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FDLR terrorist organization based in the Democratic republic of Congo has suffered yet another blow following the capture of its leader Lt. Col. Idrissa Muradadi amidst a military offensive mounted by UN backed forces.

Rwanda is waiting for the extradition of Lt. Col. Idrissa Muradadi.

Lt. Col. Muradadi and three of his bodyguards turned themselves over on March 10, said Col. Sylvain Ekenge a Congolese military official, “ Muradadi is now in the hands of the U.N. mission in Congo and awaiting extradition to Rwanda”.

Ekenge said Muradadi surrendered because of military pressure. “We will continue this offensive until all of the rebels go home,” he said adding that 15 other rebels and 74 of their dependents have also turned themselves over to the military, Ekenge said.

“I can confirm that the head FDLR in the territory of Kabare, Lt. Col. Idrissa Muradadi, commander of the FDLR’s 2nd battalion went with three of his bodyguards and he is currently in the hands of MONUSCO for his extradition to his country, Rwanda,” Ekenge said.

The FDLR has terrorized eastern Congo for years, launching brutal attacks on civilians. The Congolese government has unsuccessfully attempted to eradicate the group, which crossed into Congo after Rwanda’s 1994 Tutsi genocide.

More than two dozen civilians have been killed by the Rwandan Hutu fighters since New Year’s. The latest attack by the FDLR in South Kivu on Feb. 25 killed 4 civilians and left three others injured, Ekenge said.

A new software has been developed to help employers monitor employees spending much of their time on social networking websites especially facebook. This aims at improving productivity of staff in organizations.

Cyberoam (Indian company offering IT solutions) has unveilled a program meant to offer network security to small, medium and large enterprises.

The program is known as Unified Threat Management (UTM), it has multiple security features which are integrated over a single platform.

Manish Karanji, the Cyberoam manager in charge of international sales, explains that UTM is a unique program that embeds user identity in the firewall rule matching criteria, offering instant visibility and proactive controls
over security breaches and eliminating dependence of IP addresses.

UTM also helps monitoring how users are using a particular network, at the same time raises alarm on websites which have viruses; the program also offers security of information, meaning it would be hard for hackers to acquire information in a UTM protected network.

“Since employers can monitor how their employees are using the internet, the habit of some workers spending most of their time on social websites, could be eliminated, meaning productivity among workers will also improve,” Karanji advises.

Job Ngai, the business development executive for i-MAST Africa which is among the IT companies selling Cyberoam services, highlights that the program protects information from disappearing whenever the server encounters a technical fault.

“I encourage Rwandan institutions to use UTM since it enables IT personnel to detect a problem like a virus or intrusion hence stored information is always safer.”

Commenting on the above issue, Jean de dieu Habyiramye a technician working with NEXTLEC, another company offering computer solutions, highlights though the sale of UTM has not commenced yet, the program will likely replace a similar mechanism known as fire-wall.

The latter program for instance can’t tell an intrusion from a hacker for instance, more so, fire-wall can’t give analysis of internet usage in a particular organizations.

Rwandan children and adults born with cleft lips (cheiloschisis) and cleft palates (palatoschisis) have a reason to smile since they have chances to receive free medical operation.

MTN Rwanda today announced continued financial support of $30,000 (Rwf 18 million) to facilitate their medical operations.

The telecom giant is partnering with Rwanda’s Ministry of Health Services and Operation Smile South Africa (OSSA) and its team of medical and non-medical volunteers to ensure the operation of over 300 Rwandans born with the vice.

John Bosco Sendahangarwa, MTN Rwanda’s Corporate Communication Manager told Press today that MTN Rwanda would support the project with a financial commitment of Frw 18 million this year alone, to allow free operations to those affected.

“MTN Rwanda and OSSA have partnered since three years ago in such rare operations intended to enable Rwandans with cleft lips and cleft palates smile again. In 2011 MTN donated over $10,000,” Sendahangarwa said.

“We have also played an ambassadorial role and bringing other partners to support this cause. At MTN Rwanda one percent (1%) of profit after taxes proceeds support projects with long lasting benefits to the society.

This is in line with our corporate social responsibility. In 2011 alone over 250 children and adults were operated on,” he added.

Other partners include, World Vision, Banque Populaire du Rwanda and STIPP Hotels.

