Author: admin

  • Celebrities, fans soar above Nyungwe in thrilling RUA Safaris tour (Photos) #rwanda #RwOT

    The one-day experience brought together more than 60 participants, including popular personalities such as Social Mulla, Ndimbati, Fally Merci, Rusine, Umushumba and Papy Ndahiro, for a mix of adventure and exploration in one of Rwanda’s most iconic natural reserves.

    Setting off early in the morning, the group immersed themselves in three of Nyungwe’s signature attractions: ziplining, the canopy walk and guided hiking through the rainforest.

    The highlight of the day was the ziplining experience, which unfolded across three sections named after Nyungwe’s famous primates. Participants first crossed the 335-metre Chimpanzee Section, followed by the 580-metre Colobus Section, before concluding with the Monkey Section, the longest stretch spanning 1,020 metres. The experience offered sweeping aerial views of the dense forest canopy below.

    After ziplining, the group proceeded to the Canopy Walk, a suspended bridge that provided a bird’s-eye view of the rainforest, allowing participants to experience Nyungwe from a rare and elevated perspective. The adventure concluded with a guided hike, during which participants learned more about the park’s rich biodiversity, flora and fauna.

    Speaking to IGIHE, event organiser Amen Babu Rugemana expressed gratitude to partners, sponsors and celebrities whose online engagement helped amplify the experience.

    'I want to thank everyone who made this trip possible, our sponsors, partners and the celebrities who shared photos and videos from the tour. Their support helps showcase Rwanda’s beauty and tourism potential,' he said.

    Buoyed by the positive response, Rugemana revealed plans to organise more similar trips aimed at encouraging Rwandans to explore local destinations.

    'This was just the beginning. Many people are eager to discover Nyungwe and other attractions. I want to continue making these experiences accessible and bring people together to enjoy Rwanda’s natural beauty,' he added.

    Beyond adventure and entertainment, the tour aimed to inspire greater appreciation of Rwanda’s natural heritage, encouraging locals to explore and take pride in the country’s ecological treasures.

    The growing attraction and adventure facilities at Nyungwe are part of Rwanda’s broader strategy to leverage its natural heritage for sustainable tourism growth. Over the past year, Nyungwe National Park welcomed more than 26,000 visitors, a 20 per cent increase from 2023, generating over $2 million in revenue.

    Nationwide, Rwanda’s tourism sector earned over $647 million in 2024, a 4.3% rise compared to the previous year. That figure stood at just $7 million in 2005. The country now targets $1 billion in annual tourism revenue by 2030, according to Rwanda Development Board (RDB) CEO Jean-Guy Afrika.

    Located in Rwanda’s southwest, Nyungwe is one of Africa’s most biodiverse rainforests. It is home to 98 mammal species, including 13 species of primates, representing 12% of all primates in Africa. The park also shelters over 1,000 species of flowering plants, 240 species of trees, and 320 species of birds, some of which are endemic.

    This richness led to Nyungwe’s inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, further strengthening its role as a cornerstone of Rwanda’s conservation and eco-tourism strategy.

    The group set off for Nyungwe early in the morning.

    Some of the participants included popular Rwandan celebrities who joined the trip to Nyungwe.

    The trip provided a mix of adventure and exploration in one of Rwanda’s most iconic natural reserves.

    Beyond adventure and entertainment, the tour aimed to inspire greater appreciation of Rwanda’s natural heritage, encouraging locals to explore and take pride in the country’s ecological treasures.

    The group delighted in spotting baboons up close.

    The highlight of the day was the ziplining experience, which unfolded across three sections named after Nyungwe’s famous primates.

    Babu Rugemana, the organizer of the trip.

    After ziplining, the group proceeded to the Canopy Walk, a suspended bridge that provided a bird’s-eye view of the rainforest.

    Ndimbati, a popular Rwandan film actor, enjoys the canopy walk.

    Rania Umutoni

    Source : https://en.igihe.com/entertainment/article/celebrities-fans-soar-above-nyungwe-in-thrilling-rua-safaris-tour-photos

  • Le Drian and Rev. Coleman: Machetocratic preachers #rwanda #RwOT

    It arrived, of all places, from the United States of America, gift-wrapped in counterfeit divine authority, clerical collars, and the thrilling fanaticism of a self-anointed prophetess of hate. Her name? A Rwandan-American woman—Reverend Christine Coleman.

