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Nobel Peace prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya has died after a long battle with cancer. The first African woman Nobel Peace laureate passed away in Nairobi on Sunday, September 25 at 10:00 P.M. local time.

Youth Scouts at Kanombe in Kicukiro district are dedicated to environmental protection through nature gardening and tree planting in schools and other areas.

The scouts seek to leave the world with more beautiful sceneries like it was naturally created.

Over100 Scouts grouped in what they called Groupe Buffre courage, they say the initiative fits well in their main objectives as said by the leader Maulidi Nyandwi during the voluntary communal service that was done Sunday morning at Kasanze secondary school at Kanombe.

Nyandwi noted; “We participate in the program to create awareness about environmental protection and to provide more protection about it.”

Among other members; Yves Mugiraneza commonly known as Bonheur Okapi Docile as a Scout name said, “I am used to the program of planting trees because its among our objectives as Scouts to beautify the world better than we found it.”

Djuma Nsanzimana in charge of mobilizing Rwandans about the environment said that the campaign is for all Rwandans at all levels.

He said that REMA works with the MINEDUC on environmental protection in a government program; Green School. “The program will create awareness among the young people to understand the importance of environment.”

Scouts were formed together with Guides in 1907 by Lt. Gen Robert Baden Powell.

Carl Wilkens an American citizen who witnessed the Rwandan Tutsi genocide of 1994 will share his experience at Bellarmine University on Tuesday, September 27 at the Amy Cralle Theater.

Carl Wilkens is the former head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA) in Rwanda that chose to remain in the country during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

Wilkens sent his wife and children away and remained to help prevent the massacre of 400 Rwandan orphans at the hands of the Hutu militia.

He is the author of I’m Not Leaving (2011), a memoir about his experience while in Rwanda in 1994, and was featured in Frontline’s “Ghosts of Rwanda”.

His humanitarian work has been recognized with a 2005 Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Wilkens’ visit is cosponsored by the QEP and the Bellarmine chapter of STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition.

Jean de Dieu Mucyo, the Executive Secretary of Rwanda National Commission against Genocide had recently in an interview with igihe.com recommended on Wilkens’s genocide testimonies and documentation.

Mucyo said, “wilkens came to Rwanda during the 15th genocide commemoration and gave us testimony about his life in Rwanda during the genocide. His speeches and writings are really based on the truth about the 1994 mayhem”.

Bellarmine University is an independent, private, Catholic university in Louisville Kentucky. The liberal-arts institution opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop John A. Floersh of the Archdiocese of Louisville and named after the Cardinal Saint Robert Bellarmine.

Rwanda has always been ready to welcome home all Rwandan refugees living in Cameroon.

Ambassador Gerard Ntwari (below)requested the Rwandan community in Cameroon to return back home assuring them that there was no need of fleeing the country because no Rwandan should remain a refugee.

Rwandan refugees in Cameroon presented their problems to the government delegation headed by Rwandan Ambassador to Senegal; Gerard Ntwali.

“Since 2003 the government of Rwanda has been ready to welcome you back home.Till now government is willing to welcome back all Rwandan refugees all over the world,” said Ambassador Ntwali.

Rwanda in partnership with the UNHCR agreed to process the returning of Rwandan refugees to Rwanda.

Ntwali added that since 2003, 2004, 2005 until now refugees are still coming back home safely.

Rwandan refugees in Cameroon suggested that the UNHCR should send to Rwanda a team to check whether what the Ambassador said is real.

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) says that no Rwandan should remain a refugee effective January 2012.

Rwanda Peace Academy is organizing training aimed at gathering in a report of all Rwanda’s peace missions since 2004.

It’s planed that about 40 military officers and 10 police officers that are still in a peace mission or ended their mission will attend this training.

The officers will gather all techniques and peace actions that were done and called Peace Support Opperations (PSO).

The attendants of the training slated to take place at Nyakinama (Musanze district); will study the UN’s contribution and its organs to strengthening peace actions, actions on human rights and prevailing peace conflicts.

The training also explore what has been achieved and the problems faced in Rwanda’s peace actions in UN missions since 2004 when it contributed to peace mission in Sudan that ended in 2007.

The training that will start on 26th to 30th September; is to make in files four actions carried out by the Rwandan military and police in UNAMID in Darfur, MINUSTAH in Haiti, UNMIL in Liberia and UNMIS in Sudan that started last July.

The Natural Fire 11 training aimed at military cooperation in the East African Community closed today with a graduation of 37 RDF soldiers in 300 attendants.

The training started September 16th 2011 in Zanzibar, RDF was led by Brig.Gen. Mushyo Kamanzi who also was coordinating a group called Combined Joint Task Force.

During the closing ceremony, the second Vice President of Zanzibar; Ambassador Seif Idd urged that actions aimed at developing the community should be announced publicly for people to know of their importance.

