Rwanda Still Protecting M23 Congolese Rebels
5 June 2014
The Democratic Republic of Congo has accused Rwanda of "protecting" M23 rebel leaders wanted for war crimes. A government official told the BBC that seven months after the end of the rebellion, Rwanda was also delaying attempts to interview about 500 ex-fighters currently in a camp in Rwanda.
Romeo Dallaire Resigns From The Canadian Senate
29 May 2014
Retired Gen Romeo Dallaire, the UN commander in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, will resign from the Canadian Senate, he has said. "There are so many things to do, as well as increasing opportunities to do them, that I find myself short of that most precious of commodities: time." Mr Dallaire, 68, has acknowledged he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after witnessing atrocities during the genocide.
Kizito Mihigo and Others Refused Bail
Kigali 28 April 2014
Four suspects facing terrorism-related charges were denied bail on grounds that they could flee the country and interfere with ongoing investigations. The suspects, Kizito Mihigo, Cassien Ntamuhanga, Jean-Paul Dukuzumuremyi and Agnès Niyibizi, all appeared for the bail ruling at the Kacyiru primary court in Kigali.
Singer Kizito Mihigo Arrested for Alleged Links With Opposition Groups
Kigali 15 April 2014
One of Rwanda's best-known musicians and a leading journalist have been arrested and accused of links to an opposition group and rebels. They are accused of links to both the South Africa-based Rwanda National Congress (RNC) and Hutu rebels, based in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rwanda calls Congo 'crybaby' at U.N., Congo says Rwanda 'arrogant'
New York 30 January 2014
The U.N. Security Council stressed on Thursday that M23 rebels must be stopped from regrouping in Democratic Republic of Congo and expressed concern at Congolese soldiers aiding Rwandan Hutu militia, sparking a verbal clash between the countries' envoys. Rwanda's U.N. ambassador, Eugene Gasana accused Congo of "crying like small babies," while his Congolese counterpart, Ignace Gata Mavita wa Lufuta, said Rwanda's "arrogant behavior must stop."
UN Final Report on DRC: Rwanda Still Supports M23
7 January 2014
The Group of Experts documented human rights abuses by M23 during 2013, and confirmed that M23 received various forms of support from Rwandan territory, including recruitment, troop reinforcement, ammunition deliveries and fire support. As of the writing of this report, the Group has received credible information that sanctioned M23 leaders are moving freely in Uganda, and that M23 has continued to recruit in Rwanda.
UN troops start military actions against Rwanda FDLR
10 December 2013
United Nations peacekeeping troops in Democratic Republic of Congo have launched operations against a Rwandan Hutu rebel militia operating along Congo’s border with Rwanda, the U.N. commander said.
FDLR response to the United Nations
7 December 2013
FDLR is hereby warning the UN Security Council in particular and the UN – International community in general that any attempt of using armed confrontations, with intention to annihilate FDLR is more likely to fail, as such unwise actions would be not only directed towards FDLR members and civilians Rwandan refugees , who have been abandoned to themselves for ages within the dense forests of eastern DRC, but also to the whole Rwandan community, whether inside Rwanda or outside Rwanda.
DRC Parliament Declares Uganda, Rwanda "Enemy States"
Kinshasa 4 December 2013
The DRC Parliament has declared Uganda and Rwanda as “enemy/aggressor” states, raising fears of worsening relations between Kinshasa and neighbours. In a heated plenary session, the MPs also directed the DRC peace team in Kampala not to sign any a agreement with the defeated M23 rebels apart from a declaration by the rebels renouncing rebellion and committing its fighters to a disarmament and demobilisation process.
Kagame days are numbered, says General Nyamwasa
28 November 2013
"Kagame uses mainly charges against people who are opposed to his dictatorial leadership. Either you are a genocidaire, terrorist or corrupt. That is standard procedure and I happen to be part of that victimisation. I would like to inform Rwandans and friends of Rwanda across Africa and the international community that we will be driving real liberation to the country soon. I would like to assure Rwandans and friends of our cause that dictatorship is going to be removed in Rwanda soon," Gen. Nyamwasa.
A Renegade Ugandan general declares war on Museveni
London 22 November 2013
Exiled fugitive General, David Sejusa alias Tinyefuza, has officially declared war on the government of President Yoweri Museveni. Sejusa said all hopes in changing government have evaporated, leaving only one option – war. He added that “no one should imagine that Museveni will be removed through elections.”
M23 gangs are returning to Rwanda from Congo
19 November 2013
M23 bandits verbally accepted humiliating defeat, while promising to end its ‘rebellion’ and to use purely political means to pursue its goals. Finally, it surrendered, gave up least some weapons, and evaporated into neighboring Rwanda and Uganda. The group is returning home to Rwanda only because it is most likely needed there. Kagame needs those M23 people around him, in case of war! He needs them back! It is almost certain that there will be a conflict here soon…
Talk to your armed opposition, Museveni tells Kagame
12 November 2013
"I just came from the SADC meeting, where the discussions on lasting peace in the Great Lakes Region were discussed. Unfortunately, it appears that most of the leaders believe that one of the major factors is the Rwandan rebels in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Clearly that issue will have to be addressed, one way or another. And the leaders believe that the issue may not be resolved without the Rwandan Government sitting at the negotiating table with its armed opposition. I, too, believe, maybe it is time for you to talk to your armed opposition", Museveni.
DR Congo aborts peace deal with M23 rebels
Kampala 12 November 2013
The Democratic Republic of Congo has refused to sign a peace deal with the defeated M23 rebel group, after Kinshasa demanded the agreement be named a "declaration" and not an "accord". "For some strange reason the delegation of the DRC government did not enter the conference room, where the signing ceremony was expected to be," Uganda spokesman Opondo said on Monday. "We want to sign a declaration, but the mediator, for a reason we do not understand, wants to impose an accord upon us," DR Congo spokesman Mende said. "If he changed his mind, even tonight, we could sign."
Is defeat of M23 a turning point in Uganda-Rwanda Great Lakes dream?
11 November 2013
Southern Africa’s SADC (South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi) intervened to halt the ambitions of Rwanda-Uganda military machinery in eastern Africa, finally crushing the M23 rebels, and for the time being, it appears to mark the end of a remarkable 25-year history of military adventure by the Museveni and Kagame forces.
The USA played key Role in M23 Demise
10 November 2013
The United States exerted key pressure on Rwanda to halt its support for M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, seeking to end the latest conflict in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Washington had already put its ally Rwanda on notice in July 2012, freezing annual military assistance of $200,000.
Extending peace in DRC after M23’s demise
Nairobi 8 November 2013
There is speculation that Rwanda has secured assurances that the next target of military action in DRC will be the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which includes ethnic Hutus who fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. If Kigali feels short-changed, analysts warn that it could reactivate the M23 or arm another ethnic Tutsi-led proxy force in DRC in order to protect its security and economic interests.
DR Congo: M23 Rebel Chief Colonel Makenga surrenders
Kampala 7 November 2013
The commander of the M23 rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has surrendered in Uganda, sources have told the BBC. Sultani Makenga is said to have handed himself over along with hundreds of M23 fighters in the Mgahinga National Park. Reports say Sultani Makenga and about 1,700 fighters have been disarmed and are being held by the Ugandan military in Mgahinga, near the Congo border.
DR Congo: War is Far from Over
4 November 2013
Fresh fighting has erupted in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo as government forces try to clear the last areas held by M23 rebels. The BBC's Ignatius Bahizi in the border town of Bunagana says missiles are being fired and thousands of refugees have fled into Uganda. The M23 on Sunday called a ceasefire to allow peace talks with the government to continue. However, the reporter says there is no sign a ceasefire has taken effect.
DR Congo M23 rebels call truce to boost Kampala talks
3 November 2013
The M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo says it is calling a ceasefire to allow peace talks with the government to proceed. After 20 months of fighting, government forces recaptured the rebels' last stronghold in eastern DR Congo. In a statement, the rebels called on the organisers of the peace talks in neighbouring Uganda to "put in place a mechanism to monitor the ceasefire".
USA and UK ask Kagame to cut ties with M23
2 November 2013
Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo are close to defeat after the foreign ministers of both America and Britain called the president of neighbouring Rwanda and urged him not to intervene to support them, The Daily Telegraph has learned. John Kerry, the US secretary of state, and William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, telephoned Paul Kagame separately last Friday (1 November 2013) and told him to stay out of the conflict.
Briefing: Armed groups in eastern DRC
Kampala 31 October 2013
“The complexity of the war in eastern Congo, with its entangled web of actors pursuing a multiplicity of agendas can be overwhelming and confusing. The region is a fertile environment for the development and growth of armed groups and warlordism.”
DR Congo army seizes Bunagana base from M23 rebels
Goma 30 October 2013
Government forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have captured Bunagana town, the main base of the M23 rebel group, officials say. The troops entered the town on the Ugandan border in large numbers as the rebels fled, M23 political leader Bertrand Bisimwa was earlier reported to have crossed into Uganda as Congolese troops advanced on his base. The M23 launched a rebellion in eastern DR Congo in April 2012.
DR Congo: The M23 is all but finished, says UN
Goma 29 October 2013
The UN's special envoy in the Democratic Republic of Congo has told the organisation's Security Council that the M23 rebel movement is all but finished as a military threat. Martin Kobler said the M23 had abandoned most military positions in the East and was confined to a small triangle close to the Rwandan border.
The University of Rwanda is no longer National
Kigali 15 October 2013
The Rwandan government has nominated senior managers to lead the new created University of Rwanda. What is striking is that top posts are occupied by foreigners thus raising questions whether Rwandans cannot lead our own university. It is hard to understand but the answer is simple: The University as well as the country are on sale.
Rwanda condemns US M23 child soldiers sanctions
Kigali 04 October 2013
Rwanda has condemned the US imposition of sanctions, denying any links to the use of child soldiers by rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo. The US has withdrawn military aid to Rwanda, accusing it of backing the M23 rebels, believed to recruit minors. A Rwandan military spokesman said the decision was not based on evidence.
US blocks military aid to Rwanda for rebel support
Washington 4 October 2013
The United States says it has blocked military aid to Rwanda for backing M23 rebels, who are active in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and use child soldiers in their fight against Kinshasa. The US State Department said on Thursday (3 October 2013) that the sanctions also apply to the Central African Republic, Myanmar, Sudan and Syria.
UN helicopters strike Congolese rebels
Goma 29 August 2013
United Nations forces and the Congolese army have attacked rebel positions with helicopter gunships, armoured personnel carriers and a large number of ground troops, ramping up the UN's engagement in the latest rebellion to hit the country's eastern region. The fighting was some of the fiercest in the week since the newly created UN intervention brigade went on the offensive, and one Tanzanian peacekeeper was killed after the rebels aimed artillery fire at their position, the UN said in a statement.
UN troops in DR Congo shell M23 rebels near Goma
23 August 2013
UN troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo have launched an offensive, shelling positions held by rebels outside the eastern city of Goma. The UN was responding to shelling from M23 rebels on Thursday that had killed five residents in Goma, UN spokesman Felix-Prosper Basse told the BBC.A M23 spokesman told the BBC it had not attacked the city, blaming the army for provoking the fighting.
