Tag: HomeNews

{{Rwanda’s First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, this weekend officiated the birth of a new network of women leaders named; Rwanda Women Leaders Network (RWLN).}}

The network is Aimed at encouraging women leaders in sharing their experiences and ideas maintaining their contribution towards Rwanda’s development.

The event that attracted over 200 women was held at Kigali Serena Hotel on Saturday.

RWLN was an idea of the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion and One UN Rwanda with the objective of connecting all women leaders and inspiring younger women.

The First Lady speaking at RWLN launch pointed out that women owe power, wisdom, and ability to contributing positively to Rwanda’s development if given platform.

Mrs. Kagame further challenged women to stand up and make positive decisions that will bring sustainability and development not only to their families but also the country as well.

{{South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) has today Placed placed all military units on emergency alert following the news of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death on Saturday.}}

South Korea’s officials said they may raise the “Defcon,” a five-stage combat alert level, from its current level of four to three, and may also increase the Watchcon, an anti-North Korea surveillance alert, from three to two. Watchcon two signifies a state of emergency with indications of a vital threat from North Korea.

According to the JCS, the Master Control and Report Center (MCRC) at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, which handles aerial monitoring and analysis, plans to ask for reinforcement by both South Korean and U.S. forces.

Kim Jong-il died on Saturday of a heart attack aged 69. According to hagiographic official accounts, Kim Jong-Il was born on February 16, 1942 at Mount Paekdu, a sacred site to Koreans.

However, independent experts say his birthplace was actually a guerrilla camp in Russia, from where his father was fighting Japanese forces who had colonised the Korean peninsula.

He suffered a stroke in August 2008. Some reports say he also suffered from kidney failure which required dialysis, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Kim defied widespread predictions of regime collapse as the communist state’s command economy wilted under its own contradictions and Soviet aid dried up in the early 1990s.

In the mid- to late-1990s Kim presided over a famine that by some estimates killed one million — but he still found resources to continue a nuclear weapons programme culminating in tests in October 2006 and May 2009.

North Korea regime faces increasing pressure from sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes and the parlous state of the economy. But the late leader’s state of health accelerated a perilous succession.

Kim Jong-Il inherited power from his father Kim Il-Sung, the 100th anniversary of whose birth comes next year in another flashpoint date that has US and South Korean analysts watching on nervously.

{{ {Nasho, Kirehe DIstrict} : 329 Police officers have completed a four Months special training course. The special training was concluded on Saturday.}}

The course participants were trained on special skills including; drills such as laying and beating ambushes, freeing hostages, individual tactics and self defence as well as shooting.

During the pass-out ceremony, a group of police officers demonstrated skills in self defence and use of a variety of objects to fight the violent criminals.

Inspector General of Police Emmanuel Gasana said, “Training police officers in different skills is our priority”.

He explained that such skills help prevent and fight criminals. Gasana urged the police officers to put in practice skills and knowledge acquired from training to further ensure a secure and peaceful country for all.

“Without security there is no development that is why security has always to come first,” Gasana said.

{{Kigali Health Institute (KHI) has emerged as the best healthcare educational institute in Africa 2011. }}

KHI was honored with The Africa – India Partnership Summit {Le Matinal Educational Excellence Award} which includes a trophy and citation in a ceremony that held at Sugar Beach Resorts, in Mauritius on 14th December 2011.

The institute was recognized for its innovation, academic and leadership interface as well as the supreme objective of training healthcare professionals at the international standards.

As explained by Dr. R. L. Bhatia, the Founder of World Education Congress, Le Matinal Educational Excellence Awards with World Education Congress & Asian Confederation of Businesses envisions making a difference to the Education Fraternity.

“Our endeavor was to pay a tribute to temples of Learning and Gurus who shaped the destinies of future creators. The Le Matinal Educational Excellence Awards has been successful in doing so and we are proud of it.” Dr. R.L. Bhatia explains.

The award is the highest honor to individuals and institutions that have surpassed several levels of excellence and emerged role models of exemplary leadership.

The Ag. Rector of KHI commended the Africa -India Partnership Summit for having selected KHI among many other universities and added that the award is an encouragement to keep on doing more in training qualified health professionals for Rwanda and the whole Africa.

She further reiterated that the institute is committed to offer efficient health services to its clients who come to her dental and physiotherapy clinics and medical laboratory diagnostic center.

