The Rwandan champions will face Angolan Recreativo du Libolo in the preliminary round and if they win, they will face the defending champions TP Mazembe.
APR’s Dutch coach Erik Paske has admitted that his lads are in for a difficult ride in next year’s African Champions League.
The ten-time national league champions are scheduled to play Angolan club Recreativo du Libolo in the preliminary round before taking on reigning African champions TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the next stage if they progress.
“We have two very tough games in the Champions League. Recreativo de Libolo and TP Mazembe are two big sides on the continent,” he told the New Times.
“It is not going to be easy even though we know that we have the quality to take something out of both games,” he added.
Paske has been looking to better Rene Feller’s performances in last year’s Confederations Cup where the military side was knocked out in the second round by a 2-0 aggregate loss to Haras El Hoduod of Egypt.
In the preliminary round, APR battered a lacklustre Kenyan side Gor Mahia 7-0 on aggregate.
APR start their campaign by hosting Recreativo de Libolo on the weekend of February 12-14 before travelling to Luanda for the return leg on the weekend of February 25-28, 2010, with the winner going on to face TP Mazembe, who got a bye into the 1/16th round.
Mazembe were crowned African champions last season after edging past Nigerian side, Heartland FC on the away goal rule after a 2-2 tie from both legs.
Source:goal.com/
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Uganda: Rwanda to Face Cranes in Finale
Nairobi — Rwanda's Amavubi Stars yesterday made it to the Cecafa Orange Senior Challenge Cup final in Nairobi, Kenya to face Uganda, after a 2-1 win over the Kilimanjaro Stars of Tanzania.
Yusuf Ndaishimye and Mafisango Mutesa netted for the Amavubi, while Musa Mugosi scored for Marcio Maximo's boys.
Both sides finished with a man less after Tanzania's Kevin Yondani saw read five minutes into the second half, while Rwanda's Didier Kaped was sent to the stands in the last minute of the game.
Meanwhile, former Zimbabwe International Norman Mapeza who is currently in charge of the national team has tipped the Cranes to win the regional trophy.
Mapeza who guided Zimbabwe to their first Cosafa title two month ago said that he doesn't see any team that can stop the Cranes at the moment.
"I put my money on Uganda. They are a fine side that plays with a lot of attacking football and it's going to be tough for the teams that will face them," Mapeza told a filled press conference at the Nyayo Stadium.
The Uganda Cranes who have won a record 10 Cecafa titles since the tournament's inception in 1973 will also be playing in this year's final due on Sunday at the Nyayo Stadium.
The Cranes under Scottish coach Bobby Williamson have won a record 12 games drawn two and lost only two.
Yesterday's result
Rwanda 2 Tanzania 1
Play-off - Saturday
Tanzania v Zanzibar
Final - Sunday
Uganda v Rwanda
Source:allafrica.com/
Yusuf Ndaishimye and Mafisango Mutesa netted for the Amavubi, while Musa Mugosi scored for Marcio Maximo's boys.
Both sides finished with a man less after Tanzania's Kevin Yondani saw read five minutes into the second half, while Rwanda's Didier Kaped was sent to the stands in the last minute of the game.
Meanwhile, former Zimbabwe International Norman Mapeza who is currently in charge of the national team has tipped the Cranes to win the regional trophy.
Mapeza who guided Zimbabwe to their first Cosafa title two month ago said that he doesn't see any team that can stop the Cranes at the moment.
"I put my money on Uganda. They are a fine side that plays with a lot of attacking football and it's going to be tough for the teams that will face them," Mapeza told a filled press conference at the Nyayo Stadium.
The Uganda Cranes who have won a record 10 Cecafa titles since the tournament's inception in 1973 will also be playing in this year's final due on Sunday at the Nyayo Stadium.
The Cranes under Scottish coach Bobby Williamson have won a record 12 games drawn two and lost only two.
Yesterday's result
Rwanda 2 Tanzania 1
Play-off - Saturday
Tanzania v Zanzibar
Final - Sunday
Uganda v Rwanda
Source:allafrica.com/
Uganda: Rwanda to Face Cranes in Finale
Nairobi — Rwanda's Amavubi Stars yesterday made it to the Cecafa Orange Senior Challenge Cup final in Nairobi, Kenya to face Uganda, after a 2-1 win over the Kilimanjaro Stars of Tanzania.
Yusuf Ndaishimye and Mafisango Mutesa netted for the Amavubi, while Musa Mugosi scored for Marcio Maximo's boys.
Both sides finished with a man less after Tanzania's Kevin Yondani saw read five minutes into the second half, while Rwanda's Didier Kaped was sent to the stands in the last minute of the game.
Meanwhile, former Zimbabwe International Norman Mapeza who is currently in charge of the national team has tipped the Cranes to win the regional trophy.
Mapeza who guided Zimbabwe to their first Cosafa title two month ago said that he doesn't see any team that can stop the Cranes at the moment.
"I put my money on Uganda. They are a fine side that plays with a lot of attacking football and it's going to be tough for the teams that will face them," Mapeza told a filled press conference at the Nyayo Stadium.
The Uganda Cranes who have won a record 10 Cecafa titles since the tournament's inception in 1973 will also be playing in this year's final due on Sunday at the Nyayo Stadium.
The Cranes under Scottish coach Bobby Williamson have won a record 12 games drawn two and lost only two.
Yesterday's result
Rwanda 2 Tanzania 1
Play-off - Saturday
Tanzania v Zanzibar
Final - Sunday
Uganda v Rwanda
Source:allafrica.com/
Yusuf Ndaishimye and Mafisango Mutesa netted for the Amavubi, while Musa Mugosi scored for Marcio Maximo's boys.
Both sides finished with a man less after Tanzania's Kevin Yondani saw read five minutes into the second half, while Rwanda's Didier Kaped was sent to the stands in the last minute of the game.
Meanwhile, former Zimbabwe International Norman Mapeza who is currently in charge of the national team has tipped the Cranes to win the regional trophy.
Mapeza who guided Zimbabwe to their first Cosafa title two month ago said that he doesn't see any team that can stop the Cranes at the moment.
"I put my money on Uganda. They are a fine side that plays with a lot of attacking football and it's going to be tough for the teams that will face them," Mapeza told a filled press conference at the Nyayo Stadium.
The Uganda Cranes who have won a record 10 Cecafa titles since the tournament's inception in 1973 will also be playing in this year's final due on Sunday at the Nyayo Stadium.
The Cranes under Scottish coach Bobby Williamson have won a record 12 games drawn two and lost only two.
Yesterday's result
Rwanda 2 Tanzania 1
Play-off - Saturday
Tanzania v Zanzibar
Final - Sunday
Uganda v Rwanda
Source:allafrica.com/
Rwanda wants Sudan to explain peacekeepers death in Darfur
Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on Sunday that Khartoum had some explaination to do over the two deadly attacks on Rwandan peacekeepers in Sudan‘s Darfur region.
The governor of northern Darfur, Osman Kebir, told newsmen that several men suspected of the first ambush had been arrested and would be charged.
According to Reuters, during the attacks, three members of Darfur‘s joint United Nations/African Union UNAMID mission were killed on Friday when gunmen opened fire on their convoy in the northern Darfur settlement of Saraf Omra.
Kebir condemned the shooting, saying bandits had started to target UNAMID convoys to steal their vehicles.
