The catastrophes especially affected residents of Rwankuba Sector where a landslide from a mountain in the sector hit the houses.
Speaking to National Broadcaster, RBA, the Executive Secretary of Rwankuba Sector, Vedaste Kuzabaganwa said that the rain started at around 2:00am and caused the landslides which claimed the lives of people.
“The landslides from the mountain hit houses and instantly killed ten people in different Cells of the sector,” he said.
Apart from the deaths, twenty-two houses have been destroyed.
According to Kuzabaganwa, the deaths could increase as they are still searching for missing individuals.
Recently, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) revealed that since January to April 30th, disasters have killed 183 people and injured 207. A total of 4130 houses were damaged and 1201 were completely destroyed as 705 livestock were killed. Thirty-three bridges and twelve roads were destroyed.
The main body’s first chalk of 238 troops of the Mechanised Infantry battalion departed from Kigali International Airport on Sunday at around 10:00am.
According to RDF, the highly versatile and mobile Mechanised Infantry Unit, whose equipment were deployed with an advance party early April 2018, will operate in the whole MINUSCA Area of Operations (AOR).
Before their departure, the peacekeepers were briefed by the RDF Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Jacques Musemakweli who urged them to remain vigilant and focused on their mission as they maintain a very high level of discipline.
“We expect a lot from you. So, please demonstrate high level of discipline in any of your actions, think very fast and act with rationale,” Musemakweli told the peacekeepers.
The Commanding Officer of this newly deployed Mechanised Infantry Battle Group, Lt. Col. Charles Rutayisire told the media that the troops under his command are a combined arms grouping from various RDF units and formations that include Special Force, Mechanised Infantry, Air Force and Infantry Force.
He revealed that the Battle Group will have the capabilities of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for reconnaissance.
“I am quite optimistic that we will be effective in fulfilling our mission taking into consideration the equipment, personnel and support we got from our leadership,” Rutayisire said.
The 540-mechanised infantry Battle Group deployed on UN request is the third RDF unit to be deployed in support of MINUSCA after an Infantry Battalion and a Military Level 2 Hospital. Currently Rwanda has a total of 1,200 military personnel in Central African Republic.
Kagame was this morning speaking in Kigali while co-chairing the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development alongside Co-chair, Carlos Slim and Co-Vice Chair and ITU Secretary General, Houlin Zhao.
The broadband commission brings together leaders from the private sector, policy makers, government representatives, international agencies and academia to provide a variety of perspectives with the aim of developing a joint approach to promote broadband for public benefit.
Speaking at the opening of the commission’s working group meeting, Kagame noted that Africa’s economic transformation requires broadband infrastructure with an emphasis on both access and affordability.
“The reality is that all other digital services whether in commerce or education or healthcare run on top of broadband. Africa’s size, geography and settlement patterns mean that we must rely on a variety of different technologies to deliver broadband including satellite, fibre optic and mobile. It is up to us to lead the way in driving innovation both in policy and business models in order to speed up the provision of broadband where it has been slowest to reach,” Kagame said.
Kagame will also deliver a keynote address at the opening of the Transform Africa Economic Forum which will deliberate on the vision for a smart Continental Free Trade Area.
The Economic Forum is expected to highlight potential cross- border initiatives for investment and partnership opportunities relevant to African Continental Free Trade Area. The Agreement was signed by 44 African countries during the 10th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union held in Kigali on 21 March 2018.
The Transform Africa Economic Forum will precede Transform Africa Summit 2018, which runs from 8-9 May 2018.
In its fourth edition, Transform Africa Summit is a leading annual continental forum that convenes global and regional leaders from government, business and international organizations to collaborate on new ways of shaping, accelerating and sustaining Africa’s on-going digital revolution.
Diane Rwigara was represented by Lawyer Célestin Buhuru and her mother Mukangemanyi Counsel Gatera Gashabana.
Before the hearing started, Gashabana requested the presiding judge to adjourn the hearing as he had another hearing at the same time in Supreme Court, and Lawyer Buhuru Okayed the request saying that he has no worry with the adjournment.
Prosecution, represented by Rugambwa Ndibwami , did not oppose the adjournment. The presiding judge decided to adjourn the hearing to May 22nd 2018.
Diane Rwigara is accused of forgery related charges, a crime she allegedly committed when she was seeking signatures to endorse her candidacy to run in last year’s presidential elections. Her mother Mukangemanyi is accused of divisionism and discrimination. The duo jointly face charges related to inciting insurrection.