Cleft lip (cheiloschisis) and cleft palate (palatoschisis), which can also occur together as cleft lip and palate, are variations of a deformity caused by abnormal facial development during gestation of a human being. OSSA officials explained that a cleft is an opening or a gap caused by non-fusion of the body’s natural structures that form before birth.

Approximately 1 in 700 children in the world are born with a cleft lip or a cleft palate. Clefts can also affect other parts of the face, such as the eyes, ears, nose, cheeks, and forehead.

A cleft lip or palate can be successfully treated with surgery, especially so if conducted soon after birth or in early childhood. According to Dr. Aime Lokulutu from the 15th to the 25th of March, OSSA will provide free surgery to children and adults born with cleft lips and cleft palates.

“Anyone with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate should come to Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Kigali (CHUK) on Thursday (16th of March) for a free examination to possibly receive free surgery. This will be OSSA’s third medical mission to Rwanda. To date OSSA has conducted three medical missions in Kigali, and provided surgery to 510 patients,” Dr. Lokulutu said.

“If patients need assistance with transportation to CHUK, those patients should make their way to their local district hospital where free transport will be provided on same day at 6am. Buses will be provided from: hospital of Ruhengeri, Byumba, Kabgayi, Gisenyi, Kibuye, Nyagatare, Kirehe and Rwinkwavu,” he added.

If chosen for surgery, patients will have to remain through surgery week and the post-operative assessment, and are asked to bring along clothing for the duration of the medical mission. Only one family member or guardian can accompany the patient.

Rwanda will be honoured at the 40th anniversary of twinning between Ganshoren and Rusatira cultural center in brussels Belgium. The event will be held from 6 to 31 March 2012 under the theme “View of a Country”.

Many activities will be offered throughout t he community Ganshoren and cultural centers in French and Dutch: exhibitions, concerts, conferences, events, golf, cinema …and so much more.

Starting with some training in the teaching development of environmental issues and resources the for people whom face these challenges in the south .these tools will be shown through different types movies, photos, debates, and games that aim at teaching public schools and others.

This course includes a temporary set of 20 panels that dates back to 2 years, tracing the history of twinning, with many photos here and there and short texts in French and Dutch.

From Thursday the 29th of march Rwandan delicacies will be served by Rwandan volunteers with various partners and inhabitants of Dortmund, a town in Bruxelles were different cultural tastes of Rwanda will be severed in the Kitchen of Zeyp.

Multi talented Rwandan artist Ben N’Gabo who hails from the beautiful regionof east Buganza in Rwanda will be holding an intimate concert on Friday, March 30th at 20pm.

In partnership with the “Africa Film festival 2012”and Africalia, Rwandan movies will also be premiered, films like “un Dimanche a Kigali” by director Robert Favreau and ‘Sometimes in April, as well as small animations will be shown across Belgium for the next month.

The sculptures of Jean-Marie Semanda who specializes in natural wood sculpture of a mixture of African and Western traditions as well as a concerned environmentalist, will be portraying all his 220 statutes and more than 2000 drawings in the various buildings of ‘The Villas of Ganshoren’ where people will be greeted at the reception with a welcome drink and a few Rwandan specialties.

Alongside Rwandan art will be an exhibition on Rwandan traditional marriages by Aline Gasangare who will open the doors of her memories, documents, tracks, photos this Friday, March 16.

The Belgian-Rwandan co-operation of Ganshoren will have plenty of days and evenings that will portray exhibitions, drawing competitions, food, Dances, concerts, movies and all kinds of activities that portray Rwandan culture.

A Rwandan national Cyusa Nkurunziza living in Brussels, Belgium was attacked by a group of young Congolese nationals that severely damaged his eye. He is currently hospitalized.

Nkurunziza lives in “Matonge-porte de Namur” a place that is fast becoming a war turf between Rwandan’s and Congolese migrants.

Nkurunziza told IGIHE by phone that the incident happened at night as he was returning from a local pub with his girlfriend Louise Munyaneza.

Munyaneza also told IGIHE that it all started after Nkurunziza caught two young men trying to approach her and warned them to stay away.

The Pub is a common hang out for many young Rwandan’s and Congolese “the only problem is that many of the youth’s here have certain turfs that are not supposed to be crossed” says Nkurunziza.

Nkurunziza stated “here we have rules, Rwandan’s don’t flirt with the girlfriends of the Congolese and they don’t flirt with ours, if u do then it will come down to a fight.”

