Co-chaired by President William Ruto of Kenya, Chairperson of the EAC, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, Chairperson of SADC, the summit brought together leaders and representatives from 13 countries, including President Paul Kagame and his DRC counterpart Félix Tshisekedi.
The gathering aimed to accelerate progress on peace and security in the troubled eastern DRC region, where the AFC/M23 rebels are in conflict with Tshisekedi’s administration.
A statement released on Friday indicated that the summit recalled earlier decisions of the 1st and 2nd Joint EAC-SADC Summits, African Union Peace and Security Council resolutions, and UN Security Council Resolution 2773, all emphasising the need for coordinated, African-led efforts to stabilise the region.
As part of the outcomes, former Botswana President H.E. Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi was appointed to the Panel of Facilitators, which will guide mediation efforts under a consolidated mandate. The summit also approved key enabling documents, including a framework merging the Nairobi and Luanda processes, a proposed structure for an independent secretariat, and a resource mobilisation plan to support the initiative.
The summit endorsed the immediate consolidation of technical secretariats from the AU, EAC, and SADC into a Joint Secretariat led by the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa. This unified structure will ensure that the AU mediator and the EAC-SADC Panel of Facilitators operate under a coordinated African-led mandate.
Leaders further welcomed ongoing initiatives, such as the Washington Accord 2025 between Rwanda and the DRC and the Doha Declaration of Principles 2025 between the DRC and the AFC/M23 rebels, and called for their alignment with the African-led mediation process. They also urged the immediate mobilisation of humanitarian and other resources under AU coordination.
The summit commended Presidents Tshisekedi and Kagame for embracing dialogue and expressed appreciation to the AU, EAC, and SADC secretariats for their preparatory work.
The Joint EAC-SADC Co-Chairs were tasked with overseeing implementation of the summit’s decisions to ensure lasting peace and security in eastern DRC.
Recently, during an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, Minister Nduhungirehe said Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for helping resolve long-standing security challenges in eastern DRC, a conflict that has persisted for over three decades.
“The conflicts in eastern Congo have lasted for more than 30 years. One of the armed groups involved in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi has been destabilising our country throughout this period. Anyone, including Trump, who can help end these conflicts deserves the Nobel Peace Prize,” Nduhungirehe said.
Other leaders publicly supporting Trump for the prize include Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Gabonese President Oligui Nguema, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Government of Pakistan.
Trump has previously been recognised as a potential Nobel Peace Prize candidate for his role in resolving international conflicts, including the Abraham Accords between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. The Nobel Peace Prize honours individuals whose extraordinary efforts promote peace, security, and human welfare globally.
Speaking on August 14, 2025, at the closing of the 15th Itorero Indangamirwa intake at the Nkumba Civic Education Centre, Dr. Nsengiyumva said the program equips young people with a strong moral and civic foundation to complement their formal education.
“As young people, we expect you to build on the lessons from Itorero and contribute to Rwanda’s development journey,” he said.
“Wherever you go, carry Rwanda in your heart, uphold our values, and take pride in being Rwandan,” he added, urging the youth to counter those who tarnish the country’s image and to defeat them with the truth.
The Prime Minister urged the graduates to reflect on their role in strengthening the country’s key pillars — the economy, social well-being, good governance, and security — stressing that determination has been central to Rwanda’s progress.
The 15th intake brought together 443 participants. These included 208 women and 235 men. Among them were 105 Rwandans studying abroad and 103 from international schools in Rwanda. The group also included 235 outstanding youth from Urugerero (national service).
Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement Dr. Jean Damascène Bizimana said over 5,500 young Rwandans have graduated from Itorero Indangamirwa since its inception. He announced plans to expand the Nkumba centre and roll out similar programs across all districts to instil civic values and cultural pride among more youth.
The condolences were conveyed through a message posted on X by Rwanda’s High Commission in Ghana.
“We extend heartfelt condolences to His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asanteman Council, and the people of Asanteman on the passing of Nana Konadu Yiadom III, Queen of the Asante Kingdom. Our thoughts are with you in this time of sorrow,” reads the message.
The Asantehene officially announced her passing on Monday, August 11, 2025, during an emergency meeting at the Manhyia Palace, in accordance with long-standing traditions.
Nana Konadu Yiadom III, the 14th Asantehemaa, passed away on Thursday, August 7, 2025, at the age of 98.
