The road had been closed since the ISIS seizure of Mocimboa da Praia a year ago.
Reopening the road was possible, because the joint command of the Mozambican and Rwandan forces put an alternative bridge across the Quinhevo river on national road R782.
According to a report in Monday’s issue of the Maputo daily “Noticias”, the bridge, built of metal and timber, can bear vehicles with a weight of up to 60 tonnes. It will facilitate the movement of motorised infantry in operations to clean out terrorists from other parts of Mocimboa da Praia district.
A team from the National Roads Administration (ANE) visited Mocimboa da Praia on Sunday to assess the requirements for a more thorough intervention to improve the road.
Previously the main link to Mocimboa da Praia and its port was along road N380, which is currently impassable due to terrorist destruction of another bridge.
Further north, in Palma district, people displaced from their homes in Palma town by the ISIS raid of 24 March, are beginning to return, according to a report in the independent newssheet “Carta de Mocambique”.
The security provided by the joint Mozambican-Rwandan forces has made it feasible for some residents to return to their homes in the town. Since late March many of them had been living in the resettlement town of Quitunda, which was initially set up for workers of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project run by a consortium headed by the French oil and gas company, TotalEnergies.
After the terrorist attack, Total withdrew all its workers, and people displaced from Palma town fled to the relative safety of Quitunda.
One of those who returned to Palma town, Aruna Nchute, told “Carta de Mocambique” she had seen no signs of any new fighting in the town. Others are more cautious and prefer to stay in Quitunda, or make their way to the provincial capital, Pemba.
When the Secretary of State for Cabo Delgado, Antonio Supeia, visited Palma last week, he guaranteed that the government is committed to restoring normal life to the town, starting with the re-establishment of public services.
There are also reports of displaced people begin to drift back to the towns of Macomia and Quissanga.
The incident took place today morning around 9a.m.
Witnesses have told IGIHE that the fire outbreak emerged as workers welded metals and quickly caught mattresses.
“The fire gutted the facility when welders joined metal parts. Flames spread to mattresses which immediately started burning uncontrollably,” said Uwase Clarisse.
She revealed that encouraging workers at the furniture market to own fire extinguishers would be helpful in case similar incidents occur.
Another witness identified as Selemani Habimana has said that mattresses should be sold separately from the main business workshop to avoid similar incidents.
As fire gutted the furniture workshop, police rushed to intervene with five firefighting trucks.
To receive the special offer, fans and journalists are urged contact their respective national federations in their home countries for more details.
This partnership is considered a further confirmation of Rwanda’s commitment to continue investing in the growing African sports industry as a gateway for the youth to express themselves and lay a foundation for a better future.
Commenting on the partnership, Desire Mugwiza, the president of FERWABA said: “This is a great opportunity for everyone across the world who would love to watch the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 and visit Rwanda. We welcome you to enjoy the games and experience the Land of Thousand Hills.”
The CEO of RwandAir, Yvonne Makolo said that the carrier is delighted to join the partnership to promote basketball throughout the continent.
“It is a privilege to support Africa’s senior national teams through the FIBA AfroBasket 2021 taking place here in Kigali which we believe will foster and develop talent as the teams compete for the title,” she noted.
“As a proud African carrier, RwandAir is committed to continue uniting people through sport and championing African talent,” added Makolo.
RwandAir flies to 25 destinations worldwide including 20 on the African continent, two in Europe, two in Asia and one in the Middle East with 22 of these active at the moment.
These include Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Bangui, Brazzaville, Brussels, Bujumbura, Cape Town, Cotonou, Dar es Salaam, Douala, Dubai, Harare, Johannesburg, Kilimajaro, Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, Kigali, London, Lusaka and Nairobi.
Sixteen teams from across the continent will compete in the 30th edition of the FIBA AfroBasket. The Kigali Arena will host all the 36 games of the competition with the final taking place in Sunday, September 5.
Nshimiyimana who has been on the run was arrested on Monday 16th August 2021.
He was caught at the home of his friend identified as Elissa Nzabonimana who is also accused of conspiracy to bribe an investigator and concealing information on a serious crime.
