The ceremony was held on January 7, 2026, at the RWABG VII Base Camp in Bria, Sector East, Haute‑Kotto prefecture under the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
The medals were presented to personnel from Rwanda Battle Group VII (RWABG VII) and the Rwanda Level II+ Hospital (RWAMED X).
The ceremony was presided over by the MINUSCA Deputy Force Commander, Major General Maychel Asmi, who commended the Rwandan contingents for their professionalism, discipline, and operational effectiveness.
He particularly highlighted their vital role in supporting the electoral process, in line with MINUSCA’s mandate.
Major General Asmi praised RWABG VII for its sustained efforts in securing the Bria, Ouadda, and Sam-Ouandja areas, and commended RWAMED X for providing critical medical services to both United Nations personnel and the local population.
In his remarks, Lieutenant Colonel Willy Ntagara, Contingent Commander of Rwanda Battle Group VII, described the medal parade as one of the highest honours in a military career. He noted that the recognition serves as strong motivation for continued commitment to the mission’s objectives and mandate.
Similarly, Colonel Dr. Simon R. Nyagasaza, Commander of RWAMED X, highlighted the achievements of the Rwandan level 2+ hospital over the past year since their deployment in January 2025. He said that RWAMED X has provided medical services to MINUSCA personnel and local civilians that contributed to the achievement of their mandate.
The United Nations service medals recognize peacekeepers who have completed their tour of duty with distinction, reflecting discipline, courage, and unwavering dedication to the mission.
The group included Police Constable Patrick Kithinji and Police Constable Ahmed Ali, both attached to the Tononoka Police Station Crime Office in Kenya. They were reportedly pursuing a suspect wanted in Kenya in connection with an alleged fraud case involving obtaining money by false pretence when they crossed into Tanzanian territory on Tuesday.
Also among those detained were the suspect’s wife, Sophia Menza Mbogo, their driver, Abdikadir Adan, and a government official from the Coast Development Authority, who were travelling together in a Kenyan government vehicle.
At the time of their arrest, Tanzanian authorities confiscated two loaded Ceska pistols, each held by one of the police officers, along with ammunition and the vehicle. The Tanzanian side said the group breached immigration laws and East African Community regulations by entering the United Republic of Tanzania without permission and carrying firearms on foreign soil without prior coordination.
Tanzanian officials stated that the group’s actions violated both national immigration laws and the East African Community One‑Stop Border Post Act, 2016, which governs the operation of joint border controls and requires partner states to coordinate cross‑border activities.
“I would like to confirm that five Kenyans were arrested for conducting the arrest of a suspect in violation of the law and the East African Community One‑Stop Border Post (OSBP) Act of 2016. I request that they be presented for further action,” said Earnest Lukaza, the Tanzanian officer in charge of the One‑Stop Border Post (OSBP) at Lunga Lunga, while confirming the arrest.
The detained Kenyans were initially held at the Horohoro border. A letter from Tanzanian authorities to Kenyan border officials notified them that the individuals entered Tanzania unlawfully and lacked the necessary authority to conduct an arrest on Tanzanian soil.
Following diplomatic engagement between the two countries, the five Kenyans were later handed over to Kenyan authorities at Lunga Lunga.
Among the fresh graduates, 15 specialized in e-commerce, while the remaining 15 pursued electrical automation technology under a program that allowed them to complete two years’ foundational training at RP-Musanze College before spending their final year in China.
For Aimable Tuyishime, a 23-year-old graduate in e-commerce, the year in China was a life-changing experience. “I spent almost a year in China, and now I am back to implement what I studied there,” he said in an interview with Xinhua.
Tuyishime described China’s e-commerce sector as “highly developed,” adding that the teaching approach is strongly practical rather than theoretical.
“We studied all aspects of e-commerce and improved our skills through hands-on experience,” Tuyishime said, adding that the study enabled him to gain extensive, real-world exposure to e-commerce in one of the world’s most advanced digital markets.
During their studies, students interacted with major Chinese e-commerce companies such as Alibaba and regularly used platforms like Pinduoduo, Taobao, and JD.com for online shopping.
Inspired by this experience, Tuyishime is already working toward launching his own e-commerce platform in Rwanda. Together with friends and team members, he is developing a website and application designed to offer Rwandans a similar online shopping experience.