    Le Drian had already gifted me the first 'Eureka,' the kind that makes a researcher feel as if the universe has kindly confirmed a hypothesis with unforeseen speed. But Coleman? She delivered the second surprise—a golden one, a stroke of genius of machetocratic illogicality— so pure and so unfiltered. Something that one can only marvel at how easily hatred repackages itself in religious language.

    The hate orchestra

    On December 11, 2025, Reverend Coleman—Rwandan-born, and proudly machetocratic—issued a public statement on X that harmonized so perfectly with Le Drian’s that it felt orchestrated. If Le Drian had played the bass drum of French denialism the day before, Coleman came in on the high-pitched cymbals, loud with evangelical fury.

    Her message opened with a scream written in capital letters, as though shouting at the blind: 'WE TOLD YOU THAT HE DID NOT STOP THE RWANDA 1994 GENOCIDE BUT STARTED IT! YOU HAVE PROOF NOW! INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION NEEDED!'

    There it was: the machetocratic refrain. The 'we,' of course, are the disciples of Hutu Power narratives, and the 'he' is President Paul Kagame—the man whose army stopped the genocide they wished had succeeded. Their hatred is so fanatical, so cosmically inverted, that they have convinced themselves the firefighter lit the fire, rescued children from flames he had supposedly ignited, and then blamed the real arsonists for interrupting his masterpiece. This isn’t just historical inversion; it is spiritual gaslighting on an industrial scale.

    She doubled down immediately, dragging geography into the delirium: 'The invasion of Kagame’s Rwanda to DRC, the occupation of Goma, Bukavu and now Uvira is proof that this Kagame did not stop the 1994 genocide—but he stopped what he started!'

    Her argument, if one dares to call it that, proceeds with the elegance of a drunkard descending a staircase. By some means, the presence of Congolese rebels in Uvira—year 2025 becomes retroactive evidence that Kagame planned the killing of Habyarimana, launched the genocide, stopped it only for spectacle, and is now performing an encore across the border.

    Logic does not survive in this machetocratic worldview—it is suffocated by ideology long before it sees daylight. What makes Coleman’s message especially striking is not its content but its presentation —because machetocratic denialists and ideologues have been reusing these poisons for decades.

    The profile photo attached to her X-handle is a psychological operation in itself: Christine on the left, her husband Rev. Coleman in full clerical attire in the middle, and President Donald J. Trump on the right, glowing like a divine endorsement. The message by this preacher of evil is unmistakable: 'I sit with the powerful who don’t know me. I walk with the anointed. My odious ideology is sanctified from the White House and above.' This is a public relations coup for hate.

    Weaponizing God

    So, when she wrote in her X-message, 'now God has given proof,' she meant it literally. God—who presumably has more pressing concerns—found time to validate machetocratic narratives through the fall of Uvira. If Le Drian invoked America’s intelligence services, Coleman bypassed the bureaucratic intercessors and went straight to Heaven’s archives.

    And then came her scriptural judgement, delivered with divinatory threat: 'The one who believe that he stopped the Rwanda genocide is totally blind! A day is coming and approaching quickly, when Kagame will be answerable to all the blood shed on Rwanda and DRC soil and even other territories.' Take note of the usage of the pronoun 'he'!

    This is not political criticism. It is just her spiritualized hatred. This is eschatology weaponized against a man whose army halted the genocide she cannot bring herself to acknowledge.

    Having subpoenaed God, prophecy, and imminent judgment, she then inclined—naturally—into dehumanization and xenophobic denial of Congolese citizenship: '…these monsters fight to conquer lands which do not belong to them!'

    Yes, she said 'monsters.' Not militants. Not rebels. Not citizens with rights and grievances. Monsters, since the machetocratic universe always portrays Tutsi bodies as predatory invaders whose very existence is a threat. In this universe, Congolese Tutsi are never Congolese; they are eternal outsiders, perpetual trespassers, foreign shadows to be expelled, hunted, erased. It is the ideological root of every pogrom from 1959 to 2025. Any political movement with Tutsi inevitably becomes undesirable.

    Ms. Coleman’s language mirrors Le Drian’s not by coincidence but by cosmology. Both operate from the same ideological script: delegitimize Kagame, demonize Tutsi, gaslight the world, and weaponize Western ignorance. Both speak with the arrogance of people convinced that Americans are easily manipulated, that Western audiences cannot distinguish fact from political phantasm, and that social media is a pulpit from which machetocratic gospels can be preached into naïve ears.

