Speaking to IGIHE on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, RIB spokesperson Dr. Murangira B. Thierry stated, “Yes, Ntazinda Erasme has been arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation. We cannot share further details at this time to avoid interfering with the process.”
Ntazinda’s arrest follows a decision by the Nyanza District Council to suspend him from his mayoral duties on April 15. The Council Chairperson, Judith Mukagatare, told IGIHE that his suspension was due to misconduct, though she did not elaborate on the nature of the behavior.
Ntazinda was serving his second term as Mayor, having been re-elected in 2021 after already leading the district for five years.
“We strongly oppose the United States imposing tariff barriers and engaging in trade bullying, as such actions are detrimental to all parties,” NBS Deputy Director Sheng Laiyun told a press conference.
Citing the Chinese economy’s solid fundamentals and strong resilience, Sheng said the country has the confidence and capability to tackle external challenges and achieve its economic development goals.
China aims to grow its GDP by around 5 percent year on year in 2025. NBS data showed that the Chinese economy expanded 5.4 percent year on year in the first quarter of this year, up 1.2 percent compared with the previous quarter.
Since reform and opening up, China’s economy has weathered significant challenges and gained extensive experience in terms of macroeconomic management, Sheng noted, while adding that China will implement incremental policies in response to changes in the external environment.
“A robust toolbox of policy measures ensures our capacity to address external shocks and challenges,” Sheng explained.
News reaching IGIHE has confirmed that a request has already been made for these SAMIDRC soldiers to transit through Rwanda. “Yes, it’s true—they will pass through Rwanda, but we don’t know the exact day. The request was made several days ago,” a source said.
Earlier, a one-page SAMIDRC communique advised of a delay in the re-opening of Goma airport, stating it “could cause further delays” in the SAMIDRC withdrawal.
It also noted withdrawal will be by road from Goma through Rwanda to the designated general assembly area of Chato in Tanzania, adding the SADC Secretariat will “engage” Rwanda to facilitate safe passage for SAMIDRC troops.
The three troop contributing countries were tasked with “beefing up” the withdrawal planning element with operations, intelligence and logistics experts. They will be tasked to “conduct reconnaissance and develop instructions for withdrawal.”
This is a point from discussion of a revised withdrawal plan at a meeting last Friday April 11,2025, attended by chiefs of the three defense forces that contributed troops and equipment to the mission.
They are generals Rudzani Maphwanya (SA National Defence Force), Jacob Mkunda (Tanzania People’s Defence Force- TPDF) and Paul Phiri (Malawi Defence Force). Also present at the Dar es Salaam headquarters of the TPDF for the meeting was Professor Kula Theletsane, Director of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs.
Initial deployment for the mission, under the acronym SAMIDRC, was in December 2023 to the eastern DRC under the command of South African Major General Monwabisi Dyakopu.
Its termination, to be followed by a phased withdrawal, was made public by the regional bloc on 13 March. The announcement came two months after all three SAMIDRC troop contributing countries reported deaths in action against M23 with South Africa (14) bearing the brunt.
On February 6, two weeks after the fatalities during combat around Sake and Goma in North Kivu province, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera ordered his soldiers to start preparing for withdrawal from Goma and surrounds in the eastern DRC.
The SADC planning elements will lead and direct the SAMIDRC Force Commander on formulating a withdrawal plan adhering to guidelines permitted by the troop contributing countries.
The M23/Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) claims SAMIDRC forces are carrying out joint operations with DRC government forces (FARDC), Wazalendo militia and other elements around Goma.
These, according to a 12 April statement by the M23, “violate the existing SADC agreements and delay therefore the rehabilitation of Goma airport, compelling the AFC/M23 to demand the immediate withdrawal of SAMIDRC forces.
“Despite our restraint in response to these persistent criminal acts, the AFC/M23 finds itself compelled to reconsider its position to prioritize the security of the Congolese population and that of the SAMIDRC elements present in the liberated areas,” the statement said.
Fighting has been taking place north of Goma since last week. It is believed that DRC government forces and Wazalendo militia forces that retreated into the Virunga national park are clashing with M23 rebels in the area.
A withdrawal by land complicates things for the SAMIDRC troops, as a long logistic trail through Rwanda was not something they were anticipating. It is slow, rough roads and reliant on Rwanda to agree to the plan.
In a statement released following the meeting, council attributed the decision to Ntazinda’s ‘failure to adequately fulfill his responsibilities’.