The men had been taken to north Darfur‘s capital El Fasher where they would ”be presented before a court to receive punishment for their heinous act”, he said
Source:punchng.com/
The governor of northern Darfur, Osman Kebir, told newsmen that several men suspected of the first ambush had been arrested and would be charged.
According to Reuters, during the attacks, three members of Darfur‘s joint United Nations/African Union UNAMID mission were killed on Friday when gunmen opened fire on their convoy in the northern Darfur settlement of Saraf Omra.
Kebir condemned the shooting, saying bandits had started to target UNAMID convoys to steal their vehicles.
The men had been taken to north Darfur‘s capital El Fasher where they would ”be presented before a court to receive punishment for their heinous act”, he said
Source:punchng.com/
Rwanda: Church Condemns Election of Openly Gay Bishop
Kigali — The Archbishop of the Church of Rwanda, Rt. Rev. Emmanuela Kolini has strongly criticized and condemned the decision of an Anglican diocese in the United States of America to elect an openly gay clergy as the bishop of Diocese of Los Angeles.
In a close-to-call election that took seven ballots, the Diocese of Los Angeles elected an avowed lesbian, Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool to be the next Bishop of the diocese, setting off another storm around the Anglican community six years after the election of Gene Robinson, a non-celibate homosexual, as the Bishop of New Hampshire.
Speaking to The New Times, Kolini condemned the election and said the fact that Mary is a lesbian was against the will of God to place such a person in position of religious leadership.
"I condemn not only the act of electing Glasspool to the position, but also lesbianism as an act against the will of God," Kolini said, adding that it only contributes to divisions in the global Anglican society.
The election of Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool, 55, has created a theological rift between The Episcopal Church of America and the vast majority of Anglicans worldwide.
According to Kolini, placing such a person in a position of leadership makes it worse because she will only give wrong directives to the society.
"God did not plan the creation of different sex for enjoyment, he had a plan, he wanted man to multiply and feel the world."
Glasspool is one of only two women to be appointed the position of Bishop in Los Angeles in over 100 years, and is also the first gay woman.
The American church set off a debate within the world Communion when it confirmed Robinson as bishop-elect of the Diocese of New Hampshire.
Anglican bishops in Africa, Asia and Latin America condemned the vote, with some threatening to sever ties with the U.S. church.
Robinson, a 56-year-old divorced father of two, has lived with his partner, Mark Andrew, for more than 15 years.
Source:allafrica.com/
In a close-to-call election that took seven ballots, the Diocese of Los Angeles elected an avowed lesbian, Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool to be the next Bishop of the diocese, setting off another storm around the Anglican community six years after the election of Gene Robinson, a non-celibate homosexual, as the Bishop of New Hampshire.
Speaking to The New Times, Kolini condemned the election and said the fact that Mary is a lesbian was against the will of God to place such a person in position of religious leadership.
"I condemn not only the act of electing Glasspool to the position, but also lesbianism as an act against the will of God," Kolini said, adding that it only contributes to divisions in the global Anglican society.
The election of Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool, 55, has created a theological rift between The Episcopal Church of America and the vast majority of Anglicans worldwide.
According to Kolini, placing such a person in a position of leadership makes it worse because she will only give wrong directives to the society.
"God did not plan the creation of different sex for enjoyment, he had a plan, he wanted man to multiply and feel the world."
Glasspool is one of only two women to be appointed the position of Bishop in Los Angeles in over 100 years, and is also the first gay woman.
The American church set off a debate within the world Communion when it confirmed Robinson as bishop-elect of the Diocese of New Hampshire.
Anglican bishops in Africa, Asia and Latin America condemned the vote, with some threatening to sever ties with the U.S. church.
Robinson, a 56-year-old divorced father of two, has lived with his partner, Mark Andrew, for more than 15 years.
Source:allafrica.com/
Rwanda's Amavubi out to sting Stars in penultimate tie
Tanzania’s Mrisho Ngasa celebrates his goal against Eritrea during their Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup quarter-final match at the Nyayo National Stadium on Tuesday. Tanzania won 4-0. The Kilimanjaro Stars lock horns with Rwanda in the second semi-final today. Photo/MOHAMMED AMIN
By SAMMY KITULAPosted Wednesday, December 9 2009 at 19:14
Rwanda lock horns with Tanzania in the second semi-final of the Orange Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup at the Nyayo National Stadium Wednesday evening.
Tanzania began their campaign poorly when they lost their first match 1-0 to the defending champions Uganda Cranes in Mumias before squeezing a narrow 1-0 win over Burundi. A sterling showing against Zanzibar and a 4-0 hiding of Eritrea proved enough for the Tanzanians to advance to the semis.
Rwanda, on the other hand, is the only team in this year’s tournament who are yet to lose a match so far. In fact, their defence has been so mean that the only goal they’ve conceded was in their 4-1 drubbing of Cosafa champions Zimbabwe.
Rwanda is as dominant as can be and will look to get on top of the Tanzanians early as most superior teams have when they’ve taken on the Kilimanjaro Stars. All the pressure is off the Rwandans as the Tanzanians are expected to record their fourth victory in a row.
“Rwanda’s a big test, one of the best teams in the tournament right now, so it’s definitely easier for us to go into the game knowing that maybe it’s their time to lose,” surmised Tanzania head coach, Marcio Maximo.
Extremely difficult
Though the Tanzanians cruised through the group play, they know the semis are where the true tests come, and they are not taking the Amavubi Stars for granted.
“All the matches now will be extremely difficult as we know there is no easy rival at this point,” said Maximo. “The Rwandans have a very aggressive midfield. All four midfielders can have an offensive effect, and Yusuf Ndayishime is very dangerous when given space.”
Maximo is aware his squad is not only up against one of the best teams at this point, but also that his players have faced a very difficult logistical schedule as well.
“It’s a short turnaround and they have many of the same players; their ability to play in and out of little spaces and keep the game moving. It’s exciting. We know we have our work cut out for us.”
More competitive
As of now, Rwanda is aiming at bagging their second title and victory today; it would give them a massive injection of confidence before the final on Sunday.
These two teams did face off in the recent past in July, as Tanzania squeezed a 2-1 victory in Kigali, which could give the Kilimanjaro Stars some confidence today.
“We lost 2-1, but there were chances in that game,” said Rwanda head coach, Eric Nshimiyimana. “You play them in the semi-final of a big competition like this and you know it’s going to be that much more competitive, that much harder.
“We’re very excited. This is why you play. When you get to the semi-final of a big competition like this you tend to feel very happy.”
Source:nation.co.ke/
Rwandan genocide film aims to promote reconciliation abroad
KIGALI — "My Neighbour My Killer", a film about the slow reconciliation in a post-genocide Rwandan community, was screened in Kigali this week and is to be shown in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday.
The feature-length documentary chronicles life on a hill in the centre of Rwanda, focusing on relations between the survivors of the 1994 genocide and their neighbours, in many cases the very people who destroyed their lives.
Director Anne Aghion told AFP that the film -- which won a Human Rights Watch 2009 Nestor Almendros Prize for courage in filmmaking -- might help other post-conflict societies to reconcile by encouraging dialogue.
"The Rwandan experiment cannot necessarily be exported as such, but what I've learned over time showing my work in other post-conflict societies, is that it is important to talk, and this film allows people to talk," she said.