    The dumbfounding part is not that these two individuals exist, but that they spoke within twenty-four hours of each other, on two continents, in perfect coordination and harmony—as though their machetocratic choir had scheduled a global rehearsal. Their voices, united by hatred, carried the same tune: Kagame is the cause of the genocide; Tutsi are invaders; the world must be corrected; the truth must be on its head to make real genocidaires forgotten.

    This is certainly not a coincidence. This is perfect harmonization by ideology. And it is a clear warning: Be wary of machetocrats masquerading as intellectuals, activists or counterfeit opposition politicians. Be careful with clerics who weaponize God to sanctify an ideology of a crime and its denial. Beware of conspiracy theorists who think the world is as foolish as they wish and hope.

    Two continents, two self-anointed prophets of political delusion, two megaphones of machetocratic delirium—yet one message, one rhythm, one ideological bloodstream. Le Drian in Paris and Rev. Coleman in America were not merely speaking in unison; they were performing a duet of denialism, a transatlantic liturgy of deception.

    And if the world pays insufficient attention, their symphony of gaslighting will spread with the ease of contagion and the confidence of a lie told loudly enough to seem like revelation.

    Their rhetorical choreography tells something far more hazardous than conventional propaganda. It uncovers a worldview in which truth is not a virtue or discipline but a problem, and where genocide—real, documented, adjudicated genocide—is treated as flexible clay to be remodeled in the hands of ideological sculptors.

    Their words do not simply falsify history; they destroy it. They tear it from its foundation and rebuild it as a laughable monument praising the perpetrators of genocide and condemning the rescuers.

    The shamelessness of their messaging is made more disquieting by a shared assumption—one they never articulate openly but reveal through their tone, their strategies, and their arrogance. Both of them sound convinced that Americans are easy to fool enough to swallow anything.

    Le Drian writes as if the U.S. President is a naïve child in need of French tutoring. Coleman preaches bare hatred as though Americans are spiritual infants waiting for her machetocratic gospel to illuminate their darkness. Here are two proud individuals, who cannot distinguish fact from fantasy presuming themselves tutors of the world’s largest democracy.

    Digital mask of genocide denial

    Online hate speech in the 21st century rarely announces itself as hate. It lands clothed in righteousness, moral urgency, human right concerns, or divine conviction. It speaks softly, claims ethical authority, and presents itself as courageous truth-telling.

    This evolution is not unplanned; it is strategic. The X-messages of Jean-François Le Drian and Reverend Christine Coleman are not isolated lapses of judgment or unfortunate political opinions. They are contemporary manifestations of a decades-old ideological virus: genocide ideology adapted for digital circulation.

    What once needed magazines like Kangura, broadcasts such as RTLM, or the incitement of figures like Ferdinand Nahimana, Léon Mugesera, and Hassan Ngeze now travels smoothly across timelines, YouTube channels, and encrypted networks. The vocabulary has softened, but the objective remains unchanged. Genocide denial no longer appears as direct— it operates through linguistic repositioning, strategic vagueness, and moral inversion. Responsibility is blurred—whereby perpetrators are rehabilitated, rescuers are criminalized, and victims are gradually displaced from their own history.

    Jean-François Le Drian’s message to President Donald Trump demonstrates this transformation with troubling clarity. Operating not from state office but from the ideological ecosystem of online polemics, he advances a familiar narrative under the guise of moral revelation.

    His insistence that it is an 'open secret' that the man who led the military struggle to stop genocide actually caused it is not an innocent argument but a recycled justification. It is the central alibi of genocidaires. This time, reintroduced without machetes but with refined rhetoric and insincere concern for justice.

    Christine Coleman’s message trails the same ideological script, though delivered from a pulpit rather than a keyboard alone. Her rhetoric fuses politics, prophecy, and certainty, collapsing complex historical realities into absolutist theological pronouncements. When genocide denial is preached rather than debated, it acquires an immunity to scrutiny. Faith becomes not a refuge for conscience but a shield for hate.

    Rev. Coleman’s invocation of God is not piety; it is an alibi. She speaks as if heaven were a co-author of genocide ideology, as though the Almighty Himself had logged onto X to approve machetocratic narratives. God is summoned not to mourn and console victims but to launder falsehoods, to baptize hatred, and to offer divine cover for partners in crime who lack evidence but possess certitude.

