Author: b_igi_adm1n

Léon Mugesera could finally face deportation to Rwanda on January 12. This comes almost eight years after the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously ruled that he is inadmissible to stay in Canada because he helped incite the Rwandan Tutsi genocide.

But the Quebec City resident, who has been fighting expulsion from Canada since 1995 and has been in legal limbo since the 2005 Supreme Court decision, is circulating an email to drum up support from friends – and he has hired a lawyer to launch more legal action.

Mugesera said he received notice from the Citizenship and Immigration department in early December that his time in Canada is fast running out.

He remained in Canada tenuously since being stripped of his permanent resident status for his role in the 1994 Tutsi genocide.He argues he would face persecution and torture if he is sent back to Rwanda.

He hired lawyer Johanne Doyon to attempt to quash the latest decision, but in the meantime was told by the Canada Border Services Agency, which carries out expulsions, that his deportation is imminent.

“This means that the Federal Court could render its decision at a time when I am already under torture and facing an atrocious death at the hands of my political enemies in power in Rwanda,” Mugesera wrote in the email.

“I would thank you if you could act on my behalf as urgently as possible. I am very uncomfortable asking you this during the holiday period.”

Doyon, who began representing Mugesera in mid-December, called the short notice of the deportation date “unbelievable” and is preparing a motion for a stay to suspend the deportation while he fights another round.

“We got notice on Dec. 27, oral notice, that the deportation was Jan. 6. We called back and said a week and a half is not reasonable,” she said, noting the date was then moved up to Jan. 12. “He arrived here (20) years ago, it’s shocking the rush of this.”

Doyon said the government is not providing enough time to seek a judicial review to quash the most recent decision and stay the deportation.

“The file is years and years, boxes and boxes, it’s not possible to challenge the decision in such a short time,” Doyon said.

“His argument is a matter of life and death and persecution. Enemies use allegations of genocide to apply torture and persecution. He has valid grounds to challenge.”

Although the Supreme Court long ago branded Mugesera persona non grata, she said there are new legal issues at stake in his renewed legal bid that could see his case come full circle.

“Being inadmissible under the law on immigration and losing your permanent residency status is one thing. That point has been decided,” Doyon said.

“Being repatriated to your country of origin and being at risk of persecution or cruel and inhumane treatment is another thing – completely different legally and practically speaking. The Supreme Court has never ruled on that.”

Mugesera’s fate has remained uncertain for the better part of a decade while he sought final recourse with a pre-removal risk assessment. Carried out by senior officials at the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, PRRAs are a stay of deportation available to anyone ordered removed from Canada, including war criminals and terrorists, if they believe they could face death or torture if repatriated. The decisions are not public but can be appealed in Federal Court.

While the years have ticked by, Rwanda’s ambassador to Canada has demanded Mugesera’s return so he can face justice as the country seeks to come to terms with the 1994 genocide through a series of war crimes tribunals. Rwandan victims of the genocide in Canada also have grown frustrated with the slow process to rid Canada of a painful reminder of the slaughter.

Mugesera is wanted to stand trial in Rwanda for a 1992 speech widely viewed as a clarion call to the genocide in which he called ethnic Tutsis “cockroaches” and stated: “Anyone whose neck you do not cut is the one who will cut your neck.”

In his speech, rebroadcast at the height of the 1994 bloodbath, he referred to Tutsis using an ethnic slur, and advocated throwing them into the Nyabarongo River – a veiled reference to a 1959 mass murder of 20,000 Tutsis.

However, Mugesera has long argued his political enemies are out for revenge that would be exacted once he sets foot in Rwanda.

The Canada Border Services Agency would not comment specifically on Mugesera’s case, but said the government is committed to ensuring those involved in crimes against humanity are not given safe haven in Canada.

“It is the CBSA’s responsibility to enforce the law. The removal of inadmissible individuals is key to maintaining the integrity of the immigration program and to ensuring fairness for those who come to this country lawfully,” said spokesperson Esmé Bailey.

