The man left a suicide note indicating that he decided to take his life due to mental illness.
The executive secretary of Gisenyi sector, Jean Bosco Tuyishime has confirmed that he was found hanging from a tree.
“The young man hails from Muhanga. In a suicide note left to the foster family, he explained that he was suffering from family-caused mental illness. The body has been taken to Gisenyi Hospital for postmortem even though he apparently committed suicide,” he said.
Tuyishime urged residents to seek support from local leaders for advice or other kinds of support instead of committing suicide.
It is said that the foster family rushed to locate the young man after seeing the suicide note, in which he bequeathed belongings to his friend, but ended up in vain as he was found dead.
The deceased was identified as Penelope Iradukunda while Anastasie Nkurunziza and Fidèle Nzabahimana who had sought shelter at the home of Boniface Nzubakurugo in Rugari village, Mwendo cell of Mukura sector were taken to Mataba Health Post for medical attention.
The executive secretary of Mukura sector, Sylvestre Bisangabagabo has confirmed that the incident occurred and appealed on residents to avoid seeking shelters under trees and using electronics among others during rain.
Lightning also killed three people last year in February and August.
The figures were revealed on Thursday 17th February 2022 in a meeting bringing together different leaders from Eastern Province to discuss issues affecting the society.
Pointed out issues include premature pregnancies, malnutrition among children, violence against women and men among others.
The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Prof. Bayisenge Jeannette disclosed that 23,000 teens were impregnated last year.
“In 2019, we registered more than 23,000 teens with premature pregnancies. The number reduced to 19,000 in 2020 and rose again to 23,000 in 2021. The figures are almost equivalent to the population of a sector,” she said.
The Minister highlighted that it is shameful to see such number of premature pregnancies yet the teen-mothers should be pursuing studies.
The Eastern Province is reported to have the biggest number with 9188 teen mothers.
Of these, 128 teen mothers were aged below 15 while 2043 were aged below 17.
The three districts on top with teen-mothers in 2021 include Nyagatare with 1799, Gatsibo with 1574 and Kirehe with 1365.
Prof. Bayisenge has urged leaders to intensify efforts in countering defilement cases to reduce the numbers.
In a bid to seek solution, Minister Bayisenge has said that the Government mulled releasing the list of people accused of defilement where the identifications of people who impregnated teens were made public effective last year.
“In collaboration with the Prosecution last year, we launched an online platform where identifications of people convicted of defilement are published to discourage people from committing the crime affecting the society. These people’s identifications are published along with details of committed crimes. Today, the platform features the list of more than 320 people. Let us disclose their identifications and renounce their acts to completely shun the crime,” she said.
The Governor of Eastern Province, Emmanuel Gasana has said that there are different programs designed to fight against defilement like an electronic information room that will be available at province, district and sector level to expedite the sharing of information of suspects.
He also stressed the need to conduct research to establish major causes of defilement.
Emmanuel Uwitonze, 40, was arrested Thursday, February 17, in Gahogo Cell, Nyamabuye Sector following information on his criminal dealings.
The Southern Region Police spokesperson, Superintendent of Police (SP) Theobald Kanamugire said that there are so far three known victims, whom Uwitonze allegedly fleeced of combined Frw980,000.
“Uwitonze was arrested from his home after fleecing three people; a 23-year-old Emmanuel Tuyishime whom he defrauded Rwf260,000 for a provisional license, Etienne Tuganijuru, 26, whom he allegedly defrauded Rwf360,000 for a definitive driving license and a 25-year-old Shadrack Niyomwungeri he conned Rwf360,000 for a definitive driving license,” SP Kanamugire explained.
He, however, cautioned the public against against taking shortcuts, which is also unlawful and punishable by law.
“The three men went to the Testing and Licensing (TL) department on Thursday, with short messages indicating that they had passed driving tests. There were, however, no records of them among those who passed, in the system neither could they explain where and when they did the tests,” SP Kanamugire said.
The trio, when interrogated, disclosed Emmanuel Uwitonze, whom they were identifying as a Police officer, as the one they gave money and reassured them that they names had been entered into the system of those who passed.
They then led Police officers to Uwitonze’s home in Muhanga where he was arrested and handed over to RIB for further investigations.
Article 174 of the law relating to offences and penalties in general, states that; any person who, by deception, obtains another person’s property, whole or part of his/her finance by use of false names or qualifications, or who offers positive promises or who threatens of future misfortunes, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than two (2) years and not more than three (3) years, and a fine of not less than Rwf3 million and not more than Rwf5 million.
Article 279 of the same law states that any person, who without tittle usurps public, civil or military functions or poses the acts of one these functions or falsely attributes to himself/herself the quality of a public official commits an offence.
Upon conviction, the offender faces between two and three years in prison, and a fine of not more than Rwf300,000 but not more than Rwf500, 000.
