The disruptions have affected several high-level flights, including travel by Burundi’s President, Evariste Ndayishimiye.
Safe aircraft operations rely on constant coordination between pilots and ground air traffic controllers, supported by navigation technologies such as radar and GPS systems that provide accurate positioning and approach guidance.
However, airport officials say these systems began malfunctioning after Belgian-installed air telecommunications equipment was removed and replaced with Russian-made systems.
On February 1, 2026, a RwandAir flight was forced to return to Kigali International Airport when it was approximately six kilometers from landing in Bujumbura due to communication difficulties between the cockpit and ground control.
On the same day, a Falcon 900 jet carrying Togo’s President of the Council of Ministers, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, and his delegation also diverted after experiencing GPS-related issues. The aircraft landed in Kampala, Uganda, instead of Bujumbura.
The situation also affected President Ndayishimiye on February 7. His aircraft, en route from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, was unable to complete its approach to Bujumbura and had to turn back due to similar communication problems.
Airlines impacted by the disruptions have reportedly contacted Bujumbura airport authorities to seek clarification and assurances regarding the reliability of the airport’s communication and navigation systems.
Last month, the RRA and RNP launched a joint nationwide awareness campaign, providing special support to fast-track ownership transfers and assist those facing challenges in completing this mandatory process.
All owners of vehicles and motorcycles that are no longer in use are also required to return their number plates for deregistration and to prevent the accumulation of unnecessary taxes.
In Kigali, ownership transfer services are provided at Dubai Port Masaka, Nyamirambo, Gikondo Expo Ground, and Canal Olimpia. Similar services are available at 14 other tax centres across the provinces.
The RNP spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Boniface Rutikanga, said that while many people are responding positively, some remain uncooperative.
“Although people are turning up for this service, some individuals remain reluctant and fail to assist their counterparts in completing ownership transfers,” ACP Rutikanga said.
One such case involved motor-taxi rider Bikorimana Samuel from Shangi Sector in Nyamasheke District, who bought a motorcycle from Hitarurema Placide in July 2025. According to Bikorimana, repeated attempts to complete the transfer were unsuccessful after the seller stopped responding to calls.
“He told me he did not have time and that we would do the ownership transfer the following month. When the time came, he stopped answering my calls,” Bikorimana said.
He further explained that due to his work in Nyamasheke and Rusizi districts, he was unable to return to Kigali to follow up. However, after learning about the ongoing special support, he reported the issue to the authorities.
“The Police later called me and told me they had located him. They brought us together, and the ownership transfer was finally completed,” he said, thanking the Police for their intervention and encouraging others facing similar challenges to seek help at the designated service sites.
Similarly, Joseph Ndayisaba had spent three years without completing the ownership transfer for a car he bought after the seller refused to cooperate.
“When I heard about the campaign, I went to one of the sites and explained my problem. I was told they would help locate the seller so the issue could be resolved,” Ndayisaba said, urging others facing similar challenges to take advantage of this special window period.
ACP Rutikanga once again reminded the public that the grace period, which ends on February 28, will not be extended.
“Anyone who bought or sold a vehicle and failed to facilitate ownership transfer should take advantage of this period. Once it ends, other measures will be taken to enforce the law,” he warned.
The Police and RRA continue to urge vehicle and motorcycle owners to utilise the established service points across the country before enforcement measures begin.
In a statement shared on X reacting to a recent Reuters report, Amb. Nduhungirehe highlighted the deployment of foreign mercenaries linked to Erik Prince, the founder of the Blackwater from the United States (U.S.).
He questioned whether the United Nations Security Council, the African Union, and the broader international community would continue to overlook these actions.
“Let me recall that, by using foreign mercenaries over and over again, the Government of the DRC is defying the international community by violating the OAU Convention for the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa, adopted in Libreville on 3rd July 1977, and the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 4th December 1989 [Resolution 44/34],” Amb. Nduhungirehe wrote.
“Will the UN Security Council, the African Union and the larger ‘international community’ continue looking the other way in the face of this persistent violation of international law?”
The minister’s remarks directly reference a Reuters exclusive detailing Prince’s involvement in the DRC conflict.
The AFC/M23 fighting the Congolese government captured Uvira city on December 9, 2025, advancing toward the Makobola center.
By the end of that month, Congolese special forces from the ‘Hiboux’ and ‘Cheetah’ units had launched heavy attacks on the rebel positions, using heavy weaponry, combat aircraft, and drones.
On January 10, 2026, Reuters reported, citing four sources, that Erik Prince had deployed a private security team to operate the drones while Congolese forces intensified efforts to dislodge AFC/M23 from the city and the surrounding highlands of South Kivu.
