Bugesera miners selling minerals to smugglers Artisanal miners supplying cassiterite (tin ore) to Natural Resources Development (NRD), a local mining company in the East, have been warned by authorities to desist from smuggling the minerals or else be punished. After investigations by authorities, it was ascertained that in order to earn quick money, the miners illegally sell the minerals to smugglers who usually ship them to Burundi whose border is a few kilometres from the concession.

In a crisis meeting held at NRD mining concession in Nemba, Bugesera District, last week, the miners met their heads including government, police and army representatives as well as staff of NRD. The Chairman of NRD, Roderick Marshall, said some of the culprits caught in the act had been handed over to police.The miners also complained to the authorities that NRD had delayed to pay their wages, something that prompted some of them to engage in the illegal activities.Rwanda to acquire global broadband infrastructure African nations are set to benefit from global wireless broadband infrastructure base station, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). ITU and Nexpedience, one of the world’s leading suppliers of proprietary point-to-multipoint broadband infrastructure, are partnering to bring broadband access to Africa. Under the terms of the deal, Nexpedience will provide 180 new expedience base stations worth $ 1 million, to be deployed in six nations across the continent.

The first nation to benefit from the new infrastructure is Burundi with deployments also planned for Djibouti, Burkina Faso, Mali, Rwanda and Swaziland. Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) said that there is a strong need to ensure developing countries are part of the global broadband revolution. Rwanda has laid 2,500-kilometre national fibre optic cable that is expected to enhance access to various broadband services in the country.Fire guts Akagera ParkKayonza District authorities early this week called on local residents, particularly those neighbouring the Akagera National Park, to desist from burning bushes. The reaction came after an inferno gutted several hectares of the park a few days ago.The Conservation Division Manager at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB,) Telesphore Ngoga, admitted that frequent fires at the park were as a result of irresponsible burning of bushes among communities neighbouring it.

Ngoga urged the public to safeguard the country’s rich biodiversity from wanton destruction. He said that burning of bushes was against the law, urging residents to alert authorities in case of accidental fire. Ngoga cited the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) that prohibits illegal logging, charcoal production, and igniting of bush fires.The environmental body’s reports indicate that forest encroachment through various human activities remains a major threat. Electoral commission trains staff ahead of parliamentary pollsEighteen members of staff of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) mid this week began a 12-day training session in preparation for next year’s parliamentary elections. The training organised by NEC and facilitated by Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE), a programme aimed at promoting democracy and good governance across the world, will focus on preparation and conduct during the elections.

The commission’s Executive Secretary, Charles Munyaneza, said the training was meant to equip electoral officials with more knowledge on election processes and procedures. The official noted that apart from such workshops, NEC employees are sent in various countries to study how their electoral commissions operate.Court registrars held over graft, forgeryTwo court registrars from Gasabo and Nyarugenge intermediate courts have been arrested over alleged corruption and forgery. A Court Registrar from the Gasabo Intermediate Court, Anastase Ndahimana, was detained after allegedly taking a Rwf 50,000 bribe from a litigant to facilitate a case. In a separate incident, another registrar attached to the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court, Cleophas Twagirayezu, was apprehended over alleged forgery.

Judiciary Spokesperson, Charles Kaliwabo, said Twagirayezu provided fake evidence to set a guilty party free yet they faced imminent imprisonment. He said that graft still subsists within the judiciary despite efforts to fight the vice. Sect members jailed for one yearA court in Ruhango has sentenced 15 members of an illegal religious sect to 12 months in prison after a judge convicted them of obstructing development programmes and violation of children’s rights.

The Primary Court of Ruhango, presided over by magistrate Jeanne Byukusenge, ruled that the suspects, who are all members of Abagorozi group, have voluntarily and willingly opposed various development policies and instigated others to do the same. Members of the sect from various sectors came to hear the verdict. 

But, as they discussed outside the courtroom before and after the verdict was pronounced, they appeared to support those who were convicted. Clad in casual clothes; the accused appeared in court holding bibles and appeared calm as the judge read out the verdict.New US rewards for Genocide arrests The US has announced new cash rewards for information leading to the capture of six suspected perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who are still at large. The US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, Stephen J. Rapp, made the announcement on Tuesday while visiting the ICTR headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

The most wanted fugitive, Felicien Kabuga, and three others have a US$5 million bounty on each of their heads. As the ICTR winds up, the files for Kabuga, Protais Mpiranya and Augustin Bizimana will be handed over to the Prosecutor of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT), which will take over ICTR operations.Police swoop nets suspected burglarsThe Police have detained 20 burglars over theft of several electronics in different suburbs of Kigali City. The suspects were arrested in separate security swoops along with the buyers of the stolen items. Police recovered items, including flat screens and laptops.

One of the suspects confessed he would connive with domestic workers to get keys for the homesteads which he had targeted. Another 32-year-old suspect, who would facilitate in transporting stolen goods, said he would do the work mostly at night. Police Spokesperson Supt Theos Badege attributed the arrests to the community involvement in alerting police. It was said that most of the burglars break into people’s houses at night.

MPs pass phone tapping bill Capping their session this week, Parliament passed an amendment to a bill, seeking to authorise the tapping of telephones and other private communication for security purposes. Presenting the final draft to Parliament, the chairman of the parliamentary committee on Human Rights, Unity and Reconciliation and Fight against Genocide, MP Francois Byabarumwanzi, said his committee had benchmarked the best practices, particularly from Commonwealth countries.

The law designates the army, police and intelligence services as the only state organs allowed to tap into private communications upon authorisation from a prosecutor through an interception warrant. However, due to the urgency of public security interests the prosecutor may issue such a warrant verbally but a written warrant must be completed in a period not exceeding twenty-four (24) hours.