UN protests at Rwandan refugee abductions in Uganda
22 August 2013
The UN has called for an investigation into the "disappearance or abduction" of three Rwandan refugees, including two ex-presidential guards, from neighbouring Uganda. Their "disappearance or abduction" raised serious concerns about a culture of impunity, a UN official said.
Rwanda: Takeover of a Human Rights Group
Nairobi 14 August 2013
The leadership of the Rwandan League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights has been ousted because of its independent stance. People believed to be favorable to the government have taken over the organization in what has become a typical state tactic to silence human rights defenders.
UK Stops £21m Aid Payment to Rwanda
London 30 November 2012
The International Development Secretary Justine Greening said a payment worth £21m would not now be released. An aid payment of £16m was paid to Rwanda in September despite questions over the country's alleged support for the M23 militia in DR Congo. Ms Greening said the money, which was due to be paid next month, would not be released because President Paul Kagame's government had breached agreements.
UK cannot "ignore evidence" of Rwanda involvement with M23
London 23 November 2012
The British Prime Minister has said the UK "cannot ignore the evidence" of Rwanda's involvement with militia who have taken control of parts of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mr David Cameron has urged Rwandan president Paul Kagame to show he has "no links" to the M23 group of rebels.
UN report on DRC accuses Uganda leader's brother
Kampala 23 November 3012
A new U.N. report that accuses the Rwandan military of commanding and supporting rebel forces in eastern Congo also charges that the brother of Uganda's long-serving president actively backs the movement. Salim Saleh, 52, is a retired army general, a former Cabinet minister, a legendary bush-war fighter, and a businessman once implicated by the U.N. in the plunder of Congo's natural resources.
Rwanda Helped Launch DRC Rebels, say UN Experts
New York 27 June 2012
Rwanda has played a key role in creating a rebel group and sustaining a mutiny in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, UN experts have said in a leaked document. Senior Rwandan military officials are said to have given "direct assistance" in setting it up, as well as support in the form of weapons, ammunition, logistics and recruits.
Rwanda's Controversial Courts Shut Down
Kigali 18 June 2012
Rwanda's community courts, known as gacaca, have finished their work, after 10 years of trying those accused of involvement in the 1994 genocide. The courts were set up to speed up the prosecution of hundreds of thousands of genocide suspects awaiting trial. Human rights group say the gacaca fell well short of international legal standards. About 65% of the close to two million people tried have been found guilty, according to latest government figures.
Paul Kagame on a Special Visit to Uganda: But Why?
13 June 2012
Kagame was in Uganda yet again in order to seek help because he has nowhere else to turn to this time. The main reason for President Kagame’s visit is to ask for President Museveni to allow Kagame’s (M23 Rebels) fighting in the Congo to cross over and hide in Uganda while the UN and the Congolese government investigate Kagame’s actions against the Congolese Nationals. Sources held indicate that President Kagame is unsettled and anxious due to the warnings he received from US and UK diplomats.
Rwanda Military Aiding DRC Mutiny, Human Rights Watch
Goma 4 June 2012
New evidence has emerged that the Rwandan military is aiding rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch says. The rights group says former rebels have described how Rwanda provided the rebellion with hundreds of recruits and also with weapons and ammunition. Rwanda also offered shelter to renegade leader Bosco Ntaganda, wanted by the International Criminal Court, HRW says.
ICC Rejects Arrest Warrant for General Mudacumura
The Hague 1 June 2012
Judges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague have rejected a prosecutors' request to issue an arrest warrant for a commander of a Rwandan Hutu militia that has terrorized eastern Congo for years.
In a written decision Thursday, the judges said that ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo's May 15 request failed to provide necessary information about the alleged crimes of Sylvester Mudacumura, the supreme commander of the militia, the FDLR.
In a written decision Thursday, the judges said that ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo's May 15 request failed to provide necessary information about the alleged crimes of Sylvester Mudacumura, the supreme commander of the militia, the FDLR.
Congo Probes Alleged Rwanda Support For Rebels
Goma 29 May 2012
Authorities in Democratic Republic of Congo are investigating allegations that neighbouring Rwanda is recruiting and training fighters in support of a new armed movement in its troubled eastern borderlands, a government spokesman said on Monday (28 May 2012). The British Broadcasting Corporation, citing a confidential United Nations document, reported earlier on Monday that among the defectors from the newly formed militia were at least 11 Rwandan nationals who claimed to have been recruited in Rwanda.
South Africa Summons Kigali to Explain Attempted Assassinations
Johannesbourg 3 April 2012
Intelligence circles from the South African government summoned the Chief of National Security Services (NSS) from Rwanda, Gen Karenzi Karake who jotted in leading an entourage of five most trusted Kagame lieutenants on Monday the 2nd April 2012.The purpose for the summoning of Rwandan government was to explain the continued espionage by Rwandan security service after the SA intelligence receiving crucial information elaborating the illegal operations by agents from Kigali which has angered South African authorities.
Kagame assassinated Kabila
Brussels 31 March 2012
The Rwandan President Paul Kagame was “the instigator of the assassination against Laurent Desire Kabila, the Congolese former president.” This was announced on Saturday, March 31, 2012 by Theogene Rudasingwa, the former chief of staff of Paul Kagame, during a joint town hall meeting of political parties FDU-Inkingi and RNC in Brussels. Although the hypothesis of the involvement of the strongman of Rwanda in the assassination against Kabila has never been ruled out by the people who led investigations into this murder, such accusations from Kagame’s former close collaborator are unprecedented.
Rwanda Sends French Investigators Home Over Genocide Cases
22 March 2012
Rwanda last week sent home a French rogatory commission to protest France's slow handling of genocide cases, Prosecutor General Martin Ngoga said today (22 March 2012). The commission had come to investigate cases of Rwandans living in France who are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide. “We told them go back until you are ready to do serious business, then we would be ready to work with you,” Ngoga told a press conference in Arusha.
ICTR: Registrar Presents Possible Candidates For Monitoring Mechanism
Arusha 19 March 2012
The Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) submitted on March 16 a list of international institutions to the President of the Tribunal which could be selected to serve as Monitoring Mechanism for the genocide trial of Pastor Jean Uwinkindi in Rwanda. On February 24, then ICTR President Judge Khalida Rashid Khan ordered the stay of transfer to Rwanda of Pastor Uwinkindi until the establishment of a suitable monitoring mechanism for his trial.
Beyond The Veneer Of Reconciliation: Human Rights and Democracy in Rwanda
19 March 2012
PhD candidate Jennifer Melvin argues that Rwanda’s national unity and reconciliation programme promotes two differing but inter-related political images at the domestic and international levels. She argues that the current Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) government successfully manipulates national reconciliation to bolster political support, silence opposition and promote development that is primarily uneven. She urges the Commonwealth to look beyond the appearance of unity, and reconciliation to consider the detrimental consequences of government programming upon democracy and human rights in Rwanda.
New Revelation: Who killed Felicien Gatabazi?
17 March 2012
Gatabazi Felicien was assassinated by the RPF because he had refused to endorse the plan to kill Habyalimana. The RPF had been afraid that he might reveal the plans to Habyalimana who was a close associate in an arms business which weapons supplied to Palipehutu, a criminal-extremist Hutu group in Burundi, and through Mr. Minani, who was at that time a Burundian Minister.
Uganda: Rwandan Refugees Still Reluctant to Return Home
Mbarara 14 March 2012
Thousands of Rwandan refugees living in Uganda remain unwilling to return home, citing a fear of persecution, despite the UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) invocation of a clause ending their refugee status.
“Since May 2009, no Rwandan refugee of any profile, either urban or rural, has expressed a willingness to return back home,” Manzi Mutuyimana, one of the refugees, told IRIN. “Conditions which could make a safe return with dignity do not exist in Rwanda.”
“Since May 2009, no Rwandan refugee of any profile, either urban or rural, has expressed a willingness to return back home,” Manzi Mutuyimana, one of the refugees, told IRIN. “Conditions which could make a safe return with dignity do not exist in Rwanda.”
ICTR Orders Public Hearing on Another Transfer to Rwanda.
Arusha 8 March 2012
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda will hold a public hearing on April 12 on whether to send another detainee to Rwanda for trial. In an order issued Wednesday, it ordered prosecution and defence to be present to support their arguments for and against the transfer of former militiaman Bernard Munyagishari. The Rwandan government, which has also filed a brief as a an amicus curiae (friend of the court), is also invited to take part. Munyagishari is one of only two ICTR detainees still awaiting trial, along with Pastor Jean Uwinkindi. As it strives to meet completion targets and finish all first instance trials by July 2012, the Tribunal last year approved Uwinkindi's transfer to Rwanda, without a public hearing.
ICTR halts First Transfer to Rwanda
Arusha 27 February 2012
The President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda has stayed the first detainee transfer to Rwanda and ordered the Registrar to look for new monitors, after talks with the African Commission on Human and People's Rights (ACHPR) failed. In a an order dated February 24, Judge Khalida Rashid Khan ordered that the transfer of Pastor Jean Uwinkindi should be stayed, pending the establishment of a suitable monitoring mechanism for his trial.
ICTR Gets New President
Arusha 14 February 2012
Judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda have elected Danish Judge Vagn Joensen as new President of the Tribunal, says an ICTR press statement issued on Monday. He will take over from current President Khalida Rachid Khan of Pakistan on March 2. Judge Khan is to be redeployed to the ICTR Appeals Chamber in The Hague next month.
Two Journalists Accused of Defaming Kagame
7 February 2012
The ruling of the case against two Rwanda female journalists accused by the state of publishing information to ignite public disorder and creating ethnic divisions was on Tuesday deferred to February 17. The journalists are also accused of threatening state security and defaming the person of the Head of State. The two convicted journalists of the weekly local tabloid, Umurabyo, on Monday, launched their bid to reverse last year’s verdict by the High Court.
Arrested Rwandan Generals are being tortured
Washington 20 January 2012
Sources in the UDF and RDF reported to this reporter that the four generals in Rwanda that have been arrested was falsely reported as being arrested for questionable dealings in the DRC but in reality they were arrested due to the fleeing of 600-800 soldiers in December 2011. The arrest of these Generals has led to them allegedly being tortured. _
Top army officers arrested: aborted coup?
Kigali 18 January 2012
_Rwanda has suspended and put under house arrest four of its top military officers, an army spokesperson says. One of those arrested is the military intelligence chief, who has also advised President Paul Kagame on security issues.
UK MPs say Britain should use aid to press for good governance
London 5 January 2012
_UK parliamentary committee backs aid to conflict-affected states, but
says funding should be withheld if recipient states fail to deliver on
transparency or human rights. About Rwanda, the committee recommended that Britain set out indicators or benchmarks in its budget support agreements about what type of improvements it expects to see in areas such as freedom of speech and of association. "This might include ensuring human rights organisations can operate freely and improving freedom of the press," it said. _
Deadly grenade attack in Kigali kills two
Kigali 3 January 2012
_Two people have been killed in a grenade explosion in Rwanda's capital, Kigali, police have said. Leaders of a new opposition party in exile, who were also accused of having links to grenade blasts in 2010, condemned Tuesday night's explosion. "Either the government is implicated in these periodic grenade attacks, so as to find pretext to crack down on the political opposition at a time of dwindling internal and foreign support, or the regime has lost the ability to protect its citizens," Theogene Rudasingwa, of the opposition Rwanda National Congress (RNC), said in a statement.
