The announcement came Thursday, as health officials worked to address the outbreak in the remote Panzi region of Kwango Province.
First reported in late October 2024, the illness has caused 37 deaths in health facilities out of nearly 600 recorded cases, with an additional 44 community-level deaths still under investigation.
Symptoms of the illness include fever, headaches, and cough, and the outbreak has particularly affected children under five years old, who account for 40% of the cases.
“The working diagnosis now is malaria,” said Ngashi Ngongo, Africa CDC’s chief of staff, during an online briefing.
He emphasized that the situation has been worsened by severe malnutrition in the area, calling it a critical contributing factor to the high mortality rates.
The Panzi region, located about 700 kilometers southeast of the capital Kinshasa, is difficult to access due to poor infrastructure and the ongoing rainy season. With no functional laboratories in the area, samples must be sent to Kinshasa for testing, delaying confirmation of the diagnosis.
Compounding the challenge is the region’s high malnutrition rate—estimated at 61%—and a lack of essential resources such as clean drinking water, medicine, and healthcare facilities. These conditions have created a perfect storm for the spread of illness and increased vulnerability among the population.
While malaria is the leading hypothesis, Africa CDC has not ruled out other possibilities, including a viral hemorrhagic fever occurring alongside malaria. Earlier investigations ruled out COVID-19 but concluded that the illness affects the respiratory system.
Health authorities are also considering other potential culprits, such as measles, influenza, or pneumonia, with laboratory testing ongoing to confirm or rule out these diseases.
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the global risk as low, local risks remain significant due to the proximity of the outbreak to Angola. Cross-border transmission concerns have prompted calls for enhanced coordination between the two nations to prevent further spread.
The DRC has also been grappling with mpox outbreak that has resulted in over 1,000 deaths.
The announcement by Rwanda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, follows 42 consecutive days without any new confirmed cases, as required by World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The last confirmed patient was discharged from the hospital on November 8, 2024.
Rwanda announced the Marburg virus outbreak on September 27, 2024. By the time the outbreak was declared over, the country had recorded 66 illnesses and 15 deaths.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Dr. Nsanzimana acknowledged the progress made in containing the outbreak while expressing condolences for the lives lost.
“This is an important milestone for Rwanda’s public health system. While we mourn the lives lost, we are encouraged by the progress made. We have reached this point because of the dedication of our healthcare workers, the government, and our partners whose seamless collaboration and swift, coordinated action made it possible to contain the outbreak effectively,” the minister stated.
The Ministry of Health had earlier confirmed that the outbreak originated from a mining cave inhabited by fruit bats, a known reservoir of the Marburg virus.
Dr. Nsanzimana noted that the government will continue to strengthen surveillance systems to avert future outbreaks.
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From the onset of the outbreak, Rwanda’s government, healthcare workers, and international partners activated a robust response. A 24/7 command post was established to coordinate surveillance, testing, case management, vaccination, risk communication, and community engagement.
The country’s extensive network of nearly 60,000 community health workers was also instrumental in active case finding and monitoring contacts of infected individuals during the mandatory observation period.
In 2021 alone, mobile money transactions in the country reached a staggering RWF 10 trillion, a remarkable achievement for a nation still early in its economic transformation.
The rapid adoption of smartphones and increasing internet penetration have not gone unnoticed, with major fintech players, including leading Rwandan network providers, diversifying their offerings as the country moves toward a cashless economy.
However, challenges remain in the convenience and efficiency of mobile money services, including transaction monitoring, financial knowledge, and business financial management.
These gaps create the need for improved solutions that can streamline mobile money experiences.
This is where Faranga comes in, a mobile money payment solution designed to address these gaps by offering efficient financial tracking and self-accounting tools.
Proven to be faster and more effective than any currently available alternatives in the local market, Faranga simplifies financial management for its users.
Faranga enhances the mobile money experience with faster payments to saved contacts, location-based tracking of business codes, and precise financial monitoring.
It also encourages responsible financial behavior by providing users with weekly insights into their expenditures, comparing current spending with that of previous weeks and months.
By automatically tracking transactions, Faranga eliminates the need to sift through SMS messages for transaction confirmation.
Founded by Jonathan Sack, a young Rwandan software engineer with a background in sales, Faranga builds on the success of its predecessor, PressPay. PressPay, currently the highest-rated Rwandan app on the App Store, laid the foundation for Faranga, which has continued to simplify financial tasks and improve financial literacy.
Faranga is part of a larger movement aimed at driving financial inclusion across Africa. It leverages mobile phones and the internet to provide financial services to both urban and rural populations—communities often excluded from traditional banking systems.
