The Sudanese Ministry of Health reported the grim statistics on April 21.
The clashes, which began on April 15, have mainly taken place in Khartoum, where 130 people have been killed and 1,900 injured. The situation has since slightly improved, with 59 deaths and 200 injuries reported on April 21.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF has caused concern both nationally and internationally. The two sides have accused each other of initiating the conflict. Meanwhile, the civilian population continues to suffer from the violent clashes.
The Sudanese government has yet to release a statement regarding the matter.
However, this development serves as a reminder of the volatility of the situation in Sudan, which has been facing political instability and conflict for years.
It also highlights the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, to prevent further loss of lives and promote stability and progress in the country.
“The truce coincides with the blessed Eid al-Fitr … to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them the opportunity to greet their families,” the RSF said in a statement.
There was no immediate comment from the army.
Before Friday, two declared 24-hour ceasefires had failed to take hold.
Amid the ongoing fighting, the United Nations (UN) continued to appeal to the RSF and Sudanese Army to strike a deal.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for a three-day ceasefire in Sudan to allow trapped civilians to flee.
“As an immediate priority, I appeal for a ceasefire to take place for at least three days, marking the Eid al-Fitr celebrations, to allow civilians trapped in conflict zones to escape and to seek medical treatment, food and other essential supplies,” he told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.
The UN chief said hundreds of people have been killed and injured in the fighting, and humanitarian operations are virtually impossible.
UN agencies on Thursday also expressed concern over the impact of fighting on civilians in Sudan, where the humanitarian situation was already dire.
The World Health Organization reported more than 330 people killed during six days of fighting in the capital city of Khartoum and several other states, including Darfur. Another 3,200 people were injured.
The UN children’s fund (UNICEF) said at least nine children were reportedly killed in the fighting and more than 50 children were injured.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said the perilous security situation across Sudan makes it very difficult to collect and verify information. But UNICEF is certain that while the fighting continues, children will continue to pay the price.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said people have been unable to safely leave their homes to buy food and other essentials for days now. Humanitarian pauses must be ensured to enable the safe passage of civilians so that they can seek medical care and access basic provisions.
The humanitarian response in Sudan is severely hampered, said OCHA.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme warns that the fighting in Sudan could plunge millions more into hunger.
Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF broke out on Saturday, forcing civilians to flee and seek shelter from the hostilities. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured.
In his closing remarks, Gen Kazura commended the participants commitment to continuously cooperate, collaborate, and partner with a view to increase their much needed operational capabilities, especially in promoting the respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.
“I am sure that one of the realities that you have come to acknowledge during your discussions, is that no individual country would be able to be self-sufficient in achieving, on its own, the aforementioned operational and even strategic objectives. It is against that background that all individual nations present here have chosen to team up with others to deliver critically needed results,” Gen Kazura said.
The Head of ICRC Regional Delegation to Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, Mr Christoph Sutter said that the support relationships in armed conflict initiative seeks to increase military decision makers’ understanding of the role they can play in mitigating risks for civilian populations, for the wounded, for detainees when designing and implementing their support.
“Partnering armed forces deployed in military operations abroad have emerged as very relevant actors for seeking to provide stability and security in the areas where they intervene. Preserving humanity even when fighting the enemy is at the heart of the law of armed conflicts at the ICRC act,” added Mr Sutter.
About twenty African countries participated in the workshop that provided a platform for expert exchanges between military practitioners, humanitarians and academic experts on measures that can be taken in designing and implementing Partnered Military Operations (PMO) to enhance protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict.
The tax reforms focus on Corporate Income Tax (CIT), Value Added Tax (VAT), Excise Duty, property tax, and land rates. The government aims to increase tax revenues by 1% of GDP by FY 2025/26 while ensuring that the tax system promotes economic growth and improves the welfare of Rwandans.
One of the key changes to the tax code is the exemption of VAT on rice and maize flour for both domestic trade and imports. The move is expected to enhance food security and support the school feeding program.
Additionally, the government has reduced the corporate income tax statutory rate from 30% to 28% with a target of 20% in the medium term. This change will improve Rwanda’s competitiveness and position the country as a preferred African investment destination.