“Everyone ordered removed from Canada is entitled to due process before the law and all removal orders are subject to various levels of appeal.”

source:Montreal Gazette

160 Rwanda police officers of first contingent deployed in Haiti have returned home after completing a nine-month mission under the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) since March.

The police officers belonging to the Formed Police Unit 1 (FPU1) deployed in Jérémie Town, South of the Caribbean, touched ground Saturday at Kigali International Airport at about 2:00am aboard RwandAir.

The Inspector General of police, Emmanuel K. Gasana received the officers at the police general headquarters at Kacyiru commending them for successfully accomplishing their task.

“Your contribution towards restoring security in Haiti has lifted Rwanda’s image high,” noted Gasana.

The police Boss told the officers that stabilizing the country, following the 1994 bloody period of Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda’s security organs took the lead to help other countries retain peace and security.

“Security is the only way to go. Development cannot be attained without security; security is a priority, followed by good governance, which results into sustainable development,” Gasana observed.

Gasana explained that Rwanda National Police has also embarked on collective security with other security organs in other countries aimed at fighting transnational crimes.

Chief Supt. Egide Ruzigamanzi, FPU1 contingent Commander said that apart from promoting peace and security in Haiti, they also introduced community work, commonly known as Umuganda.

“Haitians cheerfully welcomed the idea and now Umuganda is part of their monthly activities,” said Ruzigamanzi.

Ruzigamanzi explained that FPU1 acquired more skills after interacting with Police Officers from other countries, which he said, will help them to effectively execute their duties back home.

Police officers from 53 countries are part of the UN mission in Haiti.

North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong-un, has risen to the supreme commander of the communist nation’s massive armed forces, state media reported Saturday, a strong indication that the young son of late leader Kim Jong-il is solidifying power.

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party met Friday and “proclaimed that the dear respected Kim Jong-un assumed the supreme commandership of the Korean People’s Army according to the behest of leader Kim Jong-il on Oct. 8.”

The commandership is one of the titles that the late leader held before he died due to a heart attack on Dec. 17, along with the general secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party and the chairman of the National Defense Commission.

Kim Jong-un, believed to be in his late 20s, is expected to assume the other posts as well.

North Korea’s 1.19 million-strong military is one of the world’s largest.

Friday’s politburo meeting also “underlined the need to hold Kim Jong-un in high esteem as the only center of unity, cohesion and leadership of the WPK (Workers’ Party of Korea), devotedly defend him politically and ideologically, and give fuller play to the might of the political and ideological power,” KCNA said.

The late leader, who took over North Korea after the 1994 death of his father and national founder Kim Il-sung, had been grooming the third son as a successor, promoting him to the rank of a four-star general and naming him vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party.

On Saturday, the North said it will issue gold and silver coins to mark the 20th anniversary of late leader’s 1991 ascension to the supreme commandership, saying the move is to keep the late leader’s “immortal achievements shining through generations.”

The Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly made the decision, praising the late leader for making North Korea “an invincible military power” with nuclear weapons that no enemy can dare touch under his “songun” or military-first leadership.

The North also stepped up threats against the South.

In “joint calls” of the Central Committee and the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party, the North said it will turn South Korea’s presidential office “Cheong Wa Dae and the stronghold of aggression into a sea of fire and accomplish the historic cause of national reunification without fail if the enemies dare mount an attack,” according to KCNA.

The threat came a day after the North’s National Defense Commission said it “will have no dealings with the (South Korean President) Lee Myung-bak group of traitors forever,” a statement that appears to suggest that Pyongyang’s policy toward the South will remain unchanged.

The North’s commission issued the statement, accusing the South of banning its people from visiting Pyongyang to offer condolences and of seeking to drive a wedge between ordinary North Koreans and the North’s leadership over Kim’s death.

