Rwandan refugees fear a cessation of refugee status by the UNHCR
JOHANNESBURG (IPS) – They should be wary of each other. The historical conflict between their ethnicities has resulted in Africa’s largest genocide. But Claude Kayitare sits on the verandah of a popular Johannesburg restaurant, chatting to his friend, Theogene Nshimyimana. It seems an easy friendship, a sight that does not raise eyebrows in South Africa, but [...]
Rwanda hearing of Tutsi ex-rebel case postponed
KIGALI (AFP) – A Rwandan military court on Monday postponed the hearing of a plea to free a Congolese Tutsi ex-rebel chief, detained in Rwanda for the past two years, his lawyer said. ”The clerk’s office decided to postpone the hearing sine die because the judge (General Steven Karyango) has been suspended,” Aime Bokanga, a lawyer [...]
Rwanda wants Hutu rebel tried for genocide
KIGALI (AFP) – The Rwandan rebel who is to stand trial at the International Criminal Court for war crimes in DR Congo must also be tried for his alleged role in the Rwandan genocide, Kigali said on Friday. Callixte Mbarushimana, who is accused of crimes including murder and rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo in [...]
Landslide victory for Kagame in the face of grenade attack
Paul Kagame has won a second term in office after garnering a whopping 93 percent of the vote in the Rwandan Presidential election by a land slide majority. The elections took place on August 9th amid allegations from the opposition that the elections would not be free and fair. “Based on the election results, the [...]
Rwanda’s elections will be free – but will it be fair?
Foreign diplomats and human rights groups say signs of repression have marred the run-up to Rwanda’s elections. The country’s donors expect the polls to be peaceful and say the revised electoral code will make it more transparent than in the last elections in 2003. Kagame is admired by some, locally, for rebuilding institutions, promoting women, [...]
Diplomatic tension between South Africa and Rwanda escalates as Envoy is recalled
South Africa has recalled its envoy to Rwanda following diplomatic tensions between Pretoria and Kigali after a recent assassination attempt on an exiled Rwandan army general in Johannesburg. As the Rwandan government is fast being turned into a rogue regime it has become increasingly intolerant of any dissent. Since the attempt on General Kayumba Nyamwasa, [...]
5 million Rwandans register to vote in upcoming presidential elections
Charles Munyaneza, the executive secretary of Rwanda’s electoral body, has said that 5 million Rwandans, over half of the country’s population, have been registered for the forthcoming presidential elections according the National Electoral Commission (NEC). According to Munyaneza , “The number of Rwandans ready to cast their votes in the forthcoming 2010 presidential elections has [...]
Spanish Prime Minister Snubs Rwandan President Paul Kagame over Human Rights Concerns
The Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has acted decisively and pulled out of a meeting with President Paul Kagame on Friday after receiving a petition alleging the Rwandan leader has violated human rights, an ally of Zapatero said. They had been scheduled as drivers of the Millennium Development Goals — a United Nations [...]
Serious questions about Paul Kagame’s leadership – As opposition demands investigation into death of party’s V.P. in Rwanda
Rwanda’s opposition Democratic Green Party has called on President Paul Kagame’s government to begin a thorough investigation into the murder of the vice president of his party. The chairman of the party, Frank Habineza said, despite repeated appeals to the government, the Minister of Interior has refused to give the opposition leaders protection after they [...]
Rwandan police arrests more newspaper journalists – Releases designer
After last week’s arrest of Uwimana Agnes, the editor and owner of UMURABYO newspaper, police detained two more staff of the newspaper Saidath Mukakibibi a reporter and Patrick Kambale the designer but the latter was released. Rwandan authorities denied in a live broadcast that the journalists’ arrests were not linked to the upcoming august elections [...]