IGIHE has learnt that the duo has been caught red-handed attempting to bribe an investigator to go easy on their case.
Nshimiyimana is reported to have defiled a 15-year old girl 5th August 2021 and escaped.
The Spokesperson of Rwanda Investigation Bureau, Dr. Thierry B. Murangira has told IGIHE that the man has been on the run.
“He has been hiding and later sent someone to negotiate with an investigator so they could offer Rwf1 million to reject his files. The investigator accepted with intentions to reach the man who had been on the run over a cruel crime. He has been caught today after offering Rwf800, 000. He was supposed to provide the balance of Rwf200, 000 tomorrow [on Tuesday],” he said.
The duo is detained at Rubona RIB Post as investigation is underway before their files are transferred to the Prosecution.
Upon conviction, a person who commits child defilement is liable to imprisonment for a period of not less than 20 years and not more than 25 years, if the victim is 14 years or older.
If child defilement is committed on a child under fourteen (14) years, the penalty is life imprisonment that cannot be mitigated by any circumstances.
Soliciting, receiving or offering bribery also attracts an imprisonment between five and s even years and fine worth three to five times the value of offered or solicited bribery.
Concealing information on a serious crime also attracts a sentence between six months and one year and a fine between Rwf100, 000 and Rwf300, 000.
The idea behind Assumption Day is the belief that Mary the mother of Jesus had her body, and soul, miraculously taken up to heaven by God.
The feast is celebrated for the second time in difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic which has shaken global economy and took people’s lives.
Before the pandemic, thousand believers would turn up at Kibeho Holy Land renowned for apparitions of Mary.
Located in Nyaruguru district of Southern Province, Kibeho is an important place for Catholics as it is believed that the Virgin Mary appeared to some teenagers in the area in 1981.
Three female teenagers witnessed apparitions in the following years and the message which Mary left asking people to repent and encouraging Rwandans to love each other as well.
Since then, the place receives Catholic believers every year from across the world including global celebrities and other important personalities.
This year’s celebration has been observed with minimal participation in compliance with ongoing measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic while others were encouraged to pray from their homes.
Each of the three Masses read on Sunday was attended by 330 Christians against more than 50,000 congregants that used to turn up for prayers at the land before COVID-19.
Addressing congregants; the Bishop of Gikongoro Diocese, Célestin Hakizimana said that the processions for the Feast of the Assumption was not observed due to the pandemic and urged Christians to remain obedient.
“We are lucky to have celebrated this special day of Mary’s Assumption and Vigil of the Assumption Day. We were not able to host processions for the feast but we had introspective contemplation,” he said.
Bishop Hakizimana thanked the Virgin Mary for the blessing of the day considering the fact that restrictions were eased back to reopen churches but highlighted that it should not leave the loophole for complacency to disregard government’s directives.
He explained that Christians in attendance had to register before and respect other health guidelines arriving at the holy land including the proper wearing of face masks, respecting social distancing and washing hands.
“We are taught to obey and convinced that it is our moral obligation to do so because leadership is inherited from God. Being obedient to God must go hand in hand with respecting leaders. You cannot pretend to have Godly values while disobeying leaders around,” he said.
Bishop Hakizimana also called on Christians to pray in compliance with instituted directives to mirror good examples in the society.
“We should be thankful for their obedience to instituted measures as they attend church services. We encourage them to keep it up and continue being good examples in the community so as to defeat the pandemic together,” he noted.
She will co-chair the Advisory Board along with Professor Senait Fisseha, Director Global Programs, Buffett Foundation.
Buffett Foundation is an organization aimed at catalyzing transformational change to improve the standard of living and quality of life, particularly for the world’s most impoverished and marginalized populations.
Inaugurated in 2018, UGHE releases graduates with Bachelor and Master’s in global health sciences.
Its curriculum has similar course units with those of Harvard in the United States.
The Advisory Board will be instrumental to UGHE’s ambitious mission of building a robust healthcare workforce in Africa to provide equitable, quality health services to all, and supporting the continent’s path to self-reliance in health by advancing its human resource potential.