_
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Kagame backs calls to change constitution to allow him third term
Kampala 12 December 2011
__"The fact that Kagame is openly floating the idea of changing the
constitution is extremely dangerous. It marks a radical switch in his
tactics. He has always previously said that Rwanda is a constitutional
country and that he will abide by the constitution. Given the level of
repression in Rwanda, the opposition will consider taking up arms to be
their only option."
Rwandan Journalist killed in Uganda
Kampala 2 December 2011
A Rwandan journalist living as a political refugee in Uganda has been shot dead, police say.
Charles Ingabire was gunned down in a bar in Kampala.
He was editor of Inyenyeri News, an online publication critical of the government of Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
Several critics of Mr Kagame have been attacked or killed in recent years. The government denies any responsibility_
A Revolutionary Climate Exists in Rwanda: Dr Rudasingwa
29 November 2011
_Here
is a man who committed a terrorist crime in which lives were lost,
including two Heads of State. Would Rwandans and the international
community accept that because Kigali streets are clean, new estates have
sprung up, we should look the other side and forget this crime or
justify it? What moral or ethical standards are we creating for our
society? Where is fairness and justice when hundreds of thousands of
other Rwandans have been asked to account for their role in genocide
when Paul Kagame cannot account for his role in the terrorist crime and
the genocide that followed it.
The West and South Africa working on succession plan in DRC, Uganda and Rwanda
27 November 2011
__
AfroAmerica Network has learned that the West and South Africa have
been developing power succession plans for three countries in the Great
Lakes Region of Africa: Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC), and Uganda. The plans, already in advanced stages, include three scenarios:
- Succession through elections
- Succession through peacefully handing over power
- Coup-d’etat
South Africa rejects Rwanda bid to extradite General Nyamwasa
Cape Town 23 November 2011
_South Africa has turned down a request to extradite exiled Rwandan army
General Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa to his home country, but is considering
similar requests from Spain and France, a minister said today.
Paul Rusesabagina Receives his Award Amid Protests by Kigali Regime
Washington 17 November 2011
Paul Rusesabagina was
given the prize by the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice. Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation, told the BBC's World Today programme "The lack of democracy, the squelching of the free press, imprisonment of
political opponents, these are causes of concern and it takes courage to
speak out when there is a government in Rwanda that really does not
brook criticism well." _
Paul Kagame's War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and Crimes of Genocide
16 November 2011
_ Although the U.S. has been
successful in preventing Kagame’s crew from being indicted at the ICTR, other
courts have indicted Kagame and members of his retinue. In late 2007, French
Judge Bruguiere indicted the assassins of Habyarimana and personally recommended
to Kofi Annan that Kagame be prosecuted by the ICTR. And, in February 2008 Spanish Judge Merelles
issued a 180-page indictment specifically charging Kagame with: Genocide; War
Crimes; Crimes against Humanity; including the massacres of more than 300,000
civilians.
UNDP Report Reveals Uncomfortable Truths about Rwanda
14 November 2011
_According to the UNDP report, 80% of Rwandans are living in poverty.
Here, poverty is defined as an income of less than $1.25 per day. As for
the global rankings, Rwanda is pretty down there with the likes of
Liberia and Burundi. One in two children suffers from rickets. 18% of the children suffer from malnutrition. And even for all the hype that has been made about Kagame's pro ICT policies, internet usage is still a dismal 3.1%. Moreover, only 0.5% of the population has regular access to a computer. Clearly, the ICT revolution is still a pipe dream!. _
Kagame Rejection as Key Speaker at Genocide Conference: The Beginning of an End
8 November 2011
“If this conference is about how to prepare and implement the genocide, then Kagame is the right man because he is expert in genocide implementation. He has more experience in organised killings, massacres and hiding evidence by lies, burning human bodies as he has done in Rwanda and Congo genocide. But if the conference is about the truth, reconciliation, and conflict prevention, then this invitation is completely wrong and Kagame should not be allowed by any human rights organisation, independent institutions in such a conference.”
French Judges to confirm that Kagame triggered the genocide by killing President Habyarimana
2 November 2011
According to AfroAmerica Network sources, the investigations and ballistic reconstructions have ruled out Rwandan ex-Far or alleged Hutu extremists as the potential assassins. The report concludes that the long suspected farm in Masaka that belonged to an RPF sympathizer is the likely shooting site, and the shooters were RPF commando.
US court dismisses lawsuit against Rwandan president Kagame
29 October 2011
A federal court in Oklahoma on Friday (28/10/2011) dismissed a lawsuit against Rwandan President Paul Kagame brought by the widows of two assassinated African presidents, ruling that he had immunity in the United States. U.S. District Judge Lee West ruled that as a head of state recognized by the U.S. government, Kagame was immune from the wrongful death civil suit.
Kagame's uneasy relationship with British press
Kampala 23 September 2011
Parts of the British press have decried Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame as a ‘dictator accused of war crimes’, a huge leap from the days when he was lauded as his country’s saviour. Yes, it’s true, he does wield absolute power in a country that is purported to be a multi-party democracy, but where opposition journalists and politicians are not tolerated; and yes, he has been accused by the UN of war crimes against Hutus in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the 1994 genocide ended. But Rwanda’s story is not black and white.
Kagame has no where to hide
17 September 2011
The Rwandan emperor is totally naked. Kagame has nowhere to hide! Every corner of the world now knows him as a cheat and conman. He usually paints himself as Mr Zero Tolerant for corruption but Kagame is now exposed as the most corrupt leader on this planet.
Kagame had a hard time in Paris
17 September 2011
Kagame was not welcome at all in Paris. French senior politicians avoid to meet him. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe travelled to the Pacific Rim, having said that he had “no wish to shake” Kagame’s hand. The chairman of the French Senate, Gerard Larcher, also refused to meet Mr Kagame. The streets were full of anti-Kagame protesters.
Was Kagame's visit to Paris a success?
17 September 2011
The President of Rwanda claims that his recent visit to France early this week has been a success. It obviously depends on which point of view he looks from! Have a look!
Nicolas Sarkozy's Rwanda accord rebuffed
17 September 2011
An attempt by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to end the row over France’s murky role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide has run into controversy as senior politicians in Paris snubbed the leader of the African nation.
Plan to take out Rwandan General revealed
14 September 2011
An alarming security breach within South African defence intelligence has put suspected death squads on the trail of an exiled Rwandan general who is under South African protection. It was reaveled that private investigators, allegedly hired by Rwandan intelligence agents, penetrated the security ring around Rwanda’s former chief-of-staff General Kayumba Nyamwasa.
Obama requests immnunity for Kagame
14 September 2011
Obama seems to be requesting more legal immunity for a foreign head of state than he himself enjoys, after the landmark Supreme Court case Clinton v. Jones, which established that a sitting president of the United States has no immunity from civil litigation against him for acts done before taking office and unrelated to the office.
Kagame pays "reconciliation" visit to France
12 September 2011
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has started his first visit to France since his country's 1994 genocide, in a bid to bridge the countries' deep divides. Rwanda has accused the French military of contributing to the massacre of 800,000 mainly ethnic Tutsis by the Hutu regime and its supporters.
More light in Rwanda's plot to execute exiled general
10 August 2011
A would-be assassin revealed to City Press this week how he had been recruited and paid by Rwanda’s military intelligence service to kill an exiled Rwandan general and his followers in Pretoria. Rwandan refugee Gustav Tuyishime told City Press that his main targets were former Rwandan army chief of staff General Kayumba Nyamwasa and two of his confidants.
Genocide courts attacked for failure to heal Rwanda's scars
5 August 2011
Rwanda's widely praised community genocide courts, due to wind up later this year, have done nothing to "heal ethnic divisions" and have been used to "bolster government authority", according to a new report by one of the country's leading donors.
UK's cosy relationship with Rwanda: rose-tinted glasses?
4 August 2011
Rwandan refugees in Britain live in fear of their government’s spies, whilst Britain remains Rwanda’s largest donor. Britain must avoid nurturing another African dictator.
Canada: Stop training militia members for Rwanda
3 August 2011
The Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF), the rebel group that took over government after the genocide, has failed to lead the country to democracy. Instead, the organization has re-established a one-party, authoritarian system of government that is even more repressive than the government that was in power prior to the genocide. The RPF Government of Rwanda maintains its hold onto power through acts of repression, including arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings of critics and opponents of the regimes.
FDRL Commander General Mudacumura allegedly negotiating his surrender to Rwandan Defence Forces
2 August 2011
Sources close to Ugandan Intelligence Services have informed AfroAmerica Network that General Sylvestre Mudacumura the overall Commander of the troops of a Rwandan rebel organization based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR-FOCA), is negotiating his surrender to Rwanda Defense Forces.
Monster behind the genocide and rapes squads
27 July 2011
Kagame has created what one observer calls ‘a well-managed ethnic, social and economic dictatorship’. People speak of a climate of fear, where the wrong words can lead to incarceration – or worse. President Kagame should no longer be able to avoid blame despite protestations that his regime was merely tracking down remnants of mass-murdering Hutu militias.
Kagame digs himself into a deep hole
12 July 2011
When Kagame jetted to London to receive his medal for his “great leadership” from an NGO that does not even operate in Rwanda, there was nothing particularly unusual about that. Kagame has a bottomless hunger for awards and medals. He will travel to the North Pole to receive one – even if given by the penguins, as long as it is a medal. It turns out, however, that Kagame got more than he bargained for in London this time around.
South Africa row over Rwanda ex-army chief
Johannesburg 14 June 2011
South African human rights groups have launched legal action to force the government to revoke the refugee status of a former Rwandan army chief. They said Pretoria acted illegally by giving asylum to Lt Gen Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, who is also wanted by Spain and France for his alleged role in killings in the lead-up to Rwanda's 100-day genocide.
US Secretary of State Warns African Dictators at African Union
Addis Ababa 13 June 2011
The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has challenged African leaders to promote democracy, economic growth, and peace and security.Talking about the changes that are taking places in North Africa and Middle East, Mrs Clinton said: "Their message is clear to us all: The status quo is broken; the old ways of governing are no longer acceptable; it is time for leaders to lead with accountability, treat their people with dignity, respect their rights, and deliver economic opportunity. And if they will not, then it is time for them to go".
Rwandan opposition calls for talks with Kagame
London 7 June 2011
The leader of the London-based Rwanda Peoples Party (RPP) has called on Rwandan President Paul Kagame to hold emergency peace talks to avert what he called an ‘eminent civil war’ that he claimed was looming over the horizon. “We want to put an end to civil war, whether inside Rwanda or outside it, principally in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We want a new democratic Rwanda that accommodates rather than threatens its citizens, many of whom are scattered around in the Diaspora.”
Stop the flow of cash to Rwanda's despotic regime
25 May 2011
The desperate desire for an aid success story has ensured that for too long, too many people who should know better have ignored repression in Rwanda. We can ignore it no longer. Otherwise we are aiding and abetting an autocrat whose regime sends death squads to murder people living peacefully in this country. We all hope that the British leaders are listening and will dare take appropriate action.
