Following the mining accident, the owner of the mining site was immediately arrested over running operations without licensing.
Kamonyi district vice mayor for economic affairs, Uzziel Niyongira has told IGIHE that the three people injured are receiving medical treatment at Remera Rukoma Hospital.
“The three people injured in the accident are receiving treatment at Remera Rukoma Hospital while the deceased has been taken to district hospital,” he said.
Niyongira further explained that the district has launched crackdown on mining sites operating without license to prevent similar health risks.
The men were convicted of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi and had completed their sentences or were acquitted.
The ex-convicts are Protais Zigiranyirazo, Francois Nzuwonemeye, Innocent Sagahutu, Alphonse Nteziryayo, Tharcisse Muvunyi, André Ntagerura, Anatole Nsengiyumva and Prosper Mugiraneza.
Niger’s government had announced the expulsions towards the end of December 2021, one month after the Rwandans were welcomed in Niamey, the capital of Niger citing “diplomatic reasons”.
Following the decision, a judge with the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals on Friday ordered Niger “stay” the removals as they may be in violation of earlier UN agreements.
Speaking to AFP on Monday, a UN spokesperson in New York confirmed the official publication of the court order.
Of the eight people in the group, four were convicted of crimes during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and have served their sentences.
The other four were acquitted by the ICTR.
Zigiranyirazo is the brother-in-law of former President Juvenal Habyarimana and was a very influential member of ‘Akazu’ group. He was acquitted in 2009.
Nzuwonemeye and Sagahutu were the commander and second-In-command of Reconnaissance Battalion respectively, were both accused of genocide charges and crime against humanity including the murder of the then Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana. Nzuwonemeye was acquitted while Sagahutu’s sentence was downgraded from 20 to 15 years.
Nteziryayo, the former Prefect of Butare was accused of training, and arming the militia, and mobilizing the population in his prefecture to murder the Tutsi. His sentence was as well reduced to 25 years in prison after an appeal.
Muvunyi, in 2010, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and other inhumane acts.
Ntagerura, the former transport minister, accused of genocide and crimes against humanity was also acquitted in 2004.
Nsengiyumva, the former army commander in Gisenyi in April 1994, whose sentence was downgraded to 15 years in 2011 when he was 61 years old, walked out freely as deemed to have already served the necessary time in prison.
Prosper Mugiraneza, ex-public service minister, was initially convicted for conspiracy to commit genocide and given a 30-year sentence until he was acquitted in 2013.
Towards the end of December 2021, Rwanda announced that it had vaccinated 41% of its population against COVID-19 surpassing the 40% target set by WHO.
Rwanda also surpassed the target set by WHO to fully vaccinate the 10% of all countries’ population by September last year. At the time, Rwanda had reached 13% of vaccination coverage.
Figures from WHO show that 8 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered since inoculation programs began globally. Of these vaccine doses, only 3% were delivered to Africa which slowed down the vaccination pace on the continent.
So far, over 102 million Africans corresponding to 8% have been fully vaccinated while 70% of developed countries have vaccinated 60% of their population.
As of today, Rwanda has administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to 7,707,304 people. Among others, a total of 5,504,040 have been fully vaccinated while 196,636 received the third dose (booster dose) since the countrywide inoculation program began on 5th March 2021.
The Ministry of Health says that Rwanda has enough supply that will be used to administer the second and booster dose of COVID-19 while more doses are expected to be delivered gradually in the near future.
{{Secret behind speedy vaccination drive}}
In consideration of the aforementioned statistics, it is evident that Rwanda is among countries on the right track to meet global vaccination targets despite the fact that wealthy countries have been hoarding vaccines.
Rwanda’s commendable pace in rolling out vaccines is among topics discussed during a televised talk show aired on Sunday which revolved around the status of the pandemic.
As he appeared in the RTV talk show, Dr. Hassan Sibomana, the Head of Vaccination Program unit at Rwanda Biomedical center (RBC) said that Rwanda was initially among other countries worried over insufficiency of vaccines that would stall inoculation efforts.
