The Presidential Communications Office confirmed that Interpol in Manila received an official copy of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) earlier that morning.
“Upon his arrival, the prosecutor general served the ICC notification for an arrest warrant to the former president for the crime of crime against humanity,” the government said in a statement.
“He’s now in the custody of authorities,” it said.
The charge of crimes against humanity stems from Duterte’s harsh anti-drug campaign. During his presidency from 2016 to 2022, the controversial “war on drugs” led to thousands of deaths, including those of children, with the arrest warrant stating that suspects were denied due process under the law.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) welcomed Duterte’s arrest, calling it “a crucial step toward accountability in the Philippines.”
The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019, during Duterte’s administration.
As president, Duterte spearheaded a controversial “war on drugs,” which garnered significant attention both locally and internationally.
During the meeting, President Kagame was accompanied by Francis Gatare, his Special Advisor, and Murangwa Yusuf, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.
The World Bank, established in 1944, is an international institution responsible for providing loans and grants to support development projects in emerging economies.
Over time, the Government of Rwanda and the World Bank have signed several development agreements, including a Frw355billion deal signed in December 2024 to support environmentally sustainable private-sector investments.
Between March 14 and September 9, 2025, government and the World Bank will collaborate on six projects focusing on environmental protection, urban transportation services, refugee assistance, and disaster response.
For these initiatives, the World Bank plans to provide Rwanda with USD 531.81 million (over Frw763billion) to support project implementation, pending approval by the Bank’s Board of Directors.
Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang confirmed that Lt. Gen. Yeiy Dak fled to Jonglei State, specifically the Lou Nuer area. He explained that some members of the SPLA-IO, who were integrated during the unification of forces, became fearful and fled Juba.
Lul urged them to return to the capital and resume their duties. He made these remarks during a press conference in Juba, Monday, March 10, 2025.
“Some components of the SPLA-IO, which were integrated into the system during the unification of the second level of command, began to fear, especially those who had been fueling and funding the conflict in Nasir,” Lul stated.
“Those who felt they had contributed to the unrest in Nasir through mobilization and funding took off. Some went into hiding here, while others fled to the nearest SPLA-IO cantonment areas in Central Equatoria, Terekeka, and some even as far as Lou Nuer areas,” he said.
“As we speak, we have the Deputy Director General for National Security ISB, Lt. Gen. Yeiy Dak, who was in charge of operations, having fled to the Lou Nuer area,” he added.
“We are appealing to them, including those who went as far as Lou Nuer, to return, and for those still nearby, to come back and resume their normal duties.”
Last week, the SPLM-IO claimed that several of its members, including Deputy Chief of Defense Forces Gen. Duop Lam and Petroleum Minister Puot Kang, had been “arbitrarily arrested.”
Last week, Information Minister Michael Makuei confirmed that the officials were arrested for violating the law.
The delegation led by the Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia and President of PF-ICGLR, Rt. Hon. Nelly Mutti Butete will also meet President Yoweri Museveni.
Welcoming the delegation to Uganda, Speaker, Anita Among on Monday, 10 March 2025 at Parliament commended them for their commitment to regional peace and reaffirmed Uganda’s support for African-led solutions to the continent’s challenges.
“As Africans, we have always agreed that African problems can only be solved locally. This pursuit that you are doing, moving from one country to another, meeting heads of state to find the best way to achieve peace, is a very good initiative and I applaud you and your team for that,” she said.
Among also reiterated Uganda’s commitment to regional peace, stating that peace in the DRC is crucial for stability in the Great Lakes Region.
“Problem-solving is why they are here. We want to see how best peace can be created in the DRC and that peace can only be achieved with our heads of state and with us as Africans. It begins with us,” she said.
Among also highlighted Uganda’s active participation in the forum, noting that the country remains up to date on its financial obligations.
Butete outlined the objectives of the visit, emphasizing the importance of regional leadership in resolving conflicts.
“This is the fourth phase on issues relating to peace and security in the Eastern DRC,” she said adding that, ’without peace, we cannot interact, and even regional integration cannot prosper. Peace is a precursor to development.
She underscored the need for African nations to take charge of their security concerns, avoiding external intervention where possible.
“We don’t want to invite strangers to come and intervene in our affairs when we have responsible leaders in our presence who can take charge and guide citizens to ensure peace and stability in the region,” Butete stated.
The delegation’s findings will be presented to the PF-ICGLR plenary in April before being escalated to higher levels for further discussion.
