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  • Rwandan rebels waged war on mobiles

    How to spearhead a deadly militia in Congo, from Germany ? In modern times, one only needs a mobile-phone and a laptop to unleash a humanitarian catastrophe. German prosecutors are convinced that two Rwandans waged a brutal war some 6,000 kilometres away via telephone calls and emails.

    Judges in Stuttgart this week will continue hearing evidence against two Rwandan rebel leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

    Known as the “The Doctor” for his PhD in economics, Ignace Murwanashyaka headed the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. With the help of his deputy Straton Musoni, he maintained the militia’s website, signed press releases and gave interviews about the group’s struggle against Rwanda.

    But prosecutors in Stuttgart argue that Murwanashyaka and Musoni also directly ordered the burning of Congolese villages, the murder of 200 civilians, large numbers of rapes, recruitment of child soldiers and the use of human shields. Both men face a sentence of life in prison.

    Handcuffed
    They were brought to court last Wednesday, handcuffed but looking confident with six lawyers at their side. The prosecutor read out a total of 55 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes including mass killings and rapes as part of “terror campaign” in eastern DR Congo from 2008 until their arrest in 2009. 

    They allegedly led a terrorist organisation from their sitting rooms. “We are talking about the full range of atrocities that one can imagine in a civil war,” federal prosecutor Christian Ritscher told a panel of six judges in opening arguments. The defence, however, demanded a dismissal of the proceedings saying the trial is purely politically motivated.

    The trial poses a huge challenge for judges in Stuttgart. It is too dangerous for them to visit the crime scenes so it requires some imagination to picture what happened in small jungle villages thousands of kilometres away. Besides, they will also have to familiarise themselves with the history of the region, the type of crimes and the cultural context.

    Numbering between 3,500 and 5,000 fighters, the FDLR is notorious for using rape as a weapon of war. It consists of former Rwandan Hutu government soldiers and militias who carried out the 1994 genocide. Since they fled Rwanda that year, the former génocidaires tried to topple the Tutsi-dominated government in Rwanda, without success. Although its European leadership is behind bars, the group continue its brutalities in the dense forests of Eastern Congo, where they control gold mines and collaborate with other fighting forces to sell mineral products.

    Impunity
    The FDLR leadership enjoyed considerable impunity in Europe. While some of them already had a suspicious past in Rwanda, they were never seriously investigated. Murwanashyaka – who has been living in Germany since 1989 and presided the FDLR since 2001- had been arrested earlier in 2006. He was released because of lack of witnesses. But after new inquiries Murwanashyaka was arrested again in November 2009, this time alongside Musoni.

    Despite the many challenges, Human Rights Watch says the trial is groundbreaking. It is “a powerful statement that courts – even thousands of miles away from where the atrocities occurred – can play a decisive role in combating impunity,” says the organisation’s International Justice Advocacy Director Geraldine Mattioli-Zeltner.”The German authorities took an important step in carrying out their legal obligation to prosecute these horrific crimes.”

    She says that Germany is “joining the expanding club of states that are willing” to fight impunity for international crimes. Although a local court in Frankfurt is dealing with a case against Rwandan genocide suspect Onesphore Rwabukombe since January, the FDLR trial will be an important test-case for Germany’s Code of Crimes Against International Law. Adopted in 2002 it allows prosecution of foreigners for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. It is “extremely far-reaching” as it does not require any link to Germany says Mattioli-Zeltner.

    Universal jurisdicition
    Over the past two decades a dozen of countries adopted the principle of universal jurisdiction. They have allowed national courts to investigate and prosecute grave international crimes committed elsewhere. Most universal jurisdiction cases concerned Rwandans, allegedly implicated in the country’s mass-killings. Genocide suspects were recently arrested in Norway, Belgium and France, while a court in the US started a trial against a Rwandan last month and a Dutch appeals court is to deliver a judgement at the end of June.

    The case in Stuttgart will be closely monitored by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, where Callixte Mbarushimana awaits his possible trial. After Murwanashyaka and Musoni were arrested, Mbarushimana worked as the executive secretary of the FDLR from Paris, where he was arrested last year.

    Meanwhile, the trial in Stuttgart is scheduled to run until at least July while observers say it may even take up to one year.