Habimana was arrested Wednesday, February 16, in Rukoro Village, Mpenge Cell of Muhoza Sector with the stolen motorcycle, TVS registration number RD 371J.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Alex Ndayisenga, the Regional Political and Civic Education Officer (RPCEO) for the Northern Region, said that Habimana was also masquerading as a soldier.
“Habimana was identified and reported by the security personnel of the motorcycle cooperative in Musanze District. They were prompted to call the Police after they realized that he did not a member of their cooperative, had no documents allowing him to engage in taxi-moto transport business, no driver’s license nor documents for the motorcycle,” Superintendent Ndayisenga said.
It was then established that he allegedly stole the motorcycle and the search for the rightful owner of the moto is still underway.
The RPCEO added that the suspect was claiming to be a soldier in Rwanda Defence Force as a way of attempting to prevent arrest.
Habimana was handed over to RIB at Muhoza station for further investigations.
“Theft is a crime regardless of who you are or where you work. When you attempt to claim to be someone that you are not, you will also be committing another offences, which you will also face before the law,” Superintendent Ndayisenga warned.
Article 166 of the law determining offences and penalties states that; any person convicted of theft is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than one (1) year and not more than two (2) years and a fine of not less than Rwf1 million and not more than Rwf2 million, community service in a period of six (6) months or only one of these penalties.
In article 281; any person who claims to be attached to a legally regulated profession, a certificate, an official diploma or any other entitlements granted by a competent authority to a person meeting requirements set by a competent authority, commits an offence.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to an imprisonment for a term of not less than one (1) month and less than six (6) months and a fine of not less than five hundred thousand (Rwf 500,000) Rwandan francs and not more than one million Rwandan francs (Rwf1,000,000) or only one of these penalties.
DG Zokoue, who is in Rwanda since Sunday for a week-long visit, made the remarks on Thursday, February 17, while visiting various Rwanda National Police (RNP) facilities and capabilities in Musanze and Rubavu districts.
He visited the National Police College (NPC) in Musanze District, Werstern Region Police Unit (RPU), La Corniche One Stop Border Post with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Rubavu District, where he witnessed how Police controls traffic at the border and technology used.
DG Zokoue lauded how RNP maintains security at the border, the available technology and the way the policy of gender equality is valued in Rwanda National Police.
“I appreciate the hard work you do here at the border. The flow of people crossing borders is high, and if there is no strategic security frame work, people can cross illegally,” DG Zokoue said.
“I am also impressed by the technology RNP uses to surveil the flow of vehicles and the level achieved in respect of gender equality because I have seen a large number of women police officers on duties,” he added.
At NPC, DG Zokoue was given an overview of the College, academic and professional courses offered and toured the Police Senior Command and Staff Course (PSCSC) wing.
He also addressed Police students attending the PSCSC and challenged them to use the knowledge and skills acquired to create security improvements in their respective countries.
“We thank the Rwandan leadership for this idea to establish this College. You have to follow these courses carefully and not be left in the lurch, keep in mind that the security of your home countries and Africa in general is your responsibility collectively,” said DG Zokoue.
The two-day EU-AU Summit kicked off on Thursday 17th February 2022.
On the first day of the summit, Rwanda’s Presidency has revealed, President Kagame attended the roundtable discussion on peace, security and governance where leaders discussed the need for a new approach towards addressing security challenges and achieving sustainable peace.
The Head of State said that bad governance is the root cause of conflicts that fuel insecurity and stressed the need for special attention to uphold peace and security.
“There is no way to build sustainable peace and security, both within and between our continents, without putting governance at the centre. We need new thinking and new templates for joint action on counterterrorism and peace support operations,” he noted.
“Good politics and governance are like a healthy human body. Where governance is compromised, it is like having a weak immune system which is vulnerable to all kinds of opportunistic infections or attacks,” Kagame added.
In consideration of the fact that threats are transnational, the President stressed the need for joint action.
“We cannot afford to stand aside and watch when the lives of innocent civilians are at risk. Europe’s stability is also at stake. We are neighbours and the threats are transnational and cross-border,” he said.
Kagame underscored that a blended bilateral and multilateral approach is a flexible formula that is well-suited ‘to our present challenges’ noting that a more predictable and sustainable international financing system for bilateral and regional military interventions is needed.
He however observed that no amount of troops or funding can create sustainable peace.
“We must simultaneously address the shortfalls in governance, which are the root cause of insecurity,” Kagame said.
“We want a relationship between the European Union and the African Union that is meaningful and produces concrete results. We need each other, and that means working as full partners,” he added.
As he delivered remarks at the opening the meeting on behalf of the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj Gen Ferdinand Safari, the Director General of Policy and Strategy in the Ministry of Defence said that the current crisis caused by Covid-19 pandemic increased the importance of preparedness in dealing with the threat of infectious diseases among others.
“We are conscious that military deployments may lead to an import/export of a number of infectious agents and this requires collective response, justifying this kind of forum,” he said, adding that collaboration and sharing of health information among Partner States remains crucial in dealing with current and future health challenges.