Ntazinda was in his second term as Mayor, having won re-election in the 2021 local elections after serving his first five-year term. His prior experience includes a role as the President of the Rayon Sports Volleyball Club.
Ntazinda’s academic qualifications include a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Laval University in Canada, which he earned in 2001.
Patrick Kajyambere, the district’s Vice Mayor in charge of Economic Development, will serve as the interim Mayor.
Field Marshal Birhanu Jula’s visit, which began on April 13 and is scheduled to conclude on April 16, involved several high-level engagements aimed at strengthening the long-standing military cooperation between Rwanda and Ethiopia and exploring new areas of collaboration.
The visit follows a March 13 visit by Rwanda’s Chief of Defense Staff, Gen Mubarakh Muganga, to Ethiopia, during which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defense cooperation was signed.
Upon his arrival in Rwanda, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula met with Rwanda’s Chief of Defense Staff, Gen Mubarakh Muganga, and held discussions with Minister of Defense, Juvenal Marizamunda.
As part of his itinerary, the Ethiopian military leader visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi to pay tribute to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and receive a detailed briefing on the history of the genocide.
He also visited the Campaign Against Genocide Museum at the Parliament, where he learned more about the efforts of the former RPA forces in stopping the genocide.
Rwanda and Ethiopia have maintained military cooperation for over 20 years, initially focusing on joint military training. This partnership has since expanded to include collaboration between the police forces of both countries.
Beyond defense and police cooperation, Rwanda and Ethiopia have established strong bilateral ties in various sectors, including agriculture, trade, and education.
In the past seven years, agreements have also been signed in air travel services to facilitate cooperation between RwandAir and Ethiopian Airlines.
Notably, this visit occurred shortly after President Kagame received a special message from Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, delivered by Yassine Fall, Senegal’s Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs.
In an official statement, the French presidency criticized Algeria for what it described as a sudden breakdown in diplomatic relations.
The statement confirmed the expulsion of 12 Algerian diplomatic and consular staff from French territory and the recall of French Ambassador Stéphane Romatet for consultations.
The diplomatic fallout marks a new low in already strained ties between the two nations. Recent months have seen rising tensions, in part due to firm policies from France’s interior ministry.
Although both countries had expressed a willingness to mend relations during Barrot’s visit to Algiers on April 6, relations soured further after French authorities indicted an Algerian consular official, suspected of involvement in the 2024 abduction of a political dissident.
Rwanda Meteorological Agency (Meteo-Rwanda) announced that between April 10 and 20, 2025, the rainfall amount ranging between 50 -150 mm is expected across the country, which is above a range of Long-Term Mean.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), road accidents globally claim approximately 1.3 million lives, with a majority of these accidents attributed to reckless driving behaviors.
The RNP spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Boniface Rutikanga, highlighted the main risks associated with carelessly driving during the rainy season, urging all road users to take necessary precautions to prevent accidents.
“Rainfall leads to increased risk of accidents because some roads surface becomes deteriorated and slippery while other roads develop puddles that cause hydroplaning. The presence of mist and fog also leads to reduced visibility of motorists while driving, all of which contributes to preventable road accidents,” said ACP Rutikanga.
“We urge vehicle owners to ensure their vehicles are inspected and meet roadworthy standards, to slow down and increase following distance so that there is enough time to react when the vehicle in front firmly slows down or has to stop, use headlights and make sure their vehicles are in good condition with adequate tire tread and functioning wipers,” he added.
The RNP Spokesperson also advised motorists, when the downpour progresses, to wait for it to subside and avoid parking beneath trees, under bridges or in areas disposed to floods.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan Anita Kiki Gbeho said in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, that armed clashes and aerial bombardments have injured over 250 people and displaced an estimated 125,000.
Four humanitarian workers have been killed, and six health facilities have shut down due to looting and damage.
“This latest surge in violence must stop,” Gbeho said, warning that it comes amid rising humanitarian needs and dwindling funding, with 9.3 million people across South Sudan requiring assistance.
Clashes between government forces and the White Army militia continue to restrict humanitarian access.
A cholera outbreak has further strained resources, with nearly 49,000 infections and 919 deaths reported.
The UN warns that with the rainy season approaching, unhindered aid access and critical supply delivery are urgently needed to save lives.
During the meeting with Minister Fall, President Kagame was accompanied by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Yusuf Murangwa.
The meeting comes two weeks after President Kagame held a telephone conversation with his Senegalese counterpart regarding the progress in advancing peace in the region through the East African Community (EAC)–Southern African Development Community (SADC) process.