With Rwanda’s focus on microfinance and local innovation, Faranga is poised to play a key role in maximizing entrepreneurship and income generation, positioning itself as a vital tool at the individual, community, and national levels.
Looking to the future, Faranga will continue to play an integral role in financial inclusion, contributing to economic growth as mobile money evolves. The app’s simple and accessible features are designed to empower millions across Africa, helping pave the way for a borderless financial future with Rwanda leading the charge.
As the mobile money sector expands, Faranga will leverage Rwanda’s welcoming environment for homegrown solutions, particularly in financial technology, to expand its reach and maximize its impact on both national and continental communities.
With the increasing penetration of mobile phones and internet access, mobile money solutions like Faranga will be essential in providing financial services to underserved populations, driving economic development across Africa.
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The celebration took place on December 13, 2024, at their new premises located in Remera, KG 8 Avenue. Established in 2015, the company provides multimodal transport services by sea, air, and road, as well as customs clearance, warehousing, and freight forwarding solutions.
Audrey Akimana, the company’s Rwanda representative, expressed her gratitude to the team, partners, and clients for their unwavering support.
“We are deeply thankful to everyone who supported us and our partners who made this milestone possible. A special thanks to our hardworking team. Without collaboration, we wouldn’t be where we are today. This is a day of joy as we celebrate the year’s end and inaugurate our new offices,” she said.
The company CEO Kamiya Hakizimana also addressed attendees, appreciating their presence and reaffirming the company’s commitment to excellence. “We are honored to share this evening with you and proud to gather here in our new Rwanda offices,” he said.
Kamiya commended the local management team for their dedication, ensuring the company achieved its goals. He reassured clients of continued quality services tailored to meet their needs.
Molly Phee, the United States Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, confirmed this during a recent media briefing regarding President Joe Biden’s visit to Angola earlier this month.
During the presser on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, Phee stated that Kenyatta had committed to organizing talks between M23 and the DRC. The East African Community (EAC) endorsed this initiative, transferring the responsibility for resolving the armed group crisis in eastern DRC to the African Union (AU).
“President Kenyatta has agreed to help broker talks between M23 and the DRC. The EAC supported moving that mandate to deal with the armed groups in eastern DRC to the African Union. President Kenyatta was, in fact, in Luanda this past weekend,” Phee stated while commenting on conflict resolution efforts in the region.
Her remarks come in the wake of the postponement of talks intended to bring together Presidents Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Félix Tshisekedi (DRC), and João Lourenço (Angola) in Luanda on December 15, 2024. The talks were delayed due to the DRC government’s refusal to negotiate with M23.
On the scheduled meeting day, President Lourenço, Tshisekedi, and Kenyatta met in Luanda to discuss ways to restore lasting peace and security in eastern DRC.
One of the key issues discussed was the resumption of talks between the DRC government and armed groups operating in the eastern part of the country, including the possibility of involving M23.
President Biden had earlier tasked Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines with using U.S. intelligence resources to hold the DRC and Rwanda accountable for commitments they made to de-escalate tensions in eastern DRC in support of the Luanda mediation process.
M23 previously participated in the Nairobi talks in April 2022 but was expelled by an envoy of President Tshisekedi, who accused the group of instigating violence. M23 denied the allegations.
The DRC government continues to face pressure to reengage in dialogue with the group to address the security issues plaguing eastern DRC collaboratively.
Rwanda maintains that meaningful peace efforts in the region require the inclusion of M23, as the group remains one of the key players in the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC.
The Rwandan government has also called on the DRC to take ‘serious’ action against the FDLR, which poses a security threat to Rwanda. The FDLR comprises remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Having already served time in detention, the remainder of his sentence will be carried out under house arrest with electronic surveillance. The verdict aligns with the prosecution’s request. His legal representative indicated that an appeal is likely.
“He is in a state of shock. From the outset, he has maintained his innocence. They did not take into account the fact that he has been manipulated, the fact that he has been forced to do things beyond his control,” stated lawyer Mbeko Tabula.
The trial proceeded without the presence of Paul, who is now out of contract and searching for a new club.
The judge instructed Mathias and five other men to face trial following an investigation into whether Paul was subjected to extortion by Mathias and childhood friends in 2022.
Last month, Mathias was put on trial “for the offences of attempted extortion and criminal conspiracy.” The five co-defendants demanded 13million euros (£10.7m) from the 31-year-old France player, who was confronted at gunpoint by masked men in March 2022.
The defendants persistently intimidated Paul, asserting that he should have supported them after his rise to international football stardom. They were charged with extortion, abduction and confinement to facilitate a crime, as well as criminal conspiracy.