    This wicked woman’s most horrendous act is not denial, but the conscription of God into genocide apology. In her sermons-by-tweet, the Almighty is recast as a forensic accomplice, issuing heavenly 'proof' to absolve killers and find guilty those who stopped them. This is not faith but blasphemy dressed as righteousness. When God is enlisted into machetocratic revisionism, genocide is not only denied—it is re-blessed

    What makes these two people’s messages particularly dangerous is their shared assumption about the audience. They presume global gullibility. They rely on the public’s short historical memory, racialized understandings of African conflict, media’s superficiality and a digital environment that rewards provocation over precision.

    They both assume that many readers cannot—or will not—distinguish between legitimate criticism of governments and the soft-spoken rehabilitation of genocidaires’ narratives. It is manipulation calibrated for the algorithmic age.

    Equally revealing is the casual dismissal, by those echoing President Felix Tshisekedi’s rhetoric, of collaboration with the FDLR as a fringe or irrelevant concern. One is summoned to believe that an armed group internationally infamous for its genocidal ideology can be tolerated, partnered with, or strategically ignored without moral consequence.

    This does not require analysis but ideological suspension of disbelief. In the United Nations Security Council, genocidal ideology becomes invisible when it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge it.

    Such positions are not naïve. They are ideological. They depend on the systematic eradication of Congolese Tutsi as valid political subjects and on the regularization of a worldview inherited directly from the FDLR’s ideological universe. In this framework, some citizens are permanently foreign, some grievances permanently proscribed, and some lives forever negotiable. Digital hate speech does not invent these hierarchies; it amplifies and modernizes them.

    The stealthiest danger lies not only in what these messages affirm, but in what they accomplish. They participate in the symbolic continuation of genocide: the gradual alteration of memory so thorough that moral and criminal responsibility dissolves.

    When the past is rewritten convincingly enough, perpetrators no longer need weapons. Words suffice. False accusations replace accountability. Hence, confusion substitutes justice.

    Platforms such as X function as accelerators of this ideological mutation. What once circulated within extremist circles like CDR, RDR, FDU-INKINGI, and the FDLR now reaches global audiences rapidly—amplified by engagement-driven algorithms and the performative self-assurance of those who speak or write as if revelation has finally arrived. This is how genocide denial evolves. Not louder, but cleaner. And, not cruder—but more respectable.

    This is why these narratives must be confronted with lucidity rather than outrage. The danger is not disagreement; it is deception wrapped in righteousness. When hate learns to speak the language of morality, it becomes harder to detect and easier to absorb. And when such narratives go unchallenged, silence ceases to be neutrality—it becomes complicity.

    The stakes could not be higher. X which was supposed to be a platform for opinion—has become a contested arena where memory, responsibility, and truth are actively negotiated. When ideologues masquerade as moral witnesses and preachers of faith, they do more than hoodwink—they prepare the ground for future violence by erasing the moral clarity of the past.

    Digital genocide denial is a reality. It is adaptive, patient, and persuasive. Recognizing it is no longer non-compulsory. It is an intellectual, moral, and historical imperative. Failure to challenge these distortions head-on, risks repeating the most tragic lesson of all: that genocide does not begin with machetes, but with words—and with the world’s willingness to believe them.

    A warning

    The Le Drian and Rev. C. Coleman’s overconfidence is not simply insulting; it is a diagnostic symptom of ideological extremism. They both believe that if they shout loudly enough, wrap their falsehoods in scriptural language or diplomatic urgency, Americans will fall into line like obedient congregants attending a revival meeting of historical amnesia.

    This is why their manipulations matter. Because when Le Drian tells Americans that Kagame is the 'open-secret villain,' and when Coleman affirms God Himself has delivered 'proof,' they are not just deceitful. They are auditioning. They are testing how far they can push the world into the deepest hole of unreality—and how many will follow them into the dark, thinking they are being led by prophets rather than hate propagandists.

    The danger is not that these individuals speak or write—the danger is that their machetocratic vocabulary is wrapped in the language of diplomacy and divinity, making it pleasant to the inexperienced mind. End results? Political manipulation becomes spiritual revelation; historical revision becomes moral crusade; racism becomes national security advice. This is how atrocities are justified. This is how the seeds of future violence are planted—quietly, digitally and algorithmically.

    So, let the world take note: When deniers preach in synchronization across oceans, it is not an accident. It is coordination by hatred. And unless we confront their manipulations with steadfast clarity, the next person fooled will not be a policymaker in Washington, a UN Security Council member in New York or a pastor in Texas. It will be the world itself.