The report said the team worked alongside Israeli advisers who trained two Congolese special forces battalions in day and night combat operations, although the Israelis’ mandate was limited strictly to training.
On 17th and 18th January, AFC/M23 withdrew all its fighters from the city after the United States reportedly promised that, if the withdrawal was respected, peace talks in Doha, Qatar, would resume.
By that time, Prince’s contractors were no longer needed on the frontlines, as Congolese forces and allied militias re-entered the city on the morning of January 18, without engaging in combat.
Sources indicated the team provided drone support to Congolese special operations forces and the army in Uvira before withdrawing to refocus on revenue collection efforts.
Last year, following the withdrawal of hundreds of Romanian mercenaries who had been fighting alongside the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) after their defeat by the M23 rebels in Goma, President Félix Tshisekedi’s government reportedly hired the private military company Blackwater, founded in Colombia by Erik Dean Prince.
Amb. Nduhungirehe’s statement echoes Rwanda’s longstanding position that the DRC’s hiring of foreign fighters undermines regional peace efforts.
The event, running from February 7 to 11, brings together 109 teams from 48 countries to test tactical precision, speed, teamwork, and decision-making under pressure across five demanding stages.
Rwanda is fielding three competitive teams: RNP SWAT Team I and RNP SWAT Team II from the Rwanda National Police, alongside the Rwanda Defence Force Special Operations Forces (RDF SOF) Team.
Each team has showcased Rwanda’s growing expertise in high-stakes operations. The competition opened with an assault shooting challenge on Day 1, where RNP SWAT Team II secured an impressive 12th place with a time of 1 minute 48 seconds, narrowly ahead of RNP SWAT Team I in 23rd (just two seconds slower) and RDF SOF Team in 32nd.
Kazakhstan teams led the category. Day 2’s hostage rescue scenario proved more challenging. RNP SWAT Team I placed 17th, RDF SOF Team finished 39th, and RNP SWAT Team II came in 84th. The teams rebounded strongly on Day 3 during the officer rescue challenge.
RNP SWAT Team I climbed into the top ten, finishing 9th with a time of 2 minutes 28 seconds, only 28 seconds behind the category winner from Kazakhstan.
On Day 4 (February 10), the tower/building assault saw RNP SWAT Team I take 15th, RNP SWAT Team II 26th, and RDF SOF Team 59th. Before the final obstacle course on February 11, RNP SWAT Team I led Rwanda’s contingent with 377 points and a cumulative task time of 8 minutes 33 seconds (plus a minor 10-second penalty).
RNP SWAT Team II holds 290 points (12:06 total time, including a 2:30 penalty on Day 2), while RDF SOF Team stands at 266 points.
With the decisive 19-obstacle final stage concluding today, Rwanda’s teams have once again demonstrated discipline, skill, and resilience against elite international competition, further cementing the country’s reputation in global tactical excellence.
Rwanda’s 2013 law governing cemetery management requires that each body be buried in an individual grave with specific dimensions: no longer than 2.5 meters, no wider than 80 centimeters, and at least 2 meters deep.
The law allows multiple family members to be buried in the same grave by stacking coffins, provided the upper coffin remains at least 2 meters below ground level. It also requires a minimum spacing of 50 centimeters between graves.
Data from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) show that 36,021 people died in 2024. Concerns are rising that cemeteries in several areas are filling up quickly, while burial land cannot be repurposed for other uses until 20 years after the most recent interment.
Speaking to senators on February 4, 2026 while presenting findings from the 2025 National Unity and Reconciliation Barometer, Minister Dr Jean Damascène Bizimana said land constraints prompted authorities to assess public views on cremation.
“This is one of the visible challenges Rwanda faces,” he said, noting that population growth means more deaths over time while burial space remains limited.
Although cremation has been legally provided for since 2013, with implementing regulations issued in July 2015, uptake has remained low.
According to the survey, 61% of respondents consider cremation a viable response to shrinking burial space, suggesting the need for broader public awareness and engagement on the issue.
Among more than 12,000 respondents, over 3,800 (32%) strongly supported cremation as a solution, while more than 3,500 (29%) expressed moderate support. A small number, 54 respondents, showed limited support, while over 4,100 (34%) opposed it. About 5% said they were undecided.
To date, 28 cremations have been carried out in Rwanda, including one Rwandan national in 2025.
Regulations allow cremation in specific circumstances, including immediately after death, for unclaimed bodies, relocated remains, or bodies recovered without identified claimants following official notification procedures.