Relations between the two Koreas frayed after Lee took office in early 2008 with pledges to halt aid and link future assistance to progress in efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear programs.

The ties were further stretched after the North launched two deadly attacks on the South last year.

Kigali city waste management specialists are currently having sleepless nights identifying where a tentative waste site will be allocated.

Several sites have been visited both in Nyarugenge and Gasabo Districts and they are yet to give technical report for approval.

“We are actually from visiting one of the sites, we have identified so we are going to put down all technicalities for considerations before approving one site,” John Mugabo the waste Management Expert has told IGIHE.com by cell phone.

The tentative site will be used instead of Nyanza waste site in Kicukiro District before the permanent waste site will be identified in the Kigali City Master Plan.

Last week, the Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi gave an ultimatum to Kigali City Authorities to look for another site and close the current Nyanza based waste site.

“What we are now doing is getting a tentative waste site so as to shift from that of Kicukiro District to either Nyarugenge or Gasabo Districts, we will get one site before Kigali master plan is fully implemented,” Mugabo added.

Nyanza garbage site which is a home of tones and tones of garbage dumped there had become a health hazard for the nearby dwellers with risk of getting contagious diseases.

Nearby dwellers had begun complaining to authorities that when the rain falls, it makes the whole area stink and water carrying garbage through residents.

Former Mayor William Ntidendereza had warned over possible health hazards that could emanate from Nyanza garbage site.

“Although there is no study yet conducted on its likely health hazards, we can’t rule out possibility of it being a threat to nearby residents,” Ntidendereza said in 2007 when he was still a mayor before replaced by the incumbent Jules Ndamage in 2008.

Though there is no detailed study of the Nyanza garbage dumping site, between 300-350 tons per day.

It was officially opened as the cities dumping site in 2003 having started in 1988.

ENDS

Kicukiro Investment Group has announced to build a modern shopping mall worth Rwf 4.4bn by the beginning of next year.

A privately owned mall by ten Rwandan businessmen will begin constructed January next year and tends to be completed in one a period of one year.

It will host banks, insurances, modern bars, restaurants facilities, have modern parking and other modern facilities that will provide good services to the residents.

“It’s going to change the environment, it will bring growth in the area increasing tax at the District, create Jobs and bringing services nearer to the residents,” Paul Jules Ndamage the Mayor of Kicukiro District has said.

The mall is estimated to have the capacity to host an estimation of over 5000 traders and hundreds of jobs will be created according to business analysts.

According to Ndamage, the new shopping mall falls into the categories of the available ones like the popular Rujugiro building UTC, Kigali City Tower and the one built where the Nyarugenge market was located.

Ndamage says it also fits in the Kigali City master plan and that was a successful venture from the regular call for investors to develop the area.

Kicukiro Investment Group is made up of ten Rwandan potential businessmen dealing in different businesses including construction.

The mall will be built where the current market at Kicukiro center is located. The traders now working in the market will be allocated and integrated in the Ziniya and Kabeza market.

However they have fear that they will be charged high tariffs saying that some of them have cheap commodities with low capital commodities like greens, tomatoes and other commodities.

“No no no they will not be cheated, we shall have an understanding with the owners of the markets not to put high tarrifs,” Ndamage added.

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Ministry of Health will prioritize fighting malnutrition in the year 2012, a press statement has indicated.

The Ministry will also put more emphasis in fighting poor hygiene and poor customer care next year.

“If we can collectively struggle to improve hygiene levels in the country, we will have managed to save a substantial amount of money we spend on diseases related to poor hygiene. This money can be channeled to other crucial areas within our sector,” Dr. Agnes Binagwaho the Minister of Health said in a statement.

Dr. Binagwaho also highlighted some challenges faced in the sector that include need for more health infrastructure across the country, lack of adequate human resources like specialized experts and limited resources to address all these challenges.

The Minister has also promised to be holding a quarterly press conference to share with the public progress made within the sector.