Butete, who is concluding her term as President of the forum, emphasized the importance of tangible progress before the leadership transition in Angola.
Uganda remains a key player in regional peace and security efforts, advocating for home-grown solutions to Africa’s challenges.
The rise in prices was primarily driven by increases in transport, food, and hospitality costs.
The report highlights that urban inflation, which is the headline index for monetary policy, saw a notable uptick, reflecting the ongoing economic dynamics.
“Urban CPI increased by 6.3 percent on an annual basis (February 2025 compared to February 2024) and by 0.7 percent on a monthly basis (February 2025 to January 2025),” the report states.
Among the key contributors to the inflation surge were transport costs, which rose by 17.4% year-on-year, and restaurant and hotel prices, which climbed by 11.6%.
The price of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased by 4.5%, while housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels saw a 2.9% rise.
Rural areas, however, experienced a milder price increase, with rural CPI rising by 2.2% annually and 1% on a monthly basis. This resulted in an overall national inflation rate of 3.8% year-on-year.
The NISR compiles Rwanda’s CPI using price data from over 1,622 products across the country, tracking inflation trends that impact households and businesses.
With inflationary pressures persisting, policymakers and businesses will be closely monitoring economic trends in the coming months.
Now settled in Kigali, Rwanda, with his family, the former wide receiver is gearing up to open SZY, a high-end vegan restaurant, in May. His journey, from earning $8 million in America’s most bruising sport to crafting crispy mushroom sandwiches in East Africa, is as radical as it is inspiring.
Doctson opened up about his journey in a recent episode of The Long Form Podcast, recorded in his airy Kigali home.
Over a vegan meal of battered oyster mushrooms and eggplant “fish sticks,” he traced a path shaped by ambition, injury, and reinvention.
“This is my new team,” he said, nodding to his chef Jackson and staff. “I’m repeating my NFL drive—leadership, success, but with food.”
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Doctson grew up in a modest single-parent household, raised by a mother who stretched food stamps to feed him and his brother. A move to Texas in 1999 planted the seeds for his football ascent.
At Texas Christian University (TCU), his talent as a wide receiver caught the NFL’s eye, landing him a 22nd overall pick by the Redskins in 2016.
At 22, he signed a $8 million contract—$6 million after taxes—a windfall he barely understood.
“I texted my agent, ‘How much?’” he recalled. “I thought, ‘I can get fast food and a haircut!’”
But wealth brought complexity. With no financial literacy training, Doctson navigated requests from family—once lending $15,000 he never recouped—and a league culture that often leaves players broke post-career.
He invested in real estate, a move that spared him that fate, but the NFL’s physical toll was harder to dodge.
A rare Achilles arthritis sidelined him in his rookie year, followed by a 2019 concussion that still triggers migraines, forcing him to wear sunglasses indoors.
“I was a lab rat,” he said of the grueling treatments. “I wasn’t enjoying the money or life.”
Retirement came abruptly in 2021 when the Arizona Cardinals cut him mid-meeting. At 29, with a fiancé, Haley, and a son to anchor him, Doctson walked away.
“I switched it off, cold turkey,” he said. “I’d done enough.” It was Haley, met in 2018 during his darkest days, who helped him heal through travel—including trips to Rwanda that changed his life.
Rwanda first captivated Doctson in 2018. After George Floyd’s death and Covid’s chaos, America felt “unsafe” to him as a Black man. “Stepping off the plane here, I smelled clean air, saw my people, felt home,” he said.
By 2024, he’d relocated his family permanently, trading Doritos for a quieter, freer life. “Police don’t scare me here,” he added.
Veganism emerged as his next frontier. A meat-eater in the NFL—where he was fined for losing weight—Doctson turned plant-based in 2020, seeking health and recovery.
“My body rejects meat now,” he explained, likening its smell to tobacco smoke.
Self-taught via YouTube and inspired by vegan chef Todd Anderson, he mastered dishes like cashew cream-slathered slaw and seaweed-spiced eggplant. His kids, raised vegan, thrive on mushrooms and beans, though he’s open to them exploring meat later.
“I’m giving them tools for their path,” he said.
SZY vegan restaurant aims to bring that vision to Rwanda. Set behind KABC in Kigali, the restaurant will blend high-end dining with plant-based innovation—think honey mustard from Rwandan honey and coleslaw sans dairy.