    Le Drian in Paris and Rev. Coleman in America were not merely speaking in unison; they were performing a duet of denialism, a transatlantic liturgy of deception.

    Tom Ndahiro

    Source : https://en.igihe.com/opinion/article/le-drian-and-rev-coleman-machetocratic-preachers

  • Discussions on Rwanda’s F1 Grand Prix bid progressing, new international airport key to the plan #rwanda #RwOT

    Speaking to The Athletic, Afrika shared that the country is “in the race to possibly hold a Formula One event here in 2029,” with progress being made but the talks “not yet concluded.”

    He highlighted that these negotiations are tied to the development of a new international airport, which will support the creation of a “new city” alongside the F1 racetrack.

    “We actually want to use the airport as an opportunity to practically develop an entire new city,” Afrika explained.

    The project could extend beyond F1, with potential for hosting Formula Two and Formula Three races as well.

    Afrika emphasized the broader vision, stating, 'F1 as a whole is a sport of great interest for us, even beyond bringing the racetrack, in terms of what we could do in the future because it’s the sport of global CEOs, tech entrepreneurs, high net worth individuals, and it is far more targeted.'

    According to F1 sources, Rwanda is emerging as Africa’s most advanced contender to host a future F1 race, with 2030 also being considered as a possible date.

    Minister of Sports Nelly Mukazayire expressed confidence, saying, 'Talks are going well.' 'F1 is something huge, so you as a country really need to prepare in terms of different aspects. Their calendar is getting busier and busier, but we have proven to be a trustable partner and a strategic partner, so we believe we will get there.'

    With Rwanda positioning itself as a trusted partner in sports, the F1 event is seen as an opportunity to boost the country’s global profile and open doors to investments in both sports and business.

    “It opens doors for investment into the nation but also into sport,” Mukazayire added.

    The new Bugesera Airport is expected to open in phases, with the first phase set to be completed by 2027.

    This phase will have the capacity to accommodate up to 7 million passengers annually. The second phase, scheduled for completion by 2032, will expand the airport’s capacity to 14 million passengers per year.

    President Paul Kagame confirmed Rwanda’s bid to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix in the country on Friday, December 13, 2024.

    The Head of State made the announcement during the FIA General Assembly held at the Kigali Convention Center, following months of reports of Rwanda’s push to host the high-profile sporting event.

    In his speech, Kagame expressed delight at the progress made so far, acknowledging the positive discussions with Formula 1 officials, led by CEO Stefano Domenicali.

    Rwanda’s bid to host the Grand Prix is part of a broader strategy to attract high-profile sports events to Africa—a continent that has not hosted a Formula 1 race since the 1993 South African Grand Prix.

    'I am happy to formally announce that Rwanda is beginning to bring the thrill of racing back to Africa by hosting the Formula 1 Grand Prix. A big thank you to Stefano Domenicali and the entire team at Formula 1 for the good progress in our discussions so far,' President Kagame stated.

    'I assure you that we are approaching this opportunity with the seriousness and commitment it deserves. Together, we will build something we can all be proud of,' he added.

    For Rwanda to host an F1 event, it requires race tracks that meet global standards, including both “Street Circuits” and specialized “Race Tracks.”

    The cost of building a new track typically starts at $400 million, depending on the design and scale of the project.

    According to F1 sources, Rwanda is emerging as Africa’s most advanced contender to host a future F1 race, with 2030 also being considered as a possible date.

    IGIHE

    Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/discussions-on-rwanda-s-f1-grand-prix-bid-progressing-new-international-airport

  • MoMo Rwanda launches holiday cashback rewards for MoMoApp customers #rwanda #RwOT

    The promotion runs until December 31, 2025. The cashback reward aims to encourage customers to download the MoMoApp and experience the convenience of digital merchant payments during the festive season.

    Customers simply make five payments to different MoMoPay merchants within one day, and qualifying users will automatically receive 5% cashback.

    Commenting on the 5% cashback holiday initiative, Chantal Kagame, CEO of MoMo Rwanda said: 'We want every smartphone user in Rwanda to experience the convenience of the MoMoApp. This cashback reward gives customers an immediate benefit while encouraging them to build digital payment habits, especially during the busy festive season.'

    The MoMoApp allows customers to send and receive money, pay merchants and bills, move funds to and from their bank accounts, access remittance services, and manage their daily financial needs securely and conveniently.

