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Speaking at a press conference in Makamba province on January 3, 2025, Ndikuriyo was asked by a journalist to address Rwanda’s concerns about the ongoing collaboration.

The journalist referred to a statement by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, who had expressed that Burundi should not be partnering with the terrorist group, given its aim to destabilize the country.

The collaboration between the Burundian military and FDLR has not only been mentioned by Rwanda but is also highlighted in a UN expert report, which states that they have been working together to fight against the M23 group in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.

“How does Rwanda get involved in Congo’s issues? Congo and Burundi have a military cooperation agreement, so how does Rwanda get involved? Rwandan soldiers have been going into Congo for over 30 years to fight these groups they accuse of genocide. If they haven’t eliminated them, it’s just the chaos they’re creating,” Ndikuriyo commented.

The Secretary-General of CNDD-FDD continued, “These are just excuses. Crying without reason! The Burundians have a good relationship with the Congolese, and they are helping each other. Is it wrong to help another? Why should that be upsetting? Why are you suffering over this? What does what happens on the other side have to do with them, given that they have their own border?”

Ndikuriyo echoed the words of the spokesperson for the Government of the DRC, Patrick Muyaya, who emphasized that no FDLR fighters are present in eastern DRC, as they supposedly do not have known bases there. However, this perspective differs from that of other DRC officials.

Among them, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thérèse Wagner Kayikwamba, and the spokesperson for the DRC military, Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge Bomusa, have acknowledged that the group is indeed present in the region and has been destabilizing the security of the Congolese people for many years.

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Ndikuriyo told reporters that Rwanda had provided shelter to those who attempted to overthrow the government of Nkurunziza in 2015 and that it is not acceptable for a soldier who defects to be welcomed by another country.

He explained that Burundi had re-closed its border with Rwanda in January 2024, after briefly reopening it, due to attacks launched by those who tried to overthrow the Nkurunziza regime.

Ndikuriyo further stated that the leaders of the two countries are in constant communication, discussing what is right and wrong, and that once the issues that led to the border closure are resolved, the borders will be reopened.

The Rwandan government rejected Burundi’s allegations of assisting individuals destabilizing its security, explaining that it had disarmed those it sheltered when they entered Rwanda and handed them over to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

In 2023, Rwanda welcomed 25,927 tourists who visited the gorillas, compared to 20,035 the previous year.

The Volcanoes National Park was established as a protected area in 1925 as the Albert National Park of Belgian Congo.

After Rwanda gained independence in 1962, the surface area of the park within Rwanda became the Volcanoes National Park, which originally covered over 320 square kilometers.

Currently, the park covers an area of 160 square kilometers, bordering Uganda to the north and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the northwest.

In 2023, the Volcanoes National Park received 46,187 visitors, engaging in various activities including gorilla trekking, which costs $1,500 for foreigners, $500 for Africans and EAC nationals, while Rwandans benefit from a discounted fee of $200 if booked at least 72 hours in advance.

Visiting monkeys costs $100 for foreigners and Rwf4, 000 for Rwandans. Visiting Dian Fossey’s grave costs $75 for foreigners and Rwf4,000 for Rwandans. Visiting the Buhanga area of the park costs $40 for foreigners and Rwf3,000 for Rwandans.

Exploring caves costs $50 for foreigners and Rwf4,000 for Rwandans. Trekking in the forest and climbing any of the five volcanoes, including Muhabura, at an altitude of 4,127 meters, visible from across the country, costs $55 for foreigners and Rwf3,500 for locals.

There’s also Mount Gahinga at 3,473 meters, Sabyinyo at 3,669 meters, known for its jagged peaks, and Bisoke, attracting tourists with its crater lake at 3,711 meters, costing $75 for foreigners and Rwf4,000 for locals. Mount Karisimbi, the highest in the country at 4,507 meters, costs $400 for foreigners and Rwf30,000 for locals to climb.

These large apes inhabit the high mountain forests of the Virunga range, which spans Rwanda, to Bwindi in Uganda, and Sarambwe in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Their scientific name is Gorilla beringei beringei, named after German soldier Robert Von Beringe, who first reported them in 1902.

These animals have moved from being critically endangered to now being classified as endangered, as reported by the World Wildlife Fund.

After extraordinary conservation efforts, medical care, and protection from poachers, led by the Rwandan government through the Rwanda Development Board, the most recent census indicates that there are now 1,063 gorillas worldwide. In the Virunga mountain range, which includes Rwanda, there are 604 gorillas.

Gorillas evoke strong emotions in those who visit them, with some considering it a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The one-hour encounter with these creatures is often described as unmatched by any other experience.

Gorilla tourism attracts people because visitors leave amazed by their human-like nature, their way of life in the forest, and their social structures that resemble those of humans.

One of the most astonishing aspects of mountain gorillas is their size and strength, with mature females weighing between 150 and 200 kilograms, and males between 200 and 250 kilograms. They can live between 35 and 45 years if they mature without encountering major issues.

Their babies are born after a nine-month gestation period weighing between three and five kilograms, and are weaned at around three and a half years.

In its lifetime, an adult female gorilla can give birth to between four and six offspring, although a notable exception is Kampanga from Sabyinyo family, who gave birth to eight.

Currently, the oldest gorilla is a female named Kibyeyi a member of the Hirwa family, who is 49 years old. The youngest is a one-month-old baby of the Sabyinyo family.

Their daily life closely resembles that of humans, mainly focused on survival, including feeding on vegetation and bamboo shoots. An adult gorilla can eat up to 15% of its body weight in vegetation per day, meaning a 200-kilogram gorilla consumes 30 kilograms of vegetation daily.

