transactions. Whether paying for groceries, school fees, electricity, or mobile services, users can transact in real time without worrying about which bank or mobile money provider the merchant uses.
For businesses, P2B payments provide instant settlement and a single point of collection, reducing administrative overhead and improving cash flow management. Small traders and informal businesses can now accept digital payments, expand their customer base, and build a credible financial history that may unlock future credit and services.
This functionality goes beyond convenience; it helps formalise Rwanda’s cash-based economy, strengthens financial inclusion, and encourages reliable, data-driven operations across sectors. By simplifying and securing transactions, eKash ensures that every Rwandan, whether in Kigali’s commercial centres or rural districts, can engage confidently in the digital economy.
{{Driving the cashless economy vision
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With Rwanda steadily establishing itself as one of Africa’s leaders in digital innovation, eKash is poised to play a pivotal role. The platform promises a future where money moves freely within the national financial ecosystem, securely, instantly, and without intermediaries.
Its success could also provide a model for other African economies seeking to localise payment infrastructure and reduce reliance on global systems.
Choosing eKash means embracing instant, inclusive, and intelligent payments, a system that empowers individuals, strengthens businesses, and drives Rwanda toward a fully cashless economy. The official launch of eKash on December 5th at KCC is set to connect the nation and accelerate Rwanda’s transition to a cashless, digitally empowered economy.
The discussions took place on the sidelines of the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, where both leaders explored avenues to enhance collaboration between Rwanda and Qatar.
According to a statement from the Office of the President, Village Urugwiro, the talks reviewed the strong ties between the two countries and identified opportunities for further cooperation.
“This morning in Doha, President Kagame met with His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, on the sidelines of the Second World Summit for Social Development. Their discussions focused on the excellent relations between Rwanda and the State of Qatar, and the multiple areas of fruitful bilateral collaboration,” the statement read.
The leaders last met on September 12, 2025, during President Kagame’s official visit to Qatar.
Rwanda and Qatar share strong cooperation in areas including investment, tourism, and transport, reflecting Rwanda’s strategy of fostering diplomacy based on mutual respect, peace, and development.
In the aviation sector, Qatar Airways has agreed to acquire a 60 % stake in Rwanda’s Bugesera International Airport project and is also seeking a 49 % stake in the national carrier, RwandAir, as part of a broader aviation and transport partnership.
The announcement was made during an extraordinary general assembly of shareholders held on November 2, 2025, where members also elected a new Board of Directors to replace the outgoing leadership that had served since 2016.
The outgoing board was chaired by Peter Nkubara, who has been succeeded by Jonathan Gatera as the new Board Chair.
Presenting the institution’s performance highlights, Nkubara noted that Goshen Finance had maintained consistent growth across key indicators, including assets, loan portfolio, and customer base.
“When we took over in 2016, total assets stood at Frw 3.1 billion. Today, we leave behind a stronger institution with assets worth Frw 24 billion, according to the financial report released in September 2025,” Nkubara said.
Over the same period, the institution’s loan portfolio expanded from Frw 2 billion to Frw 20 billion, while its customer base grew from 20,000 clients in 2016 to more than 70,000 in 2025. Including clients under cooperatives, the total now exceeds 100,000.
Goshen Finance also increased its branch network from six in 2016 to nine in 2025, strengthening its footprint across key districts.
Speaking during the assembly, Goshen Finance Managing Director Ignace Musangamfura, commended the outgoing board for its stewardship and commitment to good governance, which he said laid a solid foundation for sustained growth.
“I sincerely thank this outgoing board because they ensured strong corporate governance, which is crucial for growth. A company can’t thrive without a board that sets strategic direction, ensures compliance, and upholds standards set by oversight institutions like the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR),” Musangamfura said.
He pledged close collaboration with the newly elected board to sustain the institution’s momentum and implement ongoing digital transformation projects aligned with the country’s financial inclusion and innovation agenda.