    The end of the year draws to a close, MoMo Rwanda has extended its heartfelt appreciation to all customers and stakeholders for their continued trust and partnership, wishing them a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year 2026.

    About Mobile Money Rwanda Ltd

    Mobile Money Rwanda Ltd is MTN Rwanda’s FinTech subsidiary, established on 27th April 2021 to provide and manage Mobile Money services in Rwanda.

    The company has about subscribers, over 65,000 Mobile Money agents, and over 5 9 6 million 0,000 MoMoPay merchants across the country.

    With continuous innovations in services such as MoMoPay, MoKash Loans & Savings, Tap&Go bus payments, Bill Payments, International & Regional Remittances, and more, Mobile Money Rwanda is taking the lead in driving financial inclusion and supporting the digital economy in Rwanda.

    The cashback reward aims to encourage customers to download the MoMoApp and experience the convenience of digital merchant payments during the festive season.

    Mobile Money Rwanda Ltd (MoMo Rwanda) has announced an exclusive 5% cashback for MoMoApp customers for their first five purchases via MoMoPay in a single day.

    IGIHE

    Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/momo-rwanda-launches-holiday-cashback-rewards-for-momoapp-customers

  • Ukraine says ready to accept NATO-style security guarantees #rwanda #RwOT

    “From the very beginning, Ukraine’s desire was to join NATO, these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the United States and Europe did not support this direction,” he told reporters.

    “Article 5-like guarantees from the United States and from European partners, as well as from other countries — Canada, Japan … would provide an opportunity to prevent another arrival of Russian troops,” Zelensky said, adding, “It is already a compromise on our part.”

    Zelensky said he was not yet ready to disclose specific details of the proposed security guarantees, saying they would be known in a day or two.

    Zelensky arrived in Berlin on Sunday afternoon for talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other European leaders.

    German newspaper Bild reported that Zelensky may also hold talks with representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump, but did not elaborate further.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that Ukraine stands ready to agree on security guarantees based on NATO Article 5 as a part of a compromise in the peace process.

    Xinhua

    Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/ukraine-says-ready-to-accept-nato-style-security-guarantees

  • Amb. Ngoga urges UN Security Council to recreate scene in South Kivu, address atrocities #rwanda #RwOT

    Addressing Council members on Friday, December 12, during a briefing on the DRC and the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, Amb. Ngoga urged the Council to base its decisions on verified facts from the field, particularly amid worsening violence targeting the Banyamulenge and other Kinyarwanda-speaking Tutsi communities in South Kivu.

    He stressed that as MONUSCO’s mandate comes up for renewal, Rwanda expects a mission firmly anchored in the Washington Peace Agreement and the Doha Framework, which he described as the only viable pathways to sustainable peace.

    Critics say MONUSCO has failed to stabilize eastern DRC, despite more than 20 years of UN peacekeeping and tens of billions of dollars in funding.

    Amb. Ngoga said the next MONUSCO mandate must prioritise strict impartiality and political neutrality, effective support to ceasefire implementation, political dialogue, and robust compliance with human rights due diligence policies.

    He cautioned against offensive operations targeting parties previously engaged in political processes and called for a realistic, resource-conscious focus on stability, accountability, and political solutions.

    'MONUSCO’s effectiveness will depend on how well it aligns its operations with the political tracks that offer the only viable path forward,' he said, reiterating Rwanda’s commitment to fully implement its obligations under the Washington Peace Agreement.

    Early warning signs of atrocity crimes in South Kivu

    Turning to the situation in South Kivu, Amb. Ngoga delivered a detailed account of what he described as systematic persecution of the Banyamulenge community dating back to 2017.

    He told the Council that more than 85 percent of Banyamulenge villages in South Kivu have been destroyed, while an estimated 700,000 cattle, the community’s main economic lifeline, have been raided or killed.

    He cited multiple incidents from 2025, including ultimatums issued by Wazalendo militias and elements of the Congolese army (FARDC) demanding that Banyamulenge civilians leave Uvira or face death, denial of access to water points, abductions, killings, and attacks accompanied by chants calling for the community’s extermination.

    'These are early warning indicators of atrocity crimes, discrimination, dehumanisation, forced displacement, and the denial of basic services,' he said.

    Amb. Ngoga also raised alarm over the deployment of tens of thousands of Burundian soldiers into South Kivu at the invitation of the Congolese government, operating alongside FARDC, the FDLR, and allied militias.