Investigating claims that the Rwandan government is plotting assassinations in UK
22 May 2011
Rwandan exiles living in London are warned by UK police that they faced the threat of assassination.
It has emerged that two men were visited by officers who told them they were in danger of being killed by a hitman sent by the Rwandan government. Shortly before the warning was issued, a Rwandan man suspected of involvement was prevented from entering the UK.
It has emerged that two men were visited by officers who told them they were in danger of being killed by a hitman sent by the Rwandan government. Shortly before the warning was issued, a Rwandan man suspected of involvement was prevented from entering the UK.
Kagame sends his killing machines to the UK
London 14 May 2011
The London Metropolitan police warned some key Rwandan opposition figures about imminent threats to their personal safety. The alert came on the eve of a meeting convened by Rwandan opposition to Kagame dictatorship in London. The warning reads in part as follows: “Reliable intelligence states that the Rwandan Government poses an imminent threat to your life. The threat could come in any form. You should be aware of other high profile cases where action such as this has been concluded in the past. Conventional and non-conventional means have been used.”
Vasectomy: to snip or not to snip, that is the question
8 June 2011
The Rwandan government is planning to "Voluntarily" sterilise more than 700000 men in the next few months. However, the reality is that those 700000 "volunteers" will come from the poorest strand of the society with fear that the majority Hutu might be the ultimate target of the policy.
Rwandan President's hitman denies role in UK plot
Brussels 5 June 2011
“When you’re planning an operation like that, I would have taken all the precautions, not leaving anything. I wouldn’t have used my own mobile number, [I] would have used a public telephone. I’m not an idiot, I am a cop, and you can imagine I wouldn’t have brought my contacts with me.”
Rwandan opposition calls for massive protests against Kagame in Chicago
29 May 2011
Recently, Paul Kagame attempted to the lives of Rwandan citizens member of the opposition residing in South Africa and UK. Reports by the New York Times, the Guardian, the Independent and the BBC Newsnight have explained how the British Secret Services uncovered plans by Kagame’s henchmen to eliminate his political opponents in the UK. For all these reasons, many Rwandans and friends of Rwanda are prepared to come to Chicago on June 10-12, 2011 for a massive public protest against this criminal.
UK should review relationship with Rwanda
21 May 2011
The British Government faces demands to review its close relationship with Rwanda, following the revelation that Rwandan expats living in the UK have been warned that they are the target of assassins sent by the African government.
The wind of democracy: Rwanda's turn and the fate of Kagame
12 May 2011
Rwandans do not need and seek a lot or impossible from Kagame and from all politicians. They just need rule of law, freedom and human right in a State in which institutions have more authorities and power than individuals and each citizen rights and freedom are protected in a system that engenders strong sense of belonging.
Stop Killing Rwandans or Resign: RNC tells Kagame
10 May 2011
There is little or no surprise that President Kagame and his regime would, once again, turn to assassination, intimidation and insults in dealing with Rwandan citizens demanding peaceful and democratic change in their motherland....What is surprising is that Kigali regime’s previously secret policy of killing real or imagined opponents within and outside Rwanda has now become official open policy. The regime’s criminal nature, its decadence, arrogance and incredible impunity is alarmingly turning uglier, blatant and scandalous.
Is the Star of Rwanda's visionary leader loosing brightness?
9 May 2011
It will take more than state-of-the-art PR campaigns to repair the damaged image of Rwanda’s absolute ruler. Lately, President Paul Kagame has received more student delegations than diplomats and heads of states at the presidency office in “Village Urugwiro”
Kagame's Rwanda: Myth and Reality
21 April 2011
Kagame's government has maintained political power and manipulated public sympathy by promoting a highly politicized ideology of the 1994 genocide. Anyone who challenges the official story is branded a "genocide negationist," a "genocide revisionist," or "killers of remembrance" by the Kagame regime.
Paul Kagame, a professional conman!
11 April 2011
President Kagame has made his name globally as an upholder of good
governance, transparency and anti-corruption crusader. He has not
hesitated to throw into prison even ministers for misuse of public funds
– some were jailed for allegedly living beyond their means. This is the “Mr. Clean” image Kagame has projected to the outside
world and won him friends such as Tony Blair, and David Cameroon the current Conservative British Prime
Minister.
British taxpayers as well as Kagame high level supporters on both
sides of the isle will be shocked to learn that in fact he is a conman!
Paul Kagame, a professional conman. Rwandan Embassy in London: Kagame, landlord and tenant
8 April 2011
Rwandan President Paul Kagame owns the Rwandan Embassy building in
London, 122 Seymour Place, London, W1H 1NR. Who would have guessed that
Colina Enterprise, registered in Panama, in the name of two closest
collaborators of the Rwandan head of state, would buy a building in
London and then rent it back to the Rwandan government!
A molotov coctail hurled over Ms Ingabire's residence in Kigali
Kigali 16 March 2011
This Wednesday 16th March at around 19.50, a Molotov cocktail was hurled
inside the residence of the jailed FDU-Inkingi chairperson, Ms.
Victoire INGABIRE, in Kigali, by unknown assailants. None was injured in
the night attack.
Rwanda in six scenes, by Stephen W. Smith
11 March 2011
Rwanda, as a recent document has it, is a one-party
authoritarian state, controlled by President Kagame through a small
clique of Tutsi military officers and civilian cadres of the RPF from
behind the scenes. The majority Hutu community remains excluded from a
meaningful share of political power. State institutions are as effective
as they are repressive. The government relies on severe repression to
maintain its hold on power … Rwanda is less free today than it was prior
to the genocide. There is less room for political participation than
there was in 1994. Civil society is less free and effective. The media
is less free. The Rwanda government is more repressive than the one that
it overthrew.
UK pledges £330 millions to Rwanda
7 March 2011
The United Kingdom has pledged UK £330 million (Approx Rwf 317
billion) to Rwanda as financial support for the next four years. Rwanda
is among the 27 countries in the world that will still receive British
aid. “It is a grant and part of the money will be channeled through
sector support, budget support, and financing of programmes among
others,” said Finance Minister, John Rwangombwa.
Forget Gaddafi: Blair's New Best Friend is a Despot Guilty of Even Bloodier Slaughter
6 March 2011
Blair-Kagame relationship, it has to be said, is something of a love-in. Mr Blair describes Kagame, a former rebel soldier in the once war-torn country, as a ‘visionary leader’ and ‘great friend’. For his part, the grateful Kagame has called on his people to name their children after his new English chum. However, damning evidence is beginning to emerge that Kagame ordered the systematic genocide of tens of thousands of rival Hutu civilians in revenge for the massacre of up to 800,000 of his Tutsi people in three months of bloodshed in 1994.
Key Political Risks to Watch in Rwanda
5 March 2011
Gen. Nyamwasa's political group has formed an alliance with
Ingabire's FDU party criticising the government for alleged
harassment of the media and intimidation of the opposition.
The alliance says it wants to eradicate alleged human rights
violations in Rwanda and create a political environment that
will nurture democratic governance.
Rwanda: Nation Taken Aback by Alain Juppe' Reappointment
Kigali 3 March 2011
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo, has said that the
appointment of Alain Juppe, as France's Foreign Affairs minister was a
"bad surprise" for Rwanda. "But on a personal level, his twisted Rwandan journey since 1994 has not
deviated; we have been observing him, including his negative reaction
to the normalization of relations between France and Rwanda", said Mushikiwabo.
Finally Museveni accepts his role in the Mass Killings of Civilians in the 1990-1996 Rwanda War
28 February 2011 (First posted on the net 3 August 2009)
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, on Saturday 04th July 2009, officially described President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda as a brother who supported the October 01st, 1990 Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) armed invasion of Rwanda from Uganda “to its conclusion.” The Ugandan leader, who was declared a hero for his role in this bloody war that brought President Paul Kagame’s RPF in power in 1994, has always maintained then that the Rwandese who served in his National Resistance Movement (NRM) Army now UPDF, escaped without his Knowledge.
Rwandans living in UK organise public protests in front of UK Parliament
25 February 2011
On February 25th, 2011, a group of Rwandans living in UK
organised a public protest in front of the UK Parliament. They requested
from Members of the British Parliament to put pressure on Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda,
for the unconditional release of all political prisoners held in Rwandan
prisons.
Rwanda Former King gives Kagame ultimatum
25 February 2011
Exiled Rwandan King Ndahindurwa Kigeli V has asked President Paul Kagame
to stop extra judicial killings in Rwanda as a condition for his return. “I am hearing the killing of opposition politicians, soldiers and
journalists in Rwanda. These incidents are so disturbing. If the
security of the masses is not guaranteed then that is a very serious
concern to me. This bloodshed must stop,” he said.
Rwanda photo scandal: Minister Joe Habineza resigns
16 February 2011
Rwanda's youth and sports
minister, Joseph Habineza, has resigned following allegations of
improper behaviour.
The announcement came after photos began circulating on the
internet showing Mr Habineza in intimate poses with several women.
Also see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtcyxVJK0jQ&feature=player_embedded#at=14
Also see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtcyxVJK0jQ&feature=player_embedded#at=14
Bloodless circumcision to boost HIV prevention
15 February 2011
The Rwandan government plans to expand its national voluntary male circumcision programme using a new device, the PrePex system, which officials say saves both time and money. The PrePex system works through a special elastic mechanism that fits closely around an inner ring, trapping the foreskin, which dries up and is removed after a week.
Rwanda: half truth is worse than a complete lie
9 February 2011
Kagame’s rule has taken the art of political lies to such extremes and
mastery that to find some truth in its messages one needs to work hard
and most of the times decodes them to understand the meaning of what is
publicly announced. ... The new "vasectomy" policy is only a half truth about the real intentions of his government. And
this makes it worse than a complete lie.
Rwanda, Uganda ties strained as President Museveni's brother and Rwandan dissidents are acused of training mercenary forces
4 February 2011
Details emerging suggest that Karegeya
and Gen. Salim Saleh - the brother of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni,
have been granted a multi-million dollar
contract to train a force in Somalia for the government. Karegeya is among the four former
officers convicted by a military court last month for trying to
destabilize Rwanda and ethnic divisionism. He is exiled in South
Africa with ex-army chief Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa.
Rwanda in vasectomy drive to stem population growth
Kigali 3 February 2011
Rwanda's government has
said it wants to encourage men to have vasectomies in a bid to stem the
small landlocked country's growing population.
It would be done along with its HIV prevention campaign to
encourage all men to be circumcised.
Kagame's authoritarian turn risks Rwanda's future
London 27 January 2011
No authoritarian leader cedes power easily, or turns it over to bodies he cannot control. This is especially true of leaders who come to power by guerrilla war, as Kagame did. Guerrilla leaders win wars by being paranoid and ruthless. Once they take power, they are expected to abandon those qualities and embrace opposite ones: tolerance, compromise and humility. Almost none manages to do so. Kagame is not an exception.
Rwanda warns US and UK about Museveni's intentions
31 January 2011
The Rwanda government has issued a warning to the United States and Britain about the rising tensions between Uganda and Rwanda. According to a source, the Kigali regime has contacted the British and American governments warning that Uganda is in a military build-up for a looming war with Rwanda. Informed sources say what is being planned by Museveni is something tantamount to what Gen. Nyamwasa calls "The second liberation of Rwanda."
