“With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican. Further information will be provided as soon as possible,” the spokesman said in a written statement. The Vatican said his body will lie in state from Monday in St.Peter’s Basilica. The Vatican has painstakingly elaborate rituals for what happens after a reigning pope dies but no publicly known ones for a former pope.
Earlier this week, Pope Francis disclosed during his weekly general audience that his predecessor was “very sick”, and asked for people to pray for him. For nearly 25 years, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict was the powerful head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, then known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
Conservatives in the Church have looked to the former pope as their standard bearer and some ultra-traditionalists even refused to acknowledge Francis as a legitimate pontiff. They have criticised Francis for his more welcoming approach to members of the LGBTQ+ community and to Catholics who divorced and remarried outside the Church, saying both were undermining traditional values.
The incident occurred around 3:00 a.m. on 30th December 2022 as a bus with registered number plate RAD798B belonging to Volcano collided with another bus (plate number KCU 054L) belonging to Oxygen transport company from Kenya.
The bus belonging to Volcano was moving from Kampala to Rwanda while the other one was headed for Nairobi from Kigali.
The Operations Manager at Volcano Express, Agaba Andrew Japhet has told IGIHE that they have so far learnt that three people including a driver, co-driver and another passenger next to their seats died in the accident.
Ugandan Police has however announced that the accident claimed lives of four Rwandans, a Kenyan and Burundian.
The deceased include the driver of Volcano’s bus, Alphonse Murara, Omido David the driver of Oxygen’s bus, Mustafa Ishingiro, Claude Gakuru, Etienne Hakizimana and another female Burundian passenger.
Ugandan Police has also revealed that at least 40 injured passengers were rushed to Lotom Health Center in Muhanga Town.
According to The New Vision, Elly Mate, the Spokesperson of Kigezi Regional Police said that the preliminary cause of the accident was too much fog ‘where they couldn’t easily see what was ahead of them and hence collided’.
The deceased have been taken to the mortuary of Kabale Hospital.
Agaba has said that they sent another bus to carry non-affected passengers as soon as they learnt about the accident.
Videos shared on social media show the two buses’ front parts severely damaged.
Rwahi area in which the accident happened is located in Ntungamo District in the western part of Uganda.
It is situated in 83 kilometers from Mbarara and 317 kilometers from Kampala. It also takes one hour drive to reach Gatuna border.
The Head of State voiced the appreciation through end of year message to Rwandan Defence and Security Forces in which he also extolled them for addressing pressing issues of human security as the bedrock of sustainable peace.
{{Below is the full message:}}
{On behalf of the Government of Rwanda, and on my own behalf, I wish the officers, men, and women of the Rwanda Defence and Security Forces, and your families, a Happy New Year 2023.
As we approach the end of 2022, I wish to commend your exemplary service, hard work and professionalism in delivering your core duty of defending the people and territory of Rwanda, and addressing pressing issues of human security as the bedrock of sustainable peace.
Beyond our borders, Rwanda’s Defence and Security Forces have participated in tackling challenges in partner countries in Africa through bilateral cooperation, particularly in fighting terrorism in Mozambique, and contributing to peace and stability in the Central African Republic.
Our peacekeepers deployed under United Nations missions continue to be good ambassadors of Rwanda, consistently representing the best values that we stand for.
I wish to express my sincere appreciation to all of you for making our country proud.
It is not easy to be separated from loved ones at this time of year, for those deployed away from home. Rwanda appreciates this invaluable spirit of dedication.
I pay tribute to our departed comrades who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our nation and the world in 2022. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the families of the fallen, and assure you that the leaders and people of Rwanda stand firmly with you.
The beginning of a new year is an opportunity to renew your pledge to protect our country against all threats, so that we can sustain Rwanda’s hard-earned economic and social progress.
Let me conclude, once again, with best wishes for the New Year.
The Vice Chairperson of the Lower House of Parliament, Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana has confirmed to IGIHE that Kamanzi submitted his resignation letter on Wednesday 28th December 2022 ‘citing personal reasons’.
However, sources reveal that his resignation comes after he was reported in a drunk-driving case.
Kamanzi becomes the third parliamentarian resigning in less than two months over drunk driving incidents.
MP Harerimana has said that leaders should model good conduct to citizens they were entrusted to represent.
“Normally, parliamentarians are exemplary citizens selected to represent others. They should mirror virtues to the society,” he said.
Kamanzi cannot be replaced because he only had less than a year to complete his term.