The duo had been accused with Anne Rwigara who was granted bail in October last year by Nyarugenge Intermediate Court saying that there was no evidence connecting her to the accusations.
The plan to dedicate some routes to public transport buses was announced last year and city officials said that the move would have been in place at the beginning of this year.
The idea was to dedicate these routes to public buses starting from 6:00am to 8:30am.
Speaking to National Broadcaster, RBA yesterday, the City Engineer, Dr Alphonse Nkurunziza said that there are different activities which they are still putting in place before the programme starts.
“The most fundamental activity we are still implementing is roads expansion, after expansion activities, we will then start dedicated bus routes,” he said.
“After having dedicated bus lanes, the flow of traffic will become easy. We are conducting a feasibility study on how bus stops would have ways to communicate passengers on the time of the bus arrival and time it would spend there. That exercise would be possible when the bus has no hindrances along the roads,” he added.
Speaking to IGIHE, Nkurunziza said that he is optimistic that the programme will have started by August 2018.
“We expect that this programme will go in place when the roads which are under construction are completed. We expected that they would be completed by the end of June but, due to heavy rains, roads construction works have been suspended, so, that is a challenge and roads can’t be completed in June. We expect that it will not go beyond August and then start dedicated bus lanes programme,” he explained.
Nkurunziza said that they will use advanced technology in traffic lights so that they will ease traffic flow for public buses.
“Traffic lights will be able to sensor public bus and speed up so that the bus will not spend time,” he added.
Among the roads being expanded to meet dedicated bus lanes standards include the Rwandex-Sonatube section and Sonatube-Remera road.
The road from City Centre to Nyabugogo bus terminal has been completed and Nyabugogo-Gatsata, among others is still underway.
Under the theme ‘Accelerating Africa’s Single Digital Market’, the four-day meeting will bring together over 4,000 participants including Heads of State and Government, First Ladies, UN Broadband Commissioners, Ministers, Public and Private Sector, international organisations, industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, Young innovators, Civil Society and Academia.
Transform Africa Summit 2018 has been designed to foster constructive conversation towards building a Smart Africa and facilitate meetings of like minds seeking policy and opportunities to accelerate the continent towards socio economic transformation.
In the meeting, delegates will have a high level platform ‘Transform Africa Economic Forum’ for discussing the disruptive but also the enabling and strategic role of ICT for the rapid transformation of Africa by Smart Africa, the Government of Rwanda, African Development Bank, Econet Wireless, Afro Champions and UNDP.
The summit will also be an opportunity for captains of industry and leading entrepreneurs to make business deals.
There will also be a high level dialogue between Heads of State, private sector business leaders and executives of international organizations on creating a single digital market for Africa.
The meeting will explore, how Africa will adopt and harness the technology driven innovation that is already disrupting healthcare across the globe by increasing capabilities and improving experiences between medical professionals and patients.
In the meeting, Robotics, drones, artificial intelligence, IoT, big data will be explored in detail with presentations and roundtable discussions.
There will also be an exhibition where exhibitors will showcase their innovations and technologies that will transform governments and business in Africa into a digital economy and society.
The seminar with a theme; ‘Shattering the glass ceiling: – why and how?’ was held on the 3rd of May 2018 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. It sought to spur a conversation on strategies and commitments that are necessary to meet the United Nations goal of increasing by 15% female staff officers and military observers and 20% female police officers by the end of 2018.
In her remarks, the Permanent Representative of Rwanda, Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza, outlined suggestions on how to increase women’s meaningful participation in peacekeeping such as identifying and eliminating the inequalities that reinforce prejudice towards women, employing a gender perspective and instilling a mechanism for accountability while respecting women and prioritizing their dignity and equality.
As a peacekeeper in the Central African Republic (CAR), Captain Lausanne Nsengimana shared her experiences, saying that her work in peacekeeping was not only about securing a cease-fire, but also a matter of education and sharing experiences between women in a normal day setting.
“As female peacekeepers, they can build stronger relationships with communities and gain more access to information than all-male contingents”, she said.
“Younger Rwandan women, those born after the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, are increasingly joining the officer corps, but more mobilization is needed to be done to increase the numbers of women joining the armed forces”, she noted while sharing her observations on the recruitment of women in Rwanda Defence Forces.
Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani from Indonesia, asserted that there were many reasons to increase women’s participation in peacekeeping and pointed out the fact that ‘not a single woman peacekeeper has been accused of sexual exploitation and abuse in any peacekeeping mission’.