After feeding, they rest for over an hour, and at night, they make nests where they sleep. They live in families led by a dominant male, usually identified by a silverback, who is responsible for the family’s protection and territory, although they live in relative freedom, with families establishing their boundaries within the park.

Currently, 14 families are visited by up to eight tourists each per day, limiting the number of daily visitors to 112. However, these are not the only gorilla families, as new families form as the gorilla population grows. These families are closely monitored by experts until they are ready to be visited by tourists.

Initially, the Susa, Sabyinyo, and Group 13 families, now known as Agashya, were the first to be visited after American researcher Dian Fossey began studying gorilla behavior and conservation and habituating them to tourists in 1979.

The Susa family later splits into three new families: Karisimbi, Igisha, and Isimbi. This expansion occurs as the gorilla population increases.

This knowledge and data have been gathered by experts who monitor the gorillas at Volcanoes National Park, in collaboration with conservation partners such as The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Gorilla Doctors, and the International Gorilla Conservation Program.

To protect the park’s wildlife, 149 daily staff members monitor the animals in the high-altitude forest, while 27 others assist tourists visiting the park.

Dusseldorf airport reported that “a nationwide IT malfunction” at the federal police led to delays in both entry and exit at border control.

According to Bild, passengers were experiencing waiting times of up to two hours at Dusseldorf airport, while passengers at Berlin airport also expected similar delays.

At 18:13 local time (1713 GMT), Dusseldorf airport, one of the most affected ones, announced that the IT malfunction at the federal police had been resolved, allowing unrestricted entry and exit for non-Schengen flights.

The outage, lasting approximately four hours, was attributed to a technical problem in the Federal Criminal Police Office’s information system. Airports in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, and Berlin experienced only minor delays.

Heiko Teggatz, chairman of the Federal Police Union, criticized the government for inadequate IT modernization funding, highlighting a lack of approximately 150 million euros (154.48 million U.S. dollars).

The announcement was made by M23’s military spokesperson, Lt Col Willy Ngoma, on the night of January 3, 2024, via his X account.

“Katale in Masisi breathes the air of liberation. The enemy has suffered great losses, with many weapons and ammunition seized by the Lions of Sarambwe [M23],” he stated.

Manzi Ngarambe Willy, M23’s coordinator for the diaspora, also confirmed the capture, emphasizing that FDLR forces had been driven out.

The town was taken in the afternoon of January 3 following intense clashes between M23 fighters and a coalition of the Congolese army (FARDC) and FDLR terrorists, which had been ongoing since the morning hours.

Juvénal Munubo, the Member of Parliament for Masisi in the DRC’s National Assembly, voiced concern over the capture, fearing it could lead to the fall of the larger Masisi trading center. He called on the Congolese armed forces to act swiftly to reclaim the area.

“Katale is only 12 kilometers from the Masisi trading center, and its fall increases the enemy’s chances of capturing the Masisi capital of the territory, which is close to Walikale.

“It is urgent for FARDC and other forces defending the country to intensify their efforts to push them back and restore security in the east,” Munubo urged.

M23 fighters seized control of Katale after successfully repelling an attack on their positions, including those in Kahira and Buhimba in the Bashali-Mukoto area of Masisi.

According to media reports, the incident occurred shortly after President Akufo-Addo began delivering his speech, which focused on his administration’s accomplishments and future plans for the nation.

Col Amponsah, a trusted and long-serving aide, suddenly lost consciousness while standing guard in the chamber, causing a stir among lawmakers and officials present.

The incident was captured on video as Parliament’s medical team rushed to offer immediate care. Col Amponsah was quickly given first aid before being transported to a nearby hospital for further assessment.

In the midst of the unexpected event, President Akufo-Addo briefly paused his speech to ensure his bodyguard received the necessary attention before continuing.

Despite the disruption, the address resumed with the President reflecting on Ghana’s progress and future direction.

This came during the meeting between officials of the two countries as a high-level Ethiopian delegation led by Ethiopian Minister of Defense Aisha Mohammed made an official working visit to Somalia, the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued Friday.

According to the ministry, the Ethiopian delegation held “fruitful discussions” with senior Somali officials, including the country’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. It said the discussions “reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to working together to ensure peace and stability in Somalia and the region.”

The two countries “agreed to collaborate on the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia and strengthen bilateral relations.” They also agreed to enhance exchanges of visits and discussions among officials of the two countries, according to the statement.

Reiterating Ethiopia’s commitment to contributing to the peace and stability of Somalia, Ethiopia’s defense minister stressed that combating terrorism is a key area of cooperation between the two Horn of Africa countries.

Somali Minister of Defense Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the Ethiopian Defense Forces’ sacrifices and contributions to ensuring peace in Somalia, according to the statement.

Tensions had been escalating between Ethiopia and Somalia after Ethiopia and Somaliland reportedly signed an agreement earlier in 2024, allowing Ethiopia access to the Red Sea in exchange for its recognition of Somaliland, a self-declared region of Somalia, as an independent state. Somalia said the agreement is legally invalid.

After a period of mounting diplomatic tensions, leaders of Ethiopia and Somalia reached an agreement last month after Turkish-mediated negotiations in Ankara, marking a breakthrough in resolving recent misunderstandings.

Following the agreement, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Mohamud issued a joint statement emphasizing the importance of cooperation and dialogue between the two countries.

Both leaders reaffirmed their respect for and commitment to each other’s sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity. They also agreed to work together to finalize arrangements that would grant Ethiopia access to and from the sea.