Before joining the parliament in 2018, Kamanzi headed the National Youth Council in Southern Province between 2017-2018 and served as a member of Kamonyi District Advisory Council.
The incident incident is one in a series of provocations, including a similar airspace violation that occurred on 7th November 2022, when a DRC fighter jet of the same type briefly touched down at Rubavu Airport before flying back to DRC.
The Government of Rwanda has through released statement disclosed that authorities have once again protested to the DRC Government against the violations of Rwandan airspace by DRC fighter jets.
It further reads that these repeated violations are against the spirit of Luanda and Nairobi peace initiatives.
“The authorities in the DRC seem to be emboldened by consistent coddling by some in the international community who repeatedly heap blame on Rwanda for any and all ills in the DRC, while ignoring the transgressions originating from the DRC. These provocations must stop,” adds the statement.
Apart from airspace violations, Rwanda reported other provocations this year including the shelling of rockets on Rwandan territory in collaboration with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) at different times.
DRC soldiers also crossed into Rwanda shooting at Rwandan security forces at different times but were foiled and shot dead in self-defence.
Considering endured miserable life, their development seemed to be a fairy tale. The former Gikongoro Prefecture currently comprises two districts including Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru.
Their soil contained much acidity that yields were very low. Sources indicate that the name originated from crops’ disease or hunger occasioned by insufficient agricultural produce or regular pests ravaging crops.
Today, transformations are self-evident. The biting hunger has been eliminated while the name Abatebo has changed to wealthy people. The soil acidity has reduced that the area is covered with flourishing crops and tea grown for local consumption and export markets.
With the land area of 1090 square kilometers, the largest part of Nyamagabe District touches Nyungwe National Park which receives a large number of tourists to experience the Canopy Walkway, fauna and flora. The park’s management also helps them enjoy a memorable stay through hospitality establishments like One & Only Nyungwe House among others.
The development that has significantly impacted residents, stems from hard work by members of the private sector who relentlessly paid taxes over the past 25 years since Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) was established.
{{Education, health and social protection}}
Over the past 25 years, the country expended much effort to recover its economy which had been devastated following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
This resilience journey went hand in hand with psychiatric among other initiatives to heal the wounds of Rwandans affected by the Genocide and strive for a united country looking forward to a shared future without ethnic divisions.
Transformations in Nyamagabe District cover different areas including the education sector. Several schools have been constructed in different sectors and reduced dropouts as students can access education near their doorsteps.
Under the 12 years basic education programme, over Rwf10 billion was allocated for construction of schools that Nyamagabe currently registers at least 5 schools in each sector.
The Mayor of Nyamagabe District, Hildebrand Niyomwungeri affirms that there has been a significant milestone regarding efforts to achieve universal access to education.
“Despite the fact that schools were very few before 25 years, each sector has at least not less than five schools. The number has significantly increased as we currently have more than 150 schools,” he said.
As for health sector, two hospitals including Kaduha and Kigeme were renovated and built.
Other health infrastructures built in the district include health centers, 40 health posts among others under construction.
New office buildings for cells and sectors also cost more than Rwf1 billion.
{{Eradicating hunger and improving soil productivity}}
Nyamagabe District was reported to be experiencing persistent hunger for long due to acidic soil that resulted in low agricultural yields.
Niyomwungeri affirms that dealing with hunger in Nyamagabe required considerable efforts through wetland restoration, land consolidation and application of organic fertilizers among others.
“Generally, we have achieved a lot in all aspects of citizens’ wellbeing that whoever visits the district after 25 years witnesses remarkable transformations,” he revealed.
Today, the acidic soil is efficiently used to grow various crops including Irish potatoes, wheat and tea and the agricultural produce has increased in no small part.
Niyomwungeri underscored that hunger that was reported in the district in 25 years has been eradicated and went in hand with reduction of stunting which currently stands at 33.6%.
Nyamagabe residents also attest that they have come a long way considering attained transformations.
“In the past, our yields were low. Today, we had access to lime and fertilizers that helped us to increase yields. This increased productivity in combination with infrastructure development in different areas bespeaks some of attained transformations,” said Eliphase Hakizimana from Gasaka Sector.
In a bid to uplift Nyamagabe residents from poverty, different infrastructures including seed collection centers, feeder roads, business center workshops to foster innovations and modern markets were constructed.
New power transmission lines, water distribution systems and tarmac roads are among other developed infrastructures.
Nyamagabe District officials have encouraged residents to continue contributing to national development through taxes to walk together towards a prosperous and shared future.