She ascended to the throne in February 2017 and was admired for her wisdom, humility, and dedication to preserving the Asante Kingdom’s rich cultural heritage. As custodian of the royal matrilineal line, she played a vital advisory role to the Asantehene and was deeply involved in guiding community leadership.
Beyond her royal responsibilities, Nana Konadu Yiadom III championed social welfare causes. She supported maternal and child healthcare initiatives at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Manhyia District Hospital and was widely recognized for her advocacy of breastfeeding.
She also contributed to education, founding the Nana Konadu Saviour School, which continues to bear her name in recognition of her service.
In line with Asante tradition, a one-week observance will be held at the Manhyia Palace on Thursday, August 21, 2025.
The ceremony is expected to bring together chiefs, queen mothers, dignitaries, and mourners from across Ghana and beyond, as the kingdom pays tribute to her life and enduring legacy.
The conference, which will feature the Policymakers Roundtable, is scheduled to take place in Kigali from September 9 to 10, 2025.
Key topics on the agenda include linking sports with tourism, monetizing sports, advancing sports development, attracting sponsors, and demonstrating the benefits of investing in the sector.
Last year’s edition brought together around 400 participants, including athletes from various disciplines in Rwanda, leaders of sports federations, investors, journalists, and institutions connected to the sports industry.
Minister of Sports, Nelly Mukazayire, emphasized that the Forum is helping to reshape African perspectives on the role of sports.
“This Roundtable marks a pivotal step in unlocking the transformative potential of Africa’s sports industry. By strengthening our national policies and aligning them with Agenda 2063, we aim to foster a thriving sports ecosystem that drives job creation, sparks innovation, and accelerates socio-economic development across the continent.
“Together, we are setting the stage for a new era where sports become a powerful catalyst for Africa’s growth and global leadership,” she noted.
Among the prominent figures who attended last year was El Hadji Diouf, the legendary footballer.
Minister of Agriculture Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe and AfDB Rwanda Country Manager Aissa Touré Sarr signed an aide-mémoire on August 12 for a $995,000 grant to support feasibility, environmental, and social studies for the Gabiro Agribusiness Hub expansion.
The second phase of the project will cover 10,000 hectares across Nyagatare and Gatsibo districts—nearly twice the size of the 5,600-hectare first phase. Once complete, the entire hub will span 15,600 hectares, making it one of Rwanda’s largest agribusiness developments.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the studies will assess the viability of establishing a special agro-industrial processing zone at the hub, integrating cold storage facilities, aggregation centers, and other infrastructure to support smallholder farmers. The partnership also aims to strengthen agricultural value chains and reduce post-harvest losses.
The AfDB grant will also benefit Kivu Cold Group, a Rwanda-Japan joint venture developing an environmentally friendly, off-grid cold chain system to promote climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa.
Aloysius Ngarambe, CEO of Gabiro Agribusiness Hub Ltd—the company managing the project—said the feasibility study will determine the investment required for Phase II and help attract financiers.
“This will be a critical step toward implementation,” he told The New Times.
Phase I, located in Nyagatare District, is 98 percent complete and equipped with advanced irrigation infrastructure. The government has invested $118 million (approximately Frw170 billion) in its development, with Israeli firm Netafim overseeing construction. Official handover is expected in September.
For Phase II, Ngarambe said the feasibility study contract is expected to be awarded within the next three months, although the study’s duration has not yet been determined.
The Gabiro Agribusiness Hub is a flagship project aimed at boosting productivity, modernising farming practices, and improving market access for Rwandan farmers, while contributing to the country’s food security and export growth.
The Cabinet approved 18 hectares for the campus on July 30, 2025, during a cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame.
In an exclusive interview with IGIHE, Dr. Edgar Kalimba, Deputy CEO in Charge of Medical Services at King Faisal Hospital Rwanda (KFHR), detailed that the institution aims to transform healthcare not only in Rwanda but across Africa by training skilled professionals and reducing the need for patients to seek specialised care abroad.
“The land provided by the government will allow us to develop a comprehensive campus with all the facilities necessary for workforce training, research, and medical education,” Dr. Kalimba said.
Launched in September 2024 by KFHR in partnership with the Ministry of Health, AHSU is a key component of Rwanda’s “4×4 reform” to quadruple its healthcare workforce, with a vision to serve the broader African region.
The university currently runs residency programs in six specialities—paediatrics and child health, obstetrics and gynaecology, general surgery, anesthesiology and critical care, emergency medicine and critical care, and internal medicine—alongside a school of midwifery, offering a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Midwifery.