President Kagame described the talks as productive. The EAC and SADC are jointly involved in efforts to address the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where government forces and the AFC/M23 rebels have been fighting.
During a joint EAC-SADC Heads of State Summit held on March 24, regional leaders appointed a five-member panel comprising former heads of state to facilitate the talks. Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Nigerian counterpart Olusegun Obasanjo are co-chairing the panel.
Meanwhile, during their phone call last month, Presidents Kagame and Faye also discussed the strong and mutually beneficial cooperation between the people of Rwanda and Senegal.
Rwanda and Senegal have maintained strong bilateral relations for many years, reinforced by reciprocal visits by their leaders to Dakar and Kigali, as well as through various cooperation agreements.
Into this tense void stepped Dr. Charles Murigande, a soft-spoken mathematician turned politician, who found himself pitted against the Vice President Paul Kagame in a parliamentary vote to choose Rwanda’s next leader.
Speaking on The Long Form podcast, Dr. offered a rare glimpse into that pivotal moment—revealing Pasteur Bizimungu’s defiance against the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) and his own unexpected role in a contest that shaped modern Rwanda.
At 42, Murigande was a respected RPF secretary general, but nothing prepared him for the call to stand as a candidate against Kagame, the party’s towering chairman.
“We were in a post-genocide transition with a constitution stating that if the president resigned, the RPF would propose two candidates for a parliamentary vote,” he recalled. “I was selected with Vice President Kagame after an internal party vote where I came second.”
The crisis began on March 23, 2000, when Bizimungu, Rwanda’s first post-genocide president, tendered his resignation.
Dr. Murigande, however, saw it coming. “Bizimungu’s resignation was both a surprise and not,” he said. “There were internal RPF problems, especially over forming a new cabinet.”
The RPF, determined to root out corruption, had decided no ministers from the 1994 cabinet would continue, a move to reset governance in a nation reeling from genocide’s aftermath.
Bizimungu, appointed president in 1994 to signal unity, disagreed. He insisted on retaining one minister, Patrick Mazimhaka, believing his presidential authority trumped party decisions. “He thought as president he had authority, but he was wrong,” Murigande stated bluntly.
The tension escalated when Bizimungu delivered what Murigande called a “violent speech” during the swearing-in of a new cabinet led by Bernard Makuza.
“It was an attack on nearly every institution,” he recounted. Bizimungu criticized the RPF’s accountability processes, which were probing mismanagement, and lashed out at parliament’s efforts to curb corruption. Dr. Murigande believes the speech was Bizimungu’s breaking point.
“Probably, he preempted it because he knew that the political bureau had the capacity to remove him. So, instead of waiting for him to be removed by the political party he resigned,” he explained.
Two days later, Bizimungu resigned, leaving Rwanda leaderless and the RPF scrambling to stabilize the transition.
Enter the parliamentary vote of April 17, 2000. Dr. Murigande, a refugee-turned-scholar who’d once starved in Burundi’s camps, faced Kagame who’d led the RPF to victory in 1994.
The stakes were immense: a misstep could unravel Rwanda’s fragile recovery. Yet Dr. Murigande harbored no illusions of winning.
“I didn’t want to win,” he admitted with characteristic humility. “I told journalists if I were a voter, I’d choose Kagame. He was the better candidate.”
Kagame secured 81 of 86 ballots, with Murigande garnering five. For Murigande, the outcome was a relief. “No regrets at all, especially seeing how Rwanda has evolved over 25 years under Kagame,” he said, reflecting on the nation’s journey from ashes to prosperity.
Bizimungu’s defiance, Dr. Murigande revealed, stemming from a misunderstanding of power. As vice chairman of the RPF, Bizimungu saw himself above the party, a view that clashed with the RPF’s collective ethos.
“He was wrong.” The episode exposed fault lines in the government of national unity, formed under the Arusha Accords to bridge ethnic divides. Bizimungu, hoping his resignation would spark protests, was mistaken.
“He thought the Hutu population would rise up,” Murigande said. “Nobody demonstrated. Shops stayed open, and the situation remained calm.” Rwanda’s trust in the RPF’s maturity held firm.
Dr. Murigande, who returned to his RPF duties post-vote, saw it as a moment of clarity. “The people knew the RPF was in control,” he said, crediting the party’s discipline for averting chaos.
Kagame’s ascent marked a new chapter, one Dr. Murigande endorsed wholeheartedly. “The RPF trusted I could be a good president if chosen, but I campaigned for him,” he reiterated.