“As an institution still in its growth journey, we recognise that we are operating in a highly digital era. Some of our technology-related projects have been delayed due to limited capital. We therefore need to strengthen investment in the coming years, and it’s encouraging to see shareholders showing strong commitment,” he added.
The new Board of Directors, chaired by Jonathan Gatera, includes Dr. Charles Hategekimana, Lois Nyirasoni, Vivien Niyomugenga, and Josephine Mugeni.
Founded in 2005 as a COPEC, Goshen Finance Plc was licensed by the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) in 2008 to operate as a microfinance institution. The institution now operates nine branches in Nyarugenge, Ruhango, Kimironko, Musanze, Nyabugogo, Rubavu, Remera, Downtown, and Rwamagana. The institution employs around 100 staff members.
Speaking on the opening day of the three-day UN summit at the Qatar National Convention Centre, hosted by Qatar, the Head of State credited Rwanda’s transformation to policies that place people at the centre of every decision.
“Social protection, community participation and accountability are firmly embedded in how we govern,” he said. “Every policy decision by our institutions is concerned with advancing quality of life.”
Thirty years after the landmark Copenhagen Declaration, Kagame acknowledged global gains in reducing extreme poverty and expanding access to education and healthcare, but warned that persistent inequalities demand faster, smarter governance.
“These challenges are not new, but our governance systems have not evolved fast enough to solve them,” he said.
He urged leaders to keep “the pendulum swinging in the right direction” by prioritising human capital above all else. “For development to be sustained, it cannot be outsourced,” Kagame declared.
Rwanda’s own trajectory exemplifies this approach. Since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the country has achieved near-universal health coverage through its Community-Based Health Insurance (Mutuelles de Santé), now reaching over 90 percent of the population and helping lift life expectancy from around 26 years in 1993 to 69.9 years today.
In education, the rollout of free basic schooling has driven near-universal primary enrollment, while initiatives like the Vision Umurenge Programme (VUP) provide cash transfers, public works jobs, and financial services to the poorest households, promoting income generation and social cohesion.
These efforts have yielded tangible results. The latest Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV7), released in April 2025, shows Rwanda’s national poverty rate plummeting by 12.4 percentage points over seven years, from 39.8 percent in 2017 to 27.4 percent in 2024, lifting approximately 1.5 million people out of poverty.
Extreme poverty also fell sharply to 3.1 percent, with rural electricity access surging from 34.4 percent to 72 percent and mobile phone ownership rising to 84.6 percent.
President Kagame also called for a reset in global partnerships, criticising imbalanced cooperation that excludes most of the world.
“For multilateral engagement to be effective, [it] will need to be tailored to delivering universal, measurable and timely results, not promises,” he said.
On global finance, Kagame insisted that institutions must become “more fit for purpose” and create fiscal space for countries to adapt and grow.
“If we are serious about social development, then our solutions must serve the needs of all countries, not just a few.”
Concluding his remarks, President Kagame said Rwanda stands ready to collaborate.
“We should expect more challenges in the near future and prepare to prevent and manage them,” he said. “Rwanda stands ready to work with all our partners to build a more inclusive and resilient future.”
The summit, running through November 6 and convened under UN General Assembly resolutions 78/261 and 78/318, brings together heads of state, UN officials, including Secretary-General António Guterres and General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, and civil society to accelerate progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development amid global uncertainties such as conflicts and climate volatility.
The facility being developed by Société Pétrolière (SP) will store up to 9,000 tonnes of LPG, enough to meet the country’s cooking gas needs for around two months. It includes daily-use tanks already in place and larger long-term storage spheres currently under construction.
Speaking to the New Times, SP Managing Director Claudien Habimana said the depot will not only serve SP but also allow the government and other energy players to maintain strategic reserves, helping ensure supply continuity and market stability.
The project has seen costs rise from the original Frw 38 billion due to equipment upgrades. It’s expected to enter a temporary operational phase in January 2026 before full commissioning in July.