“This is the right time to put all the skills and experience I gained into practice,” he said, adding that he hopes the platform will have a positive impact on Rwanda’s economy.
Protais Muhire, a graduate in electrical automation technology, also described the year in China as a turning point, saying the exposure to advanced equipment and technologies significantly strengthened his skills.
“In China, I studied programmable logic controller (PLC) programming, robotics, hydraulic and pneumatic systems,” he said.
Muhire highlighted the abundance of training equipment at JUVT, which allowed students from Rwanda to engage deeply in practical work. “We had access to many machines, PLCs, robots, pneumatic and hydraulic components, which helped us apply what we learned in real situations.”
Muhire’s cohort also achieved international recognition. While in China, he, together with other Rwandan and Chinese students, won the Excellence Award at the 2025 World Vocational College Skills Competition Championship Finals.
“This achievement showed us that what we study can be applied in practice and can help our community,” he said, adding that the training received in China is highly relevant to Rwanda’s context, especially as local industries increasingly adopt modern technologies to improve productivity.
Looking ahead, Muhire plans to use his skills to contribute to Rwanda’s industrial development. “Industries are moving from old systems to new automated systems. I want to help upgrade industrial processes using automation technologies like PLCs and robotics,” he said.
Speaking to Xinhua, Qian Xiangming, dean of Musanze International College at JUVT, said that under this program, Rwanda has sent 60 students to JUVT for advanced studies for two consecutive years and the feedback from local employers has been very positive.
“Through this program, we aim to cultivate outstanding local talent, support employment, and enhance the quality and efficiency of vocational education in Rwanda,” he said, adding that the initiative ultimately supports national industrial upgrading and development.
Emile Abayisenga, principal of RP-Musanze College, described the graduation as a moment of pride. “This achievement reflects the strength of international collaboration, industry-driven training, and practical, future-oriented education,” he said.
The skills acquired by the graduates align closely with Rwanda’s Vision 2050 and the demands of a rapidly evolving global economy, Abayisenga added.
The figures, based on records from the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), show that 4,219 women underwent the procedure in 2024 alone, reflecting a steady increase in uptake over the past five years.
{{Family planning trends in Rwanda
}}
Family planning use in Rwanda continues to rise, with the number of continuing users increasing from 1.57 million in 2019 to 2.06 million by the end of December 2024. Over the same period, hundreds of thousands of new users joined family planning programs each year, highlighting sustained demand for reproductive health services.
Among modern contraceptive methods, implants remain the most popular, with 879,113 continuing users by the end of 2024, up from 571,510 in 2019. In 2024 alone, 212,974 women newly adopted implants, making it the leading method both in uptake and total use.
Injectable contraceptives, mainly Depo-Provera and Noristerat, rank second, with 671,008 continuing users at the end of 2024, including 180,182 new users during the year. Oral contraceptive pills recorded 348,291 continuing users, with 141,205 new users added during the year.
The use of hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs) also increased, reaching 51,630 continuing users, including 11,990 new users in 2024. Despite the dominance of modern methods, 25,705 people still rely on traditional family planning approaches, such as cycle beads, lactational amenorrhea method (LAM), and auto-observation, which do not require medical procedures or pharmaceutical products.
{{Women embrace permanent contraception
}}
The number of women opting for tubal ligation has risen sharply over time in Rwanda. Tubal ligation is a surgical procedure in which a woman’s fallopian tubes are blocked, tied, or cut to prevent eggs from reaching the uterus, thereby eliminating the possibility of fertilisation.
Records show 14,456 continuing users in 2019, increasing to 18,350 in 2020, 20,904 in 2021, 26,285 in 2022, 31,439 in 2023, and finally 35,105 by the end of 2024. This consistent growth suggests increasing acceptance of long-term reproductive decisions, particularly among women who have completed their desired family size.
{{Low male Participation in permanent contraception
}}
Meanwhile, male involvement in permanent family planning remains limited. By the end of 2024, only 4,432 men had undergone vasectomy, with only 121 procedures recorded during the year. Vasectomy remains the only permanent family planning method available to men and involves blocking the ducts that carry sperm from the testes, preventing fertilisation.
Family planning remains a cornerstone of Rwanda’s strategy to manage population growth, reduce poverty, and improve health outcomes. NISR data show that Rwanda’s population growth rate stood at 2.3% between 2012 and 2022, and projections indicate the population could rise from just over 14.1 million today to more than 22 million by 2050, while the country’s land area remains unchanged.