"Seeing people of this community who have undergone such cataclysmic conflict start to talk is a very strong incentive for people all over to start to talk as well. Also, it is easier to reflect on your own problems when seeing other people's problems," added the director, who has also won an Emmy Award.
The film is the culmination of a decade's work filming relations between genocide survivors and perpetrators, with the impact on both groups of Rwanda's semi-traditional gacaca courts, which render citizen-based justice.
"In 1999 I met several Rwandan justice officials visiting the US. The very first night I met them they spoke about what they were trying to do with the gacaca. I remember thinking at that very moment - wow, that's a film!" Aghion told AFP Wednesday.
The Kigali screening on Monday was at the invitation of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission and the Gacaca department (National Service of Gacaca Jurisdictions).
The Rwandan genocide against the Tutsis left, according to UN estimates, more than 800,000 people dead.
In attendance were several of the villagers who featured in the film. In a question and answer session, one of the villagers, a Hutu whose Tutsi husband was killed by Hutu neighbours in 1994, said the film had taken her out of her solitude.
It "enabled me to speak to the other Hutus... who had put me in this isolation by killing my husband. I never thought I would be able to speak to them, but Anne made it possible," Faissa Mukabazimya said.
"The genocide was very terrible on our hill. What you saw is very real and now we are talking. And I am very proud that this film is making it possible for our story to be seen widely in Rwanda and in the world," said Jerome Kabalisa, another villager who featured.
"This film should be seen around the world and also outside this screening room elsewhere in Rwanda," said Rwandan Culture and Sports Minister Joseph Habineza, speaking at the Kigali screening.
Aghion, who has dual American and French nationality, takes the film Thursday on to Kenya, where tribal violence left more than 1,500 people dead following the disputed December 2007 elections.
"The Kenya Human Rights Commission and I are working to put together a larger programme to show the film widely in the rural areas of the country," said Aghion, who added she was planning something similar in Cambodia.
"I'm interested in how people live together in extreme situations," Aghion told AFP in an interview at this year's Cannes Film Festival, comparing the difficulty of reconciliation in Rwanda with Cambodia, Bosnia or Darfur. "I wanted to see how neighbours live together again after a cataclysm."
Aghion is also the author of "Ice People", a feature-length documentary exploring what pushes scientists to undertake research in Antartica.
Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ispxO2H9OSG-GxyPvopRkyy2t9TA
Cranes must take caution
A decade ago, an encounter between the Amavubi Stars and the Cranes was always a foregone conclusion.
As veteran coach Polly Ouma once put it, the issue would only be how many goals would be fired into the Rwandans’ net.
But vast investment in the sport, thanks to President Paul Kagame’s passion, has seen Rwanda grow into a major CECAFA force.
So, when Uganda faces Rwanda in the 33rd CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup final on Sunday, they will be well aware of the steep mountain they have to climb.
Rwanda made a bold statement with a quarterfinal dismissal of COSAFA champions Zimbabwe before ejecting Tanzania yesterday.
Cranes coach Bobby Williamson, knowing the kind of trouble Rwanda could pose, was in Nyayo stadium last night busy taking notes.
Still fresh in Ugandans’ memories is a painful 2003 qualifier. The Amavubi edged the Cranes 1-0 at Namboole to qualify for their first Nations Cup finals.
It was a night when superstition overshadowed football as the Cranes got engrossed in juju to hand Rwanda a priceless win.
But Uganda’s confidence was boosted at the last CECAFA edition when the Cranes beat Rwanda 4-0.
Uganda could still draw more confidence from history, having won the annual event a record ten times.
Source:newvision.co.ug/
As veteran coach Polly Ouma once put it, the issue would only be how many goals would be fired into the Rwandans’ net.
But vast investment in the sport, thanks to President Paul Kagame’s passion, has seen Rwanda grow into a major CECAFA force.
So, when Uganda faces Rwanda in the 33rd CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup final on Sunday, they will be well aware of the steep mountain they have to climb.
Rwanda made a bold statement with a quarterfinal dismissal of COSAFA champions Zimbabwe before ejecting Tanzania yesterday.
Cranes coach Bobby Williamson, knowing the kind of trouble Rwanda could pose, was in Nyayo stadium last night busy taking notes.
Still fresh in Ugandans’ memories is a painful 2003 qualifier. The Amavubi edged the Cranes 1-0 at Namboole to qualify for their first Nations Cup finals.
It was a night when superstition overshadowed football as the Cranes got engrossed in juju to hand Rwanda a priceless win.
But Uganda’s confidence was boosted at the last CECAFA edition when the Cranes beat Rwanda 4-0.
Uganda could still draw more confidence from history, having won the annual event a record ten times.
Source:newvision.co.ug/
Belgian professor and Africa expert speaks on situation in DRC and Rwanda
(WMR) -- Noted Belgian expert on the history and politics of central Africa’s Great Lakes region and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Dr. Filip Reyntjens of the Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB) in Antwerp, spoke at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University in Washington on December 3 and leveled a broadside on the policies of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame in his nation’s looting of the DRC’s natural resources.
Reyntjens said that in 1997 and 1998, Kagame, a Rwandan Tutsi who grew up in Uganda, decided that the only way to deal with Hutus exiled to Zaire from Rwanda was to “exterminate them.”
Kagame is now lauded around the world by uninformed “human rights” groups and governments for the “suffering” he and his comrades endured after the mass killings of Rwandan Tutsis in the aftermath of the aerial assassinations of the Hutu presidents of Rwanda and Burundi by Kagame’s forces on April 6, 1994.
Eventually, Kagame became such a regional military threat by 2001 that his old ally, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, asked British overseas development minister Clare Short for permission to spend development aid from Britain on defense in order to protect against what Museveni believed was a Rwandan military threat. Rwandan troops began to appear in force in DRC’s Ituri province, which has a border with Uganda but not Rwanda. Rwanda also began supporting a rebel militia in Ituri, composed largely of Hema tribal members, that was originally allied with Uganda but turned against it with aid from Rwanda. Reyntjens believes that such “shifting alliances” are rampant in the DRC and are making it difficult for the central government to reassert its authority over the vast nation.
Essentially, Rwandan and Ugandan forces were competing against one another over the lion’s share of DRC’s rich natural resources, which were and continue to be looted by both countries from the DRC. In fact, Reyntjens pointed out that the expensive villas and office blocks now being constructed in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, are being paid with the profits from the looted natural resources from the DRC.
Reyntjens, like any journalist or academic who criticized Kagame and his dictatorship, stands accused by Kagame’s supporters of having a relationship with the former Rwandan government of assassinated President Juvenal Habyarimana. Reyntjens points out that such was not always the case with Kagame and his government, “I was a hero until I started criticizing Kagame.” Reyntjens says the Rwandan government engages in character assassination when dealing with its critics.
Rwanda is also involved in the illegal exploitation of resources in the DRC, according to Reyntjens. While admitting that Zimbabwe was also exploiting the DRC for its resources, the major difference, according to Reyntjens, is that Zimbabwe was dealing directly with the DRC central government -- a sovereign power -- while Rwanda was not.