    (This story was first published by [Radio Netherlands International)->http://www.rnw.nl/]

  • EAC to study regional oil pipeline

    The
    East African Community is set to undertake a feasibility study on the
    construction of an oil product pipeline from Uganda to Rwanda, easing fuel
    supplies in the landlocked countries of Rwanda and Burundi, the EAC secretariat
    said early this week.

    The regional
    body has obtained a grant of at least $600,000 for the study from the African
    Development Bank, which will look at the viability of linking the two countries
    to a pipeline project running from the Kenyan coast to Uganda, the EAC cited
    Patrick Nyoike, the permanent secretary of Kenya’s Ministry of Energy, as
    saying.

    “The
    plan is to link Kigali [in Rwanda] by a pipeline from Kampala [Uganda], which
    will allow petroleum products to be accessed from the planned refinery in
    Uganda, as well as the existing refinery in Mombasa [on the Kenyan coast] and
    international markets,” Nyoike was quoted as saying.

    Uganda is
    planning to build a 150,000 barrel-a-day refinery in its oil-rich Albertine
    Rift basin following the discovery of at least a billion barrels of oil in the
    past couple of years.

    In March,
    U.K.-based Tullow Oil PLC agreed on a joint-venture deal with France oil major
    Total SA and China’s CNOOC Ltd. for the development of the oil fields in the
    basin, which is expected to cost at least $10 billion.

    EAC member
    states are also planning to diversify energy sources within the region in order
    to enhance security of energy supply, Nyoike was cited as saying.

    The
    regional body has finalized studies on the proposed natural gas pipeline from
    the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam to Kenya’s Mombasa in order to end
    overreliance on limited forms of energy. In February, Tanzania said that its
    gas reserves had more than doubled to 7.5 trillion cubic feet following a
    number of discoveries off the Tanzanian coast.

    It is
    expected that the project will contribute to the reduction of energy costs and
    shield power generation from variability of weather and international crude oil
    prices, Nyoike was cited as saying.

    The EAC
    member states are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

  • Africa can make more money from tourism, says report

    The Africa Competitiveness Report 2011, produced by the World Economic Forum, the African Development Bank and the World Bank, states that the continent has many advantages on which to build its tourism industry, including price competitiveness, a strong affinity for tourism and rich natural resources supported by efforts towards environmental sustainability.

    “One out of every twenty jobs in Africa is in the tourism and travel industry ; worldwide it is one out of every ten. That shows you the potential that we have if we can get the travel and industry up to the level of the global average,” said Shantayanan Devarajan, the World Bank’s chief economist for the Africa region, during the launch of the report in Cape Town at the World Economic Forum on Africa.

    According to a study by the Natural Resources Consultative Forum, a US$250,000 investment in the tourism sector generates an average of 182 full-time jobs.

    Devarajan singled out Rwanda as a country that has made the most of its tourism potential by creating a thriving industry around its mountain gorilla population. “Rwanda was coming off the genocide in the mid-1990s and they needed a source of foreign exchange. They’ve got these beautiful gorillas . . . and they decided to promote an ecologically friendly, highly targeted tourism industry around the gorillas,” he noted.

    Rwanda has also involved the local communities in the gorilla industry. This creates employment and insures that villagers have a direct interest in the conservation of the gorillas’ natural habitat.

    The report notes that a number of challenges remain to advance the continent’s competitiveness in the tourism sector. These include improving safety and security, upgrading health and hygiene levels, developing numerous forms of infrastructure, and fostering the region’s human capital.

    In addition to harnessing Africa’s tourism potential, the report found that to improve the continent’s competitiveness, governments should focus on stronger integration into international trade and finance, improved educational systems, as well as enhanced entrepreneurial opportunities for women.

  • Nyabihu landslide victims interred

    A subdued mood hang on to Gakoro cell, Rugera Sector, Nyabihu District yesterday, as the 14 victims of Friday’s mudslide tragedy were buried.

    Top government officials including Senators, Members of parliament and Ministers James Kabarebe and Gen Marcel Gatsinzi joined friends and relatives joined thousands to to remember the victims who died when a collapsing hillside engulfed the homes of one family who were asleep in the wee hours of Friday morning.

    Shortly after laying wreaths at the mass grave in which the victims were laid to rest, Disaster management minister Gatsinzi thanked the residents for their quick response and extended the government’s sympathy to the bereaved family.