As requested by participants in that event, the World Education Congress will be held on 29th & 30th June, 2012 at Taj Lands End, Mumbai. The congress will be themed on “Evolving Trends in education”.

The congress will examine modern as well as traditional knowledge system and will further explore on how education can help develop mental, emotional and physical skills to help facilitate personal excellence as well as psychological and socio-economic wellbeing, in the challenging times the world faces today.

It will also be an occasion for participants to offer some solutions on academic issues that affect an institution’s viability in today’s fast-paced business environment.

{{Huye District residents and all Rwandans in general should avoid gender-based violence (GBV) since it hinders development, an MP Winifilde Niyitegeka has argued.}}

MP Niyitegeka said that when Violence persists in families it cripples their productivity hence becoming a barrier to sustainable development at large.

Niyitegeka speaking at the closing the 16 days anti GBV campaign ceremonies were carried out in Kinazi sector, Huye District.

“Violence is the enemy of development.” Winifilde Niyitegeka said while calling upon all Rwandans across the country to avoid violence at their homes in order to attain development goals.

All the residents that attended the closing of 16 days of GBV campaign agreed that drug consumption was one of the factors that increase violence and vowed to fight the use of drugs in their communities.

Within the ceremony, families that before were characterized by violence but have made some progress towards fighting and ending it, were congratulated, as well as some individuals who showed good will to fight gender based violence.

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{{Kigali Institute of education (KIE) has held its first graduation of distant learning under Rwanda-India partnership where 50 students graduated in masters and PGDs.}}

Rwanda Leaning Center hosted by Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) successfully facilitated students in MBA IB, PGD IT, and Masters of Finance and Control using Tele-Education.

Tele-Education implies the use of electronic information technologies to provide education facilities to the students at remote locations.

All students graduated in this program as students of Amity University based in India under the Pan African eNetwork.

Tele-Education Coordinator Irenee Ndayambaje pointed out that the program with Amity University has been a weak up call to the use of ICT in educational purposes.

Ndayambaje further recommended on the program saying, “the secret of this accomplishment has been humility, acceptance to go through trials and errors but with mainly joint efforts and determination to achieve the stated goal.”

Commending the program Virginie Akimana who graduated in MBA International Business said, “E-learning started almost as a challenge to most of us. Before, it was a bit dark and many of us here were imagining remaining at work with no hope for further studies and promotion. But, it finally reached a level where everybody was taking pleasure in the learning environment. Video conference learning program made us as people from one global village whereby we had to discuss and share experience with students from other countries.”

The graduation ceremony was held simultaneously in five African countries including Uganda and Malawi among others all affiliated to Amity University in India through Video Conferencing.

An e-Learning center at KIE was established on 26th February 2009 (under PAN-African e-Network Project). KIE hosts the opportunity to provide e-Learning facilities using latest V-SAT technology.

The basic objective of the PAN-African e-Network is to help Africa in capacity building by way of imparting quality education to students from some of the best Indian Universities, Educational Institutions, and to provide tele-medicine services by way of on line medical consultation to the medical practitioners in the patient-end locations from Indian medical specialists.

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{{The minister in charge of cabinet affairs Protais Musoni has said that implementation of national priorities will be hastened as a way to achieve the country’s developmental goals on time.}}

He was briefing the media on the outcomes of the concluded 9th national dialogue.

Musoni pointed out that the national dialogue was essential since it promoted accountability among leaders by giving space to the public to give their opinions especially on government based programs.

The minister of local government James Musoni noted that views from the public are also considered in the formation of the coming year agenda.

“We gather opinions from everyone, may it be from senior leaders, civil society, private sector, security officials and the general public.”

He added, “Policy makers are always there to take note of interesting ideas while leaders also note problems at the same time there’re common agreements which are also considered in formation of the national plan,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Anastase Murekezi the minister of Public Service and Labor (MIFOTRA) noted measures are being enhanced to strengthen the private sector through capacity building and assistance to access finance.

“So far we’re training them on how to write good projects since it influences access to credit and we also provide mentors to guide them in management of their entities,” he remarked.

He was reacting to concerns of the lack of partnership between local private sector and international firms.

A good example is the recent partnership of Visa Company with government which is contrary to its trend of collaborating with private investors.

Responding to the matter, the minister of finance John Rwagombwa insisted that partnering with Visa doesn’t necessarily mean that the local private sector is incompetent.

“The agreement is in line with the government’s program of enhancing electronic payment system through the use of technology,” he said.