The average fertility rate for Rwandan women is estimated at 3.6 children per woman, which is significantly higher than the global average fertility rate of 2.3 children per woman. This underscores the importance of sustained investment in reproductive health services.
In a statement on Wednesday, the U.S State Department said Washington is “deeply concerned” by reports that the Federal Government of Somalia authorities demolished a WFP warehouse at Mogadishu port and seized 76 metric tons of food aid. The assistance was funded by U.S. donors and earmarked for some of Somalia’s most at-risk populations.
“The Trump Administration has a zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, and diversion of life-saving assistance,” the statement said, stressing the seriousness with which the U.S. views the alleged actions.
The State Department said any resumption of aid will depend on Somalia’s leadership taking accountability for what Washington described as “unacceptable actions” and implementing appropriate remedial steps.
According to a WFP spokesperson cited by media reports, the demolished warehouse was located at Mogadishu port and had been used to store specialised nutritious foods. The supplies were intended for the treatment of malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as girls and children, groups particularly vulnerable amid Somalia’s prolonged humanitarian crisis.
“The warehouse is crucial for WFP’s emergency operations at a moment when almost a quarter of the population, about 4.4 million people, are facing crisis levels of hunger or worse in Somalia,” the spokesperson said.
The WFP added that it is actively engaging with authorities and partners to address the situation and mitigate the impact on ongoing relief efforts.
Somalia has faced recurring droughts, conflict, and economic instability for decades, leaving millions dependent on international humanitarian assistance. The latest incident raises concerns that disruptions to aid operations could further worsen conditions for civilians already struggling with food insecurity.
U.S. officials have not specified how long the pause in assistance will last, but emphasised that future cooperation hinges on transparency, accountability, and assurances that humanitarian aid reaches its intended recipients.
Starting with Trump’s “America First” slogan, the statement said they comprised of 31 UN entities and 35-non UN organizations.
According to the list published on the White House website, most of the targets are UN-related agencies, commissions and advisory panels focusing on climate change, global governance, labor and other issues that the Trump administration has categorized as promoting diversity and “woke” agenda.
The United States will withdraw from UN organizations, including the UN Economic and Social Council’s panels for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and Western Asia, as well as the International Law Commission, the International Trade Centre, and UN Trade and Development.
Among the non-UN organizations are the 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, the Global Forum on Migration and Development, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the International Renewable Energy Agency; as well as the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combatting Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia.
Jan. 20 will mark the first anniversary of Trump’s second presidential term. Since returning to the White House nearly one year ago, Trump has announced plans to quit the World Health Organization, the Paris climate agreement and the UN cultural agency UNESCO. He also cut U.S. funding for the UN, stopped U.S. engagement with the UN Human Rights Council, and extended a suspension of funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social that he is doubting whether NATO would come to the U.S. defense when it is needed, two days after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned that a U.S. military attack on Greenland could effectively end the military alliance.
Speaking to reporters at a daily briefing, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN chief had just concluded a meeting with Venezuelan UN ambassador Samuel Moncada, which lasted about 45 minutes.
“During the meeting, the secretary-general reiterated his publicly-stated position on the U.S. military action in Venezuela,” said Dujarric.
In remarks to the UN Security Council on Monday, delivered on his behalf by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Guterres said he was “deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability in the country, the potential impact on the region, and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted.”
“I remain deeply concerned that rules of international law have not been respected with regard to the Jan. 3 military action,” said the UN chief, who also called on all Venezuelan actors to engage in an inclusive, democratic dialogue in which all sectors of society can determine their future.
In the early hours of Jan. 3, U.S. military forces carried out a series of strikes on Venezuela, taking by force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, before putting them in custody in New York, which sparked widespread condemnation.
According to a statement from the presidency issued by its spokesperson Massere Toure, the decision followed the legislative elections held on Dec. 27, 2025, after which the prime minister submitted his resignation and that of his government to the president.
“The president of the republic on Wednesday, Jan. 7, signed several decrees,” the statement said, noting that the first decree terminated the functions of the prime minister and members of the government.
“Pending the appointment of a new prime minister and new members of the government, the outgoing prime minister and members of the government will be responsible for handling current affairs,” the statement added.