Peace and Reconciliation in Rwanda
21 January 2011
What if we were to come together under an umbrella movement whose only requirement was that you were Rwandan and concerned about the well-being of the country? There would be organizational tiers, but not the morbid fanaticism that accompany political parties. We form a think tank that puts its decisions in action for the benefit of the people by inclusion, not exclusion. We put the people to work for their own advancement. We mobilize the country to work to fix its shortcomings, and not to the singular benefit of a particular demographic group.
Rwanda issues arrest warrants for dissident exiles
Kigali 18 January 2011
Rwanda has issued international arrest warrants for four former top officials who live in exile since falling out with the government. A military court sentenced them to long jail terms last week for threatening state security and promoting ethnic divisions.
2010: A Damning Year for Kagame
14 January 2011
2010 was a quiet year for Back To My Roots, but a damning one for Kagame and his cronies. Time after time, and location after location criminal Kagame was challenged, discredited, and outright humiliated. 2010 was very much a damning year for Kagame, and one can only be filled with glee at the prospects of 2011.
Rwandan Batwa want to be recognised as a group
13 January 2011
The Rwandan Government’s refusal to recognise the Batwa as a minority or indigenous group has created problems. This situation leaves the Batwa community with no legal status or recognition and, being numerically small, they are prevented from actively engaging in political activities at the national level. The Batwa are still disadvantaged and remain poorly integrated into Rwandan society. That being the case, the Batwa people are less likely to be aware of their human rights in general and the tenets of the Covenant in particular.
Tony Blair defends support to his friend Paul Kagame
Washington 1 January 2011
Tony Blair has defended his close personal and working relationship with one of Africa's most controversial leaders, Rwanda's Paul Kagame, even as foreign governments distance themselves over accusations of war crimes and the suppression of political opposition.
Rwandan police search again house of opposition leader Victoire Ingabire
Kigali 22 December 2010
Today, a strong team of police officers searched again the detained opposition leader’s house in Kigali and confiscated office items. The aim is to harass and threaten the occupants until nobody stays in the house. After every police search, staff members resign. The last time, fearing for their lives and in panic, the private secretary and two house staff preferred to resign.
Rwandan Opposition leader to spend Christmas in jail
Kigali 17 December 2010
The new bail application made by Madame Victoire INGABIRE, the FDU-INKINGI Chair, has been refused today at the High Court. She will remain in maximum prison until the National Prosecution Authority concludes its preliminary probe into a dozen of allegations and determines what charges it will finally file against the opposition leader.
Rwandan Opposition leader's Dutch houses searched
Amsterdam 14 December 2010
Dutch prosecutors have confiscated material from a Rwandan opposition leader in two Dutch houses after a request from the African country where she is suspected of terrorism, the prosecutors said on Monday.
Europe divided over cutting aid to Rwanda
Kigali 8 December 2010
Debate is raging in European capitals as to whether continuing to give millions of Euros in annual aid to Rwanda helps or undermines European democratic values. As RNA and Dutch public radio RNW report, Britain and the Scandinavian countries do not agree on the way forward. The other EU members have preferred to keep quiet.
Victoire Ingabire wins first political battle: Dutch blocks budget support to Rwanda
7 December 2010
Today marks Victoire Ingabire's first major result in influencing public policy and decision making! The Dutch government today reached it's final decision concerning budgetsupport to Rwanda:"Rwanda will get no budget support because freedom of expression and political space in the central African country are insufficiently guaranteed"
UN report links Nyamwasa and Karegeya with FDLR
6 December 2010
A United Nations Security Council experts report on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has linked Rwandan fugitives, Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa and Patrick Karegeya to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels.
Rise up against tyranny and impunity in Rwanda and DRC
4 December 2010
Between 6 and 8 million Congolese and Rwandan civilians mostly women and children were massacred during the past 20 years in the region of the Great Lakes. Kagame is the overral culprit. Remarkably enough, his regime continues to be the source of instability in the African Great Lakes’ region and continues to pose the risks of resurgence of extreme violence.
Nyamwasa and co deny plans to overthrow Kagame
2 December 2010
Four former high-ranking officials of the Rwanda government have issued a statement denying they are planning to violently overthrow the regime of President Paul Kagame. “We have neither advocated the violent overthrow of the government, nor incited inter-ethnic hatred as alleged by the government. We have no connection whatsoever with any of the groups that are waging war against the government of Rwanda from bases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as government propaganda has intimated in the recent past.”
Do the FDLR have uranium?
2 December 2010
Apparently, a United Nations Investigative Report in the DRC has unearthed information that the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels possess large portions of the deadly Uranium, which they have since failed to sell.
Are some American politicians shielding Rusesabagina?
20 November 2010
A group of Americans, some of them with powerful Washington connections, are allegedly behind the scenes to prevent investigations and bringing to justice, Paul Rusesabagina. Rusesabagina is wanted by Rwandan courts for funding a terrorist organisation, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
Rwanda military court summons Nyamwasa and three others
18 November 2010
A Rwandan military court summoned the ex-army chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, and three other former officials to answer terrorism charges, the army spokesman said. The four are to answer to charges of forming a terrorist group, ethnic divisionism and spreading harmful propaganda, Rutaremera said.
Rwanda: the honeymoon is over
16 November 2010
The government fears Hutu political opponents, such as Victoire Ingabire, could undermine the president's strategy with inflammatory comments. Kagame’s fears are more likely to be realized if he carries on oppressing freedom of speech. Violence may return if he maintains his crackdown on the press. Rebellion is probable unless he allows the prosecution of Tutsis as well as Hutus at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Political majority in the Netherlands in favor of cutting Dutch aid to Rwanda
11 November 2010
A growing majority of Dutch political parties is calling upon the Netherlands to cut its aid to Rwanda, several MP’s have confirmed to Radio Netherlands. “Right now, we support the construction of jails by directly funding the Rwandan justice department.” says Voordewind, an MP for the Christian Union: “As we speak those jails are being used to lock up political prisoners, and I don’t want us to be responsible for these policies.”
MRND militia leader worked for RPF, claims ICTR witness
10 November 2010
Former close Protection Officer for President Paul Kagame has alleged before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) that the leader of Interahamwe militia during the Genocide against Tutsis, Robert Kajuga, worked for the now ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF). “It is not only Kajuga who worked for the RPF but there were many others from the government.” Aloys Ruyenzi.
Ngoga still wants ICTR archives
10 November 2010
The Prosecutor General, Martin Ngoga, yesterday reiterated that Rwanda’s request to host the archives of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) remains strong, and that the earlier a decision is made, the better. Rwanda has requested to host the tons of archives that have accumulated at the UN-backed tribunal as it winds up its activities by the end of next year.
Do not give up, Kagame cannot jail the whole nation, says Ingabire
8 November 2010
Ms. Victoire INGABIRE encouraged the crowd in front of the Prison: “Do not to give up, the dictator will never jail a whole nation”. Ms. Victoire INGABIRE is in detention since 14th October 2010. She is charged with politically motivated crimes. Considering the role of President Paul KAGAME and the whole state machinery in this endless process there is no single chance to have a fair trial.
Rwandan refugees to head home from Uganda
4 November 2010
Rwanda will repatriate more of its refugees and asylum seekers living in Uganda, say officials, insisting that concerns about forced returns are misplaced. In July, Rwandan and Ugandan authorities repatriated 1,700 Rwandans who were living in Nakivale and Kyaka in western Uganda in a police operation that was heavily criticized by advocacy groups and the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR.
Key political risks to watch in Rwanda
3 November 2010
President Paul Kagame continues to turn the screws on his rivals and dissenters. One of Kagame’s leading political opponents, Victoire Ingabire, is back in detention and Rwanda’s chief prosecutor said the courts would summon Paul Rusesabagina, who saved 1,200 people from genocide in 1994.
Responsibility of Bill Clinton in the Rwanda and DRC genocides
2 November 2010
There are some who will claim that Bill Clinton was the first African president of the United States. Those people clearly do not know that Bill Clinton is the one who established the stranglehold that the murderous gang of General Kagame of Rwanda and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda have on the people of central Africa.
Rwanda and DRC agree on new measures to tackle the FDLR
Kigali 2 November 2010
Even though no details were disclosed to the media, top Rwandan and Congolese defence officials meeting in Kigali, announced Tuesday that they had designed and agreed on concrete measures to stamp out FDLR rebels in eastern DRC. “Today’s meeting has made yet another stride by recommending other useful actions which, if implemented, will drastically weaken FDLR/FOCA and other armed groups which have already been weakened but not totally eradicated,” said Gen. Kabarebe.
Is Rusesabagina being investigated by the FBI?
1 November 2010
The Rwandan government has filed a formal request to the U.S. government to help in the investigation of money transfer by Paul Rusesabagina to rebels, as it is alleged the documents show the money was wired from San Antonio, Texas, to FDLR commanders. "We would have preferred if the U.S. is involved to give the case the credibility it needs," the Rwandan prosecutor general said. "We are talking about someone financing terror ... this is not the time for the U.S. to play double standards."
"Hotel Rwanda" manager accused of funding terrorist activities
Kigali 28 October 2010
The Rwandan authorities have accused the man on whom the film "Hotel Rwanda" is based of funding subversion. Paul Rusesabagina became a well-known figure after the film depicted his efforts to save hundreds of Tutsis at his hotel during the genocide of 1994.
Ingabire is a freedom fighter not a terrorist
Washington 27 October 2010
“It’s not only Ingabire who has been called a terrorist. If you are not charged with terrorism, they say you are a criminal, you’re corrupt; they call you a genocidal. So it really fits the pattern, and the only crime that this innocent lady has committed is to speak up against the brutality of President Kagame,” said Rudasingwa, a former Rwandan ambassador to the United States and former chief of staff to President Paul Kagame.
Paul Rusesabagina to be accused with Ingabire
Kigali 27 October 2010
The Prosecutor General, Martin Ngoga, yesterday said that the case involving Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, the leader of the yet-to-be-registered political party, FDU-Inkingi, is not a “political case” as some people claim but a terrorist case with “regional and international dimensions”. Ngoga told the press that under the same case, more people will be charged including Paul Rusesabagina.
Rwanda terror charges for the opposition leader Ingabire
25 October 2010
Rwanda's opposition leader Victoire Ingabire has appeared in court accused of working with a terrorist group, after her arrest earlier this month. Ingabire said the charges were a fabrication and politically motivated.
Peter erlinder's statement in response to the Rwandan prosecutor seeking his return to Rwanda
St Paul 25 october 2010
If U.N. immunity does not apply to any prosecution of defense counsel by the Kagame government, then all defense counsel and defendants have reason to fear that meaningful representation at the U.N. Tribunal will be impossible, especially since the former chief U.N. prosecutor has confirmed that Kagame and the RPF should be in the dock themselves.
ICTR will not transfer Felicien Kabuga's files to Rwanda
Arusha 23 October 2010
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) will hand over case files of all Genocide suspects to competent national courts except for those of the three most wanted fugitives (Kabuga Felicien, Mpiranya Protais and Augustin Bizimana), the court has said.