“Food was a prison in the NFL,” Doctson reflected. “Veganism’s my challenge now—failure, then reward.”
Partnered with Anderson, he’s betting on Rwanda’s growing expat and health-conscious scene, despite its meat-rich traditions.
For Doctson, Rwanda is more than a business venture; it’s a legacy for his children.
“We chose here for safety—no shootings, no fear like in America,” he told the podcast, addressing his kids 20 years from now.
From NFL stardom to vegan visionary, Josh Doctson’s reinvention proves some plays are bigger than the field.
Watch the full interview on The Long Form Podcast below.
According to reports, the suspect, Collins Leitich, alias Chepkulei, a resident of Asis Village in Ndugulu location, took it upon himself to establish a police patrol base at a building, and went as far as painting the structure in official police colors, creating the impression of a legitimate security post.
The discovery of the unauthorized base was made by local authorities, who promptly commenced investigations.
Officers from Kamuyu Police Post, under Kondoo Police Station, were alerted and recorded the incident under OB04/08/03/2025.
Residents expressed shock at the revelation. “We were surprised to learn that the police patrol base was not official. Many of us thought it was a genuine initiative to improve security in the area,” said one of the residents.
Authorities have yet to establish the suspect’s motive for setting up the unauthorized patrol base. Police have assured residents that appropriate action will be taken as they continue with their investigations.
According to reports given by most Kenyans, the man did this due to lack of jobs. Taking to his different social media platforms to speak on this, the former Governor of Nairobi, Honorable Mike Sonko stated that nothing is impossible in Kenya.
In a candid interview with content creator Mario Nawfal on his 69 X Minutes show, President Kagame maintained that despite the UN’s 26-year presence in the DRC, it has failed to achieve any meaningful accomplishments, as the region continues to grapple with constant conflict, making much-needed peace and stability elusive.
“What did they actually come to do? To keep peace? What peace? To bring peace? What peace have they brought? Did they come to solve the security problem caused by the FDLR, which has been in Congo for 30 years? Nothing. So why are they still there?” President Kagame posed.
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), initially established as MONUC, has been stationed in the country since 1999. Despite its mandate to stabilize the country, protect civilians, and support the Congolese government, the mission has failed to curb violence.
With an annual budget exceeding $1.13 billion and a contingent of approximately 23,000 peacekeepers, MONUSCO remains the most expensive UN peacekeeping mission.
In the interview, Kagame reiterated that the conflict in the DRC stems from the arbitrary borders drawn by colonial powers, with the Congolese government failing to recognize Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese, who found themselves within DRC territory, as its citizens.
“It was just an open space. They drew a line, left Rwanda on this side, and called the other side Congo. But this line divided families. These are the ones who are fighting—the ones the government is uprooting and telling to go back to Rwanda. They are M23,” Kagame explained.
The president pointed out that Rwanda currently hosts 130,000 refugees from DRC, some of whom have been in the country for over 23 years.
At the same time, the Rwandan Head of State denied claims that Rwanda is behind the conflict in eastern Congo to plunder its neighbor’s mineral resources.
“If you look at a list of 100 entities—China, Europe, the US, Canada, and so on, including all of us in the region—who are interested in Congo’s minerals, Rwanda would come 100th, at the very bottom. But the situation has been framed in a way that makes it seem as though the ones least concerned about minerals are the ones responsible for the entire problem. Meanwhile, these 100 entities are the ones making billions and leaving nothing behind, yet Rwanda is made to absorb the blame,” he stated.
Kagame maintained that Rwanda’s primary concern in the region is the presence of the FDLR in Congo, a group composed of remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which continues to pose a threat with its mission for regime change in Rwanda.
“The FDLR—those who committed genocide—went to Congo 30 years ago. They have since worked with politicians and become part of the political landscape. They cause problems for the Congolese, but their ultimate goal is to destabilize Rwanda,” he said.
Kagame also criticized Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi’s approach to the crisis, accusing him of harboring extremist views while refusing to engage in dialogue with the M23 rebels to resolve the escalating conflict in eastern Congo.
Kagame also questioned Tshisekedi’s legitimacy, saying the said the Congolese President has never been elected.
“By the way, I don’t mind how he became president. He was not elected either time. The first time, Joseph [Kabila] handed power over to him—there’s no question about that. The second time, he simply declared himself the winner, and everyone was told to keep quiet. But that’s not my problem.”