Cremation must be conducted in a designated electric crematorium equipped with a continuous heat system and a backup power source.
The law prohibits cremating more than one body in the same furnace unless separation is impossible, and a body must not be cremated while clothed.
Ashes are considered the property of the deceased’s family or the state. Families may choose to keep the ashes in a designated container or divide them according to their wishes.
Kanziga was a central figure in Akazu, an influential network of close relatives and allies of Habyarimana that has been accused of fueling and directing anti-Tutsi violence, accusations she has rejected for many years.
She left Rwanda for Europe on 9 April 1994 at the request of then French President François Mitterrand, a close ally of Habyarimana.
Since her arrival in France, Rwanda has repeatedly requested her extradition or prosecution there over alleged involvement in the Genocide, but neither has taken place.
Speaking at the launch of a book by genocide survivor Yolande Mukagasana, Dr. Bizimana said genocide denial and minimization are increasingly visible among some young people, particularly descendants of those convicted of genocide-related crimes.
He cited the Habyarimana family as an example, saying they deny responsibility for planning the Genocide against the Tutsi.
The minister maintained that Kanziga herself should be regarded as a perpetrator because of her alleged role in preparing the genocide.
He also criticized public efforts by Habyarimana’s sons, Jean-Luc and Léon, to portray their father as innocent, arguing that historical evidence contradicts that narrative.
“The wife of Habyarimana, Agathe Kanziga, was indeed among those who planned the Genocide,” he said. “But her sons; Jean-Luc and Léon Habyarimana, spend their time trying to glorify their father, Juvénal Habyarimana, who planned and put the genocide machinery in place. They present him as innocent, which is astonishing, because he was a central figure in those crimes.”
Although often publicly portrayed simply as the president’s spouse, Kanziga was, according to the minister, part of the inner political and military circle that planned and implemented the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Accounts presented by the minister describe her as holding deeply hostile views toward Tutsi and opposing the Arusha peace negotiations.
He cited family tensions that reportedly arose when some of her children formed relationships with Tutsi partners.
One example mentioned was her reported opposition to a relationship involving her eldest son while he was studying in France. He also noted longstanding ties between her family and that of businessman Félicien Kabuga.
Alleged role in genocide planning
According to Dr. Bizimana, hostility toward Tutsi intensified among members of Akazu after the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) launched its armed struggle in October 1990. He said Kanziga and her close associates became more actively involved in planning activities that later fed into the Genocide.
He alleged that she participated in meetings linked to preparations for mass violence and supported initiatives associated with the Interahamwe militia.
The minister also referred to meetings held in early 1991 involving senior political and military figures, where plans and resources were discussed, including funding, logistics, and mobilization of civilians.
Further meetings cited included gatherings at private residences in Kigali and Gisenyi in the early 1990s, as well as a February 1994 meeting at a hotel in Rebero aimed at fundraising for Interahamwe activities.
Dr. Bizimana also suggested that Kanziga and a close circle of relatives exercised significant influence within power structures at the time.
In a recent interview, however, Agathe Kanziga rejected accusations of involvement in the Genocide and denied responsibility for governance failures during that period.
The interview drew criticism from various observers who argued that it omitted key issues and contained contested claims.
He made the remarks on 8 February 2026 while addressing 7,532 newly trained AFC/M23 commandos who had completed their training at the Tshanzu military camp in Rutshuru Territory, North Kivu Province.
According to Makenga, the country has been taken hostage by leaders who have undermined state institutions and contributed to widespread suffering among civilians. He argued that government actions have driven many Congolese into exile, while others remain displaced within the country.
He said the movement took up arms to confront what it considers systemic failures in governance and told the graduates that this objective is the reason they are being deployed to join ongoing operations.
Makenga also said the fighters have a responsibility to help facilitate the return of Congolese refugees, both those abroad and those internally displaced, and to contribute to rebuilding a country with a professional army, respected citizens, and restored national standing.
The AFC/M23 coalition stated that the recruits underwent commando-style training similar to that provided to thousands who joined the movement in September and October 2025.
Their training included close-combat techniques and other field combat skills.
“We have an armada that is heading there, and another one might be going,” Trump said in an interview with U.S. news outlet Axios, noting that Washington is weighing additional military deployments while pursuing diplomatic talks with Tehran.
“Either we will make a deal or we will have to do something very tough like last time,” Trump said, adding that another aircraft carrier “might be going” to the region.