The first cohort, which began training in September 2024, is expected to graduate in 2028, producing roughly 60 specialists and 40 midwives.
The Rusororo campus, still in the strategic planning phase, will be a state-of-the-art facility designed to establish AHSU as a leading medical school for Africa.
“It’s going to serve as an international medical school,” Dr. Kalimba emphasised. “The ambition is to set a high standard, making it comprehensive with undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programs that attract students from across the region.”
Plans are underway to start additional master’s degrees and introduce Ph.D. programs, including a combined medical and research degree (MBBS-PhD track) to train doctors who will lead medical research and teach future healthcare professionals.
The campus in Rusororo is expected to be operational within five years, according to Dr. Kalimba, and will complement KFHR’s ongoing expansion, which aims to triple its capacity by early 2028. The expansion will introduce specialised services previously unavailable in Rwanda, reducing the need for patients to seek care elsewhere in East Africa.
To ensure sustainability and regional reach, AHSU is adopting a mixed funding model. Rwandan residents are sponsored but commit to five years of service in public and teaching hospitals under a Ministry of Health retention contract.
Meanwhile, AHSU is actively recruiting students from across the continent, with growing interest evident in application statistics.
“This is not just for Rwanda. It’s an African medical school, and we want it to grow into a proper international institution,” Dr. Kalimba said.
International students will pay fees, ensuring long-term financial viability while training professionals who can elevate healthcare standards across the continent.
AHSU’s impact is already taking shape through partnerships with level 2 teaching hospitals and district hospitals like Kibuye, Kibungo, Kacyiru, and Muhima, where 30 faculty specialists have been deployed to train residents and enhance care.
“This has reduced referrals to tertiary hospitals and improved patient care, creating a model that can be replicated regionally,” Dr. Kalimba explained.
Global collaborations with several institutions like the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, and specialized hospitals in India and in other overseas centers are strengthening AHSU’s programs, with residents gaining exposure through external rotations at advanced medical centres. These partnerships position AHSU to share expertise and resources with other African nations.
Despite the progress, Dr. Kalimba acknowledged ongoing challenges, particularly in recruiting qualified faculty and developing infrastructure.
“Getting skilled personnel is a challenge everywhere,” he said, emphasising that training a medical specialist can take more than ten years, from undergraduate studies through postgraduate residency.
At the same time, Rwanda’s growing population, with approximately 300,000 births annually, epidemiological shift of diseases and progressively higher demand on the healthcare providers underscores the urgency of closing the doctor-to-population gap (and healthcare provider-to population gap), which remains far below the World Health Organisation’s recommended ratio of one doctor per 1,000 people.
Dr. Kalimba noted that support from the Government of Rwanda, along with the involvement of expatriate specialists, is helping to address these hurdles. Meanwhile, the KFHR expansion, scheduled for completion by late 2027 or early 2028, will provide a state-of-the-art environment for training and healthcare, benefiting both Rwanda and the wider region.
Dr. Kalimba envisions AHSU and KFHR as catalysts for making Rwanda a healthcare hub for Africa.
“Instead of people having to travel overseas from within African countries, why wouldn’t they come to Rwanda and be given equally good services that they would get from elsewhere?” he asked.
By combining world-class infrastructure, comprehensive training, and a focus on research, the Rusororo campus aims to reduce reliance on overseas care, boost medical tourism, and train professionals who will serve across the continent.
As construction plans advance, AHSU is set to play a pivotal role in elevating healthcare standards in Rwanda and beyond, fulfilling a vision of regional excellence.
Speaking at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine must be directly involved in the peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Everything that concerns Ukraine should be discussed exclusively with Ukraine, he said, calling for preparations for a trilateral dialogue involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States.
Zelensky underscored the need for a ceasefire and security guarantees for Ukraine.
He also urged the imposition of stronger sanctions on Russia if it refuses to agree to a ceasefire.
According to Zelensky, he and Merz had a video meeting on Wednesday with U.S. President Donald Trump, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte, among others.
Trump is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15 in the U.S. state of Alaska.
Ament, 18, plays for Tennessee Basketball in the United States known for nurturing top talent. He has been in Rwanda for several days on holiday, also taking time to explore his mother’s homeland.
During their discussions, Minister Mukazayire and Ament explored opportunities to develop basketball, as well as the importance of sports in fostering values, inspiring youth, and highlighting talents.