Ambassador Tore Hattrem from Norway, recommended that ‘member states can learn from each other and work together to reach the goal of having more female peacekeepers in UN operations. For the simple reason that it makes UN Peacekeeping Operations more effective’.
In her closing remarks, Ambassador Rugwabiza stressed on the centrality of transformative leadership in the promotion of women’s participation in peacekeeping, she said ‘good leaders change bad attitudes, and open up opportunities’.
She also recommended that countries with high numbers of peacekeeping forces such as Rwanda, should collaborate and share best practices and strategies.
‘After all, Success stories can only bring more success stories’, Rugwabiza said
Numbers show that from April 20th to May 3rd different people across the country received different medical services in a yearly activity that will take three months.
Among those operated are; 1639 who were operated on respiratory disease, 717 were operated on female-specific diseases, 1163 were operated on bones, 1340 were operated on internal diseases, 399 received dermatology services; a total of 11,191 were circumcised and 795 were tested on HIV/AIDS.
Yesterday, RDF officials visited the sites of activities in Rulindo and Bugesera Districts. People who spoke to IGIHE hailed the activities by Rwandan army saying that they were not able to afford the cost of operation.
The 62-year-old Cassien Karekezi from Rweru Sector of Bugesera District said that they operated him a pimple on his genital organs.
“I had a pimple on my genital organs which I suffered for five years. They operated it, and I hope to get better. I am blessed because I didn’t expect to get such services,” he said.
“Every single coin our family used to earn was spent in hospitals seeking medication which did not bear fruit. Today the situation is going to change, we will use our earning in family development activities,” he added.
RDF’s Maj. Dr. John Bukuru, an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon said that in Bugesera District, they have operated 1300 people.
He said that the majority had teeth disease and called people to take care of their hygiene and medical check-up once they feel pain.
In other activities like agriculture, RDF partnered with people to cultivate Irish Potatoes on 137,6 hectares and Sweet Potatoes on 57,3 hectares; vegetables on 26,6 hectares and fought against banana bacterial wilt commonly known as Kirabiranya on a total of 61,39 hectares.
Rulindo District Mayor, Emmanuel Kayiranga hailed the activities saying that when soldiers go beyond security provision and partner with people, it helps spur the development of the country and welfare of the communities.
This comes on the back of this year’s Transform Africa Summit (TAS) that will take place in the country from 7th to 10th of this month, with over 4,000 delegates expected to attend.
It will now be easier and more affordable for subscribers to browse and read news on this year’s Transform Africa Summit (TAS) after the telecom firm slashed its out-of-bundle data costs to Rwf10 per MB. The telecom’s out-of-bundle data users previously parted with Rwf56.
Speaking about the new product, Phillip Amoateng, the Airtel Rwanda Managing Director said; “Internet is an essential part of our everyday life. As a user, one wants FAST and affordable internet so as to remain connected to loved ones, work efficiently and get updated with local and international news and events. This offer is designed to enable delegates who will be attending the summit to remain connected to their social and professional networks without worrying about data running out.”
Under the offers, subscribers will be able to purchase 30 Giga bytes (GB) of data at only Rwf 10,000 (about US$12) and will also be able to rent fully connected MiFi device for the same amount. This device can connect up to 10 users at a time.
In order to access the services, customers can simple dial *255*2# and go to internet packs, then select monthly packs or visit the Airtel stand at the summit or service centers.
On December 18, 2017, Bharti Airtel announced it had signed an agreement with Millicom International Cellular S.A to take over Tigo Rwanda operations, which is currently the second biggest telecom firm in the country by market share.
The Rwandan telecom sector was boosted by these news as the development is arguably the biggest in the telecom industry that has been dogged by slow growth levels over the past few years.
A statement from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) says that some elements in the Kiziba Refugee Camp have been stirring trouble, including attacking law enforcement officers, in the hope of being resettled in Western countries of their choice.
MIDIMAR warned that they cannot stand refugees who violate Rwandan laws.
“Rwandan authorities cannot decide for other asylum countries, nor do we need to carry the burden of refugees who espouse lawlessness. For those refugees who wish to return to their country of origin, they are free to do so,” the statement reads.
The statement says that the Government of Rwanda, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) and other agencies, remains willing to host peaceful refugees and provide them the usual support and benefits on condition that they respect the rule of law which is an obligation of every resident of the country.
On Friday UNHCR also appealed to refugees in Kiziba Camp to avoid further confrontation and embrace calm and restraint. They also called Rwandan Authorities to avoid tensions that could lead to further loss of life.