    “We greatly regret the death of these people and extend our heartfelt condolences to the people of Nyabihu,” Gatsinzi said.

    He noted that local residents should ensure they find safer places to settle to avoid such accidents in future. The landslide was triggered by a heavy downpour.

    Those who died included 39 year-old Jean Damascene Nzamuhabwanimana, his 11 children and three wives identified as Alphonsine Ntibarikure, Gorette Nyirahabyarimana and Esperance Akingeneye.

    During the funeral service, mourners were shocked with the extent of damage .

    The district’s Mayor, Emmanuel Nsengiyumva, said that environmental hazards were a major problem in the district.

    “Given the topography of this region, more measures should be taken in order to avoid the risk of further landslides,” Nsengiyumva said.

  • Investing in hydropower infrastructure alone futile-minister

    The State Minister of Energy and Water, Eng. Coletha U. Ruhamya has said that investing in hydropower infrastructure without putting resources in skills development would be a nonstarter. 

    The minister made the remarks during a graduation ceremony of 30 newly graduated technicians who undertook a four week course in Hydropower operation and maintenance held in the Conference Room of the Ministry of Infrastructure on Friday.

    “Hydropower Plants are important for achieving goals. Rwanda has big potential for small and big Hydropower Plants that can be developed in order to supply electricity to our people.”

    She challenged the new graduated technicians to get involved in local projects and be the driving force with other partnering companies to develop new sites and manage those presently under construction. The minister congratulated the technicians and thanked the trainers for their time and sacrifice.

    Oliver Ngororabanga from REPRO, explained to the audience the operations of the newly Power Plant located in the Western Province (former Kibuye) that has been operational here since last year. The plant was put up from March 2008 up to March 2010.

    In his speech, a trainer from the Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre in Zambia, that undertook the training, said that any meaningful investment in infrastructure without the necessary skills for appropriate relatedness is a wasted investment. He outlined the importance of acquiring skills in hydropower, stating that it was vital for the country’s infrastructure. He also pointed that “our business is to ensure there are skills for higher power operations.” He disclosed that plans are underway to put up a Hydropower centre for Africa. He thanked the Rwandan government for taking the initiative to invest in skills transfer and hoped for continued partnership.”

    In an interview with IGIHE.com, one of those who undertook the course Ben Mategeko disclosed that the first phase of the training took two weeks in Zambia while the second phase was held in Kigali over a similar period.

    “The skills gained were really important, most trainees had theoretical background, some had little experience in hydropower plants but were exposed to huge power plants such as the Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre power plant (in Zambia), which generates about 990 megawatts, which is really enormous. It’s something that Rwanda is trying to emulate. The other great experience is the hands on experience.”

    He said that “what was learned from Zambia if properly utilised in Rwanda can contribute to the energy efficiency.”

    Those present at the event were representatives from the ministry of Infrastructure, Energy, Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA), various companies involved in development and construction of Hydropower including ARED, ENNY, REPRO, REGREPOWER, Digitech, GIZ, CTB and trainers from Kafue Gorge Regional Training Centre in Zambia.

     

  • Nyabihu mudslide ‘kills 14’

    At least 14 members of the same family have been killed in Nyabihu district after heavy rains sparked a mudslide that engulfed a small village, local authorities have said.

    The mudslide struck the village in the Rugera Sector on Friday at around 4am.

    At least three homes had been damaged or submerged.

    Among those feared dead was a one year old baby.

    The Nyabihu district Vice Mayor Angela Mukaminani said that authorities had managed to recover 11 bodies.

    Mukaminani, said some parts of the area had been evacuated because of the risk of further landslides.

    “We have temporarily relocated residents living near the scene of the accident to avoid more deaths as we intensify the search for those who are suspected to have died,” Mukaminani said.

    The area where the incident occurred is hilly with dotting houses at the foothills. In the past few months, the area has experienced one of the heaviest rainy seasons.

  • KCB to pump billions into struggling subsidiaries

    The Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) group Board of Directors has approved an additional Sh1.9 billion capital injection to support the growth of the bank’s struggling regional subsidiaries.

    Group chairman Peter Muthoka said the increased investment is meant to help the subsidiaries speed up their financial performance, and yield better returns to the shareholders.