He stressed that having the country securing enough vaccines resulted from different factors including political will.
“It is a very important aspect because there are requirements that should be met to roll out the inoculation program. These include the availability of vaccine doses. We are lucky enough to have visionary leadership very much concerned about the situation starting with President of the Republic who owned the issue. Considering the severity of the pandemic, it was apparent that the vaccine was the only solution to lean on,” he said.
Apart from vaccine doses received through bilateral agreements, Dr. Sibomana revealed that Rwanda also bought four million doses.
“A lot has been done. The vaccines were secured through discussions with different partners, commendable relations with wealthy nations and direct purchase. The country had purchased at least four million doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of year. This has enabled us to secure a large number of vaccine doses,’’ he said.
{{70 percent target to be hit before June}}
Apart from the country’s political will; Dr. Rosette Nahimana in charge of Expanded Program on Immunization at WHO in Rwanda revealed that the country’s speedy vaccination efforts were driven by unique approach to roll out mass vaccination program countrywide.
As she explained, efficient management of vaccine doses also won donors’ trust and motivated them to continue supporting Rwanda’s vaccination drive.
“This also positioned Rwanda among first countries receiving a large number of vaccine doses because the country was committed to have them administered efficiently in the right time. So, Rwanda proved its prowess to administer vaccine doses to a large number of its population in a short time span,” she said.
“This motivated COVAX facility to distribute as many as possible vaccine doses to Rwanda. We are hopeful that all vaccines will be utilized efficiently in due course,” Dr. Nahimana added.
In May 2021, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, set the global target of 10% of the populations of all countries to be inoculated by the end of September; 40% by the end of December; and 70% by mid-2022.
Dr. Sibomana has said that the current situation is promising that Rwanda will have vaccinated 70% of its population before June 2022.
The incident took place on Monday 3rd January 2022 around 13:30.
Destroyed houses are from Rebero village, Rusura cell of Busasamana sector in Rubavu district, Western Province.
The Executive Secretary of Busasamana sector, Etienne Mvano told IGIHE by press time, that the value of damages was still being assessed as it was still raining.
“The hailstorm occasioned disasters and blew off the roofing of four classes at Rebero Primary School leaving six residents who sought shelter at the school injured as the roof fell on them,” he said.
Injured residents have been taken to Busasamana Health Center for medical attention.
Located in the neighborhood of DRC plain, Nyirangongo and Karisimbi volcanoes; Bugeshi, Busasamana and Cyanzarwe sectors in Rubavu district often experience strong wind known as ‘Isata’.
The incident took place in the night of Sunday 2nd January 2022 in Miyange village, Kayonza cell of Mukarange sector.
The executive secretary of Mukarange sector, Longin Gatanazi has told IGIHE that the woman lived separately with her husband for one week and stabbed him as she returned home.
“The spouses have been experiencing strained relationship that the woman had abandoned the husband a week ago. She returned home yesterday and stabbed her husband leaving serious injuries below the ear. Following the incident, residents rushed to take the husband to nearby Mukarange Health Center which also transferred him to Gahini Hospital because he was in critical condition,” he said.
Gatanazi revealed that the spouses were among households mired in disputes that local leaders visited them last week and advised them to live separately.
However, Gatanazi explained, the woman did not respect the advice that she returned home and stabbed the husband with a machete.
He appealed on residents to avoid disputes, self-administered justice and seek assistance from local leaders to avoid similar incidents.
The spouses were not legally married but had sired two children together. The woman has been handed over to Mukarange RIB Post for further legal process.
They are Valens Nduwayezu, 35, and Jean Bosco Urimubenshi, 33, who were arrested red-handed in a cassiterite concession located in Ntarama, Cyugaro Cell, Rugunga Village.
At the time, they were found in possession of 1kg of cassiterite, according to the Eastern region Police spokesperson, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamduni Twizeyimana.