Following the presidential election on Oct. 25, 2025, the legislative elections held on Dec. 27 resulted in Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace, the ruling party led by Ouattara, winning a majority of seats in the National Assembly.
The refugees said that areas in eastern DRC from which they fled are now largely controlled by armed groups such as AFC/M23 and Twirwaneho, which they describe as relatively more stable than other regions. This has given them cautious hope that returning home could now be safe.
On January 7, 2025, refugee representatives began their visit at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali and continued to the embassies of Qatar, China, Russia, France, the DRC, and others. They also visited offices of UN agencies in Rwanda and the European Union.
Carrying banners with messages condemning hatred and discrimination, the refugees handed over a 10-page petition detailing abuses in their homeland and calling on the international community to intervene. They also displayed a banner showing photos of political leaders in the DRC alongside messages denouncing the violence that forced their families to flee, with some remaining in exile for more than 30 years.
Agnes Uwimana, who arrived in Rwanda in 1996 as a 12-year-old and now lives in Kiziba Camp in Karongi District, said that she fled due to targeted discrimination against Tutsi, Hema, and Banyamulenge communities, and that the threats persist even decades later.
“Discrimination and hatred against us have never stopped, even after more than 30 years in exile. Violence and persecution continue, and refugees are still fleeing the DRC,” she said. “We need the international community to advocate for our safe return. Growing up in exile and raising children here is a challenge. Justice must also be done for those spreading divisive and harmful rhetoric.”
Sebutezi Edison Munyakarambi, who has spent over 13 years at Kigeme Camp in Nyamagabe with his family, said that they are weary of being regarded as foreigners in their own country.
“In 2012, as conflict escalated, the Governor of South Kivu warned that anyone returning home risked death. They called us foreigners,” he said.
Munyakarambi stressed the importance of raising awareness internationally to pressure the DRC leadership to end discrimination and create conditions for refugees to return safely.
Kalinda Chance Uwase, in Nkamira Camp in Rubavu District for three years, said she had to abandon her secondary school studies and her dream of becoming a doctor due to the conflict. She said that developments in eastern DRC, particularly the relative stability in areas controlled by AFC/M23 and Twirwaneho, have renewed hope for a safe return.
The refugees’ embassy visits come days after peaceful demonstrations were held in Rwandan camps on January 1, protesting remarks by Maj Gen Sylvain Ekenge, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), which they condemned as hate speech. The protesters called for international legal action against the senior military official.
Maj Gen Ekenge appeared on Congolese national television on 27 December 2025, during a broadcast in which he made remarks targeting Congolese Tutsis, including comments discouraging intermarriage with Tutsi women.
The statements sparked widespread criticism and diplomatic pressure, leading Congolese authorities to suspend Maj Gen Ekenge from his duties. However, the refugees urged stronger measures, insisting that the hatred is deeply entrenched and that accountability must go beyond a mere suspension.
In France, authorities confirmed that five people died in road accidents caused by dangerously icy roads and “black ice,” especially in the southwest and around Paris. In some cases, vehicles lost control on frozen surfaces, leading to fatal collisions. Elsewhere, a woman in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, died after a snow‑laden tree branch collapsed under the weight of heavy snowfall.
The impact of the cold snap has gone far beyond loss of life. Flight operations across Europe have been severely disrupted, with hundreds of cancellations at major hubs like Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, and Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Airlines continue to struggle with icy runways and snow‑clearing operations, prompting travel chaos for thousands of passengers who faced delays or overnight stays at terminals.
Road and rail travel have also been heavily affected. Trains were delayed or halted in parts of the Netherlands and other countries as rail networks grappled with frozen tracks and weather‑related technical issues. Local authorities have urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel, highlighting the significant hazard posed by ice and snow.
Across the continent, temperatures have plunged well below seasonal averages. In the United Kingdom, the mercury dipped to around ‑12.5 °C in some regions, leading to school closures and disruption of public services. Meteorologists warn that more snowfall and icy conditions are expected in the coming days, prolonging the winter weather disruptions.
“Last night was the coldest night of the winter so far,” Britain’s Met Office said.
Officials are also concerned about vulnerable populations, especially people living without stable shelter, who face increased risk during the prolonged cold spell. Emergency measures and shelters have been activated in several cities to protect those exposed to the elements.
