Peacekeepers on standby for pull out-Mushikiwabo

Government has put the contingents of the Rwanda Defence Force under the UN backed operations on standby for pulling out, if the UN publishes a report alleging that Rwandan troops were involved in a mass killing in the DRC between 1994 and 2003.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and government spokesperson, Louise Mushikiwabo, made the announcement on Tuesday, during a news conference to clarify on the government‘s position on the recently leaked draft UN report.

"How could the UN accuse Rwanda’s Army of raping and killing, and at the same time want them to be the dedicated Army that can protect people around the World?”She said.

"Our troops are on standby; it is up to the United Nations,” the minister said, adding that the government is not happy about the imminent troop withdrawal, but was being forced to.

Amnesty International dishonest-Government

The government has described the latest report from the human rights watchdog, Amnesty International as very sensational and portrays the dishonesty of some human rights organizations. Addressing a news conference on Tuesday, government spokesperson and Minister of Foreign affairs, Louse Mishikiwabo, said that the report entitled "Safer to stay silent: The chilling effects of Rwanda’s Laws on ‘Genocide  ideology’ And Sectarianism’ is part of the group’s fundraising schemes.

Mushikiwabo accused the human rights watchdog of breaching the  goodwill offered by the Government of Rwanda, to provide views on the two possible reviews of the two Genocide laws, and instead chose to rush and publish the report, as if they had made a new discovery. 
The London -based human rights group on Tuesday released a 166 page report alleging that the country‘s laws on Genocide ideology were being used to suppress political dissent and free speech.

Uganda, DRC slam UN report

Regional leaders have come out to condemn the recent-leaked UN draft report that alleges Rwandan soldiers committed atrocities in the DRC between 1994 and 2003. In an interview with Contact FM, Uganda’s Information Minster and Government spokesperson, Kabakumba Masiko stressed that the UN has done nothing to resolve DRC issues, but instead is looking for excuses.

"That is what UN is best at; waiting for a bad situation which is never resolved and when people try to resolve the bad situation, then they turn around and  start finger pointing” Masiko noted.

Her Congolese counterpart, Lambert Mende Omalanga, outrightly questioned the credibility of the report. "We will not call this a report, it’s something written by journalists” Mende said.

30 residents evicted

Karongi District local authorities have evicted over 30 families whose houses do not conform to the newly introduced housing standards.The eviction forms part of Western Province’s long-term transformation of housing and related infrastructure which has also seen the relocation of Kibuye market.

A number of restaurants, offices and other work premises that do not conform to the new standards have also been closed down. This was revealed by Paul Jabo, the Executive secretary of the province.

Ends