According to the statement, over 80% of Rwandans in categories two and three of the new mutuelle policy have so far made their annual contribution to this health insurance scheme largely aimed at bringing equity and accessibility to affordable health care.

Binagwaho attributed this quick response to the value and contribution that Rwandans have seen in this health insurance scheme.

Only 24% of Rwandans fall under category 1 of Mutuelle policy and their contributions will be catered for by the government since they fall largely within the abject poverty level.

The remaining percentage of population is within categories 2 and 3 and is obliged to make their own contribution, at least not later than January 31, 2012.
“The adherence to the new policy on mutuelle de santé is very impressive” the Minister said.

“Even in some areas where we had some problems on data verification, these issues have been resolved well and population is responding positively.”

Binagwaho says a lot of achievements this year, included construction of new infrastructure across the country, improvement in quality of services offered, successful roll out of a new policy on health insurance and setting the course for attaining all major health indicators and targets within vision 2020 and MDGs.

Minister Binagwaho particularly pointed out some success stories such as the fight against malaria and HIV/AIDS, reduction by more than half in both cases and deaths resulting from Maternal and child mortality.

Immunization coverage of up to 90 percent of Rwandan children against 9 killer diseases and the growing number of Rwandan mothers giving birth from a health facility.

She said that because of numerous interventions aimed at fighting and eliminating some killer diseases, life expectancy in Rwanda had tremendously improved.

Therefore, as more and more Rwandans live longer, the sector was now concentrating on how to provide more specialized care for for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) like Cancer and Diabetes.

“All the success stories we see in the sector today are a result of a committed leadership we have right from the top, that is eager to bring dignity to the lives of every Rwandan,” the Minister said.

“The cadres of the health sector have also been outstanding in their delivery.”

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The Communications Director in the Office of the President, Yolande Makolo has said there was no theft or loss of any documents belonging to a member of the Presidents entourage.

She told IGIHE.com that the incidence was minor and not as misreported in the Ugandan Press.

Uganda’s Monitor newspaper had earlier today reported that unspecified documents belonging to Rwanda’s presidential entourage had been stolen claiming that they included some electronics, belonging to President Paul Kagame.

Makolo has told IGIHE.com, “The “stolen documents” – story has been misreported. The documents were personal docs (car insurance forms) belonging to President’s personal physician. They were taken by another member of the delegation in separate luggage but due to miscommunication on this within our team, documents were reported missing to the hotel. But the documents were quickly recovered. It is a very minor issue”.

Ugandan press has also reported that Uganda police has arrested three suspects all employees of Mweya Safari Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park where the incident happened. The case was registered as 59/25/12/11 at Kasese Police Station.

Uganda’s High commissioner to Rwanda Richard Kabonero told IGIHE.com that he only learnt of the story from the newspaper, ‘I just read the story from Monitor. I don’t have any other information about it. You can contact the Uganda Police” he said.

By press time, efforts to reach Uganda Police Spokesperson Asuman Mugenyi were futile as his mobile phone was switched off. Mugenyi had last evening promised to give details to Ugandan press about the incident.

The Rwanda President was on a five day private visit to Uganda where the first family also celebrated Christmas.

While in Uganda, Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda launched the re-construction of Mbarara-Katuna-Kigali Road at Uganda-Rwanda border.

The Kigali-Katuna-Mbarara Highway is a 201km section of the vital Northern Corridor route linking the economies of East Africa and the Great Lakes region with the Indian Ocean.

Two categories of land owners have been exempted from land tax as long as they have less than two hectares.

Land owners with less than 2 ha of land in rural areas using their land for agricultural purposes will not pay land tax.

Another category includes those with land in towns or suburbs of the city making it economically productive unless the owner turns it into commercial production.

In a meeting convened by the Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi, the new land lease tax levied by the government had caused misconceptions.