Roushdane K., the alleged mastermind behind the blackmail, has been handed an eight-year prison sentence. The other defendants also received jail terms.
Court documents reveal that Paul suffered financial losses amounting to 197,000 euros (£164,000) and emotional distress valued at 50,000 euros (£41,000).
All defendants, excluding Mathias, were ordered to collectively pay this sum to the ex-Juventus player. During the investigation, Paul admitted to paying 100,000 euros (£83,000) to the organized group, which included his own brother.
In response to Muhoozi’s latest remarks, Opondo has questioned the legitimacy of the general’s words. “So, being a buffoon, proven or otherwise, is now an offence?” Opondo responded challenging Muhoozi to provide specifics on his allegations.
“If you have serious allegations, General Muhoozi, be specific. Who is the fool you are talking about, and what have they done?” Opondo’s sharp response underscored the growing rift within Uganda’s leadership, as Muhoozi’s critics, including Opondo, accused him of undermining military cohesion and creating unnecessary divisions.
Opondo further argued that public name-calling does nothing to resolve internal disputes and only exacerbates tensions. “We have institutions to handle disputes. Calling someone a fool or a buffoon in public does not solve anything. It only creates more division and confusion,” he said.
This comment highlighted the deepening divide between those who support Muhoozi’s outspoken nature and those who view his remarks as harmful to Uganda’s stability and diplomatic relations.
Meanwhile, the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Dr Chris Baryomunsi has said that Muhoozi’s posts are not the official position of government of Uganda.
“Regarding the comments attributed to general Muhoozi, the CDF, on DRC and Sudan, those are comments made on social media, casually, privately, and not the official position of UPDF or Ministry of Defense or government of Uganda,” Baryomunsi said.
He urged the public and the international community to treat Muhoozi’s tweets as casual comments.
“They should be treated as casual comments, if at all he made them, and therefore there should be no anxiety at all about those comments, both within the country and even our friends outside Uganda. So, they shouldn’t be treated as an official position of the government of Uganda,” Baryomunsi said.
Muhoozi, the son of President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni, has once again found himself at the center of controversy, this time for his inflammatory tweets about Sudan, the DRC and internal military circles.
Muhoozi’s initial remarks about Sudan, in which he threatened to invade the country with the support of the United States, quickly sparked outrage both locally and internationally.
The Sudanese government has since called on the African Union, regional and international organizations, and the entire international community to condemn Muhoozi’s statements, which it said, pose a threat to regional and international peace and security.
Another post where Muhoozi threatens to wipeout all white mercenaries operating in eastern DRC prompted he Congolese government reacted by summoning Uganda’s Acting Chargé d’Affaires, Matata Twaha Magara to get clarification on the official position of government of Uganda.
Although Muhoozi did not single out a mercenary group, it is widely believed that he was referring to foreign operatives associated with Bulgaria’s Agemira group and Romania’s RALF, who have been assisting the Congolese national army (FARDC) in its fight against M23 rebels since 2022.
The Congolese government has repeatedly stated that these individuals are not mercenaries but trainers working to strengthen the FARDC’s capacity in modern warfare and safeguarding strategic locations like Goma and Sake.
Critics have argued that Muhoozi’s inflammatory statements could be part of a broader political strategy, suggesting he is being used as a scapegoat by powerful figures within the Ugandan government.
Just days after the Sudan debacle, Muhoozi stirred internal unrest by targeting his fellow military officers, including Lt. Gen. Peter Elweru, whom he publicly called a “buffoon” while accusing him of incompetence.
This sparked a firestorm of debate, with many Ugandans questioning whether such remarks were appropriate from a senior figure in the military and political scene. Muhoozi’s critics suggested that his outbursts were intentionally encouraged to draw attention away from larger issues.
Muhoozi’s actions come at a time when his political ambitions are under close scrutiny. His critics believe that these outbursts may be part of a broader strategy to bolster his profile ahead of any future political ambitions, while others argue that he is being manipulated as a scapegoat for political maneuvering within the government.
While he has since deleted many of his inflammatory tweets, the diplomatic and internal fallout looms. Uganda’s international relations, particularly with neighboring Sudan and DRC remain in jeopardy, and the tensions within the Ugandan military and political circles show no signs of easing.
As the fallout unfolds, many are left wondering whether Muhoozi’s controversial remarks will continue to shape the country’s political landscape or whether Uganda’s leadership will regain control of the narrative.
Speaking to Imvaho Nshya, RCS Spokesperson CSP Thérèse Kubwimana addressed accusations raised in an October 2024 Human Rights Watch report. The report alleged cases of torture and unlawful detentions, including claims from a detainee at Rubavu Prison who reported being subjected to beatings and electric shocks.