To boost Rwanda’s tourism and MICE industry, the government has adopted changes on taxation of high-end products, especially beverages. Under the new reforms, wine will be taxed up to Rwf50,000 of value, meaning that the excise duty cannot exceed Rwf35,000 per liter (70% of Rwf40,000). These changes will help to create a more business-friendly environment and attract investors to the country.
Moreover, the tax reforms also include changes to property tax and rates on land tax. The new rate applied on land tax has been set between Rwf 0 to Rwf 80 per square meter from the initial Rwf 0 to Rwf 300 rate.
A second residential house will be taxed at 0.5% of the combined market value of the house and land. The tax rate for commercial buildings is reduced from 0.5 % to 0.3% of its market value on both building and land. Tax charges on commercial buildings are capped at Rwf30 billion. The government has also introduced a tax on the sale of immovable property, which will be applied at 2% of the property value for registered taxpayers and 2.5% on non-registered taxpayers. The first five million of the sale of every immovable property will be tax exempt.
The government has also waived some fees previously charged by decentralized entities on documents or services. This change will help to reduce the cost of doing business in Rwanda and make the country more attractive to investors.
Among others, the Rwandan government has put in place measures to ensure that the proposed changes lead to stable revenue growth in the medium term. These measures include enhancing tax compliance through the use of technology, improving taxpayer education, and strengthening tax administration.
The very severe narcotic drug packed in four sacks were found hidden in the bush in Rukingu village, Kagugu cell of Kinyinya sector.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Sylvestre Twajamahoro, the Police spokesperson for the City of Kigali said that the suspect was arrested following credible information provided by some residents.
“The ANU got information from some residents about a man, whom they saw hiding a loaded sack in the forest, which they suspected to be narcotic drugs.
When the Police searched the said spot, they recovered four sacks of cannabis, combined weighing 60kgs. The alleged owner and drug dealer was located and arrested later in the evening at about 5p.m,” CIP Twajamahoro said.
He thanked the residents for the spirit of community policing and neighborhood watch.
The suspect and exhibits were handed over to RIB at Kinyinya station for further investigations.
Article 263 of law No. 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 determining offenses 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.
Upon conviction for very severe narcotics, the offender faces between 20 years and life imprisonment, and a fine of between Rwf20 million and Rwf30 million.
Currently, the company has active partners across Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, and South Africa, and is working alongside strategic consultancy Adam Bradford Agency to implement its action plan for the region. The consultancy, whose team has decades of experience in the industry, is interested in preventing individuals from suffering from gambling addiction in Rwanda and has been running hackathons to explore these issues.
Crucial Compliance successfully ran interactive hackathon events since January, bringing together young people, industry professionals, and others to explore the topic of gambling-related harm and how gaming can constructively contribute to the communities in which it operates. They held another Hackathon in Kigali on 19th April that provided real investment, mentorship, and support to youth-led tech initiatives and programs that safeguard against the pitfalls of gaming and gambling and strengthen the sector.
Crucial Compliance also powers ‘BetProtect,’ a digital therapy tool accessible by phone or web, which provides an additional layer of awareness and support to people who might be at risk. The tool, expected to be rolled out in Rwanda in the near future, uses artificial intelligence and algorithms to observe one’s playing patterns, including the time spent playing, frequency, and spending. When it notices that one’s gambling habits are getting out of hand, it warns the player and the companies they are playing with to keep them in check.
Crucial Compliance is also investing in research aimed at looking into the prevalence of gambling and the attitudes of Rwandans towards it and addiction, which his team has observed anecdotally across communities in the country.
Speaking at a shareholder’s meeting held at M-Hotel in Kigali on April 20th, 2023 Paul Foster, CEO and Founder of Crucial Compliance, highlighted that safe gambling can be achieved through making people more aware that gambling is not a way of making money.
He noted that Crucial Compliance seeks to promote player safety either by helping regulators or operators or hosting events that bring the community together. Foster emphasized that gambling should be considered as entertainment and not means of earning money or solving problems.