As for tea exports, Rwanda earned US$1,278,369 from 443 Megatonnes between 17th and 23rd December. The main countries of destinations were; Pakistan, Egypt, and the United Kingdom (UK).
Meanwhile, horticultural exports (fruits, vegetables and flowers) for last week amounted to 431 Megatonnes that generated US$848,042. Main countries of destination include Dubai, DRC, The Netherlands, and the UK.
Overall, figures from NAEB show that the country earned US$292,371 from animal products and US$1,458,189 from cereals, grains and flour.
Throughout the week, Rwanda also exported 829 Megatonnes of coffee that generated US$4,598,922 while roots and tubers generated US$149,462.
The average price of coffee was set at US$5.6 per kilogram.
Last week’s main destinations for coffee were UK, the Unites States and Switzerland.
Sources indicate that the fire erupted around 2:00 p.m. on Christmas.
Following the incident, Police officers from the Fire Brigade department rushed to intervene and put out the fire before spreading to other buildings.
Police Spokesperson, CP Kabera John Bosco has said that the fire only gutted two rooms of the building known as ‘Kwa Kabuga’. One was used as an office while another was vacant.
CP Kabera said that no one was injured except a table and chair damaged during the incident.
He went on to explain that the incident is suspected to have been triggered by electrical installation.
“The situation has been controlled and the building is now safe,” he said.
Apart from the traffic department, the building houses a branch of the armed forces bank, Zigama CSS and the Armed Forces Shop (AFOS).
It is for this reason that you would hear a lot of talk about online privacy but what exactly is that?
Well, online privacy is the level of privacy protection an individual has while connected to the Internet and it covers the amount of online security available for personal and financial data, communications, and preferences.
You might think it is not as serious until it happens to you but my mother got to experience something like it. In a generation of Facebook usage, her account was breached and there were a lot of things posted that were not decent or anything she would ever post herself.
Unfortunately, she did not know about it until people started messaging her that her posts were not appropriate and hence she started to dig in her feed to find what they were talking about, which she found and then went through the process of how to reverse the whole thing.
At least my sister was able to find a way to delete the posts and though my mom wanted to just give up completely on all things online with a few protection measures in place, she felt assured enough to keep using them.
Now you may wonder, what did those protection measures entail? We did the basic things.
For one, we changed passwords and created stronger ones that were not in use by any other of her socials and she had to keep remembering to log out of her account after using it.
Apart from the measures we took though, there are so many more these days to make sure that using the internet is safe.
So these are a few tips to protect your online privacy, using stronger passwords different for each account you have on different platforms.
Commit to sharing less personal data because the less you share, the safer it is for you.
Check your privacy setting. With many social networks today, you have some options to limit the ways data is collected or used, who can contact you or see your posts which can help to keep your personal data personal.
Limit sharing of location, even though it can help to find your way and such but leaving your location on often can give access to third parties and is often used to tailor ads and recommendations based on locations you have recently visited. So, feel free to deny whenever it is not necessary to turn on your location.
Keep your devices and apps up to date, keeping software current and up to date is the only way to make sure that your device is protected against the latest software vulnerabilities. By enabling automatic updates on your devices, you can be sure that your apps and operating system are always up to date which can be done in any phone settings.
And last but not least, be careful where you keep your passwords and what kind of links you open.
On Thursday, Agence France-Presse (AFP), a leading global news agency reported that it got the wind of a report of the United Nations (UN) experts on security problems in DRC confirming that Rwanda supported M23 rebel group in a fighting with Congolese Army (FARDC).
The report was questioned as to how it is leaked to the media before publication. Similar circumstances happened in July this year.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied the accusations of supporting the rebel group highlighting that the issue is a concern of DRC which failed to implement signed peace accords.
The Spokesperson of the Government of Rwanda, Yolande Makolo has via Twitter said that putting DRC’s problems to the shoulders of Rwanda won’t provide any solution.
“The policy of blaming Rwanda as a means to deflect blame and evade accountability for persistent governance failure in the DRC comes at a huge cost to citizens on both sides of our shared border,” she said.
The Deputy Spokesperson of the Government of Rwanda, Alain Mukuralinda on Thursday told TV5 Monde that Rwandan troops never cross the border but safeguard security of the country’s territory.
“Rwandan soldiers do not cross the border. They safeguard security of the country’s territory. Rwanda does not need to cross the border unless it is agreed with the Congolese government,” he said.
Mukuralinda said that Rwanda cannot comment on unpublished allegations.