As Muneyneza recalls, they were at least 200 meters from Nkurunziza’s residence when he told her to turn and run across the street and knock on the first apartment she arrives upon. “I hadn’t noticed the two three men following us, but I know the area was safer.”

Before Munyeneza could run she was knocked down from behind and only managed to escape because they thought she was unconscious. Whereas for Nkurunziza he was severely beaten and cut several times on his face whiling taunting him that no girl would look at his face again, and told to go back to Rwanda before they left him and ran.

Munyeneza found help and took her boyfriend to the hospital, where he is quickly recovering, except for the eye that was injured during the fight that has left him one-eyed. Nkrunziza says he was very lucky to have gotten out of the fight alive.

The Fights between the two communities is said to have been plaguing the streets of ‘Matonge isxelles’ over the last few months.

The rift between the two communities has become worse over the last year. “Before it was just about saving turfs for business, now it about everything, the belief that Rwandan nationals are taking their district, business, and women from them has turned impatient tolerance into extreme violence,” explained Munyaneza.

She added that,“it wasn’t always like this, and not all are mean. Previously we would be glad to meet our fellow Africans now we don’t know whether to shake their hands or run.”

“It is truly worrying for Rwandan citizens that live in this area, we are either forced to fight or forced to move, we came here for the same opportunities but we have also become a threat to them here, why the hate?” inquires Nkurunziza.

Reports from Gatsibo district indicate that a man identified as Ruzindana Edward aka Congo allegedly killed his hacked to death his own son and severely injured his wife with a machette.

The incident happened at Gitoki Sector on 10th March. This prompted area authorities to conduct a security meeting in which residents were urged to be alert and always prevent such incidences from happening.

Ruzindana is currently on the run. He severely cut his wife Mukamurenzi Consolate after the two quarreled over Frw 5000. The money belonged to the wife which she had obtained from a cooperative to which she is a member.

While ruzindana and Mukamurenzi were engaged in a fight, their son Nshimiyimana Jean de Dieu 25 intervened in attempt to rescue the mother from the brutal attack. In the process Nshimiyimana was cut into pieces and died.

Neighbours allege that Nshimiyimana was scared to intervene because his father had in previous family disputes promised to kill his son.
Mukamurenzi is currently hospitalized at Rugarama health facility.

In a case at ICTR involving former Rwanda planning Minister Augustin Ngirabatware, prosecution witness admitted Monday; he had received by e-mail a recording of an interview with RFI conducted May 4, 1994, by former Minister for a trip to Senegal.

Last week, the same witness had intervened to refute, before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), the alibi defense of Ngirabatware, including the fact that it will be returned to Senegal in mission between April 30 and May 5, 1994, according to the press reports.

Massamba Ndiaye is an investigator in the prosecutor’s office in Arusha. March 6, he was first called to the stand of the eight additional witnesses permitted to testify to counter the alibi defense of Ngirabatware.

Cons-examined Monday by the defense, he has admitted receiving an audio recording of the interview Ngirabatware, transmitted by e-mail by the administration of RFI.

Responding to a question from Counsel Mylene Dimitri, he said: “Yes, it says Ngirabatware was interviewed in Dakar. That’s what this email confirms. ”

Counsel then showed him an article published by PANA May 2, 1994, indicating that Ngirabatware was welcome to Dakar for a message from its president to Senegalese President on the situation in Rwanda.

”This is what is written,” Ndiaye said Massamba.”He was in Dakar. He came to bring this message. ”

The trial continues Tuesday. Ngirabatware is accused of complicity in genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and incitement to commit genocide.

Police has detained Nyirabahire Claudine, 49, and her son, Bitunguhari Felicien 18 allegedly accused of complicity in the murder of John Bosco Ntambara, 49, using a hoe and an iron bar.

The crime occurred on March 11th at Nyarubuye cell, Fumbwe sector in Rwamagana District.

According to neighbours, the motive was family conflict. They stressed that Ntambara was drunk and accused his wife of adultery.

According Nyirabahire, a witness, the woman hit her husband on the head following the quarrels.

The family is said to have been involved in misunderstandings for over two decades.

The police Spokesman Superintendent Theos Badege, urged citizens to seek help from the authorities rather than taking the law in their hands.

“These crimes have serious consequences on families and society in general,” said Superintendent Badege.

He called upon residents to provide timely information through community policing to prevent such crimes.

If found guilty the suspects risk life imprisonment.