    The beneficiaries of the new funding include KCB Uganda (Sh1.1 billion), KCB Tanzania (Sh225 million) and KCB Rwanda (Sh557 million). With the exception of KCB Sudan, these subsidiaries returned an accumulated net loss of Sh259 million last year, diluting the Group’s overall profitability.

    Performed better

    KCB Uganda reported a loss of Sh409 million, while KCB Tanzania and KCB Rwanda registered losses of Sh111 million, and Sh318 million, respectively. KCB Sudan, however, performed better than expected, returning a profit before tax (PBT) of Sh581 million.

    “KCB Sudan reported a good profit last year, and is poised for better returns in 2011 whereas KCB Rwanda and KCB Uganda are moving closer to profit making. KCB Tanzania is now stable, and should become more profitable going forwards,” said Muthoka. He, however, said all regional subsidiaries would be expected to break- even this year.

    Muthoka also said the KCB board would be reviewing the operations of each subsidiary as it seeks the right business model which delivers increased returns to the investors.

    “The board has agreed to increase investment in the subsidiaries this year to enable them accelerate their financial performance,” Muthoka told shareholders during the bank’s 40th annual general meeting (AGM) in Nairobi, yesterday. Muthoka said the board has also approved wide-ranging business 

  • Europcar rental agency: more than just a car

    One of the largest car rental agencies in the world Europcar set up its operations in Rwanda in January of 2011 without much fanfare. But five months on, the company is already making Rwandans to stop and take notice. 

    Going by the motto ’You rent more than a car”, the local agency consists of a management team, an operational team, marketing and sales team that have already managed to rapidly gain a huge client base. Some of the firms major clients within this short time span include international organisations, NGOs, the U.S Embassy as well as individuals who rent cars to travel for long distances.

    The Europcar offices are adjacent to Gorilla Hotel in the plush Kiyovu estate in Kigali.

     The operations manager of the local agency is Leonard Mugisha, a suave Ugandan-born chap of Rwandan descent, who is convincingly adept at lionising his firm. After giving me a short summary of Europa cars history, I ask him what the benefits of renting a car from Europa car agency rather than another car agency in Rwanda or abroad.

    “Firstly,the maintenance and servicing of the vehicles is one of our major responsibilities and we take seriously what we believe in, though we know how to keep our customers happy even while dealing with the competitive rates, we always remember our long term relationships have been due to our customer satisfaction,” he says.

     Europcar deals with millions of different types of cars every single day and for every car that is rented, the agency takes full responsibility for not only the insurance cover but also the delivery of the vehicle the customer has requested for. Mugisha told IGIHE.com that the vehicle with the highest demand in Rwanda is the Toyota Land Cruiser VXV8, especially by various organisations, private companies, as well as many of the CEO’S of corporate companies such as Tigo. Mugisha discloses that all these cars are 2010 models. 

    The company rents a Toyota Land Cruiser VXV8 at Rwf 100 million, whether the car is brand new or second hand. Renting and leasing isn’t the only service the agency provides.

    “A client may also hire qualified professional drivers to drive you during your lease of the car,” discloses Mugisha.

    Europcar, a car rental agency that was established in 1945 in Paris, France, now has 145 different rental agencies across the globe, in the Caribbean, North America, the middle east, the United kingdom, Russia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda and now Rwanda. iin all these countries, there are over 2,825 different car models rented in 3,000 different locations.

    Europcar, which has two divisions ; Europcar France and Europcar International, partners with a few of the great names in the car industry including Accor, Volkswagen, Thalys, Renault and Mercedes, as well as working with other partners such as Delta Air Lines and Easy jet. Their solid reputation for professionalism has made them the top third car rental brand in the world.

     The various prestigious awards that have over a decade placed themselves in their world trophy accolade include the number one and best car rental company in Europe and Africa in 2004 for three consecutive years and the world’s best leisure car in 2006.

    One of leading rental car agencies in the world has come to Rwanda not to compete against us but with us, says Mugisha.

    “Though we are still new, we are now working towards building a relationship with the government of Rwanda”, “I have personally seen what a great and diverse culture Rwanda has and we are hoping to recruit more Rwandans in order to enlarge the diversity of our agency. ”

    “Like I said with Europcar agency you are renting more than just car,” he aptly recap.