While in Rwanda, Ament visited children playing basketball in Kayonza and joined them in training sessions. He also visited Volcanoes National Park.
Recently ranked fourth among the top 100 young basketball players in the U.S., Ament is considered a rising star, with speculation already suggesting he could be in the 2026 NBA draft.
With a Rwandan mother, Ament recently unveiled a custom-made shoe by Reebok featuring the colors of the Rwandan flag.
Last year, he represented Team USA in the 2024 FIBA U-18 Americas Championship, where the team won the gold medal.
The massacre, carried out on the night of 13 August 2004, was orchestrated by the armed group FNL-PALIPEHUTU, with alleged support from elements of the Congolese army. Two decades later, the Banyamulenge say justice has never been delivered—while killings, displacement, and persecution persist.
{{Justice denied, persecution continues}}
Speaking on behalf of the Coordination des Mutualités Banyamulenge, community leader Jules Rutebuka said countless efforts to seek justice have been ignored.
“We filed cases in Burundi against those who admitted responsibility, including Agathon Rwasa and Pasteur Habimana, but they still walk free. We also appealed to the DRC, where Congolese soldiers were implicated, yet nothing was done. Every authority we approached has failed us,” he said.
Rutebuka noted that although the commemoration looks back to 2004, Banyamulenge and other Congolese Tutsi remain targets today. Livestock are seized, homes burned, and people killed or displaced simply for speaking Kinyarwanda.
“This is why we chose self-defense. We cannot continue to offer our necks to the killers,” he added.
{{Survivors’ testimonies}}
For survivors like Michel Gahakanyi, the memory of Gatumba is still vivid. Then just 22, he recalled how attackers stormed the camp, surrounding it before targeting Banyamulenge refugees who had been deliberately separated from others.
“They came prepared, poured gasoline on our shelters, and burned people alive. Anyone who tried to run was shot. My sister was killed in front of me and set on fire. I escaped through piles of bodies,” he said.
Reflecting on the present, Gahakanyi argued that the same forces that killed them in 2004 are still active—now working alongside President Félix Tshisekedi’s government in DRC.
“The Burundians who killed us then are the same ones killing us today, this time with official backing. We want justice, but if it doesn’t come, we will defend ourselves until peace is restored. This is our country, and we will not give it up,” he warned.
{{A fresh wound}}
The community was recently shaken by the arrest of Laurent Ruboneka Musabwa, a Gatumba survivor and embassy staff member in Burundi. On 27 July 2024, Burundian security forces detained him and flew him to Kinshasa in a chartered plane arranged by the DRC government.
Rutebuka condemned the arrest: “Musabwa was a lifeline for refugees and vulnerable people. Now he joins many others unjustly taken simply because they are Banyamulenge, Tutsi, or suspected of ties to M23. They are innocent, yet they are persecuted for their identity.”
Community members fear more arrests could follow, as many Banyamulenge live under constant threat.
{{Who will deliver justice?}}
The Gatumba Refugees Survivors Foundation (GRSF) filed a case with the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging prosecution of those responsible for the massacre. Similar complaints were lodged in Burundi and the DRC. But nearly 21 years later, impunity prevails.
Former FNL fighters were shielded by immunity under the Dar es Salaam ceasefire agreement of 7 September 2006.
Lawyer Innocent Nteziryayo, who represents GRSF and other Congolese Tutsi groups, said: “We submitted all the evidence required. For two years, we have been gathering additional proof, linking it with independent reports, and presenting it to courts. Burundi, the DRC, and even the ICC have our files. They acknowledged them—but no court has acted. We will keep reminding them.”
{{Gratitude and determination}}
The Banyamulenge community expressed gratitude to Rwanda for hosting many survivors and providing safety and opportunities to rebuild their lives.
Still, Rutebuka stressed that this does not replace their right to return home: “We thank Rwanda for sheltering us. But the Congolese government must recognize that we have the right to live in our own land.”
The Banyamulenge’s plight stretches back decades. Since colonial times, they have been denied recognition as full citizens of Congo. They suffered massacres during the Mulele rebellion in 1964, and waves of violence returned in the 1990s.
Since 2017, violence has intensified once more, with Mai-Mai militias collaborating with Burundian groups like Red Tabara and FNL-PALIPEHUTU. Attacks have ravaged South Kivu—killing civilians, torching homes, looting livestock, and forcing thousands into displacement.
