Dutch Minister on FDLR

It was reported this week that the Dutch Minister for development cooperation, Bert Koenders, has called upon his European counterparts to address the issue of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) who are a threat to the security in the region. Koenders was addressing the development partners meeting in Kigali. The DFLR has been identified as the root cause of the conflict in eastern DR Congo. Regional house speakers meet Speakers of parliament from the Great Lakes Region met on Wednesday in Kigali and “vowed to restore peace and ensure stability in the region. ” During a conference of Speakers of the Forum of Parliaments of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region member States (FP-ICGLR), at the parliamentary buildings in Kimuhurura, the President of the Rwanda senate Dr. Vincent Biruta, said that some of the “issues to be addressed by the forum include peace, security, and development of member states of the region.” The conference was attended by the DR Congo speaker Vital Kamerhe, Burundi Senate President Gervais Rufyikiri and the Deputy Speaker of Kenya’s parliament Farah Maalim. Fairness It was reported this week that The Rwanda Women Parliamentarians Forum (RWPF) had written to the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), “requesting the Union to intervene on behalf of Rose Kabuye.” The women parliamentarians join many others in calling for the application of the principle of universal jurisdiction with fairness and professionalism in all countries. Ms Kabuye was arrested on November 9, on arrival at Frankfurt International Airport in Germany. She has since been transferred to France. Gender Equality It was reported on Monday that ten year old Sarah Uwera won the World Drawing Competition on Gender Equality, a competition that was organised in the Belgian capital Brussels, for children aged between 8-10 years. On arrival at Kigali International Airport, Uwera expressed her pride for the triumph. At the tender age of 10, she joins many other Rwandans who have excelled and won prizes in different areas on the international scene. She has without doubt brought pride to the rest of her countrymen and women. In the senate Senators this week called for reforms in the National Prisons Service (NPS). They said that the NPS should have autonomy from the central government. The call was made during a session convened to study a report by the standing committee on Foreign Affairs and Security. The Senators said that NPS’s lack of autonomy especially in budgeting was hampering its effectiveness. Apparently, the senators were concerned that the prisons depend on districts where the money is channeled through yet they are supposed to be autonomous. In the news this week, was the endorsement of Rwanda’s transfer agreement with the Arusha based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) by the Senate. The senate “endorsed the law” authorising the ratification of the agreement between the government of Rwanda and the ICTR. The agreement that was signed earlier this year required “a legislative nod” according to the Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama. The agreement paves way for the transfer to Rwanda of ICTR convicts to complete their sentences. Kagame in Cambridge President Paul Kagame on Wednesday delivered the S.T Lee Public Policy Lecture on-“Building viable medical research communities in Africa: Policy challenges” at Cambridge University’s Faculty of Law. He talked about the importance and role of the health and medical sector and associated industries in social economic development. Ends