Brigadier (Dr) Achieng Obilo from Kenya, the chairman of the meeting said that the deliberations will focus mainly on formulating guiding standing procedures to support all East African Partner Member States to carry out their military operations in the Covid-19 pandemic environment.
The meeting of the Chiefs of health services of the EAC Partner States’ Armed Forces is convened in accordance with Article 2 of the EAC Protocol on Cooperation in Defence Affairs and pursuant to the EAC Defence Sector Calendar of Activities for the period January – June 2022.
The disasters mostly resulted from heavy downpour in different parts of the country.
According to the Ministry; Gisagara, Huye, Rutsiro, Ngororero, Nyabihu and Nyagatare are the most affected districts.
The Permanent Secretary in MINEMA, Philippe Habinshuti has told RBA that they are making possible efforts to support citizens hit hard by disasters.
He revealed that the ministry has started supporting affected residents is different districts including Gisagara and Nyagatare.
Habinshuti said that the ministry tries by all means to provide emergency relief within 48 hours like the provision of temporary shelter awaiting durable solution.
Rwanda Meteorology Agency (Meteo Rwanda) recently predicted heavy rain in the last 15 days of February 2022 and advised the general public to develop proactive measures to prevent disasters.
The agency’s statement read that precipitations between 10th and 20th February are expected to be above normal rainfall in different parts of the country.
Meteo Rwanda has said that the rainfall is expected to be between 50 and 200 mm within ten days while the average rainfall in the same period ranges between 10 and 70 mm.
The weatherman disclosed that the rainfall is particularly expected to be above normal in different parts of Western Province, Southern Province and Kigali City as well as the districts of Rulindo, Ngoma and Rwamagana.
Average rainfall has been predicted in Gatsibo, Kayonza and Nyagatare districts compared to other parts of the country.
Meteo Rwanda has revealed that above normal rainfall was reported in Eastern Province as well as some parts of Southern and Northern Province between 1st and 10th February compared to other parts of the country.
Among others, the weatherman disclosed that rainfall reduced in many parts of Southern Pprovince, southern part of Eastern Province, Musanze and Nyagatare districts during the same period.
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Meteo Rwanda revealed that the soil has been accumulating much water due to recent heavy rains noting that it might cause flooding and landslides in the parts of the country forecasted with above normal rainfall.
The agency advised relevant authorities, residents in the aforementioned areas and Rwandans in general to take proactive measures to prevent disasters.
Farmers are also reminded to preserve agricultural yields and efficiently utilize collected water to finalize preparations for the agriculture season 2022B.
The discussions took place in Belgium on Thursday 17th February 2022.
Minister Biruta is in Belgium where he attended European Union – African Union Summit.
Wilmès last visited Rwanda in October 2021 as she attended the African Union – European Union Foreign Affairs Ministerial Meeting in Kigali.
Before her visit , Rwanda had called off a bilateral meeting with Belgium at ministerial level, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, following a statement of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium , Sophie Wilmes criticizing the ruling on Paul Rusesabagina.
Rusesabagina was arrested in August 2020. He underwent trial along with 20 co-accused terror suspects including Callixte Nsabimana alias Sankara, the former spokesperson for the terror group.
The suspects faced charges including the formation of an irregular armed group, membership of a terrorist group, financing terrorism, murder as an act of terrorism, arson as an act of terrorism, attempted murder as an act of terrorism, and assault and battery as an act of terrorism.
The crimes were committed since 2018 when the aforementioned terror group plotted attacks to Rwanda which claimed lives of nine innocent residents in the Southern Province.
They left many others gravely injured, and caused significant material and economic damage in South-West Rwanda.
Rusesabagina was handed 25-year sentence on Monday 20th September 2021 by the High Court Chamber for International Crimes.
He was found guilty of charges against him except illegal formation of an armed group.
Following the verdict, countries including the United States of America (USA) and Belgium criticized Rwanda’s judicial system claiming that Rusesabagina’s trial was not fair.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium , Sophie Wilmes released a statement explaining that Belgium had raised concerns on his trial several times.
“Despite repeated proceedings from Belgium on this issue … Mr Rusesabagina did not benefit from a fair and impartial trial, especially with regard to the right to defense. The presumption of innocence was also not respected. These factors effectively question trials and judgments,” Wilmes said in a statement.
Wilmes further stated that she would meet with Rwandan counterparts that week as a bystander to the UN General Assembly in New York adding that ‘Belgium is in close contact with Mr. Rusesabagina’.
In response, the Government of Rwanda said that the statement of Sophie Wilmès reflects ‘the contempt shown by the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium towards the Rwandan judicial system since the start of the trial, despite the significant contribution of relevant Belgian institutions to the investigation of this case’.
The statement further read that the victims of the terrorist acts of FLN ‘have just as much right to justice as Mr. Rusesabagina and his co-defendants’.
For this reason, the Government of Rwanda announced that scheduled bilateral talks at ministerial level would not take place.
However, Rwanda revealed that it remains ready to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium, ‘at a convenient time to the dialogue between the two countries’.