Kubwimana firmly denied these allegations, emphasizing that RCS does not condone such acts and whenever committed, these are personal choices and not directives from RCS or the government.
“No leader assigns duties that include torturing others. Those found guilty of such actions are held accountable in courts of law,” she stated,
She criticized the tendency to generalize individual misconduct as institutional failure and expressed disappointment over narratives portraying correctional facilities negatively without verified information.
“It is deeply troubling because those making these claims have never visited our facilities to see for themselves. I can confidently say our prisons provide good living conditions, contrary to these allegations,” she said.
Highlighting the credibility of RCS, Kubwimana pointed out that its personnel are entrusted with responsibilities in United Nations peacekeeping missions in Sudan and the Central African Republic, where they work alongside Rwanda’s army and police forces.
“A country accused of systemic torture would not be selected to provide peacekeepers who promote human rights and dignity,” she noted.
RCS continues to improve inmate welfare through programs like farming and livestock management, which contribute to dietary needs within facilities. Vulnerable prisoners and children in custody benefit from milk produced by RCS-owned cows, reflecting a positive commitment to humane incarceration.
Meanwhile, the government is taking further steps to enhance reintegration for inmates nearing the end of their sentences. Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Minister of Justice and Attorney General recently announced the establishment of Rwanda’s first social reintegration center, set to open in February 2025 in Rwamagana District.
The facility, commonly referred to as a halfway home, will initially accommodate 250 female inmates, allowing them to transition back into society by engaging in day-to-day activities outside the center while returning in the evenings. This initiative is aimed at reducing recidivism and supporting a smooth reintegration process.
Ugirashebuja shared that the halfway home will also offer civic education and vocational training. If successful, the program will be expanded to other regions in the country.
With these measures, Rwanda demonstrates its dedication to balancing accountability, rehabilitation, and reintegration for a fair and humane correctional system.
The community outreach, led by members of the Parliamentary Forum on the Prevention and Denial of the Genocide Against the Tutsi (AGPF), focused on five districts that had been identified as areas where Genocide ideology and acts of violence against survivors had been prevalent.
These districts are Nyaruguru, Ngoma, Karongi, Rusizi, and Ruhango. The goal of the initiative is to encourage local communities to stand united against division and to actively support the principles of unity and reconciliation.
Senator Prof. Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu, the Forum President explained to IGIHE that the visits were aimed at raising awareness and building local capacity to prevent the recurrence of genocide ideology.
“We are not only sending a message of support and comfort to the survivors but also urging the people to hold fast to the values that promote unity and equality among Rwandans. We must ensure that the progress we’ve made in promoting unity and peace in Rwanda is not reversed,” he said.
The forum’s members engaged in discussions with local leaders, youth, women, and survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to outline strategies for addressing and eliminating any remnants of divisive rhetoric or actions.
These efforts are supported by educational campaigns and clear calls for unity, stressing that any attempt to create divisions or diminish Rwanda’s progress toward peace must be resisted.
Prof. Dusingizemungu emphasized that the parliament’s actions are a direct response to the recent incidents of violence linked to genocide ideology.
“We are sending a clear message that these acts will not be tolerated. Our objective is to make sure that such destructive ideologies are rooted out from society and that every Rwandan feels secure and respected,” he asserted.
Going forward AGPF plans to continue its outreach in all districts. In early 2025, the forum will expand its efforts by targeting youth in different age groups, teaching them the dangers of genocide ideology and reinforcing the importance of unity and national development.
This initiative is part of Rwanda’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that the horrors of the past are never repeated.
Speaking at his annual news conference on Thursday, Putin said, “If someone takes part in the election and gains legitimacy, we are ready to talk to him, including Volodymyr Zelensky.”
Putin’s remarks signal an openness to dialogue, but he emphasized that such talks would take into account the evolving situation on the ground, referencing the Istanbul agreements as a potential framework for discussions.
These agreements were initially brokered in March 2022 during peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, although they ultimately failed to bring about a ceasefire.
The war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, has caused widespread destruction, with tens of thousands of casualties and millions displaced.
The conflict, rooted in long-standing tensions between the two countries, has escalated into a brutal war, marked by fierce battles, significant international sanctions on Russia, and ongoing geopolitical ramifications.
The recent comments from Putin come amidst increasing global pressure for a peaceful resolution and a series of military setbacks for Russian forces, which have prompted discussions about potential negotiations.
However, given the entrenched positions on both sides and the complexities of the conflict, prospects for meaningful peace talks remain uncertain. Ukraine is scheduled to hold its next presidential elections in March 2024, despite the ongoing conflict.