ICTR urges Rwanda not to summon US lawyer Peter Erlinder
Arusha 23 october 2010
The Tanzania-based international tribunal hearing the cases of Rwandan genocide suspects urged the central African nation on Friday not to prosecute a U.S. lawyer over a charge of genocide denial. Rwanda’s chief prosecutor Martin Ngoga on Wednesday said American lawyer Peter Erlinder could be summoned within two weeks.
Rwanda joins N.Korea, Myanmar, China and Iran in repressing journalists
21 October 2010
Rwanda and Syria joined a list of the 10 most repressive countries toward journalists alongside North Korea, Myanmar, China and Iran, according to a global media watchdog which warned Tuesday (19 October 2010) that the crackdown on reporters in authoritarian countries is worsening.
Leaked: Rwandan Secret Services'plan to eliminate Mrs Victoire Ingabire
17 October 2010
The Rwandan directory of military intelligence DMI in collaboration with national police force may have masterminded the conspiracy to indict and eliminate Madam Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza with charges of participating in terrorist activities. (...) Victoire Ingabire will be given a slow killer type of poison that will put an end to her political career.
Accused of genocide by UN, Kagame diverts attention by jailing innocent opposition leader
16 October 2010
On October 1st, 2010 the United Nations Human Rights Commission released a report on crimes that were committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1993 and 2003. The UN report said that "the apparent systematic and widespread attacks described in this report reveal a number of inculpatory elements that, if proven before a competent court, could be characterized as crimes of genocide." Less than 2 weeks later, in what appears to be an attempt to distract the world’s opinion from the UN’s findings, the same Rwandan government arrested opposition leader Mrs Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza
Rusesabagina under investigations
Kigali 15 October 2010
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) yesterday confirmed it is investigating Paul Rusesabagina on suspicion financing subversive activities. “Yes, we have evidence that he has on several occasions financed FDLR by sending money to its commanders. We are finalising plans to summon him. Whether he comes or not, the process will go on. This case is connected to the ongoing case against for FDLR commanders and Victoire Ingabire currently in detention,” Kayiranga said.
Rwandan opposition leader arrested
Kigali 14 October 2010
Rwanda's most prominent opposition leader, Victoire Ingabire, has been arrested. Police say she was implicated in an investigation into the activities of an ex-commander of a Hutu militia group.
The Rwandan genocide: Revenge tragedy.
14 October 2010
If Black is right, then the prosecutors at the ICTR, and the United Nations generally, have not been prosecuting war criminals since 1994. They have instead been prosecuting the victims while covering for the aggressors. (...) And if the world has never wanted to see these simple truths, it is because it has been blinded by the intense moralism of prosecutions for genocide: the ICTR’s statute and judgments are based on a three-month snapshot of a war which has, in fact, been going on, to and fro, for decades.
U.S./UN cover up of Kagame's genocide in Rwanda and Congo
14 October 2010
First posted on the web on 21 September 2010
The U.N.’s 14-year silence has had tragic consequences. Thousands of conniving silences have allowed those criminals basking in the bogus moral halo of having allegedly halted the genocide by Hutu extremists in the spring of 1994 to continue causing, with utter impunity, tremendous suffering in Rwanda and Congo!
Rwanda ready to send female police officers to Darfur
Kigali 13 Octover 2010
Despite the threat the Rwandan authorities made folllowing the leaked report on Congo genocide, Rwanda is sending more officers in Darfur. 92 female police officers, the first of its kind in Africa, was selected as advisors on Gender Based Violence in the war torn Darfur and to provide protection to children. They will also teach the local police in Darfur how to handle children and female criminals, work within Internally Displaced Camps and help in the introduction of GBV desk in the area.
Georges Rutaganda passes away in Benin
Arusha 13 October 2010
Georges Anderson Nderubumwe Rutaganda (52), a former member of the national and prefectoral committees of the Mouvement Républicain National pour le Développement et la Démocratie (MRND) who was serving as the second Vice President of the National Committee of the Interahamwe, the youth militia of the MRND, passed away on 11 October 2010 in Benin, following sudden complications of a long illness.
Governing Rwanda is the most difficult job - says Kagame
Kigali 7 October 2010
Kagame says his job is the most difficult compared to any other presidency because he has to keep begging and pleading with foreign donors who do not want to even listen to him – at some point directly attacking Belgium. “Being a leader is difficult, being President is difficult as well, but being President of Rwanda is exceptional,” said Kagame after swearing-in his cabinet, adding: “Because Rwanda is poor”.
US & Clinton must come clean over UN Mapping report
6 October 2010
Since year 1990, the United States provided financial support and military training to the army that today stands accused of mass killing of hundreds of thousands of refugees while engaging in illegal mining and looting of Congo natural resources. It must be well understood that the destruction of the refugee camps in Eastern Zaire and the death of hundreds of thousands Rwandan refugees and millions of Congolese was not the principal aim of US involvement in Congo wars. What was at stake were the extensive mining resources of Eastern and Southern Zaire including strategic reserves of cobalt — of crucial importance for the US defence industry.
DR Congo rebel leader arrested over mass rapes
6 october 2010
UN peacekeepers and the army in the Democratic Republic of Congo have arrested a rebel leader suspected of leading attacks involving mass rape. The UN said Lt Col Mayele of the Mai Mai Cheka rebel group was captured in a joint operation in North Kivu province.
President Obama's Rwanda and Congo moment: Genocide and the UN report
3 October 2010
Obama’s Rwanda, and Congo, moment is in Rwanda and Congo now, as the world reviews the U.N. report and Rwandan troops once again advance into Congo. He doesn’t need to intervene but to stop intervening, by withdrawing the military support, weapons, training, logistics and intelligence for Kagame, support that has so long equaled intervention. If he did so, peace and human rights activists all over the world would stand behind him and the narrative revision that he quietly penned three years ago.
US Government calls for accountability for crimes against Hutus in DRC
1 October 2010
On Friday October 1, 2010, The United States Government, through the Assistant Secretary in charge of the Bureau of Public Affairs, Philip J. Crowley, has called for accountability for crimes committed against Congolese and Rwandan ethnic Hutus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the last decades.
UN waters down genocide charges against Rwandan forces in DRC
1 October 2010
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday issued a somewhat watered-down report detailing allegations that Rwanda and its allies may have committed genocide against ethnic Hutu refugees in eastern Congo between 1993 and 2003. Despite the changes, the final report still constitutes the most comprehensive and damning official account of crimes committed in one of Africa's deadliest conflict zones. And it continues to assert that an alliance of Rwandan, Burundian soldiers and Congolese rebels may have committed genocide during military operations in eastern Congo during the 1990s.
Uganda, Rwanda in fresh spying row
Kampala 29 September 2010
Two Ugandans from Kabale District have been held incommunicado in Rwanda for 10 days, and are yet to be produced in any courts, Parliament heard yesterday (28 Sept.). Uganda’s Ambassador to Rwanda Richard Kabonero said his office had got information indicating that the duo was being held on suspicion of subversion. Subversion refers to an attempt to overthrow the established order of a society or state, its structures of power and authority.
UN names FDLR and Mai-Mai commanders to be prosecuted for gang rape
Geneva 27 September 2010
FDLR and Mai-Mai commanders in eastern DR Congo could be dragged to the International Criminal Court over the gang rape of some 300 women, men and babies in early August - on the recommendation of the UN special representative on the prevention of sexual violence in conflict.
Kagame : The end of the myth and high status
10 September 2010
The French, Spanish, German and Belgian media in Europe and the French-speaking media in Canada had always been critical and suspicious of Kagame and the RPF but their skepticism was neutralized by the more dominant English-speaking western media, political, academic and human rights establishment. Now that both the French-speaking and English-speaking western media, governments, academia and human rights establishments are seriously questioning Kagame's legitimacy, a real crisis is at hand for Rwanda.
The world dilemma about Kagame.
10 September 2010
No one is quite sure what to make of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame. Since his re-election last month with 93 percent of the vote, the United States has reacted warily. The White House cited “a series of disturbing events” in a statement that pointedly congratulated “the people of Rwanda,” not Kagame himself. “Democracy is about more than holding elections,” the statement said.
Tensions emerge between Rwanda and Western backers
6 September 2010
Tensions began to emerge between President Paul Kagame and his Western backers in the course of the recent elections. Media reports criticised the exclusion of opposition parties from the poll and physical attacks on Kagame’s opponents.
Congo launches new offensive on FDLR in Walikare region
Kigali 14 September 2010
The DR Congo army chief General Didier Etumba is headed for the Walikare area of North Kivu province to launch a new military offense against the Rwandan FDLR rebels – accused of gang raping more then 500 women, men and babies last month.
The Rwandan Patriotic Front's Bloody Record and the History of UN Cover-Ups
13 September 2010
"The excuse for the attack on Rwanda about establishing democracy and return of refugees, was completely false. The invasion from Uganda had only one purpose: to clear the path through Rwanda to Zaire. The return of refugees, as many witnesses have stated, was not for humanitarian reasons, but to clear the path for the invasion of Zaire."
Rwandan Army rumored to be sending new soldiers to neighboring Congo
13 September 2010
There have been some persistent rumors in the region about a possible new deployment of Rwandan Army soldiers into the Congo. Of course, these kinds of rumors are a dime a dozen around Goma and Bukavu. These, however, come from sources within the officer corps of the armed militia party National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), as well as from inside the Rwandan government, so perhaps we should give them more credence.
DR Congo bans mining for mobile phone minerals; how will Kagame continue to fund his proxy wars?
11 September 2010
Mining in three provinces of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been banned on the orders of the President Joseph Kabila. The ban covers the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Maniema.
Rwanda needs deeper reforms
5 September 2010
"The majority Hutu community remains excluded from a meaningful share of political power. State institutions are as effective as they are repressive. The government relies on severe repression to maintain its hold on power." General Nyamwasa and al.
"The Paul Kagame I Know" by Robert Krueger
25 August 2010
First posted on the web on 5 August 2010
When I asked a Scandinavian missionary who had lived over 30 years in Rwanda and Burundi to share his opinion of the president, he replied, "Paul Kagame is one of the greatest murderers on the continent of Africa. There is blood all over his hands."
Lt. Col Rugigana is not missing, says the Rwandan police
Kigali 23 August 2010
The Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), yesterday, denied media allegations that the Commanding Officer of the Engineering Regiment, Lt. Col. Rugigana Ngabo, had disappeared, accusing the family of peddling false rumours. According to the army spokesperson, Lt. Col Jill Rutaremara, Rugigana was arrested on Friday and is currently under the custody of the Military Police in Kanombe.
Rwandan elections: "Voters had no real choice"
23 August 2010
The August 2010 elections, monitored by organizations such as Human Right Watch, have been discredited for lack of critical opposition voices: how democratic can the process be when the running candidates had all backed Kagame in the 2003 elections?
Prosecution seeks life sentence for Mushayidi
Kigali 23 August 2010
The Rwandan High Court has set September 17, for the ruling in the case against, Deo Mushayidi, who was charged with causing state insecurity, working with a terrorist organization, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and using false documents. The Prosecution also accuse Mushayidi of promoting Genocide revisionism, ideology and sowing seeds of divisionism. They are pushing for three separate sentences; two life sentences and 50 years in jail for all the charges against him.