“The two illegal miners were reported by security guards at the concession at about 11am,” said CIP Twizeyimana.
The spokesperson thanked the guards for reporting the illegal mining acts and urged the public to continue sharing information on anyone involved in unlawful mineral related practices which sometimes result into loss of lives.
The suspects were handed over to RIB at Ntarama station for further legal process.
Article 54 of the law N° 58/2018 of 13/08/2018 on mining and quarry operations, states that; any person, who undertakes mineral or quarry exploration, exploitation, processing or trading without a licence, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, the offender is liable to imprisonment for a term of between two and six months and a fine of not less than Rwf1 million and not more than Rwf5 million or only one of these penalties.
The court also orders confiscation of any seized minerals or quarry in storage, trading or processing without a license.
Rwandans have been worried about new variant which saw COVID-19 preventive measures tightened due to spiking positive cases.
Following the sharp rise in new cases particularly in Kigali City, the Government extended curfew hours, suspended bars and live bands among other stringent measures.
As he appeared in a RTV talk show on Sunday revolving around the status of the pandemic; the Director of vaccine programs unit at RBC, Dr. Hassan Sibomana reassured Rwandans that things have not yet fallen apart.
“We should not sink into worries over the Omicron variant because it is not more severe than other experienced variants. It has been observed that it spreads faster but patients do not fall critically ill,” he said.
Dr. Sibomana mainly attributed the minimal effect of the variant to the fact that a large number of the population has been vaccinated.
“Having positive cases without critically ill patients is a fruitful result of the vaccine because we have already administered vaccine doses to a significant number particularly in Kigali City,” he noted.
“As you know, we have vaccinated over 90% of the population in Kigali City. Besides, a large number of people have been vaccinated in secondary cities while other districts have not been left behind,” added Dr. Sibomana.
He expressed optimism that COVID-19 will be beaten like any other pandemics.
“I am expressing optimism that the pandemic will be defeated because we usually do not expect to defeat virus-caused pandemics in one year or two. It is difficult but we are hopeful that we can beat infectious diseases like the case for measles which was defeated with vaccines over time,” Dr. Sibomana revealed.
As of today, Rwanda administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to 7,707,304 people while 5,504,040 have been fully vaccinated since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation program.
Among others; a total of 196,636 people have received the third booster dose of COVID-19.
The Ministry of Health indicates that the country has enough stock to administer the second and booster doses of COVID-19.
The Ministry of Health says that the country has enough stock to administer the second and booster doses of COVID-19.
More vaccine doses are expected to be delivered gradually in coming days.
As the world continues to mitigate effects of COVID-19, Rwandans are reminded of the critical importance to adhere to preventive measures including proper wearing of face masks, maintaining social distancing and washing hands frequently among others.
A police spokesperson said the man was facing charges of arson, housebreaking and theft, and would appear in court on Tuesday.
Firefighters worked for hours to extinguish the blaze.
President Cyril Ramaphosa called it a “terrible and devastating event”, as he vowed parliament’s work would continue.
Footage from the scene on Sunday showed a plume of black smoke filling the sky, with huge flames coming out from the roof of the building.
Officials said the fire started on the third floor offices and quickly spread to the National Assembly (the parliament’s lower house) chamber, reports the BBC’s Nomsa Maseko in Cape Town.
The parliament is not currently in session because of the holidays, and no injuries were reported.
Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo said the suspect is also expected to be charged under the National Key Points Act, which protects sites of strategic importance. Further details were not immediately available.
In a statement on Sunday night, South Africa’s parliament confirmed that there had been “significant damage” to the New Assembly Wing of the building, which includes the National Assembly chamber where lawmakers sit. It also said some offices had been “severely gutted”.
The fire, which began shortly after 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT), came the day after Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s state funeral at St George’s Cathedral, near parliament.
Mr Ramaphosa, who visited the scene, said news of the fire was a “terrible setback to what we were basking in yesterday”, and added that Archbishop Tutu would also have been devastated.