Currently, Rwanda imports all its LPG, and only a small fraction of households use gas for cooking. The new depot is expected to stabilise supply, reduce price fluctuations, and support future growth in the domestic LPG market, while laying the groundwork for Rwanda’s transition to cleaner energy sources.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the United Nations received credible reports of the crimes against civilians, including women and children, from within the barricaded North Darfur state’s capital.
“Hundreds of civilians, including humanitarian workers, have reportedly been killed, while large numbers remain trapped inside the city with little or no communication to the outside world,” OCHA said.
“The delivery of life-saving assistance remains blocked by the RSF, contrary to its obligation under international humanitarian law to facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of such relief.”
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that nearly 71,000 people have fled El Fasher and surrounding areas since the city’s fall on Oct. 26, most to overcrowded camps in the town of Tawila, 40 kilometers away, while many new arrivals have reported killings, abductions and sexual violence along the way.
Conditions in Tawila are dire, with families living in the open or in makeshift shelters, food stocks running out and clean water scarce, said OCHA. “The UN and its partners are providing emergency assistance, including daily meals, healthcare, water, sanitation, nutrition and psychosocial support, but these efforts cover only a fraction of the needs due to funding constraints.”
Violence in the Kordofan region has also sharply escalated, triggering large-scale displacement and civilian suffering, said the office, noting that grave violations, including the alleged summary execution of civilians, have been reported in North Kordofan’s locality of Bara.
The IOM said that between October 26 and 31, approximately 37,000 people were displaced from Bara, Um Rawaba and surrounding villages. Civilians face mounting insecurity, food shortages and the destruction of basic infrastructure.
With just two months left in the year, the 2025 response plan for Sudan is only 28 percent funded, with 1.17 billion U.S. dollars received of the 4.16 billion dollars required, said OCHA, calling for urgent, flexible funding to support the millions of people caught in the Sudan conflict.
The Cluster’s Chairperson, Jean D’amour Kamayirese, told IGIHE that the earnings mark a significant recovery in the sector, crediting government reforms for restoring the value of hides and skins.
Leather exports had declined sharply following a 2015 East African Community (EAC) directive that restricted the export of raw hides and skins outside the region. Exporters who wished to sell beyond the EAC were required to pay a USD 0.52 levy per kilogram, a policy that discouraged trade and reduced prices locally.
Before the directive, a kilogram of hides sold for about Frw 1,500, but the price later dropped to between Frw 100 and 200.
To revive the sector, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) established the Kigali Leather Cluster in May 2023 to coordinate value chain development and support plans for a leather processing plant in Bugesera District.
Although the cluster initially focused on Kigali-based processors, a broader platform, the Rwanda Value Chain Alliance (RVCA), was later formed to include members from across the country.
Kamayirese said the 2015 restriction had discouraged investors, leading to wastage of raw hides.
“We found that many traders had left the business because of heavy losses,” he said. “We began engaging producers and traders across provinces to assure them that the government was working on a solution.”
He noted that following sustained advocacy by the cluster and its partners, the government reviewed and lifted the export restriction in October 2024, allowing trade beyond the EAC without the previous high levy.
“Since the directive was lifted, we have seen a return of investors from different countries,” Kamayirese said. “Prices have since increased from Frw 100–200 per kilogram to about Frw 750.”
Before 2014, Rwanda earned more than Frw 4 billion annually from leather exports. However, between 2016 and 2019, export revenues dropped to just Frw 63 million due to the trade restrictions.
Since 2024, Rwanda has exported 459,000 cattle hides, earning about Frw 6.8 billion, and 3.2 million goat skins, generating Frw 4.8 billion, bringing total earnings to over Frw 11 billion.
Leather remains one of the world’s most versatile raw materials, widely used in footwear, fashion accessories, furniture, automotive interiors, and sports gear.
