Weekly review

Rwanda –South Africa ties fine The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Eugene Munyakayanza refuted the continued media reports that relations between Rwanda and South Africa are strained. The reports stem from an incident in which the former Rwandan ambassador to India Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa was shot and injured in Johannesburg in June. Nyamwasa and former head of external security; Patrick Karegeya, also in South Africa, are wanted in Rwanda in connection with causing insecurity in the country.About the governments reaction to South Africa‘s decision to recall their High Commissioner, Dumisani Gwadiso, Munyakazi said it’s a normal procedure. Calling back an envoy (for consultation) is normal. Diplomatically, it’s not an issue. Though both countries don’t have an extradition treaty, Rwanda continues to push the South African government to arrest and extradite both Nyamwasa and Karegeya. 26 Congolese among FDRL returnees 26 nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo are stuck at Mutobo Demobilization and Reintegration Centre after they were found posing as Rwandan returnees from the DRC; the chairman of Demobilization and Reintegration commission, Jean Sayinzoga said on Tuesday. “We received a total of 58 returnees and we screened them thoroughly only to find 32 of them were Rwandans. Of the 32, 16 were Rwandan civilians and 16 are former FDRL combatants, the remaining 26 are purely Congolese nationals”, he said. The group is among the 58 former rebels of the Democratic Forces for Liberation of Rwanda (FDRL) and dependants who returned to Rwanda after surrendering. The FDRL is a group of insurgents, largely made up of perpetrators of 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and has been operating in eastern DRC for the last 15 years. Government to spend 28bn on fertilizers and seeds The government will spend an estimated Rwf 28bn on fertilizers and seeds to help farmers in the country produce bumper harvests this season. The funds are part of Rwf 44bn that the ministry had budgeted for this farming season.Rwf16bn has been earmarked for post harvest activities. About 25,020 tons of fertilizers will be supplied country wide for maize alone-16,680 tons of DAP and 8,340 tons of UREA respectively. This was revealed early this week by Violet Nyirasangwa, the programme manager in charge of supporting producers’ professionalization in the Ministry of Agriculture in an interview with The New Times. Rwanda’s credit ranking raised The international rating agency, Fitch ratings has upgraded Rwanda’s ranking from B- to B, after the country registered a strong economic growth and an improvement in its business environment. Flitch provides the world’s credit markets with independent and prospective credit opinions, research and data. It lifted Rwanda’s credit rating by one step. Finance Minister, John Rwangombwa, said the improved rating will reduce Rwanda’s cost of borrowing. “We have been ranked B- for the last three years; moving to B shows that we are improving. It shows that we are creditworthy as a country.” Rwangombwa said. Traffic Police issues ultimatum on driving permits The Traffic Police has given an ultimatum of September 30 for all drivers to have acquired the new electronic driving license before punitive measures are imposed. This was announced this week by the head of the Traffic Police, Chief Supt. Vincent Sano, in an Interview with The New Times. “We are sending all the names of those who have not picked their licenses to all districts, publish them on our website and probably through papers, and then we shall begin confiscating old licenses,” he said. Ends