Reyntjens cited a recent UN report that stated that in the DRC illegal aircraft movements are the rule rather than the exception. He also said Rwanda used prisoners from Rwandan jails to mine diamonds in the DRC, a clear violation of international law. Reyntjens called what is happening in the DRC the “Luxembourg Effect,” comparing the situation to what the German people would think if tiny Luxembourg wielded control over a large portion of German land and resources.
One of the biggest problems for the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) is the presence of Rwandan-backed Congolese Tutsis in the FARDC command structure in eastern Congo. Reyntjens says the situation on the ground in eastern Congo is that Congolese Tutsis integrated into the FARDC are fighting Rwandan Hutu rebels within the DRC’s borders. Reyntjens does not believe the Rwandan armed forces should be allowed to operate in the DRC in any respect. He believes what the DRC needs is a real army and a real state.
However, since Kagame and his government constantly and astutely use the “Genocide Credit” with international donors, the aggression and interference of Rwanda in the internal affairs of DRC is never discussed. Moreover, Reyntjens said there are now “dozens of American” researchers now operating inside Rwanda and that this is a new development.
Summing up the problems for all of Africa, Reyntjens said that while the DRC must re-establish central control over its territory, including preventing Rwanda from unrestricted border crossings between it and the DRC, many Congolese, like most Africans, are suspicious of central state governments. Most Africans associate “the state” with police, rackets, and prisons, said Reyntjens. Ironically, the United States, through its military incursion into Africa with the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), is trying to extend the control of state military structures over the nations of Africa, except, of course, where U.S. and certain foreign economic interests do not find such state control advantageous, as in DRC and Sudan.
Reyntjens is hopeful that a federal DRC will be able to reassert Congolese authority over its territory and cited the 25 new provinces of the DRC where revenues from each province will be distributed as follows: 50 percent to the central government in Kinshasa, 40 percent to the provincial governments, and 10 percent to an equalization fund that will be used to balance the financial disparities between rich and poor provinces.
Source:onlinejournal.com/
Reyntjens said that in 1997 and 1998, Kagame, a Rwandan Tutsi who grew up in Uganda, decided that the only way to deal with Hutus exiled to Zaire from Rwanda was to “exterminate them.”
Kagame is now lauded around the world by uninformed “human rights” groups and governments for the “suffering” he and his comrades endured after the mass killings of Rwandan Tutsis in the aftermath of the aerial assassinations of the Hutu presidents of Rwanda and Burundi by Kagame’s forces on April 6, 1994.
Eventually, Kagame became such a regional military threat by 2001 that his old ally, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, asked British overseas development minister Clare Short for permission to spend development aid from Britain on defense in order to protect against what Museveni believed was a Rwandan military threat. Rwandan troops began to appear in force in DRC’s Ituri province, which has a border with Uganda but not Rwanda. Rwanda also began supporting a rebel militia in Ituri, composed largely of Hema tribal members, that was originally allied with Uganda but turned against it with aid from Rwanda. Reyntjens believes that such “shifting alliances” are rampant in the DRC and are making it difficult for the central government to reassert its authority over the vast nation.
Essentially, Rwandan and Ugandan forces were competing against one another over the lion’s share of DRC’s rich natural resources, which were and continue to be looted by both countries from the DRC. In fact, Reyntjens pointed out that the expensive villas and office blocks now being constructed in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, are being paid with the profits from the looted natural resources from the DRC.
Reyntjens, like any journalist or academic who criticized Kagame and his dictatorship, stands accused by Kagame’s supporters of having a relationship with the former Rwandan government of assassinated President Juvenal Habyarimana. Reyntjens points out that such was not always the case with Kagame and his government, “I was a hero until I started criticizing Kagame.” Reyntjens says the Rwandan government engages in character assassination when dealing with its critics.
Rwanda is also involved in the illegal exploitation of resources in the DRC, according to Reyntjens. While admitting that Zimbabwe was also exploiting the DRC for its resources, the major difference, according to Reyntjens, is that Zimbabwe was dealing directly with the DRC central government -- a sovereign power -- while Rwanda was not.
Reyntjens cited a recent UN report that stated that in the DRC illegal aircraft movements are the rule rather than the exception. He also said Rwanda used prisoners from Rwandan jails to mine diamonds in the DRC, a clear violation of international law. Reyntjens called what is happening in the DRC the “Luxembourg Effect,” comparing the situation to what the German people would think if tiny Luxembourg wielded control over a large portion of German land and resources.
One of the biggest problems for the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) is the presence of Rwandan-backed Congolese Tutsis in the FARDC command structure in eastern Congo. Reyntjens says the situation on the ground in eastern Congo is that Congolese Tutsis integrated into the FARDC are fighting Rwandan Hutu rebels within the DRC’s borders. Reyntjens does not believe the Rwandan armed forces should be allowed to operate in the DRC in any respect. He believes what the DRC needs is a real army and a real state.
However, since Kagame and his government constantly and astutely use the “Genocide Credit” with international donors, the aggression and interference of Rwanda in the internal affairs of DRC is never discussed. Moreover, Reyntjens said there are now “dozens of American” researchers now operating inside Rwanda and that this is a new development.
Summing up the problems for all of Africa, Reyntjens said that while the DRC must re-establish central control over its territory, including preventing Rwanda from unrestricted border crossings between it and the DRC, many Congolese, like most Africans, are suspicious of central state governments. Most Africans associate “the state” with police, rackets, and prisons, said Reyntjens. Ironically, the United States, through its military incursion into Africa with the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), is trying to extend the control of state military structures over the nations of Africa, except, of course, where U.S. and certain foreign economic interests do not find such state control advantageous, as in DRC and Sudan.
Reyntjens is hopeful that a federal DRC will be able to reassert Congolese authority over its territory and cited the 25 new provinces of the DRC where revenues from each province will be distributed as follows: 50 percent to the central government in Kinshasa, 40 percent to the provincial governments, and 10 percent to an equalization fund that will be used to balance the financial disparities between rich and poor provinces.
Source:onlinejournal.com/
Rwanda: Kigali City Wibro Network Launched
Kigali — Kigali Wireless Broadband (WiBro) Network and the Kigali Metropolitan Network (KMN) were officially launched on Wednesday after two years of work on the infrastructure development.
With the two projects, which were deployed by Korea Telecom (KT), Internet users in Kigali city will be able to enjoy data connectivity and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.
WiBro is a wireless broadband Internet technology which allows people on the move to remain connected to the Web.
KMN (Fibre Optic cable) is a large computer network that spans a metropolitan area. It also provides Internet connectivity for Local Area Networks (LANs) in a metropolitan region, and connects them to wider area networks like the Internet.
The two projects are in line with Rwanda's strategy to promote, expand and upgrade the Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure.
During the projects unveiling ceremony, Rwanda Development Board's (RDB) new CEO, John Gara, said that a total of 46 government institutions are already enjoying the connectivity.
"This technology will cater for data, voice and video transmission plus other value added services that the market may require," Gara explained.
He also added that with this type of modern technology, connection to homes, businesses as well as the private sector will lead to access of affordable and reliable services.
Government is targeting to have over 4 million Rwandans gain access to high speed Internet within the next two to three years, partly facilitated by the Rwf4.5 billion WiBro project.
The KMN will increase broadband availability to more than 700 Rwandan institutions including schools, health-care centres and local government administrative centres.
Korean Telecom was also contracted by the government in a related project to lay the national fibre-optic cable that will be linked to the undersea cable.