The recent appointed minister of education and also the former head of senate, Vincent Biruta gave highlights on some of the plans aimed at improving the education sector.

He also disagreed with rumors that boarding schools will be closed citing rather students who are in boarding schools away from their homes are advised to look for similar schools in their neighborhood, the aim is to have less students boarding so that learning institutions secure rooms to accommodate more students under the both free primary and secondary education.

Biruta also disclosed that a revision of the syllabus was underway which will be followed by uniting all public universities in order to utilize resources.

“We intend to have a major laboratory equipped with sophisticated tools.”

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{{Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) decided by Majority, the Presiding Judge Sanji M. Monageng dissenting, decline to confirm the charges and to release Mbarushimana from the custody of the Court, on the completion of the necessary arrangements.}}

The Majority of the Chamber, comprising Judge Sylvia Steiner and Judge Cuno Tarfusser, found that there was not sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that Callixte Mbarushimana could be held criminally responsible, under article 25(3)(d) of the Rome Statute, for the eight counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity brought against him by the Prosecutor.

This decision does not preclude the Prosecutor from subsequently requesting the confirmation of the charges against Callixte Mbarushimana if such request is supported by additional evidence.

Both the Prosecutor and the Defense may also appeal the decision declining to confirm the charges and the order for the release of Mbarushimana.

Factual findings

On the basis of the evidence presented, the Chamber found that there are substantial grounds to believe that, from at least 20 January 2009 until at least 31 December 2009, an armed conflict not of an international character took place in the North and South Kivus, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), between the forces of the Government of the DRC, supported at times by Rwandese forces (RDF) or the forces of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the one side, and at least one organised armed group, the Forces Democratiques pour la Liberation du Rwanda – Forces Combattantes Abacunguzi (FDLR), on the other.

The Chamber found substantial grounds to believe that FDLR troops committed several war crimes in different locations and at different times, particularly in Busurungi and surrounding villages in March 2009 (murder) as well as on or about 9 to 12 May 2009 (attacking civilians, murder, mutilation, rape, cruel treatment, destruction of property and pillaging); in Manje on or about 20 July 2009 (attacking civilians, murder, cruel treatment and destruction of property); in Malembe on or about 11 to 16 August 2009 (attacking civilians and destruction of property), and in Mianga on or about 12 April 2009 (attacking civilians, murder and destruction of property).

Although the Chamber found substantial grounds to believe that acts amounting to war crimes were perpetrated in five out of the twenty-five occasions identified by the Prosecutor, the Majority found that the evidence submitted was insufficient to be convinced of the existence of substantial grounds to believe that such acts were part of a course of conduct amounting to “an attack directed against the civilian population” pursuant to or in furtherance of an organisational policy to commit such attack, within the meaning of article 7 of the Rome Statute which defines crimes against humanity.

Accordingly, the Majority found that there were not substantial grounds to believe that crimes against humanity were committed by the FDLR troops.

The Majority of the Chamber, with the Presiding Judge dissenting, further found that Callixte Mbarushimana did not provide any contribution to the commission of the alleged crimes, even less a “significant” one.

The DRC ratified the Rome Statute, the founding instrument of the International Criminal Court, on 11 April 2002.

On 3 March 2004, the Government of the DRC referred to the Court the situation (the events falling under the Court’s jurisdiction) in its territory since the entry into force of the Rome Statute on 1 July 2002.

After a preliminary examination, the Prosecutor initiated an investigation on 21 June 2004.

On 28 September 2010, Pre-Trial Chamber I issued a warrant of arrest under seal for Mbarushimana. The warrant was unsealed on 11 October 2010.

On 25 January 2011, the French authorities surrendered Mbarushumana to the Court.

He was then transferred to the Court’s Detention Centre in The Hague.

In the Document Containing the Charges, the Prosecutor charged Mbarushimana with five counts of crimes against humanity (murder, inhumane acts, rape, torture, and persecution) and eight counts of war crimes (attacking civilians, murder, mutilation, cruel treatment, rape, torture, destruction of property and pillaging).

The Confirmation of Charges hearing was held from 16 to 21 September 2011.

Besides Callixte Mbarushimana, three persons have been transferred to the Court with respect to the situation in the DRC; Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui
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A warrant of arrest has also been issued against a fourth person, Bosco Ntaganda, but has yet to be executed.

Investigations are ongoing with respect to the situation in the DRC.

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