    He said coordinated military blockades imposed on Banyamulenge areas, particularly in the Minembwe Highlands, have deprived civilians of food, medicine, and humanitarian access for nearly a year.

    He further highlighted repeated air attacks carried out by Congolese government forces and their allies, including drone strikes near internally displaced persons’ camps in Mikenge and Nzibira, and said at least 50 air attacks were recorded between March and December this year.

    'No one is speaking about this,' he told the Council, adding that Rwanda has repeatedly raised these concerns with mediators, Council members, and regional mechanisms without response.

    Drawing on historical parallels, Amb. Ngoga recalled how diplomats in the same chamber spoke out during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, despite never having been on the ground, and said their courage saved lives.

    'As a former investigator, I know the importance of recreating the scene,' he said, urging the Security Council to use its authority to establish the factual reality in South Kivu rather than rely on silence or denial.

    He also reiterated Rwanda’s long-standing concern over the continued presence of the FDLR in eastern DRC, describing it as an existential threat to Rwanda and its people, and accusing successive Congolese governments of supporting the group despite existing UN resolutions. The militia group comprises remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who fled to eastern DRC.

    Amb. Ngoga’s remarks come against the backdrop of rapidly changing dynamics in South Kivu. On 10 December 2025, the rebel coalition AFC/M23 confirmed the capture of the strategic city of Uvira, marking its deepest advance in the province this year.

    The group described the takeover as a liberation and accused Kinshasa of repeated ceasefire violations, hate speech, and attacks against Kinyarwanda-speaking communities. It also cited direct military involvement by Burundi and cited the prolonged blockade of Minembwe, which has forced thousands of civilians to flee, many seeking refuge in Rwanda.

    Addressing the escalating situation, Amb. Ngoga stressed that Rwanda is not seeking war and has no intention of engaging in conflict with Burundi. He called for renewed international support to ongoing mediation efforts, particularly those led by the United States and Qatar, and urged all parties to implement agreed commitments in good faith.

    'This conflict has gone on for too long,' he said. 'If we all commit to the Washington Agreement and fully support the Doha process, there is still a possibility for a peaceful solution.'

    Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Martin Ngoga, has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to 'recreate the scene' of events on the ground in South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that ongoing atrocities against civilians can no longer be ignored.

    IGIHE

    Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/amb-ngoga-urges-un-security-council-to-recreate-scene-in-south-kivu-address

  • Rwanda’s Donatha Akimana secures two cycling medals at Africa Youth Games #rwanda #RwOT

    The fourth edition of the Africa Youth Games is taking place in Luanda, Angola, from 10 to 20 December 2025, with 54 countries participating. Rwanda is competing in six sports: Athletics, 3×3 Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Table Tennis, Swimming, and Cycling.

    In the cycling events held on 12 and 13 December, Akimana teamed up with Iransetsa Amina. While Akimana stood on the podium twice, finishing second in the time trial and third in the road race, Iransetsa placed 17th.

    Strong performances at the games, held in Angola for the first time, will help Rwandan athletes qualify for the Youth Olympic Games scheduled in Dakar in 2026.

    Rwandan cyclist Donatha Akimana claimed Silver in the time trial and Bronze in the road race, marking a standout performance for Rwanda.

    The fourth edition of the Africa Youth Games is taking place in Luanda, Angola, from 10 to 20 December 2025, with 54 countries participating.

    IGIHE

    Source : https://en.igihe.com/sports/article/rwanda-s-donatha-akimana-secures-two-cycling-medals-at-africa-youth-games

  • Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa shine at Africa’s Business Heroes finale in Kigali #rwanda #RwOT

    Diana Orembe, co-founder of Tanzania-based biotech company NovFeed, won the top prize of $300,000 (approximately Rwf 437 million). NovFeed converts food waste into sustainable fish feed, helping smallholder farmers reduce costs while increasing yields and profitability. Orembe’s solution has already benefited more than 2,000 farmers, demonstrating the practical impact of biotechnology on African aquaculture.

    Second place went to Adriaan Kruger of South Africa, founder of nuvoteQ, a digital platform for clinical trials that strengthens Africa’s healthcare research capacity. The South African pocketed $250,000 (Rwf 364 million) in grant funding for his venture.

    Abraham Mbuthia from Kenya, founder and CEO of Uzapoint Technologies, finished third, receiving $150,000 (Rwf 218 million). His company provides digital infrastructure to over 3,500 SMEs and facilitates more than $200 million in transactions. The remaining seven finalists each received US$100,000, bringing total grants awarded to $1.5 million.

