Gov’t slams UN report on DRC

Government dismissed claims contained in an internal UN document that Rwanda supports the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).Rwandas` Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister, Louise Mushikiwabo said that the report is false and dangerous rumour.BBC reported that the internal UN report indicated some defecting solders said they had been trained in Rwanda to join the national army but that they were finally sent to fight.Mushikiwabo maintained that the instability in the eastern DRC is subject to the Congolese government and military.She added that Rwanda’s interest is served by containing conflict and building deeper bonds of peace with her neighbours.She criticized the international community that it neglects the main issues which is stability, limiting itself from dealing with main issues causing instability in the region. Kanimba grilled on investment groupsThe Minister of Trade and Industry, Francois Kanimba, appeared before the parliamentary committee on National Budget and Patrimony, to explain the fate of Mini Rwanda Investment Groups.Kanimba had been summoned to defend his ministry’s draft budget allocations and execution for the previous fiscal year.The chairperson of the committee asked the Minister to explain about Mini Rwanda Investment Groups, which she said had gone silent for sometime.The Mini RIGs programme aimed at encouraging or supporting business people, at provincial level, to pool financial resources to invest in sizeable ventures where they could have both comparative and competitive advantages.Kanimba said that he was holding discussions with the private sector on reactivating the programme but noted that thinking about this programme at provincial level was not appropriate. Ex-Rwandan minister sentenced to life in prisonCallixte Nzabonimana, a former Rwanda Minister of Youth and Cooperative Movements was sentenced to life by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), for his role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.He was convicted of instigating the killing of Tutsi who had sought refuge at the Nyabikenke commune office.The ICTR said court found that Nzabonimana was responsible of directly and publicly inciting the killing of Tutsi at Butare trading centre in April 1994, at Cyayi centre and Murambi.He was also found guilty for being involved in two separate agreements to kill Tutsi in the former Gitarama prefecture.The first agreement was to kill Tutsi with members of the Interim Government which was on April 18, 1994, while the other was with Jean Damascene Ukurikiyeyezu to kill Tutsi in May 1994, according to the court.Women to constitute 30 per cent of policeThe Minister of Internal Security, Musa Fazil Harelimana, said that plans are under to have women in the police force constitute 30 percent as the constitution stipulates. Harelimana made the remarks at the beginning of this years` female police officers’ convention at Green Hills Academy in Nyarutarama.The event aims at helping female officers lay strategies to effectively execute their duties as well as encouraging more women to join the force.Currently, female officers comprise only 19 per cent of the over 10,000 force, up from 14 per cent last year.The police force was set up in 2000 starting with about 3,500 officers. This was after merging three institutions that had a policing mandate at the time. These included the Gendarmerie, Communal Police and the Judicial Police. Rwanda committed to world peace, says MushikiwaboThe Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo, said that Rwanda is committed to bringing peace in the world although the international community continues to frustrate its efforts and tarnishing its image.She made the remarks at the closure of a two-week UN Senior Mission Leaders Course (UNSMLC) that was held in Kigali.The course attracted 45 senior military and civilian personnel from around the world. These included four Rwandans. It aimed at preparing candidates for senior leadership roles in UN peacekeeping missions.The course prepares candidates for assignments such as special representatives of the UN Secretary General (SRSGs), Force Commanders, Police Commissioners and Directors of Mission Support.Gov’t subsidy delays affecting schools-reportTransparency Rwanda International (TI-RW) released a report that identified that schools implementing the 9-Year Basic Education are being affected by the delays in receiving capitation grants. A capitation grant is a Rwf3500 subsidy government allocates to every pupil/student in the 9YBE and other primary schools. The report said that schools do not receive this money at the same time and that in 2010, the situation worsened when some schools got the funds almost three months from the due period. The survey aimed at checking on the transparency in the way through which schools get the funds. The Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Mathias Harebamungu, blamed the delays on the Ministry of Finance while the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Pichette Sayinzoga Kampeta, said it might be caused by district authorities.EALA adopts bill on conflict management The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) passed the EAC Conflict Management Bill 2011. The bill will see the establishment of a Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution Mechanism (CPMR).The bill is expected to come up with a mechanism for the identification of potential sources of conflict and devising response options. It will also ensure provision of pre-emptive measures to address conflict situations and develop capacity for mediation and negotiations. EALA member, Dr. Aman Kabourou, from Tanzania, said it was time for the region to contain, through a legal framework, eventualities of conflicts that may arise.