Author: b_igi_adm1n

The Rwanda High Commission in Uganda and Uganda’s Ministry of ICT and CMU-R will be welcoming people to learn about Rwanda’s landmark partnership with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).

The event will be held today Wednesday 4th of April at Metropole Hotel, Kampala. CMU recently opened its doors in the heart of East Africa- Kigali, Rwanda.

CMU, one of the world’s leading universities in information technology and engineering, is the first U.S. research institution of this caliber to offer graduate degrees in Africa with an in-country presence and resident faculty.

In a region booming with technology innovation, this initiative intends to serve the East African Community and strives to produce the next generation of African innovators and technology leaders to support a competitive ICT industry in East Africa.

Police at Gakenke is holding a woman identified as Vestine Byukusenge who allegedly cut another woman using a razor blade accusing her of eloping with her husband.

Mukagasana Providence was cut several times on her face with a razor blade on April 2. The incident occurred in the District Gakenke. She is currently receiving treatement.

Byukusenge says she warned several times Mukagasana on the phone to leave her husband alone but to no avail until she decided to launch an attack.

The husband in question is a policeman at Gakenke district .

Vestine says she made the decision following an unbearable anger caused by her own husband with Mukagasana Providence.

Mukagasana is a local official responsible for the civil sector at Gakenke.

A building (commonly known as Petit Meridien) has collapsed at Kacyiru leaving 30 people buried under rubbles. The incident took place today at around 11 AM.

The workers on the site at the top floor were not hurt however; most victims were workers demolishing the ground floor.

IGIHE Team is at the site….

Court has today rejected three of the four requests made by Leo Mugesera including the request to have his trial conducted in French language.

Among the prerequisites he requested for were: to be temporarily released, tried in French language and be given an additional time of one month to get preferable lawyers.

In all those conditions he asked for, one has been accepted, and he has being accorded one month to get lawyers of his choice.

The presiding judge Murererehe Sauda, said that there was no noteworthy reason to be tried in French, since Mugesera left Rwanda at the age of 47 and spent only 20 years abroad, which explains the fact that he cannot be tried in French. The Kinyarwanda he understands is enough for him to be tried.

On the temporary release plea, the court completely rejected his plea, and said he had to stay where he is currently imprisoned until he is next summoned to the court.

On Mugesera’s unawareness of the allegations against him, Murererehe Sauda noted that many times he had been made aware of the allegations, and again, if he finds a lawyer, he will be let known all he wants to know about the allegations against him.

Mugesera will appear before court on 9th may, 2012.

About Frw 80 Billion has been injected into rice farming in Rwanda for the past five years.

Nobert Sendege, the Director General of Crop Production at MINAGRI says currently the country’s rice production is 71,000 tons of rice annually.

Sendege adds that 2400 more hectares of land will be available for rice growing in the country in addition to the current 9,000 hectares.

The government, World Bank, International Fund for Agriculture Development and African Development Bank have contributed the funds.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources says that Rwanda will produce sufficient rice by the year 2017, and that they are doing their best to increase rice production.

The Permanent Secretary at MINAGRI, Ernest Ruzindaza, said that by the year 2017, Rwanda will have become self reliant in rice production, thus exporting more to local and international markets and importing less.

“One of the strategies we will be using is buying new marchlands and restoring the existing ones to increase rice production.” He added that, the preparations are underway to cultivate 1,700 hectares of land at Muvumba marshland in Nyagatare District, Eastern Province.

According to Sendege, “rice production in the country currently covers 65% of the national demand.

In 2011, the production was at 55% and we believe that with modern agricultural tools and techniques we will not experience any shortage of rice by 2017.”

Rwandas Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo has told a meeting of Friends of Syria that “Though there is a vast distance to cover between Damascus and Kigali, Rwanda and Syria share the same experiences, and therefore Rwandese understand the plight Syria is facing’’.

Minister Mushikiwabo represented Rwanda at the second conference of friends of Syrian people after the invitation from the government of Turkey.

The first meeting was held in Tunisia in febuary, 2012 the conference explored human rights violations committed by the Syrian regime and showed their support for Syrian people.