The USS George Washington in Asia and the USS George H.W. Bush on the U.S. east coast are the most likely candidates, officials told Reuters, but each is at least a week away from the Middle East. The Pentagon could also deploy the Ford carrier from the Caribbean.
Satellite images showed a recent build-up of aircraft and other military equipment across the region, Reuters reported.
In particular, U.S. forces in Qatar’s Al-Udeid Air Base, the biggest U.S. base in the Middle East, have put missiles into truck launchers as tensions with Iran ratcheted up since January, allowing them to be moved more quickly if needed, said the report.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers have already been deployed to the Middle East.
{{Talks to be continued }}
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, arrived Tuesday in Muscat, where he met with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, the chief intermediary in the U.S.-Iran talks.
“We discussed recent developments, especially the Iran-U.S. talks,” said Albusaidi in a post on X. “Regional peace and security is our priority, and we urge restraint and wise compromise.”
The visit by Larijani likely focused on what comes next after the initial round of indirect talks held last week in Muscat with the Americans.
Larijani affirmed Iran’s readiness to engage in talks whenever they are realistic, noting that Iran’s stance in the first round was positive, said an AP report, citing Oman TV.
He also suggested that the next phase could offer opportunities for strategic de-escalation or, at a minimum, a political repositioning, depending on the dialogue’s outcomes, it added.
The United States and Iran held negotiations last week in Oman and the two sides agreed to keep the talks going.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry rejected reports that indirect talks between Tehran and Washington would be held outside Oman, saying Muscat was always the agreed venue.
Expressing optimism about the diplomatic process, Trump has said that Iran “wants to make a deal very badly” and that any agreement should cover Iran’s nuclear program as well as its ballistic missile stockpiles.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit Washington on Wednesday. Trump said he does not think Netanyahu is nervous about the U.S.-Iran negotiations. “He also wants a deal. He wants a good deal.”
According to an official statement, an unannounced inspection and search operation was carried out on Monday at the Conakry central prison, during which authorities discovered and seized several prohibited items, including mobile phones, psychotropic substances and bladed weapons, in the possession of some inmates.
During the operation, Diakite displayed aggressive behavior by refusing to submit to the search and making threats against security officers, the statement said, adding that his conduct also created tensions among other detainees.
The penitentiary administration made the legal and appropriate decision to transfer him on Tuesday to the Coyah prison, in a bid to preserve public order and ensure the safety of both other inmates and prison staff, the statement said.
Earlier in the day, gunfire was first heard around the Conakry central prison at about 0930 GMT in the Coronthie neighborhood of Kaloum, the administrative and economic hub of the Guinean capital, which hosts the presidential palace and government offices, according to local media.
Witnesses reported that elements of the special forces exchanged fire with other armed soldiers in the Coronthie area, where the central prison is located.
Following the gunfire incident, security forces restored calm in Kaloum, central Conakry, and road traffic resumed, although flows toward the downtown area remained lighter than usual, a Xinhua reporter at the scene said.
Diakite, whose full name is Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in July 2024 in connection with the trial over the Sept. 28, 2009 stadium massacre in Conakry. Local media reported that more than 150 people were killed during the rally at the stadium.
Ahead of the deployment, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) in charge of Operations, CP Vincent Sano, on Tuesday, February 10, briefed the officers during a pre-deployment session held at RNP General Headquarters in Kacyiru.
The contingent, operating under the Rwanda Formed Police Unit (RWAFPU3-8), is female-dominated and is commanded by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dativa Iribagiza. The unit will replace RWAFPU3-7, which has been serving in South Sudan’s capital, Juba.
Once deployed, the officers will be responsible for protecting civilians displaced by conflict, safeguarding United Nations personnel, conducting patrols, and supporting capacity development within the local police.
During the briefing, DIGP Sano emphasised professionalism, discipline, and commitment, reminding the officers that they would be representing Rwanda on the international stage.
“You were selected to represent our country and the Rwanda National Police in particular. The training you received has prepared you to carry out your duties effectively,” he said. “Maintain professionalism and good conduct to uphold the trust placed in you.”
He further urged the officers to remain vigilant and focused to ensure the successful execution of their mission. DIGP Sano also highlighted the importance of cooperation and cultural sensitivity in a multinational working environment, encouraging the contingent to uphold Rwandan values while respecting the cultures of others.
Emphasising teamwork, he called on the officers to work cohesively, strictly follow instructions from their commanders, and seek guidance whenever necessary as they carry out their peacekeeping responsibilities under UNMISS.
Rwanda has been contributing police officers to peacekeeping operations in South Sudan since 2015. The country currently has two police contingents deployed in Malakal and in the capital, Juba.