He said the building’s sprinkler system had not functioned properly, and praised firefighters for responding to the fire in minutes.
Jean-Pierre Smith, a member of the Cape Town mayoral committee for safety and security, told reporters that the roof above the old assembly hall was “completely gone” and further damage inside the old chamber had not yet been evaluated.
“It is not possible to see whether it’s damaged. We hope it is not because it has so many historical artefacts, but you can’t gain access to it without breaking the doors down and we don’t want to do that,” he said.
He also said that parliament’s fire alarm only rang when firefighters were already on site.
Fire and rescue service officials earlier said it would take hours to put the fire out completely because of the carpets and wooden floors in the building.
The damage from the fire can be seen in this image made available by the city of Cape Town:
The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town are made up of three sections, with the oldest dating back to 1884. The newer sections built in the 1920s and 1980s house the National Assembly. Meanwhile, the government is based in Pretoria.
Mr Ramaphosa on Sunday spoke of his sadness at “this destruction of the home of our democracy”.
Parliament, meanwhile, said “all efforts” would be made to limit any disruption to its work.
Cape Town’s Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the city’s Council Chamber would be made available as an alternative place for parliament to meet.
“We want to see parliament continue its important work, and we will do what we can to help,” he said.
It was the second fire at the parliament in under a year. In March there was a fire caused by an electrical fault.
Last year, a fire ravaged part of the University of Cape Town’s library, which was home to a unique collection of African archives.
Three of the dealers were foiled on Saturday, January 1, by the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) in Rurembo Village, Byahi Cell, Rubavu Sector of Rubavu District with 2526 rolls of cannabis.
They are Benjamin Muhawenimana, Jean Claude Ntakirutimana and Olive Muhawenimana.
The Western region Police spokesperson, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi said that Police first arrested Benjamin.
“ANU had mounted a check point along Rubavu-Musanze highway to randomly search passengers trafficking either narcotics or smuggled goods. In one of the buses, they recovered a luggage belonging to Benjamin containing 2,510 pellets of cannabis. He was immediately taken into custody,” said CIP Karekezi.
Benjamin also later disclosed that he was trafficking the narcotics to City of Kigali, where he had customers. He further told ANU officers that he bought them from two other suppliers; Jean Claude Ntakirutimana and his wife Olive Muhawenimana.
“Benjamin led the ANU officers to the home of Ntakirutimana in Rubavu sector where they recovered 16 pellets of cannabis and over Rwf160, 000 apparently paid to the by Benjamin for the narcotics. The couple was therefore arrested.”
In a related operations, one Cyprien Munyanshongore, 42, was also arrested the same day in Karanka Village, Rukore Cell, Muganza Sector in Nyaruguru District with 5kgs of cannabis.
According to the Southern region Police spokesperson, Superintendent of Police (SP) Theobald Kanamugire, Munyanshongore is a suspected poacher, who was also found in possession of an Antelope, which he allegedly killed in Nyungwe National Park.
“Munyanshongore sneaked into Nyungwe and killed an Antelope. Park rangers got the information, they trailed him in the park where they saw him slaughtering the antelope, and packed it in a sack. When they apprehended him, they found the sack also containing cannabis weighing 5kgs,” SP Kanamugire said.
All the suspects were handed over to RIB in Rubavu and Nyaruguru.
Article 58 of Law N°48/2018 of 13/08/2018 on environment states that; any person who hunts, sells, injures or kills a protected animal species and products thereof, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than five (5) years and not more than seven (7) years and a fine not less than Rwf5 million and not more than Rwf7 million.
In article 3 of the Ministerial order nº 001/moh/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorisation classifies cannabis in the category of “very severe narcotics.”
Article 263 of the law No. 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 determining offences 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.
In case of “very severe narcotic drugs” the offender is liable to between 20 years and life imprisonment and a fine of between Rwf20 million and Rwf30 million.