     

  • Rwanda moves BNR governor in reshuffle

    President Paul Kagame appointed the central bank governor as minister for trade and industry in his first reshuffle since being re-elected with 93 percent of the vote last year.

    Francois Kanimba, a former World Bank senior economist who had been governor of the National Bank of Rwanda since 2002, was replaced by his deputy Claver Gatete.

    Kagame, who has a firm grip on power in the central African country, gave no reason for the reshuffle announced late on Friday. It had been expected, however, because two ministerial posts recently became vacant.

    Kagame last rejigged his cabinet in December 2009. 

  • Rwanda soldiers kick out poverty

    The fresh dark green cassava leaves sway from one direction to the other as small insects scuttle around, doing quick errands combing the soil for food. 

    “All this cassava you see here, was planted by the Rwanda Defence Forces,” says Lt John Sebakara as he points at the huge plantations stretching towards the horizon in Rwanda’s eastern province.

    Ordinarily, Lt Sebakara and other soldiers would be in the jungles with guns training how to defend and assault their enemies. But taken up by the pressing food insecurity, the RDF, like any other army associated with guns, decided to take up hoes to till the land for agriculture. 

    “Our mission is not only to cultivate, but to involve farmers. We train them and tell them to go and implement what they have learnt,” adds Lt Sebakara as he kicks some small mounds of loose soil, which give way to a battalion of wheezing black ants. Huge chunks of idle government land formerly used as military training grounds for churning out gun wielding soldiers, have been transformed into agricultural farmland with a view to support national poverty reduction strategies.

    Armed with forked hoes and cutlasses, the dedicated soldiers donning full army uniforms and gumboots, descended on the virgin land clearing bushes for cassava plantations.

    The RDF through its Agro Processing Industries Ltd (API) has cultivated 1,300 hectares of cassava expected to be harvested in the last quarter of 2011.

    PI’s Director Finance and Planning, Lt John Sebakara, says API has four strategic business units. They are coffee and silk industries, Gako crop and horticultural production, Gabiro crop and horticultural production and dairy industry.

    With nine coffee washing stations and one mini station, API exports 207.3 tonnes of green fully washed Arabica coffee. At US$ 3.9 per kg, it brings 469,097,179.2 FRW US$19457.

    Rwanda has identified an Indian investor who will set up a processing plant. The factory will process the cassava into flour, starch and ethanol for exports to neighbouring countries.

    The cassava has already created employment for the locals. The workers, which comprise widows and widowers employed to work in the gardens get a salary of RF 45,000 (about US$76) per month.

    “This work is helping us a lot. We now have a group like a SACCO where we pool our money and give out to members in a rotational manner,” says Collette Mukarubayiza, a 51-year-old widow.

    While there are no actual figures, Rwanda is said to have cut down its defence budget, shifting the funds to agriculture.
    Sector performance reports show that in the 2010/2011 Financial Year, the Government of Rwanda spending on agriculture stood at 10.2%, slightly above the Maputo Declaration of 10%.
     In 2009/2010, Rwanda’s annual average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for agriculture was 7.4%.  

    In 2003, African Union issued a directive dubbed “The Maputo Declaration” for African leaders to increase their investment in agriculture to 10% of their national budgets. 

    “The failure of many African countries to increase their spending towards agriculture has been seen as a serious impediment to the continent’s mission to boost economic growth,” says Dr Cris Muyunda, the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO). 

     ACTESA , an alliance of institutions, is the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) specialised agency.

    COMESA through its specialised agency, embarked on a programme to ensure smooth flow of seeds from surplus to deficit areas by harmonising standards and removing trade barriers that hinder free-flow of seeds among member states.

    Rwanda is one of the countries that have successfully implemented COMESA/ACTESA programmes. Through the distribution of better seeds and training on better farming techniques the country has seen the production of its principle crops – maize, cassava, beans and bananas soar.
    The Rwanda Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr Agnes Kalibata, contends that linking smallholder farmers to markets is key to achieving food security in Africa.

    The RDF is a typical example of an efficient army that has gone out of war battles internally and in neighbouring countries and turned to hoes.
    With the post-genocide government committed to rapid economic recovery, prudent fiscal and monetary policies, liberalisation of the economy, and institutional capacity building, the economy has rapidly rebounded.