RDB's Deputy CEO in charge of IT, Patrick Nyirishema, revealed that the project will be completed next year.
"We are going to have a trial period for three months as we monitor the stability of the connection then we will go commercial," Nyirishema explained.
The national backbone is expected to consist of a high-speed fibre-optic network that will link 36 main points in Rwanda's 30 districts, with a 2,300-kilometre cable running across the country.
The Rwf22.7 billion project also includes training and managing the cable installation.
KT was also contracted by the government to build one of Africa's safest storage facilities, the National Data Centre (NDC).
First of its kind in Africa, the NDC will connect and allow secure access to information from government offices, health and education sectors as well as the socio-economic data of the country.
The centre has capacity to back up the institutions' data on the Rwanda system and the commercial area will be provided for companies and NGOs that would wish to back up their information.
The project had been expected be complete by December this year but the finalising time was extended and it not yet clear when it will be complete.
According to the officials, the centre has the capacity to keep enough loads as it was planned with plans to upgrade in future.
Source:allafrica.com/
With the two projects, which were deployed by Korea Telecom (KT), Internet users in Kigali city will be able to enjoy data connectivity and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.
WiBro is a wireless broadband Internet technology which allows people on the move to remain connected to the Web.
KMN (Fibre Optic cable) is a large computer network that spans a metropolitan area. It also provides Internet connectivity for Local Area Networks (LANs) in a metropolitan region, and connects them to wider area networks like the Internet.
The two projects are in line with Rwanda's strategy to promote, expand and upgrade the Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure.
During the projects unveiling ceremony, Rwanda Development Board's (RDB) new CEO, John Gara, said that a total of 46 government institutions are already enjoying the connectivity.
"This technology will cater for data, voice and video transmission plus other value added services that the market may require," Gara explained.
He also added that with this type of modern technology, connection to homes, businesses as well as the private sector will lead to access of affordable and reliable services.
Government is targeting to have over 4 million Rwandans gain access to high speed Internet within the next two to three years, partly facilitated by the Rwf4.5 billion WiBro project.
The KMN will increase broadband availability to more than 700 Rwandan institutions including schools, health-care centres and local government administrative centres.
Korean Telecom was also contracted by the government in a related project to lay the national fibre-optic cable that will be linked to the undersea cable.
RDB's Deputy CEO in charge of IT, Patrick Nyirishema, revealed that the project will be completed next year.
"We are going to have a trial period for three months as we monitor the stability of the connection then we will go commercial," Nyirishema explained.
The national backbone is expected to consist of a high-speed fibre-optic network that will link 36 main points in Rwanda's 30 districts, with a 2,300-kilometre cable running across the country.
The Rwf22.7 billion project also includes training and managing the cable installation.
KT was also contracted by the government to build one of Africa's safest storage facilities, the National Data Centre (NDC).
First of its kind in Africa, the NDC will connect and allow secure access to information from government offices, health and education sectors as well as the socio-economic data of the country.
The centre has capacity to back up the institutions' data on the Rwanda system and the commercial area will be provided for companies and NGOs that would wish to back up their information.
The project had been expected be complete by December this year but the finalising time was extended and it not yet clear when it will be complete.
According to the officials, the centre has the capacity to keep enough loads as it was planned with plans to upgrade in future.
Source:allafrica.com/
Rwanda inflation dips to 5.59 pct y/y in Oct
KIGALI (Reuters) - Rwanda's year-on-year inflation rate dipped to 5.59 percent in October, down from a revised 5.92 percent the previous month, the statistics office said.
Consumer prices rose 0.90 percent in October from the previous month, driven by an increase in the price of food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels and transport, the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) said in a statement.
NISR said the underlying inflation rate -- excluding fresh food and energy -- rose 0.52 percent to 3.2 percent in September compared to the previous month.
NISR had initially reported that inflation in September was 5.7 percent.
Source:af.reuters.com/
Zimbabwe go down to Rwanda
Mrisho Ngassa (centre) scored a hat trick for Tanzania against Eritrea
Guest entrants Zimbabwe have been knocked out of the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup by Rwanda.
The Warriors were beaten 4-1 in the quarter-final of the East and Central African regional tournament.
Zimbabwe had been favourites to win the game after claiming the Southern African regional title, the Cosafa Senior Challenge, last month.
Rwanda will go on to meet Tanzania in the semi-finals on Thursday after the Taifa Stars beat Eritrea earlier.
Marcio Maximo's team secured a 4-0 win over the East African minnows to make it through to the last four.
Tanzania striker Mrisho Ngassa scored three times in the game.
The semi-final between the Taifa Stars and the Amavubi of Rwanda will take place in Nairobi on Thursday.
Source:news.bbc.co.uk/
Rwanda: Bank of Kigali Customers Set to Use International Visa ATM Cards
Kigali — Bank of Kigali (BK) has embarked on a $500,000 project that will enable it to issue Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) VISA cards , a service that is expected to minimize queues in the bank's branches.
The process will also reduce current delays in issuance of ATM cards from between 3- 6 months to one day.
This move follows BK's recent acquisition of rights from VISA Internationa, a company in charge of the ATM cards.
In an interview with Business Times on Thursday, Lawson Naibo, the Chief of Operations Officer (COO) of BK noted that as principle members of VISA International , BK will start issuing ATM VISA cards to its customers early next year.
Currently,SIMTEl, the national switch for inter-bank ATM services that operates 27 ATMs has been in charge of such transactions.
"The card business has not grown despite having a strategic investor, and if every body was truthful -no bank is making profit on the card business. One of the challenges we have had is the time it takes for you to get the card," Naibo said.
The COO also mentioned that the bank targets to increase the number of ATMs cards in circulation by issuing ATM cards and cheque book on the same day of opening the account.
Currently only 3,527 individuals out of approximately 50,000 customers of BK have access to ATM cards.
The official also said that the new service is likely to increase the cost of an ATM card to between Rwf3000-Rwf5000 from the current Rwf1,500.
The ATM cards will be used both locally and internationally depending on the customer needs.
"We are trying to resolve all the issues that have been affecting the card business. We are targeting having a million cards in circulation."
According to Naibo, having more ATM cards in circulation makes economic sense for the bank to be able to meet VISA International charges.
BK will have to part with a quarterly fee of $30,000 in addition to $70,000 joining fees.
"Now with the card population that we have got, there is no way we are going to recover even the quarterly subscriptions," Naibo said.
The bank is planning to install ATM machines in all its 18 branches across the districts and provinces.
The other principle member of VISA International in Rwanda is Ecobank. Access Bank and Kenya Commercial Bank will use their parent companies to issue the VISA ATM cards.
The other banks on the market will have to negotiate with the two principle banks to be able to extend VISA services to their customers.
Source:allafrica.com/
The process will also reduce current delays in issuance of ATM cards from between 3- 6 months to one day.
This move follows BK's recent acquisition of rights from VISA Internationa, a company in charge of the ATM cards.
In an interview with Business Times on Thursday, Lawson Naibo, the Chief of Operations Officer (COO) of BK noted that as principle members of VISA International , BK will start issuing ATM VISA cards to its customers early next year.
Currently,SIMTEl, the national switch for inter-bank ATM services that operates 27 ATMs has been in charge of such transactions.