The Prime Minister has issued a directive to extend the deadline of payment of new land levy which would result into paying fines and a consideration of those who are needy and use their land for agricultural purposes.

Habumuremyi also gave a directive to relevant authorities to go back and study well the fees of land and come up with a balanced land tax standard affordable to all.

He also said the new deadline should allow government to carry out a proper countrywide sensitization about taxation procedures.

The PM also directed authorities to identify any land that is not a wetland to be declassified.

Under the 2005 Ministerial decree on land tenure, the land owners are meant to pay a tax of Rwf 80 per square metre for residential land, Rwf 150 for commercial land in all areas classified as urban areas while a tax ranging between Rwf50 and Rwf 30 be levied on rural land.

“The issue of land tax has been misunderstood and blown out of proportion, the situation is not alarming though and the fees are not as high as alleged, compared to the value of land itself,” said Stanslas Kamanzi the Minister of Natural Resources.

PM convened a meeting that attracted all concerned ministries and government institutions involved in the implementation of the new policy, which will see land owners in their respective categories, pay an annual lease fee on their land.

The meeting which took place at the Prime Minister’s Office attracted Kigali City authorities, ministries of Environment and Natural Resources and Local Government, Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) as well as the Military and Police.

The new tax levied on land under the new tenure system enacted in 2005 whose implementation began last month has been a subject of controversy with landowners crying foul over the inequality involved in the payment and the limited time given to pay up.

“The government doesn’t want this to be seen as a burden on its citizens but rather a tax which is affordable to everyone. As a government, we put the needs of the citizens first,” Habumuremyi said, ordering an immediate assessment of the payment procedure.

Land lease issues were also raised in the recent National Dialogue, the with claims that needy families, especially in rural areas, could not afford to pay the lease fees and poor neighbouring developed areas ended up in wrong categories.

ENDS

The management of Water and Sanitation Authority (EWASA) has assured residents of Rugende that their homes will be connected to the national electricity grid before the end of January 2012.

The speedy decision follows complaints from Rugende residents who had paid connection fees eighteen months ago. Over 60 households contributed Rwf 28,000 as connection fee.

Méthode Rutagungira in charge of electricity at EWASA said, “We normally install electricity in phases and the connection from Muyumbu in Rwamagana will stretch to Rugende soon. I advise Rugende residents to calm down since everything will be solved in the next four weeks,” he said.

Rutagungira communicated the connection plan to Jean Pierre Habinshuti in charge of energy at Gasabo district and assured him speedy completion given that a similar complaint had been presented by Habinshuti.

Antoine Mudogo, the cell leader of Rugende urged EWASA to seriously consider the issue since most affected people face several challenges due to lack of power.”

Resisdents have already wired their houses, fixing light bulbs and buying other electrical appliances.

“When you go to my house you will find engraved wires in my house constructed a year ago hoping electricity would be connected sooner but now I’m
still using a lantern,” a resident told IGIHE.com.

Rwanda’s all stars Tusker Project Fame winner Alpha Rwirangira will leave for USA January 1st where he will pursue music business studies at Campbellsville university for four years.

However, he does not intend to leave his funs like orphans or leave his career to rot but will be coming back for Christmas shows.

“For the last three years I was hosting those shows for charity but now it is something else,” Rwirangira has said.

The Kentucky state based Campbellsville University School of Music provides professionalism in music skills.

It is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), it also provides the kind of education in a music schools including frequent performance opportunities, rigorous academics, and professional training.

The Tusker Project Fame overall winner claims to be inspired to pursue further studies that will help in improving his music skills.

Given the growing young and unexplored entertainment industry in Rwanda, Alpha says he will be able to contribute largely and professionally in the industry.

“I’ve always had a dream of improving Rwanda’s entertainment industry by establishing a professional music academy or capacity building to our managers, promoters and event organizers,” he emphasised.

The US experience will expose him to professionals who will develop his talent at the same time the avenue to facilitate in better production of his music.

ENDS