“Men dressed in DRC military uniforms arrived without any legal documentation authorizing a search, disrupting the security of those living in the home. The Kabila family condemns this abuse of power and the unlawful actions that were carried out,” Shemisi said.
Upon arrival at the property in Limete, which includes an industrial zone, the soldiers clashed verbally with the occupants, who demanded that they show an official warrant permitting entry but none was produced.
The soldiers claimed that two Jeep Defender vehicles parked at the residence were evidence of a plot to undermine state institutions. The occupants, however, responded that the vehicles were only used for civilian purposes.
Shemisi explained that the soldiers initially arrested an accountant who works at the residence, but he was later released. Authorities stated the investigation would continue the next day.
By 2 a.m., the soldiers were still inside the residence. The Kabila family spokesperson accused them of trespassing, saying they opened multiple parts of the house and disturbed the residents’ peace, even though there was no indication of any criminal activity being planned there.
The DRC government has long accused Kabila of collaborating with the AFC coalition, which includes the M23 armed group currently fighting government forces in North and South Kivu provinces.
In March 2025, Kabila, who is in exile in Zimbabwe, denied any connection with the AFC/M23. “If I were truly collaborating with them, this war would have escalated to another level,” he said.
Kabila, who led the DRC from 2001 to 2019, recently announced plans to return to his country via its eastern region. However, it remains unclear whether he intends to return as an ordinary citizen.
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.
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.
