Thursday, March 28News That Matters

Tag: Rwanda

Lawyers to Appeal Decision to Deny ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero Bail

Lawyers to Appeal Decision to Deny ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero Bail

FEATURED, NEWS, Politics, Rwanda
Lawyers for Paul Rusesabagina, a former Rwandan hotel manager who sheltered people during the nation’s 1994 genocide, will appeal a court decision to deny him bail.The court took the decision Thursday after Rusesabagina appeared on charges including terrorism earlier this week. His lawyers had asked that he be granted bail, partly on health grounds.“We find it necessary that Rusesabagina is provisionally detained in a prison facility for 30 days,” Judge Dorothy Yankurije said. “This will partly ensure that he does not sabotage ongoing investigation in his case.” The American Bar Association Center for Human Rights yesterday in a statement said that it plans to monitor the trial of Rusesabagina for fairness as part of the Clooney Foundation for Justice TrialWatch initiative.“Our TrialWa...
‘All’ Armed Groups Commit to Ceasefire in DRC’s South Kivu

‘All’ Armed Groups Commit to Ceasefire in DRC’s South Kivu

FEATURED, NEWS, Politics
Since the start of the year, 139 violent deaths have been recorded in DRC's South Kivu at the hands of militias or the army Around 70 armed groups have agreed to a "cessation of hostilities" in DR Congo's South Kivu province, a flashpoint in the country's troubled east, civilian representatives of the militias said Wednesday. "All the armed groups of South Kivu agree to a cessation of hostilities and to instruct their respective members," read a statement issued after a meeting in Murhesa near the provincial capital Bukavu. The three-day meeting, attended by the DR Congo's deputy defence minister Sylvain Mutombo, was co-organised by US conflict-resolution group Search for Common Ground. A similar meeting was held last December at the same venue, when 32 local armed gro...
Rwanda’s COVID-19 Response Goes High-tech

Rwanda’s COVID-19 Response Goes High-tech

FEATURED, Health, NEWS, Rwanda, TECH
Rwanda’s government is using drones in densely populated, difficult-to-reach neighbourhoods and high-risk zones to urge compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures. Police procured drones with a capacity to broadcast sound and record high definition images. The intervention was prompted by a lack of compliance by residents to follow directives to stay home, wash hands, respect physical distancing and wear masks because of low accessibility of the affected areas by community awareness teams.  Drones were deployed to compliment radio/ TV messages and the work by community health workers and other community leaders by bringing educational messages directly to residents by air.   Head turning. Congrats Rwanda: With Covid-19 health messages all over, it's easy ...
Suspected Militia Fighters Kill Dozens in DR Congo’s Eastern Ituri Province

Suspected Militia Fighters Kill Dozens in DR Congo’s Eastern Ituri Province

FEATURED, Latest News, Politics
 Fifty-eight people have been killed in attacks in a restive province of eastern DR Congo, local officials said on Thursday, blaming a notorious militia. Large numbers of the population have fled following the attacks in Irumu, a territory in the province of Ituri, provincial interior minister Adjio Gidi told AFP. He blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which originated in the 1990s as a Ugandan Muslim rebel group and has been accused of killing hundreds of civilians since DR Congo’s armed forces launched a crackdown against them last November. The attacks took place in a heavily forested area called Tshabi, a local resident said, adding that a number of people were feared kidnapped. “People were killed with every sort of weapon, knives, guns,” a member of ...
RwandAir Cancels Airbus & Boeing Orders

RwandAir Cancels Airbus & Boeing Orders

Business, FEATURED, NEWS, Rwanda, Tourism
Rwanda is an incredible country that has been trying to grow its tourism significantly (at least pre-coronavirus), and RwandAir is a part of that strategy. While it’s not the most profitable airline, it serves the purpose of providing more access to Rwanda, and that’s something the government has been supportive of. Unfortunately, some of the company’s big growth plans won’t be happening anymore. It’s being reported that RwandAir has canceled its outstanding aircraft orders. Specifically, this means that RwandAir has canceled its order for two Airbus A330-900neos, and two Boeing 737 MAX 8s. RwandAir currently has a fleet of a dozen aircraft, made up of six different models: One A330-200One A330-300Two 737-700sFour 737-800sTwo CRJ-900sTwo Dash 8-400s RwandAir was go...
World Bank Appoints New Country Director for Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda

World Bank Appoints New Country Director for Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda

FEATURED, NEWS, Politics
By Keefa Nuwahereza Appointment comes at a time when governments of Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, and Uganda are confronting both immediate and longer-term health and economic impacts of COVID-19 crisis The World Bank has appointed Mr. Keith Hansen as the new Country Director for Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, and Uganda effective September 8, 2020. Mr. Hansen, who has over 30 years of experience in development practice, will lead an active multi-country portfolio consisting of over 100 projects totaling more than US$13 billion. Under Mr. Hansen’s leadership, the World Bank will work closely with the four countries to provide innovative products and services that respond to their diverse development challenges and contribute to achieving sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction, with...
Fears for Congolese Nobel laureate Mukwege Amid Tensions with Rwanda

Fears for Congolese Nobel laureate Mukwege Amid Tensions with Rwanda

FEATURED, NEWS, Politics, Rwanda
Nobel peace laureate Denis Mukwege has become embroiled in tensions between his native DR Congo and neighbouring Rwanda, leading to growing calls for his protection following a series of death threats. Mukwege, a gynaecologist who shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for his work against sexual violence in war, said in late July that he and his relatives had been threatened following a tweet condemning the massacre of 18 people in the DRC's South Kivu province. Mukwege's tweet linked the violence back to the start of more than 20 years of war in eastern Congo which began with the 1996 invasion of the country by rebels backed by neighbouring Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. Without mentioning who the attackers were, he tweeted: "These are the same ones who are still killing...
US Demands Due Process for Detained ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero

US Demands Due Process for Detained ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Hero

FEATURED, Latest News, Politics, Rwanda
America's top diplomat for Africa has urged a fair trial for "Hotel Rwanda" hero Paul Rusesabagina, as concern mounts over the mysterious circumstances of his arrest and return to his home country. Rusesabagina, who saved more than 1,200 Rwandans during the 1994 genocide by sheltering them in a hotel, appeared in handcuffs in Kigali this week accused of serious charges including terrorism after a quarter century in exile abroad. It remains unclear how the strident opponent of long-ruling President Paul Kagame, who had been living in the US and Belgium since leaving Rwanda in 1996, was extradited to his homeland. Tibor Nagy, US assistant secretary for African Affairs, said he met Wednesday with Rwandan ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana to discuss the circumstances around Rusesabagin...
Lessons from Rwanda

Lessons from Rwanda

FEATURED, NEWS, Politics, Rwanda
OPINION By Laura Hollis The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Elite News.com. Some years ago, Immaculee Ilibagiza wrote "Left to Tell," a poignant memoir about her experiences hiding during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Over a period of three months during spring and summer that year, Rwandans of Hutu ethnicity slaughtered somewhere between 800,000 and a million Rwandans of Tutsi and Twa ethnicity. Ilibagiza only escaped that fate by hiding in her Hutu pastor's home; she and seven other women spent 91 days in a tiny bathroom, the door to which was obscured by a large armoire. Ilibagiza lost her entire family in the genocide, save for one brother who had been sent out of the country to attend school. What has been calle...
Man who Inspired ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Movie Kidnapped in Dubai, Daughter Claims.

Man who Inspired ‘Hotel Rwanda’ Movie Kidnapped in Dubai, Daughter Claims.

FEATURED, Latest News, Politics, Rwanda
Paul Rusesabagina — the man whose heroism in saving more than 1,200 people from genocide inspired the 2004 movie “Hotel Rwanda” — was kidnapped while in Dubai, his daughter claimed Tuesday. Carine Kanimba our reporter that her 66-year-old dad travelled last week from the US to Dubai, where she alleged he was abducted and taken to Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. Rwandan authorities said they arrested Rusesabagina on charges that he is the “founder, leader and sponsor of violent, armed, extremist terror outfits.” The authorities cited “international cooperation” in apprehending him but didn’t provide additional details or say where he was arrested. During the Rwandan genocide in 1994, Rusesabagina, a Hutu, sheltered refugees in the luxury hotel he managed, saving them from the violenc...