"The card business has not grown despite having a strategic investor, and if every body was truthful -no bank is making profit on the card business. One of the challenges we have had is the time it takes for you to get the card," Naibo said.
The COO also mentioned that the bank targets to increase the number of ATMs cards in circulation by issuing ATM cards and cheque book on the same day of opening the account.
Currently only 3,527 individuals out of approximately 50,000 customers of BK have access to ATM cards.
The official also said that the new service is likely to increase the cost of an ATM card to between Rwf3000-Rwf5000 from the current Rwf1,500.
The ATM cards will be used both locally and internationally depending on the customer needs.
"We are trying to resolve all the issues that have been affecting the card business. We are targeting having a million cards in circulation."
According to Naibo, having more ATM cards in circulation makes economic sense for the bank to be able to meet VISA International charges.
BK will have to part with a quarterly fee of $30,000 in addition to $70,000 joining fees.
"Now with the card population that we have got, there is no way we are going to recover even the quarterly subscriptions," Naibo said.
The bank is planning to install ATM machines in all its 18 branches across the districts and provinces.
The other principle member of VISA International in Rwanda is Ecobank. Access Bank and Kenya Commercial Bank will use their parent companies to issue the VISA ATM cards.
The other banks on the market will have to negotiate with the two principle banks to be able to extend VISA services to their customers.
Source:allafrica.com/
Rwanda: The African Singapore
Our reporters Thijs Bouwknegt and Sebastiaan Gottlieb are at present in Rwanda for series of reports. They share with us here their first impressions of the country.
At first glance, Kigali does not feel like an African city. You cannot find any street vendors, crumbling roads nor garbage in the streets. Everything is clean and well maintained.
Model town
It looks like a model town, just like Singapore is to Asia. Motorists in the Rwandan capital behave in a disciplined way and negotiate carefully-maintained roundabouts with ease. No hooting, no unpleasant smell and no kamikaze motorcycles riding on the wrong side of the road. The town breathes calmness which brings a deep tranquility to the whole atmosphere.
Rwanda wants to be the least polluting country. Plastic bags are strictly prohibited. An excellent measure, one might believe, but it also raises problems. Artificial fertilizers, for example, quickly become wet in burlap bags and consequently are unusable. Similarly, the cement can be better kept dry in plastic bags instead of paper. But the ban on plastic is bearing its fruit.
An example to follow
The layer of plastic which in many African countries covers the fields and cities is totally absent in Rwanda. Everything is beautifully green, without a single trace of garbage. The operating power is also decreasinly polluting. The green power from Lake Kivu is replacing the plants that use coal. But this success is only relative, because Rwanda has the lowest number per capita of electrical outlets and lamps in the world. Nonetheless, the seventh poorest country in the world seems to do more to improve the environment than rich countries.
Thus, once a month there is throughout Rwanda a cleanup day in which all inhabitants have to participate. Motorists are not supposed to use their car on that day. This measure may go too far, but, we also in Europe, could start modestly by beginning to ban commissioned plastic bags.
Source:rnw.nl/
Kenya denies hiding Rwanda genocide suspect
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya said on Monday that threats to refer it to the U.N. Security Council for harbouring a leading Rwandan genocide suspect would not work because it did not know where he was, despite detaining him briefly in 1994.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Hassan Jallow, told the Security Council on December 3 that his office would seriously consider reporting Kenya for non-cooperation if it did not hand over Felicien Kabuga.
A Hutu businessman, Kabuga is accused of funding the militias that butchered some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus over a span of 100 days in 1994. He is Rwanda's most-wanted man and the United States has put a $5 million bounty on his head.
The ICTR says Kenya has failed to act against Kabuga -- despite evidence of his entry into the country, application for residency, visa approval and the opening of a bank account.
But Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua said on Monday that it was unfair to refer Nairobi to the Council when it had already arrested and handed over seven other genocide suspects.
"It is preposterous to ask for sanctions on an issue where Kenya has cooperated more than any other country," Mutua said, adding that Kenyan police had unknowingly detained Kabuga in a crackdown on illegal migrants just a month after the genocide.
"Since he was released by Kenyan police on 19th May 1994, Kabuga vanished. He could be in Kenya or anywhere else," Mutua told a news conference in Nairobi.
Last month, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues called on Kenya to hand over Kabuga and said the fact that it had not was part and parcel of the culture of impunity prevalent in east Africa's biggest economy.
Experts say Kabuga had extensive business dealings with powerful individuals in the government of former President Daniel arap Moi, and security sources believe he has been paying for protection in Kenya.
Source:af.reuters.com/
Rwanda: Gov'ts Should Act On Food Security-AU Commissioner
Kigali — African governments should raise their investment in the agricultural sector if they are to avert the periodic food crisis and reduce the number of hungry people on the continent, instead of putting all hopes in the private sector.
These remarks were made by Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture and an advocate of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Programme (CAADP).
She said that governments' investment in the sector is still very low and yet the problem of food insecurity is still at large.
"Agriculture is a public good. African countries should do what other countries in the developed world do by fully supporting agriculture. I am aware that the private sector is important and can play a lead role."
"But as far as food security is concerned, the private sector cannot do it. From the time governments reduced investment in agriculture, the private sector never picked up. Today as I speak, Africa spends $33bn on importing food," Tumusiime said.
She noted that African countries have been cutting the amount of money budgeted for agriculture from about US$18bn 30 years ago to US$4bn today, leaving most of the work to the Private sector.
"In spite of the fact that the population has been growing and the soils are getting depleted, we cannot say we are investing enough---it is not yet the expected levels even where it was 30 years ago.
"The private sector can only play a role in agriculture when the government has already put it correct, unless government is able to facilitate, put in place the initial investments, initial infrastructure or the marketing systems, the private sector will not come in."
"Agriculture on the continent was flourishing some years ago, until governments started reducing the investment support. The private sector can only come in where they can make profits and we need to move agriculture to a reasonable level for them to come," said the AU Commissioner.
She noted that food security cannot be 'privatised' as African countries want to do it and it is the reason the food crisis hasn't receded hence the need for African governments to rethink and repackage their approaches to agricultural development.
Tumusiime noted that there is an increase of hungry people with 1 billion people globally.
She revealed that the G8 and G20 meetings held this year at L'Aquila, Italy and Pittsburgh, USA respectively, initiated a food security facility where they pledged more money, but warned that African countries also have to play their part.
"We have to get the African leadership take the lead. You cannot rely on somebody to scratch your back, you must also help by doing something and we are glad the African leaders reiterated their commitment to support food security in Sirte, Libya," She said.
The AU official hailed Rwanda on the crop intensification programme, saying that 'Rwanda is doing extremely well thanks to the leadership'.
"The intensification level is far ahead of many African countries. It is actually a champion for us. If we can get the marketing systems for the farmers, I think they would do very well. Rwanda is the champion for Africa." Tumusiime noted.
Source:allafrica.com/
These remarks were made by Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture and an advocate of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Programme (CAADP).
She said that governments' investment in the sector is still very low and yet the problem of food insecurity is still at large.
"Agriculture is a public good. African countries should do what other countries in the developed world do by fully supporting agriculture. I am aware that the private sector is important and can play a lead role."
"But as far as food security is concerned, the private sector cannot do it. From the time governments reduced investment in agriculture, the private sector never picked up. Today as I speak, Africa spends $33bn on importing food," Tumusiime said.