Among others, Crucial Compliance seeks to contribute to the development of a more responsible and trustworthy industry by ensuring that people can gamble safely, which can be achieved through different ways, such as limiting the amount of money a person can place in a bet, implementing age restrictions, or prohibiting people with gambling addictions from participating, among others.
Foster underscored that more efforts are underway, and the company is leveraging partnerships to come up with customized solutions in Rwanda. “We have really found the support of the government and we are creating a group of people who will provide support going forward as we make Rwanda a safe market for gambling,” he stated.
During the event, attendees were educated on the negative effects of gambling addiction and how it can be avoided through job creation. Bruno Bugingo emerged as the winner of the hackathon for his outstanding project, ‘Gambling Solution Africa.’
Bugingo’s project seeks to leverage technology to reduce the time and money individuals spend on placing bets. His digital solution will also help gaming enthusiasts to play different games without expecting profits. The technology will notify the user on the level of addiction.
Bugingo plans to introduce the technology in other African countries, especially Nigeria, where gaming activities are very popular. Crucial Compliance CEO, Paul Foster emphasized that much effort is being expended on young people to tackle gambling addiction.
“Betting should be used for entertainment purposes. It is not a way to earn money, to get wages or solve your problems. You still need to have a job. If you gamble responsibly, it won’t affect your life,” he noted.
In October 2022, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) suspended the issuance of new gambling licenses to ensure continued compliance.
Crucial Compliance penetrated the Rwandan market in January 2023 where it presented its project to deal with gambling addiction and later launched gambling hackathons for young entrepreneurs.
Kwizera Rulinda emerged as the winner among three contestants for his web and mobile application that provides psycho-social support to address gambling addiction through counseling as well as outsourcing to unemployed youth.
The agreement, signed by ICTP Director Atish Dabholkar and University of Rwanda Acting Vice Chancellor, Dr. Didas Kayihura Muganga on 19th April 2023, extends the partnership for five years.
ICTP-EAIFR opened in 2018 and offers the same quality research and educational opportunities for which ICTP is world-renowned, but at a location more easily accessible to African scientists.
It is hosted by the University of Rwanda and supported by the Government of Rwanda’s Ministry of Education. It has been designated a UNESCO Category 2 institute in recognition of its important role in building scientific capacity in Africa.
The opening of ICTP-EAIFR provided the first opportunity for young scientists to earn a masters in physics in Rwanda.
A doctoral programme in physics as well as opportunities for research training in Africa via short courses and workshops were also put in place.
Now, five years later, the investment in science education is paying off: 19 students have completed the masters programme, and one student has completed requirements for a doctoral degree in physics.
“ICTP recognises the importance of building a solid foundation of basic science for the advancement of society,” said ICTP Director Dabholkar, adding, “ICTP is ideally positioned to assist African efforts to address the challenges that are at the core of a sustainable future for humanity. We are pleased to continue this fruitful partnership with the University of Rwanda.”
One of the first activities of the renewed partnership was a “Science Bridging Day” event hosted by ICTP-EAIFR at the University of Rwanda on 20 April.
The activity aimed to strengthen links with researchers in Europe as well as build interdisciplinary bridges with researchers at UR and Rwanda in general.
It featured a colloquium talk by ICTP Director Dabholkar on “Quantum Black Holes: Where Hawking meets Ramanujan”, as well as presentations on ICTP research and other opportunities and the Centre’s Physics Without Frontiers programme.
This meeting marks an important milestone in the partnership between these institutions, which are working together to advance scientific research and education in East Africa.
The ICTP is a global research institute that was founded in 1964 to promote advanced research in theoretical physics and related fields.
The center has been a leading force in fostering scientific collaboration and education in developing countries, with a particular focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
The ICTP has a long-standing partnership with the University of Rwanda and has been working closely with the institution to promote the study of theoretical physics and related disciplines in the country.
The EAIFR was established in 2015 as a regional center of the ICTP, with the aim of promoting scientific research and education in East Africa.
The center is located on the campus of the University of Rwanda and is dedicated to supporting research in theoretical physics, mathematics, and other related fields.
The EAIFR has become an important hub for scientific collaboration in the region and has played a critical role in advancing the study of theoretical physics in East Africa.