Paul Kagame: America's Genocidaire in Central Africa
15 August 2010
Paul Kagame and his mentor and fellow warlord in neighboring Uganda, President Woseri Museveni, were given the green light by the West to kill and steal at will in Central Africa. They are the two main architects of the genocide in the eastern Congo, where some estimate six million people have died since Rwanda and Uganda invaded the region, in the mid-Nineties. “Kagame and Museveni have more blood on their hands than any combination of men in Africa.”
Rwanda's Renaissance Goes off the Rails
13 August 2010
"The increasing concentration of political power and economic wealth in the hands of an ever-narrowing circle around Kagame leads to growing inequality and resentment. Donors need to stop doing penance for the 1994 genocide by unconditionally backing Kagame."
General Nyamwasa' brother is arrested in Rwanda
Kigali 22 August 2010
The brother of an exiled Rwandan general is reported to have disappeared after being arrested on Friday the 20th August. He is suspected of being involved in activities that threatened the country's security, an army spokesman told the BBC.
The White House does not congratulate Kagame for his re-election
Washington 13 August 2010
"We remain concerned about a series of disturbing events prior to the election, including the suspension of two newspapers, the expulsion of a human rights researcher, the barring of two opposition parties from taking part in the election, and the arrest of journalists," National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement.
Division in Rwanda's military ranks
12 August 2010
President Paul Kagame, despite having an excellent reputation in the international community, tolerates little opposition. (...) But the worst tensions appear to be in the once solidly loyal Rwandan army - many of whom fought alongside President Kagame to end the genocide.
IGNORE THE LEGITIMACY OF SHAM ELECTIONS RESULT.
Kigali 12 August 2010
The United Democratic Forces, FDU INKINGI, reject this electoral process that failed to meet minimum standards of a democratic election and therefore consider null and void the sham election organised on the 9th of August 2010.
Rwandan police arrest three after Kigali grenade attack
Kigali 12 August 2010
Rwandan police have arrested three people in connection with a grenade explosion in the capital Kigali. They are investigating if the blast may be connected to other explosions in the same area earlier this year.
UK Gives Rwanda Tough Ultimatum
London 11 August 2010
The UK House of Commons has summoned the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Louise Mushikiwabo to appear before it and answer some hard questions on the situation in the tiny but “attractive” East African country.
My Trip to the Two Rwandas
9 August 2010
The Rwanda I experienced last week while on assignment for PBS NewsHour was two different countries at the same time. The first was the Rwanda the government wants you to see. (...) It wasn't until my last day in the country that I saw the other Rwanda: the one that has been described as a "police state" permeated by a "climate of fear."
Rwanda: U.S. Groups Urge Obama to Reject a Kagame Win
Nairobi 9 August 2010
Africa advocates in the United States have joined Rwandans critical of President Paul Kagame in calling on President Obama to reject the results of what they say will be a "sham election" on August 9.
London has become the world capital of reputation laundering
London 3 August 2010
As Rwanda prepares to go to the polls on Monday 9 August to elect a president for only the second time since 1994, the public relations drive, masterminded by the incumbent president, Paul Kagame, this week faces its sternest test. The government is facing accusations, which it denies, of state murder and corrupting the democratic process. Will the international community accept that Rwanda has indeed, moved on?
‘Dictators’ don’t step down, they are ‘brought down’, says Karegeya
2 August 2010
Kagame has created a lot of divisions in the army. There were wild allegations that I had problems with the Chief of General Staff [Gen. James Kabarebe] but Kagame was actually the man behind all these fabricated charges of insubordination and desertion.
Africa advocates to Obama: Don’t recognize Kagame’s election
29 July 2010
"Why do people seriously think of going there to observe elections?” Which elections are they going to observe? There is nothing to be observed, because what we have is a one-man show. What we have is a situation where the government has created the so-called opposition".
Kagame: wrong man to build a democracy
27 July 2010
Today, because Kagame is settled in power and his ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) is deeply entrenched, it is easy to forget that in many ways, he is an accidental president. (...) African generals like Kagame, can build prosperous economies, roads, hospitals, and fight Aids. What they cannot do is build liberal democracies.
"Kagame is accused of using violence against critics", BBC
21 July 2010
The vice-president of the Democratic Green Party, Andre Kagwa Rwisereka, who was found murdered last week, is to be buried today. At the same time, campaigning has begun ahead of presidential elections next month.
Paul Kagame: A tarnished African hero
London 18 July 2010
In recent weeks, a sinister development has been how Kagame's political opponents have featured disproportionately as victims of violent crime. Last month, exiled former Rwandan general Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, once an ally of Kagame, was shot in Pretoria in South Africa in a botched assassination attempt. Then, Jean Leonard Rugambage, an editor on the banned paper Umuvugizi, was murdered outside his Kigali home while investigating the general's shooting.
Protests prompt Spain PM Zapatero to skip meeting with Rwanda leader
Madrid 16 July 2010
Spain's prime minister shunned Friday a UN-backed meeting with Rwandan leader Paul Kagame after protests that his regime was linked to the 1994 genocide as the UN chief called for a probe into recent deaths in the central African nation.Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said Zapatero had received a request from several other Spanish political parties that he not meet Kagame because of Spanish legal proceedings against 40 Rwandan officers linked to the genocide.
A Genocidal Tyranny Unacceptable in the International Community
14 July 2010
The unrepentant regime of Rwanda carries out a systematic offensive against the country´s mass media, involving all types of persecution, extrajudicial killings and other atrocities.
Is Rwanda's hi-tech leader an old-fashioned tyrant?
7 July 2010
"Kagame's policy is similar to that of China's - embracing technology but controlling and censoring it, Kagame wants control of the mind. You don't have space to criticise," Reporters Without Borders Africa head Ambrose Pierre told the BBC.
South Africa recalls ambassador to Rwanda
6 July 2010
South Africa has recalled its ambassador to Rwanda following a diplomatic row over the shooting of an exiled Rwandan general in Johannesburg.
Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister summons S.A envoy
Kigali 6 July 2010
The Minister of Foreign Affair, Louise Mushikiwabo, yesterday summoned the South African High Commissioner to Rwanda, Gladstone Dumisani Gwadiso, to express her government’s concerns over the manner in which investigations into the shooting of renegade Gen. Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa are being conducted.
Why and how Kayumba escaped Rwanda!
Kampala 29 June 2010
A highly placed security source in Kigali told The Independent that Kayumba was not detected because he was not on the “alert” list. If this is true, then why would an army general escape from the country? The answer can only be found in the nature of the meeting between Kayumba and those senior RPF and RDF leaders.
Suspects in Kayumba shooting not Rwandan
Johannesburg 29 June 2010
South African authorities have revealed the identities of the four men arrested on suspicion of being involved in the shooting former Rwandan Ambassador to India, Kayumba Nyamwasa in Johannesburg two weeks ago. The four, who briefly appeared in court, were identified as Juma Huseni 35, and 30-year-old Shafiri Bakari both from Tanzania, Ahmed Ali, a 26-year-old Somali, and George Francis, 31, from Mozambique.
Rwanda: Two arrested for killing reporter Rugambage
Kigali 26 June 2010
Two people have been arrested over the shooting of a reporter last week, with police saying it was a revenge attack. A police statement says one of the suspects is related to someone allegedly killed by Mr Rugambage during the 1994 genocide.
South Africa drops two charges over Rwanda shooting
Johannesburg 24 June 2010
Charges have been dropped against two men arrested over the shooting in South Africa of Rwandan dissident Lt Gen Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, police say. Four men are now due in court on Tuesday over the shooting of Rwanda's former army chief of staff.
Charges against Kayumba still stand, the foreign affairs Minister
Kigali 23 June 2010
The Government of Rwanda will not be deterred by sentiments over a recent shooting incident in South Africa of Rwanda’s former Ambassador to India, Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa, to exonerate him from the serious crimes he is accused of.
General Kazura Allegedly Implicated in Assassination Attempt
Washington 22 June 2010
According to sources in South Africa and Rwanda, it appears that General Jean Bosco Kazura was sent on a mission by the Rwandan Government to travel to South Africa and organize the assassination while the South African police was busy with the opening of the FIFA Soccer World Cup.
Soldier arrested for Nyamwasa shooting
Johannesburg 20 June 2010
Police have arrested a former Rwandan soldier in connection with the attempted murder in Johannesburg of that country's former army chief, Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa. Sources close to the investigation said the arrested man is a former member of the Rwandan army and worked under Nyamwasa for a number of years.
Rwanda ex-army chief shot in South Africa
Johannesburg 19 June 2010
A former Rwandan army chief of staff, Gen Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa, has been shot in South Africa and taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Rwanda: another General in prison
Kigali 10 June 2010
The Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) authorities, on Wednesday evening, (9 June 2010) arrested Brig. Gen. Jean Bosco Kazura for absconding from duty and travelling without permission.
Gen. Nyamwasa responds to Kagame
Kampala 30 May 2010
A week after President Paul Kagame of Rwanda accused former army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa and former intelligence boss Col. Patrick Karegeya of running away from accountability, the two officials, who live in exile in South Africa, give their side of the story in a statement emailed to Sunday Monitor by LT. GEN NYAMWASA.
Dutch government to act on Genocide fugitives
Kigali 21 June 2010
The Dutch Minister of Justice Dr. Ernst Hirsch Ballin has re-emphasized the urgent need to bring to book Genocide fugitives still moving freely in Europe. This September, the European Court of Justice is expected to rule on whether Rwandan Genocide suspects and convicts could be tried in Europe or extradited to Rwanda.
The Netherlands, Rwanda extradition treaty in pipeline
Kigali 20 June 2010
The Kingdom of Netherlands and the Government of Rwanda have embarked on a process that will eventually see the two countries sign an extradition treaty. Once signed, Genocide fugitives, who had found a safe haven in the Netherlands, will be extradited to Rwanda.
FDLR fighters relocated in DRC
11 June 2010
The Minister of Information, Democratic in the Republic of Congo (DRC) Lambert Mende Omalanga, has explained that his government is committed to relocating ‘disarmed’ militia of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) over 180 miles away from the Rwandan border.
Former Prosecutor General, Gahima in Australian financial aid rip-off
27 May 2010
According to two Australian newspapers, the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun, Gahima is one of the many “briefcase” consultants hired to work in such remote areas, as Papua New Guinea (PNG), East Timor and Vanuatu, at outrageous fees that have been referred to in Australia as “the AusAid gravy train”.
Grenade Attacks Shake Capital of Rwanda (Video)
Kampala 17 May 2010
Nearly simultaneous grenade attacks in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, killed at least two people and wounded 32 on Saturday evening, the police said Sunday (16 May 2010).
Kagame brutality: Why did he become a ruthless killer?
Kampala 13 April 2010
Pilato, aka Paul Kagame is naturally a coward and he camouflages his cowardice with brutality on any victim. This is a man that has killed more than 100 of his own close friends over petty things like; forgetfulness,stammering,over smiling, supporting the wrong football team,etc.
General Marcel Gatsinzi demoted
Kigali 10 April 2010
Paul Kagame carried out major changes in the military and named Gen. James Kabarebe as the new Minister of Defence replacing Gen. Marcel Gatsinzi.