She noted that African countries have been cutting the amount of money budgeted for agriculture from about US$18bn 30 years ago to US$4bn today, leaving most of the work to the Private sector.
"In spite of the fact that the population has been growing and the soils are getting depleted, we cannot say we are investing enough---it is not yet the expected levels even where it was 30 years ago.
"The private sector can only play a role in agriculture when the government has already put it correct, unless government is able to facilitate, put in place the initial investments, initial infrastructure or the marketing systems, the private sector will not come in."
"Agriculture on the continent was flourishing some years ago, until governments started reducing the investment support. The private sector can only come in where they can make profits and we need to move agriculture to a reasonable level for them to come," said the AU Commissioner.
She noted that food security cannot be 'privatised' as African countries want to do it and it is the reason the food crisis hasn't receded hence the need for African governments to rethink and repackage their approaches to agricultural development.
Tumusiime noted that there is an increase of hungry people with 1 billion people globally.
She revealed that the G8 and G20 meetings held this year at L'Aquila, Italy and Pittsburgh, USA respectively, initiated a food security facility where they pledged more money, but warned that African countries also have to play their part.
"We have to get the African leadership take the lead. You cannot rely on somebody to scratch your back, you must also help by doing something and we are glad the African leaders reiterated their commitment to support food security in Sirte, Libya," She said.
The AU official hailed Rwanda on the crop intensification programme, saying that 'Rwanda is doing extremely well thanks to the leadership'.
"The intensification level is far ahead of many African countries. It is actually a champion for us. If we can get the marketing systems for the farmers, I think they would do very well. Rwanda is the champion for Africa." Tumusiime noted.
Source:allafrica.com/
Top Rwanda genocide suspect pleads not guilty
Idelphonse Nizeyimana, a former Rwandan army captain and senior intelligence officer, sits in the dock at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha Oct. 14, 2009. Nizeyimana, one of the top suspects in Rwanda's 1994 genocide, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday during his first appearance at a UN court in Tanzania.Photograph by: International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda/Handout, ReutersDAR ES SALAAM - A former army captain and senior intelligence officer who is one of the top suspects in Rwanda's 1994 genocide pleaded not guilty on Wednesday during his first appearance at a UN court in Tanzania.
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in Arusha has charged Idelphonse Nizeyimana with genocide, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and crimes against humanity.
He was arrested in Uganda on Oct. 5 after entering the country by bus from Democratic Republic of Congo.
"Nizeyimana . . . pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. The date for commencement of his trial will be set later," the ICTR said in a statement.
Ethnic Hutu militia and soldiers butchered 800,000 minority Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus in just 100 days in 1994.
The UN court accuses Nizeyimana and others of preparing lists of Tutsi intellectuals and those in authority, before handing the names to troops and militiamen who killed them.
It says Nizeyimana also sent soldiers to the home of the former Queen of Rwanda, Rosalie Gicanda — a symbolic figure for all Tutsis — who then executed her on his orders.
The United States had offered a $5 million reward for his capture, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called his arrest an important first step in the fight against impunity in Africa's volatile Great Lakes region.
Source:ottawacitizen.com/
Rwandan priest acquitted of genocide charges
ARUSHA, Tanzania — A United Nations court on Tuesday acquitted a Catholic priest charged with genocide, murder and extermination in Rwanda's 1994 genocide after the judge said the prosecution had failed to prove its case.
Father Hormisdas Nsengimana, 55, had been imprisoned for seven years since his 2002 arrest in Cameroon. Judge Erik Mose ordered his immediate release from the U.N. detention facility in Arusha.
"I wish for peace and reconciliation in Rwanda ... I thank God for this (release)," Nsengimana told the press after his acquittal.
At least 500,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during Rwanda's genocide, which began after President Juvenal Habyarimana's plane was brought down in April 1994.
Nsengimana was alleged to have been at the center of a group of Hutu extremists that planned and carried out targeted attacks in the southern Rwandan town of Nyanza, where he was head of a prestigious Catholic school.
He also was accused of supervising at least three roadblocks that were used to stop and kill Tutsis, according to a statement by The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Mose said the chamber had assessed all the evidence supporting the three counts against Nsengimana and did not find any credible evidence to implicate him.
"One prosecution witness testified about this event. His credibility is doubtful ... The chamber has not found the allegation proved beyond reasonable doubt," Mose said during the 30-minute ruling.
The prosecutor, Hassan Bubacar Jallow, said they needed more information to look into an appeal.
"We have not received the full text. When we receive it, we'll study it and make our position," he said.
It was the second acquittal by The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda since Monday, when the appeals court overturned a conviction and 20-year sentence faced by Protais Zigiranyirazo, the former Rwandan president's brother-in-law. Zigiranyirazo, known as "Mr. Z," was sentenced to 20 years in December 2008. The Appeals Court said it found serious errors committed by the Tribunal in Zigiranyirazo's conviction.
The tribunal, set up by the U.N. to try key suspects of the genocide, has now convicted 39 people and acquitted eight.
Nsengimana is one of the four Catholic priests indicted by the ICTR. Athanase Seromba, a former vicar in western Rwanda, is serving a life sentence. Emmanuel Rukundo, a former military chaplain, was sentenced in February to 25 years in prison. Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, a former vicar at the Parish of the Holy Family in Kigali, is awaiting trial.
(This version corrects spelling of judge's first name in 2nd graf.)
Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iJajRoaJRyXensxsoSC26jWxbeNAD9C1D77G2
Father Hormisdas Nsengimana, 55, had been imprisoned for seven years since his 2002 arrest in Cameroon. Judge Erik Mose ordered his immediate release from the U.N. detention facility in Arusha.
"I wish for peace and reconciliation in Rwanda ... I thank God for this (release)," Nsengimana told the press after his acquittal.
At least 500,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during Rwanda's genocide, which began after President Juvenal Habyarimana's plane was brought down in April 1994.
Nsengimana was alleged to have been at the center of a group of Hutu extremists that planned and carried out targeted attacks in the southern Rwandan town of Nyanza, where he was head of a prestigious Catholic school.
He also was accused of supervising at least three roadblocks that were used to stop and kill Tutsis, according to a statement by The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Mose said the chamber had assessed all the evidence supporting the three counts against Nsengimana and did not find any credible evidence to implicate him.
"One prosecution witness testified about this event. His credibility is doubtful ... The chamber has not found the allegation proved beyond reasonable doubt," Mose said during the 30-minute ruling.
The prosecutor, Hassan Bubacar Jallow, said they needed more information to look into an appeal.
"We have not received the full text. When we receive it, we'll study it and make our position," he said.
It was the second acquittal by The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda since Monday, when the appeals court overturned a conviction and 20-year sentence faced by Protais Zigiranyirazo, the former Rwandan president's brother-in-law. Zigiranyirazo, known as "Mr. Z," was sentenced to 20 years in December 2008. The Appeals Court said it found serious errors committed by the Tribunal in Zigiranyirazo's conviction.
The tribunal, set up by the U.N. to try key suspects of the genocide, has now convicted 39 people and acquitted eight.
Nsengimana is one of the four Catholic priests indicted by the ICTR. Athanase Seromba, a former vicar in western Rwanda, is serving a life sentence. Emmanuel Rukundo, a former military chaplain, was sentenced in February to 25 years in prison. Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, a former vicar at the Parish of the Holy Family in Kigali, is awaiting trial.