Additional to providing guidance on the institution’s strategic development and implementation, the Advisory Board will support UGHE’s efforts to expand its academic programs and its overall reach according to the needs of the African continent.
Through a statement released by UGHE today, First Lady Jeannette Kagame
stated that ‘to afford all human beings access to the quality health services and care they need, when they need them, is to afford them dignity and control over their own lives’.
“To achieve this, however, we need more than strong policies, laws and mechanisms in the health sector. We need the right people in the right places, making the right decisions at the right time, to guarantee every individual’s right to health,” she noted.
Prof. Senait Fisseha has said that advancing the human resource potential and self-reliance in African health systems, requires global health institutions like UGHE that train clinicians, passionate and compassionate global health leaders, innovative researchers, scientists and implementers, health entrepreneurs, and managers on the continent.
“Our UGHE’s new African Advisory Board of prominent leaders and experts will support our institute drive a human centered resource development agenda, and we are proud to unite their visions, actions, exhibited competency and commitment to help move this health equity forward,” he stressed.
The Advisory Board is expected to bring together eminent African leaders and global health leaders from diverse fields, sectors, genders and geographies; people whose respective careers have helped advance both human and socio-economic development on the continent. The Advisory Board will also invite selected global leaders to share their knowledge and expertise gained from their work on the continent and globally.
Many African populations face significant geographic and financial barriers to accessing basic health care, and delivery of these services is compromised by a scarcity of health facilities, modern medical equipment, and skilled healthcare professionals.
The COVID-19 pandemic has especially highlighted the need for increased research and manufacturing capacity in Africa to bolster the development of life-saving drugs, equipment, and vaccines on the continent and to achieve this, skilled professionals also need to be educated.
By educating generations of global health leaders to provide equitable, quality health services; UGHE aims to improve healthcare delivery in Africa and beyond and provide lessons that can be implemented worldwide.
To provide innovative solutions to health’s pressing challenges, students are equipped with the skills to carry out clinical and global health research, as well as the expertise and know-how to build, strengthen and manage resilient healthcare systems prepared to respond to emerging health threats like COVID-19.
UGHE was inaugurated in 2018 through the partnership of Partners in Health, the Government of Rwanda, Cummings Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Havard University among others.
{{About UGHE}}
UGHE focuses on quality, innovation and scientific-based learning and requires that students learn from and live within the communities facing the aforementioned constraints to healthcare access. By situating the university in the rural North of Rwanda, it provides proximity education that exposes our students to the challenges that they will be tasked to address on the continent.
Through a community-based learning approach that leverages community members as teachers, students are equipped with a deep understanding of the needs of the vulnerable, positioning them to adequately address them in their future professional life. By applying these principles, UGHE breaks down traditional boundaries between academic disciplines, fostering interprofessional teaching and learning.
Amb. Ahmed who is concluding his tour of duty had presented credentials to President Paul Kagame in January 2018 to represent his country to Rwanda.
During his tour of duty, Ahmed strived to expand cooperation in areas of health and trade among others.
One of most recent activities include an agreement paving the way for the construction of a new heart research center in Masaka, Kigali signed between Amb. Ahmed Samy Mohamed El-Ansary and the Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Ngamije.
The project is backed by the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD).
Both countries have been enjoying cooperation for the past 45 years in the areas of agriculture, energy, health and education.
The cooperation has opened doors for Egyptians investment to Rwanda where the country organizes annual exhibition for products manufactured from its factories based in Rwanda known as “Egyptian Expo”.
Egypt is among Rwanda’s export markets for agricultural produce including tea, vegetables and fruits among others.
BBC Monitoring has recently reported that Islamic State released a statement condemning acts of the Government of Rwanda over the recent deployment of troops to Mozambique to fight insurgents linked to this group.
BBC Monitoring is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation which monitors, and reports on mass media worldwide.
In the statement seen by BBC, Islamic State warned that Rwandan Christians are dragging themselves into acts of violence to innocent Muslims prompting them to fight back.