The main opposition group in Syria alarmed the meeting that the government continues its human rights violations to its citizens.

The conference demanded the regime to put an end to its abuse and comply with its obligations to international law.

Minister Mushikiwabo told the meeting that Rwanda would not stand for the killing and inhumane treatment, stressing that all countries are obliged to honor rights of their citizens

“While it is true that the independence and sovereignty of States are fundamental to international relations, the fight and the right to live — the responsibility to protect — are even more critical for the survival of the community of nations”.

Minister Mushikiwabo quoted President Paul Kagame’s words at the height of the Libyan conflict to stress Rwanda’s position on humanitarian intervention: “No country knows better than my own the cost of the international community failing to intervene to prevent a State killing its own people.

Our responsibility to protect is unquestionable and this view is backed with the authority of having witnessed and suffered the terrible consequences of international inaction”.

The Minister demanded international cooperation to bring about a peaceful settlement in Syria, particularly those of neighboring nations, Turkey which does its level best, to protect vulnerable populations, even beyond its borders as demonstrated recently in Somalia.

The Conference was attended by 83 countries, mainly Arab and Western countries, together with international and eastern organization.

Leon Mugesera, a genocide suspect deported from Canada pleaded French language should be used in his trial process since the constitution permits it.

He made his second appearance before the intermediate court of Nyarugenge.
This resulted into a hot debate on both sides of the suspect and the prosecutor.

“Leon Mugesera used Kinyarwanda in his lethal MRND sensitization in 1992. Kinyarwanda is his mother tongue. There is no concrete reason for him to plead in french’’ said Ndibwami Rugambwa, the prosecutor.

The prosecution council added saying “the constitutional law stipulates that the accused can be questioned in a language he/she understands, not the language of his choice.’’

Leon Mugesra says that speaking Kinyarwanda does not mean that he understands it fully.’’ In relation to law, Kinyarwanda has specific and complex legal terms used in court that I am not conversant with’’.

Mugesera asked the court to let him use French in his trial and be given the right to talk to his family and his lawyers.

The court is due to decide today (Tuesday) on Mugesera’s request. He requested Monday for another postponement of his trial in order to prepare his defence.

“I need an additional month to make sure that my defence team is complete, so as to ensure that I am fully and properly defended,” Mugesera told the court.

Mugesera is being assisted by a Rwandan lawyer Donat Mutunzi However, said his team was supposed to consist of six Canadians, two Rwandans and an American.

Speaking in French, Mugesera told court that he had not yet been questioned and did not yet know the allegations against him.

Prosecution has not questioned him following his refusal to respond in Kinyarwanda, the Rwandan language in which he delivered the 1992 speech.

“In the judicial and scientific fields, there are some terms I don’t understand in Kinyarwanda,” said Mugesera, arguing the right to be questioned in a language he understands.

Following the increased terrorist attacks in the region, 46 officers from the National Police and Army are receiving training on airport screening techniques aimed at improving Airport Security.

The training which began Monday will last for five days.

The training is being conducted by Rwanda National Police in collaboration with Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA).

Addressing trainees at the launch of the course “excellence in screening techniques” at Police headquarters in Kacyiru, Richard Masozera RCAA’s director general lauded the existing partnership between both institutions noting that the training will help improve security at the airport.

“We want to ensure that airport unit officers get knowledge and skills that will enable them to use modern equipments to improve security at the airport” Masozera said adding that terrorist attacks were a threat that needs to be jointly counteracted for the safety of Rwandans.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Emmanuel Butera, the Commissioner for Operations and Public Order urged course participants to use the training opportunity to gain skills that will enable them to serve professionally.

John Otieno Kandere, an Aviation Security (AVSEC) training coordinator and an instructor at the East African School of Aviation will be taking course participants through their paces.

“It is hard to identify terrorists because they are just like any other normal human being, that is why during training, participants will acquire more skills to deter and consequently discourage their plots, Otieno Kandere said.

Throughout the weeklong training, trainees will be taken through lessons such as security awareness, screening check point overview, X-ray operation, physical property search, video show among others.