(This version corrects spelling of judge's first name in 2nd graf.)
Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iJajRoaJRyXensxsoSC26jWxbeNAD9C1D77G2
Belgian court jails Rwandan 'genocide banker' for 30 years
BRUSSELS — A Brussels court on Tuesday sentenced Rwandan Ephrem Nkezabera, dubbed the 'genocide banker', to 30 years in prison for war crimes including murders and rapes during his country's 1994 bloodbath.
Nkezabera, 57, who is being treated for liver cancer, was not present in court for the sentencing and did not attend any of his month-long trial.
A request from the former director of the Commercial Bank of Rwanda for his trial to be postponed for health reasons was dismissed.
In sentencing, the court of assizes followed the recommendation of the public prosecutor who had called for a 30-year sentence, rather than a life term, due in part to the culprit's cooperation during the enquiries.
On Monday the 12 jurors had found him guilty of all the crimes he was charged with: an "indeterminate" number of murders and rapes, committed by him or under his orders.
For the first time in Belgian history rape was thus deemed to be a war crime.
Nkezabera had been close to the government in 1994 at the time of the Rwandan massacre in which some 800,000 people, mainly minority Tutsis, were killed in a space of 100 days by the army and a Hutu extremist militia.
He admitted, during pre-trial questioning, that he had financed and armed Hutu extremists involved in the genocide and bankrolled an extremist radio station, earning him the tag 'genocide banker'.
However he contested the rape charges.
Reading out his list of crimes, the public prosecutor had stressed that the accused "played a direct part in the genocide by distributing arms to the killers and giving them specific orders to rape Tutsi women and then execute them."
Nkezabera was seized by the authorities in Brussels in 2004 under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania.
Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jtr0jenWbJXZTc5M18wRvJGvbRIw
Rwanda seeks rebels' extradition
Rwanda says two rebel leaders arrested in Germany on Tuesday should be sent home to face trial.
Foreign Minister Rose Museminali told the BBC that she welcomed the arrest of FDLR leader Ignace Murwanashyaka and his deputy Straton Musoni.
However, they have been arrested for war crimes allegedly committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rwanda accuses some FDLR leaders of having carried out the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi minority.
'Safe-haven'
Mr Murwanashyaka has strongly denied that he or his men have any links to the genocide. He has been in Germany since before the 1994 killings.
He says they are fighting to bring democracy to Rwanda, which is now led by a Tutsi-dominated party.
The presence of the largely Hutu FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) in DR Congo has been at the heart of years of unrest in the region.
Rwanda has twice invaded DR Congo in recent years, saying it had to stop the FDLR from launching attacks on its territory.
UN peacekeepers are currently helping the Congolese army battle the FDLR in an operation which began in January.
Lobby group Human Rights Watch says that in that time, FDLR fighters have killed at least 630 people and raped numerous women. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes.
"Ignace Murwanashyaka and his colleagues are the ones now fuelling the war that is in eastern Congo," Ms Museminali told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.
"They are the ones who are collecting money and doing all the political work, canvassing for support. "So we welcome the fact that they've been arrested. We urge that these people are transferred to Rwanda, and they are tried."
Former UN chief investigator in Rwanda Gary Haugen told the BBC that the arrests meant that "a European safe-haven" for the FDLR had been shut down.
"That's very important for trying to bring actual enforcement of international standards against groups which really carry out brutal acts against civilians and war crimes, and crimes against humanity," he said.
One FDLR colonel told the BBC he was saddened by the arrest.
"But perhaps, this will enable Europe to know the truth as they will find out we're not a terrorist organisation," he said.
"But Ignace isn't the only one, we will re-organise ourselves, this isn't an end to our cause."
Analysts say the arrests will be a big blow to the morale of the FDLR fighters and they expect more to surrender in the coming months.
Mr Murwanaskyaka, 46, was arrested in the city of Karlsruhe, while 48-year-old Mr Musoni was held in the Stuttgart area, German prosecutors said in a statement.
"The accused are strongly suspected, as members of the foreign terrorist organisation FDLR, of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes," it said.
It added that "FDLR militias are believed to have killed several hundred civilians, raped numerous women, plundered and burned countless villages, forcing villagers from their homes and recruiting numerous children as soldiers".
The FDLR is accused of funding its arms purchases by smuggling gold and other minerals from areas it controls in the North and South Kivu provinces, just across the border from Rwanda.
Source:news.bbc.co.uk/
Rwanda: Ntare School Offers Scholarships
Kigali — Ntare School, one of Uganda's oldest schools has offered fifteen scholarships to Rwandan students.
Ten scholarships will be open for senior one entry while five will be reserved for A-level students who meet the admission requirements of the school. The development was revealed at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Ntare School Old Boys Association (NSOBA) held recently in Kigali.
The association's Rwanda chapter is represented by four former students of the school. During a previous meeting that was held in Mbarara in April 2009, it was decided to alternate these meetings between Rwanda and Uganda.
Prominent among the former students of the school is President Paul Kagame and other top government officials. The meeting in Kigali recommended that Charles Gahima, Chairman of the NSOBA Rwanda Chapter, becomes a member of the school's Board of Governors.
Members of NSOBA Executive Committee paid a courtesy call on President Kagame, who was briefed on the status and projects of the association and the current state of the school.
The President offered to support the association, but encouraged members to work harder. He encouraged all Old Boys to take advantage of this unique historical link to engage in joint developmental and investment ventures that would contribute to the promotion of education and the advancement of the region.
Source:allafrica.com/
Ten scholarships will be open for senior one entry while five will be reserved for A-level students who meet the admission requirements of the school. The development was revealed at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Ntare School Old Boys Association (NSOBA) held recently in Kigali.
The association's Rwanda chapter is represented by four former students of the school. During a previous meeting that was held in Mbarara in April 2009, it was decided to alternate these meetings between Rwanda and Uganda.
Prominent among the former students of the school is President Paul Kagame and other top government officials. The meeting in Kigali recommended that Charles Gahima, Chairman of the NSOBA Rwanda Chapter, becomes a member of the school's Board of Governors.
Members of NSOBA Executive Committee paid a courtesy call on President Kagame, who was briefed on the status and projects of the association and the current state of the school.
The President offered to support the association, but encouraged members to work harder. He encouraged all Old Boys to take advantage of this unique historical link to engage in joint developmental and investment ventures that would contribute to the promotion of education and the advancement of the region.
Source:allafrica.com/
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Rwanda Twitter
The Republic of Rwanda (pronounced /ruːˈændə/ or /rəˈwɑːndə/ in English, [ɾwanda] or [ɾɡwanda] in Kinyarwanda) is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of east-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. Home to approaching 10 million people, Rwanda supports the densest population in continental Africa, most of whom engage in subsistence agriculture. A verdant country of fertile and hilly terrain, the small republic bears the title "Land of a Thousand Hills" (French: Pays des Mille Collines; Kinyarwanda: Igihugu cy'Imisozi Igihumbi).
The country has received considerable international attention due to its 1994 genocide, in which between 800,000 and one million people were killed. In 2008, Rwanda became the first country in history to elect a national legislature in which a majority of members were women. Three quarters of the population live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day
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