UN was a ”SERIOUS FAILURE” in Rwanda, Chief of UN inquiry says
Stockholm 7 April 2010
Former Prime Minister of Sweden and Chairperson of the UN mandated Inquiry into the organization’s actions during the 1994 Genocide, Ingvar Carlsson, on Wednesday 7 April 2010 said that the UN betrayed Rwandans during some of the “worst brutality humanity has ever seen”.
Plundering the Congo: Rwandan company tops list of buyers of Congo Tin
Kigali 30 March 2010
Malaysia and Rwanda have become the primary destinations for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s tin ore, amid efforts in the east of the country to prevent the nation’s mineral wealth from enriching armed groups, Kinshasa announced.
Ghosts of a genocide (Kibeho)
30 March 2010
On April 22, 1995 - almost 15 years ago - a group of Australian soldiers watched in horror as more than 4000 unarmed men, women and children were slaughtered by machetes, guns and grenades in front of their eyes.
UN delegation demands more action on Genocide prevention
Kigali 22 March 2010
“The UN should play a more active role and not wait until so many people have been killed to take action.”
Kagame Must Reconcile with Rwandans
19 March 2010
What is going on in Rwanda borders the episode of an egg eating hen. After eating all eggs, the hen found itself facing the big question: How will I forge ahead without procreating? Kagame, like any dictator, does not think about dying or democracy but ruling for life. This is the take of his opponents.
Mushayidi to appear in court on terror charges
Kigali 17 March 2010
The case of terror suspect, Deo Mushayidi, who has been appearing at the Prosecutor General’s office, has now been transferred to the courts.
Who is General Kayumba Nyamwasa?
5 March 2010
By 1994, Nyamwasa was the director of military intelligence in the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), the military wing of the RPF. As the Uganda Record reported in a world exclusive last month, the directorate of military intelligence of the RPA was the unit that prepared, coordinated, and executed the firing of the missile that brought down the presidential jet on April 6, 1994.
Why did he runaway? An interview with the Voice of America
4 March 2010
Because I have been trying, asking people to reform and to make sure these institutions are strong enough to defend people and yet they have been marginalised and monopolised. That’s why I had to leave. If I had faith in the institutions, I would have stayed. Listen to the full interview
Rwamucyo responds to Karugarama
Belgium 27 February 2010
I am also satisfied to hear that the Rwandan authorities are finally ready to abandon the compulsory guilty plea, as clearly expressed by Mr Karugarama, the Justice Minister; he "will never seek to blame someone innocent. But national reconciliation also passes through the judicial and diplomatic struggle against impunity". This struggle is also mine. Unfortunately, I note that in this fight Kigali is asking France "my condemnation on a diplomatic plate", Dr Eugene Rwamucyo writes.
Lt. Gen. Nyamwasa is now officially a wanted fugitive by the Government of Rwanda
26 February 2010
A government communiqué on Friday 26 February 2010 evening said the embattled Rwandan diplomat to India and renowned ex-army chief no longer represents Rwanda in Delhi with immediate effect. General Kayumba is also sought for crimes committed back home, according to the brief communiqué, also read on state TV and Radio.
Diplomacy: Government Protests Over Fugitive General
Kampala 1 March 2010
The warming Uganda-Rwanda diplomatic relations appeared headed for trouble once again after Kigali formally protested to Kampala at the weekend over reports their run away former army commander, Lt. Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa, is allegedly hiding here.
An opposition leader extradited to Rwanda
Kigali 6 March 2010
The former president of the Rwanda Journalists Association, Deo Mushayidi has been arrested on charges of terrorism and causing state insecurity.Mushayidi has since been extradited to Rwanda to face courts of law.
Kagame to attend France-Africa summit in France in May
Kigali 25 February 2010
Rwandan President Paul Kagame said he will travel to France at the end of May to attend the France-Africa summit in Nice after an invitation from his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy.The upcoming France-Africa summit, scheduled to start on May 31 in the southern French city of Nice, will be the first of Sarkozy's presidency.
What language will he use in that French club?
What language will he use in that French club?
Nicolas Sarkozy admits Rwanda genocide 'mistakes'
25 February 2010
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has acknowledged that France and the international community made "mistakes" during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. But he stopped short of offering a full apology, saying he hoped those responsible would be punished.
Rwandan government secretly buys luxury jets
The Rwandan government has bought luxury jets for the president and other VIPs --- and has kept the purchases secret from the Rwandan public. South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper reported on Feb. 14, 2010 that a long-running investigation had uncovered the secret deals.
Rwanda, Britain to exchange prisoners
Rwanda, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland on Thursday (11 February 2010) signed an agreement for exchange of prisoners, a development that paves way for convicted criminals to be extradited to their respective countries to serve their sentences. This agreement only applies on people who committed crimes outside their countries, implying that this treaty will not apply to Genocide fugitives who are either in the UK or Ireland.
Rwandan Gov’t disappointed over Muvunyi sentence
Government has described as ‘too minor’ the 15 years imprisonment sentence handed to the former Rwandan military officer, Col. Tharcisse Muvunyi by the International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda (ICTR).
Col. Muvunyi sentenced to 15 years for Genocide
On 11 February 2010, The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) sentenced former Rwandan military officer, Col. Tharcisse Muvunyi to 15 years imprisonment for Genocide crimes.
Interior Ministry dismisses Ingabire’s security worries
Opposition politician Ms. Ingabire Victoire Umuhoza cannot be given personal security escorts, instead she just has to abide by the country’s laws, the Interior Minister said Thursday, a day after Ingabire claimed a mob had attacked her.
Ingabire’s assistant a Gacaca fugitive
Victoire Ingabire’s assistant, Joseph Ntawangundi, the man who came to the limelight in the saga at Kinyinya Sector, is a wanted Genocide fugitive who, in 2007, was sentenced in absentia to 19 years in prison by a Gacaca Court. A communique from the FDU says that Mr Ntawangundi was not even in Rwanda during the genocide.
Madame Ingabire lynched by mob in Kigali
About 10 men set upon Victoire Ingabire and her driver as they waited for papers to register their party for next summer's election.
FDU denounce the attack on their leaders in Kigali
The FDU were quick to denounce the attack in which their leaders were injured and needed hospital treatmnet. In their press release they deplore the fact that they were attacked in official government premises and that the police took time to intervene. They have already complained to the Rwandan authorities.
A Rwandan denied asylum in Canada
Seyoboka, a former soldier in the Forces Armees Rwandaise (FAR), had his refugee status revoked by the Canadian Immigration authorities after he had deliberately failed to mention his army links.
Is Mrs Ingabire feigning victimization to gain sympathy?
Even before Ingabire set foot in Rwanda, it was very evident that feigning victimization by the government would be her trump card. She began with wild allegations that she and her team had been denied passport application forms, yet they are available on the internet….
Habyarimana Doctor’s Family to Sue Rwanda’s The New Times for Defamation
The family of Akingeneye is to sue The New Times, arguing that a commentary the paper published in issue no 2025 of 28th January 2010 claiming that Therese Dusabe, the mother of Rwandan opposition presidential aspirant, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza was Dr. Akingeneye’s concubine.
Agatha Uwilingiyimana declared "National hero" by RPF
The RPF government has announced that former Prime Minister Agatha Uwilingiyimana is among national heros to be remembered Monday the 1st February 2010. Others include King Mutara III Rudahigwa and General Fred Rwigyema.
Rwanda: A False Reconciliation
The gap between the wealthy urbanites and the poor rural dwellers is on the increase. Government policies favour the urban elite, many of whom are Tutsi who returned to the country after the genocide.
The legacy of the Gacaca courts
In a few weeks, Rwanda's gacaca courts, set up to process the enormous backlog of war crime cases which resulted from the 1994 genocide, will close their doors. After nine years and over a million gacacas, do Rwandans feel that justice has been served through this unique process?
MP questions Ingabire’s political credentials
A Member of Parliament has come out strongly to criticize the leader of the yet-to-be registered political party, FDU-Inkingi, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, saying that she is not fit to be a politician in Rwanda.
Attempt character assassination of Madame Ingabire
The mother to Presidential hopeful Victoire Ingabire was sentenced to life imprisonment for her role in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi by a Gacaca Court in Butamwa in the Western Province.
Nzirorera denies role for Habyarimana’s death
Joseph Nzirorera, a former Rwandan leader indicted by the ICTR for genocide and complicity in genocide, wants to defend himself in court against recent accusations of co-responsibility for the downing of President Habyarimana’s plane on April 6, 1994.
Another group of French judges in Rwanda
Two French judges arrived in Kigali over the weekend to investigate a genocide fugitive residing in their country, months after a similar group of Paris jurists conducted investigations on another set of suspects living in France.
Madame Ingabire in hot water
Ibuka, the umbrella organisation of Genocide survivors’ organisation, together with the National Gacaca Jurisdictions, have reacted angrily at revisionists remarks made by presidential hopeful, Victoire Ingabire, ever since her arrival in the country.
Only two days in Rwanda and she is already accused of negationism
The Minister of Internal Security Sheikh Mussa Fazil Harerimana has warned presidential hopeful Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza against revisionist and Genocide denial pronouncements that are a clear violation of the country’s laws.
Ingabire visits Genocide convicts, promises help
Victoire Umuhoza Ingabire, the president of the yet-to-be registered political party, FDU-Inkingi, yesterday travelled to Gisenyi town of Rubavu District.
The FDU President has arrived in Rwanda
Victoire Ingabire arrived on Saturday 16 January 2010 at around 15:00 aboard a Kenya Airways flight from Amsterdam via Nairobi where she spent a night. She was accompanied by three other persons.
Zambia to hunt down Genocidaires
“Zambia is a country that does not entertain Genocide and is strong on human rights. The promise that we have made is that the two justice ministries should sit and see how Zambia can help Rwanda bring Genocide suspects to come to Rwanda and face justice and not feel comfortable in Zambia,”
General Munyakazi claims Bagosora was central to President Habyarimana'death.
A report probing the downing of President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane has pinned Colonel Theoneste Bagosora as a key mastermind of the plot to shoot down the plane, killing the former president and his Burundian counterpart.
Kagame declines French invitation but President Sarkozy will visit Rwanda next month.
Sarkozy’s visit, the first by a French President to Rwanda ever since the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) took power in 1994, will mark a major milestone in full restoration of ties between the two countries.
Another dodgy law to destabilise the Hutu population
A new law that seeks to punish Genocide deniers is in the pipeline, a senior official of the National Commission for the fight against Genocide (CNLG) has said.
Genocide suspect apprehended on return from France
A former driver of the French Embassy in Kigali, was apprehended by Police shortly after he arrived in Rwanda on the basis of an arrest warrant issued earlier for his participation in the 1994 Genocide.
France to help fight against FDLR
The government of France has pledged to help Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo deal with their common threat; militia of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) operating in eastern DRC.
The suffering of civilians in DRC
Government troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), helped by UN peacekeepers, have launched an operation to pacify the mountain region in the east of the country.
French Bernard Kouchner has arrived in Rwanda
French Foreign Affairs, Minister Bernard Kouchner, arrived in the country for a two day visit (6-7 January 2010) and is expected to meet top government officials and the leadership of IBUKA, the umbrella organization of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.