Speaking to IGIHE, the Spokesperson of Rwanda Defence Force, Colonel Ronald Rwivanga has revealed that RDF is standby to defend the country and protect Rwandans.
He further stated that the collaboration of Rwandans with Mozambican troops in Cabo Delgadocan irks Islamic State.
“They cannot be happy with the cooperation. It is apparent that they continue to fight you wherever you are. Even these [insurgents in Mozambique] were not willing to cease fire. They resisted but ended up in vain. During the recent press conference, we clarified that Rwanda is standby to deal with the situation anytime as we protect citizens and defend national sovereignty. We are not worried. We are always ready to protect the country and its citizens,” he said.
“Their reaction is not surprising. It is however a testament that these groups work together,” added Col Rwivanga.
Rwanda recently on 9th July 2021 started the deployment of 1000 troops of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and the Rwanda National Police (RNP) to Mozambique to fight rebel groups linked the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The group sometimes calls themselves al-Shabaab, although they do not have known links with the Somali al-Shabaab.
The situation started worsening in October 2017 when armed extremists linked ISIL launched an insurgency in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique.
Since then, Mozambique Defence Armed Forces have been battling the extremists while many civilians were displaced by the fighting.
The joint operations between Rwandan and Mozambican troops have started yielding where different regions including Palma, Awasse, Mocímboa Da Praia, Quionga, Tete, Zambia, Maputo, Nhica Do Rovuma, Quelimane, Chinda and Mumu have been seized from rebels.
Mocímboa da Praia is a port town in northern Mozambique, lying on the Indian Ocean coast, located in Cabo Delgado Province. It is a border post for travel to and from Tanzania and is the seat of Mocímboa da Praia District.
The area located in the eastern part of Cabo Delgado has been a stronghold for insurgents for the past five years.
It is also home to different infrastructures including an airstrip and port among others.
Governor Taliabo last visited the area in May 2020 before rebels destroyed major infrastructures in the town.
During the visit on Thursday, he was along with mayors from neighboring districts some of whom have assets in Mocimbao da Praia.
Some of their houses have been burnt while others turned into safe habitats for owls.
Faruk Jamal had huge investments in Mocimbao da Praia including a hotel, factories and petrol stations among others.
He used to generate around US$2.5 million in profits but he was forced to leave like other displaced locals following rebels’ recurring attacks that saw three of his employees killed.
“I used to earn US$2.5 million in profits per year. However, things have fallen apart that assets worth US$1.4 million have been set ablaze,” Faruk has told IGIHE.
The investor who used to export 75 containers of timber per annum has thanked Rwandan soldiers for restoring peace in the area.
Governor Taliabo also thanked President Paul Kagame for sending joint troops of Rwanda National Police and Rwanda Defence Force upon the request of Mozambican counterpart Nyusi to quell insurgents in the region.
“We have seen Rwandan and Mozambican forces working together to liberate Mocimbao de Praia. Our visit to Mocimbao de Praia is the fruit of cooperation of these soldiers who consolidated efforts to restore security. The next move is to seek how displaced citizens can be resettled,” he said.
Brig Gen Pascal Muhizi who is commanding Rwandan troops deployed to Mocimbao de Praia accompanied the officials as their visited captured areas.
The insurgents saw at least 65,000 people displaced in Mocimbao de Praia.
It is estimated that 90% of regions previously occupied by rebels in Palma have been liberated following joint operations by Rwandan and Mozambican soldiers.
The regions still under the control of rebels include Mbao, Siri I and Siri II.
A-eTrade is a multi-stakeholder group of African professionals and business people with a vision to develop and implement an e-empowerment program that will enhance intra-and inter-African trade.
The group brings together public and private sector partners to develop projects that leverage the power of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the benefit of Africa’s present and future entrepreneurs.
A-eTrade Group is developing a comprehensive e-commerce platform, Sokokuu, to enhance the role of Africa’s small and medium enterprises in inter and intra-African trade.
The Presidency has also revealed Rwanda will host the Group’s continental headquarters working closely with regional offices.