“Seeing us great because of our community, our people do not know about it. For that reason, its benefits should be announced,” added Ambassador Seif Idd.

He emphasized that military cooperation was necessary because of security problems at boarders.

Seif demanded that cooperating within the community armies could expand and reach development actions like rail way constructions and other infrastructure.

The Tanzanian Minister in charge of army and public services, Dr. Hussein Mwinyi said that Natural Fire 11 training was a test to see whether the region could overcome its own problems.

The USAFRICOM, Gen. David Hogg said that the exercise showed the EAC need to promote security in countries and the region in general.

During training officials from Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and USA exercised on rescue operations, fighting against disasters, terrorists and bandits.

Early Friday, an exodus of 100 Rwandan refugees most of whom women and children crossed the border from DRC to Rwanda at Rubavu entry point.

The appearance of returning refugees confirmed the bad conditions they have been living in. Security forces at the Rwanda side of border allowed Igihe.com to interview the refuges briefly before they were taken to Nkamira camp in Kanzenze Sector.

They told Igihe.com that their coming back to Rwanda was a voluntary act by themselves for they had been living in poor conditions in the DR-Congo forests.

“We were told constantly to return home that Rwanda is beautiful and safe,” one refugee said.

“I have never gone to school, don’t know how to read and write. I am surprised to see all people around smart and healthy,” one refugee only indentified as Felix a 23 year old said during the interview.

“We have been living in poor conditions with no hospitals, roads absolute poverty and always on the move searching for peace and security for our lives,” Felix explained to our reporter.

Asked on the whereabouts of their husbands, the ladies replied that their husbands were reluctant about returning and feared being persecuted once they return to Rwanda.

Some of the women also told our reporter that their husbands couldn’t come to Rwanda because they are of Congolese origin.

The refugees boarded trucks that transported them to Nkamira camp but security officials denied independent journalists and only RTV crew were allowed to proceed to the camp.

Election of senators scheduled for 26th-27, will start with senators contesting in Kigali city, 4 provinces and end with elections for representatives of both government and private Educational institutions.

51candidates are vying for senatorial seats.

Prof. Dr. Karangwa Chrysologue the chairman of electoral commission confirmed to journalists that there will be no interference during the campaigns and expects that even the elections will be conduted in peace.

“ I also want to remind the electoral committee to keep in mind that they are voting on behalf of Rwandese who trusted them to cast their votes in an appropriate way,” he said.

He also added that all people are allowed to monitor the whole process of voting and all people who will vote to be on polling stations at time.

The candidates who will represent both government and private educational institutions will be voted by fellow researchers and professors to present their interests.

The national electoral commission has put a lot of efforts explaining to the public, why the elections were not for all people to vote, but a committee of people trusted by them through local government.

The actual voting will take place after 2/3 of the voters have reached at the polling station and it will be officially opened from morning until 3pm evening.

Also the electoral commission appreciates good conduct exhibited by all candidates showed during campaigns.

In the ongoing debate on press freedom, the Minister in charge of information Protais Musoni has urged journalists to conduct research about their field in different countries comparing with Rwanda.

People still give their point of view and some want the media to be free and others show their concern that media could again contribute to sensitising people to killing as for the 1994 genocide.

The Forum of Private Newspapers carried out a one day meeting this Friday concerning different journalists working in Rwanda.

The debate turned around the crime of defamation in crimes followed by the government to be abolished.

Some insisted that the government should not defend someone whose private life has been invaded instead it should be him/her to complain before courts because government does not have interest.

Minister Musoni finds it necessary to have more training first before requesting for changes as they are the people’s watchdogs.

“You should first get training in journalism because before being a that one who can change some people’s minds you should be able to provide some thing for them,” added Musoni.

Theodore Ntarindwa the forum leader told Igihe.com that they are looking for a way media could provide professional objects.

“We are planning to establish a way that each newspaper can work in one place and get specialized,” Ntarindwa said adding that the forum needs ideas and help from government.

Ntarindwa said that they are planning to create a social found to help newspapers in a case of financial crisis.

On Thursday 22 September, the general assembly of the chamber of deputies, adopted the bill of the establishment of the centre of registering national Identity known as NIDA and the law governing contracts.

Due to the president’s appeal, the general assembly amended the law governing the contract and obliterated article 62 and be substituted.

The major intention of removing article 62 was due to the contradiction that typified this article in the second paragraph of 201 of the national constitution of Rwanda which states “ignorance of the law which has been duly published shall not be a defense”.

Apart from article 62 which was detached, the committee of economic development and finance studied other draft laws to insert or eliminate in order to strengthen it.

Two articles were removed from the law; one was added while 27 others were studied.

The general assembly also studied a report carried out by the committee of social affairs, human rights and petition in the senate.

The chamber of deputies after studying the reports given by senate approved them and the whole bill in general.