Meanwhile, in eastern Congo, M23 rebels continue to battle government forces and their allies—including the FDLR, SADC troops, the Burundian army, and various militia groups—over longstanding grievances related to the marginalization of Congolese Tutsis.
Recent territorial gains by M23 have led to the capture of strategic towns in North and South Kivu, including Goma and Bukavu.
According to media reports, the capture of Nyabiondo came after intense fighting with the APCLS militia, which is aligned with the DRC government forces. The clashes began on the morning of March 9, 2025.
Kipanda Biiri, a local leader from the Osso-Banyungu Sector where Nyabiondo is located, told Reuters, that M23 took Nyabiondo at around 3 p.m. after the fighting.
Many residents of Nyabiondo fled the violence, seeking refuge in safer areas in the western part of the province, including Kashebere.
Nyabiondo, located at the entrance of the Walikale Territory, is a strategic area and has been a stronghold for armed groups allied with the DRC government, including NDC-R led by Guidon Shimiray Mwissa.
In recent weeks, countries such as Canada, Belgium, and Germany have imposed sanctions on Rwanda, accusing it of supporting the M23 rebel group and fueling insecurity in eastern DRC. Rwanda refutes the claims, and instead blame DRC for collaboration with FDLR terrorist group to threaten the country’s security. These countries claim that Rwanda is exploiting the conflict for access to the DRC’s mineral wealth.
In a message shared on Monday, March 10, 2025, Amb. Rwamucyo pointed out that despite its vast natural resources, the DRC remains one of the poorest countries in the world.
“DR Congo is a development paradox. Although it boasts being endowed with vast natural resources, it is the poorest nation on earth. The UN Human Development Index [HDI] ranks DRC 180th out of the 193 countries listed,” he posted on X.
Amb. Rwamucyo argued that the real beneficiaries of the DRC’s mineral wealth are foreign interests and corrupt Congolese officials.
“Talk of who exploits DRC’s mineral wealth: The corrupt GoDRC and powerful political elites have for decades mortgaged the country’s mineral resources to any powerful exploiter who will line their pockets. Perpetuating the narrative that illegal exploitation of mineral resources is the root cause of conflict in DRC is cynical, hypocritical and disingenuous. The painful fact is that this narrative is perpetuated by corrupt DRC officials and the very culprit exploiters,” he stated.
He emphasized that blaming Rwanda for the DRC’s problems is a distraction from the real issue—endemic corruption and bad governance.
According to him, Rwanda’s main security concern is the DRC’s preservation and support to the genocidal FDLR which is responsible for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and is a security threat to Rwanda; and the ethnic cleansing and persecution of Congolese Tutsi.
Amb. Rwamucyo also highlighted that major western european actors deliberately perpetuate the narrative of illegal exploitation of mineral resources to cover-up their brute and greedy decades of exploitation of DRC.
“Kamituga is a large gold mining town. Gold was first discovered in the 1920s. These are the cheapest to mine high quality alluvial gold deposits in Lualaba, Mobale, Kahushimira, Kamakundu, and Idoka rivers. Belgium Company Miniere des Grands Lacs Africain (MGL) – Greatlakes Mining Company owned and started commercial mining of Gold in Kamituga in the 1930s until 1997,” he explained.
“That is 67 years of plundering cheap high quality gold with no benefits to congolese citizens. In 1997, MGL sold the Gold mine concession to Banro, a Canadian company. Banro owns the mines to this day. Belgians still maintain a key stake,” added Amb. Rwamucyo.
Despite its mineral wealth, Kamituga remains underdeveloped, with its residents living in extreme poverty and lacking basic infrastructure such as roads.
Amb. Rwamucyo argued that Western nations do not support the DRC out of goodwill, democracy, or human rights concerns but rather to protect their economic interests in the region.
“When Belgium and Canada and their neo-colonial european allies, who are at the historical root of this conflict, side with DRC, ganging against Rwanda and refuse to condemn DRC’s ethnic cleansing and persecution of Congolese; they are consumed by protection of brute and greedy national mining and economic interests in places like desolate and sleepy Kamituga and the rest of DRC. It is an action aimed at appeasing desperate DRC elites. This is not about values of good governance, democracy or human rights. It is about protecting greed and brutal national interests,” he said.
Amb. Rwamucyo’s remarks come just days after President Paul Kagame reiterated that Rwanda’s primary concern is its own security, not the mineral wealth of the DRC, as some have falsely claimed.