    'These entrepreneurs are not only innovating and creating jobs within their sectors; but are inspirational examples of resilience and execution,' said Jason Pau, International Executive Director of the Jack Ma Foundation, during the awards ceremony in Kigali.

    This year’s top ten finalists, selected from over 32,000 applicants, represented seven African nations and a variety of high-impact sectors. Kenya had three finalists: Wyclife Onyango of BuuPass (transport and digital ticketing), Janet Kuteli of Fortune Credit (fintech), and Abraham Mbuthia of Uzapoint Technologies.

    Rwanda was represented by Diane Mukasahaha of DIKAM Ltd, a textile enterprise empowering women and youth. Tanzania’s Baraka Chijenga of Kilimo Fresh Foods Africa joined Orembe in showcasing AgriTech innovation. Other finalists included Siny Samba of Senegal, Gohar Said of Egypt, and Jean Lobe Lobe of Cameroon.

    The summit, themed 'Defining Africa’s Future Today,' brought together over 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders. Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang, Nigerian banker Ibukun Awosika, and Diane Karusisi, CEO of the Bank of Kigali, served on the judging panel. Yang praised Kigali as a hub for Africa’s future, noting that the event highlighted the continent’s problem-solving spirit.

    'This is my first time to Rwanda [and] what a joy it is to start here in Kigali; to see the focus, the intention and forward-looking' nature of the entrepreneurs, said Yang.

    The Africa’s Business Heroes competition, organised by the Jack Ma Foundation since 2019 and supported by Alibaba Philanthropy, aims to recognise 100 outstanding African entrepreneurs over a ten-year period through grant funding, training and ecosystem support. Since its launch, the initiative has received more than 150,000 applications.

    Rwanda hosted the ABH finale in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board, which congratulated the winners and lauded the platform for convening innovators from across Africa.

    Diana Orembe, co-founder of Tanzania-based biotech company NovFeed, won the top prize of $300,000 (approximately Rwf 437 million).

    Diana Orembe’s NovFeed converts food waste into sustainable fish feed, helping smallholder farmers reduce costs while increasing yields and profitability.

    The Africa’s Business Heroes competition, organised by the Jack Ma Foundation since 2019 and supported by Alibaba Philanthropy, aims to recognise 100 outstanding African entrepreneurs over a ten-year period through grant funding, training and ecosystem support.

    Wycliffe Nyamasege

    Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/tanzania-kenya-and-south-africa-shine-at-africa-s-business-heroes-finale-in

  • UN chief condemns drone attacks on peacekeeping base in Sudan #rwanda #RwOT

    The attacks resulted in six fatalities and eight injuries, all members of the Bangladeshi peacekeeping contingent serving in the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei, the UN chief said in a statement.

    Guterres expressed his “deepest and heartfelt condolences” to the government and people of Bangladesh and to the families of the fallen peacekeepers, and wished a swift recovery to the injured.

    “Attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law and I remind all parties to the conflict of their obligation to protect UN personnel and civilians,” he said. “There will need to be accountability.”

    In the statement, the UN chief reiterated the call on the warring parties to agree on an immediate cessation of hostilities and resume talks to reach a lasting ceasefire and a comprehensive, inclusive and Sudanese-owned political process.

    The Sudanese Armed Forces have accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out the strike, a claim the RSF has denied.

    United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday strongly condemned the drone attacks that targeted the UN peacekeeping logistics base in Kadugli, Sudan, earlier in the day.

    Guterres expressed his “deepest and heartfelt condolences” to the government and people of Bangladesh and to the families of the fallen peacekeepers, and wished a swift recovery to the injured.

    Xinhua

    Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/un-chief-condemns-drone-attacks-on-peacekeeping-base-in-sudan

  • Indonesia flood death toll exceeds 1,000 as rescue, recovery efforts continue #rwanda #RwOT

    The disasters have caused extensive infrastructure damage. BNPB data listed damage to about 1,200 public facilities, as well as 219 health facilities, 581 educational facilities, 434 houses of worship, 290 office buildings and 145 bridges.

    Abdul Muhari, head of BNPB’s Data and Information Center, said at a press conference on Friday that data verification and cross-referencing with civil records are ongoing at the sub-district level. He noted that victims are being confirmed by name and address and that the verification process continues in several districts.

    Meanwhile, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said during his visit to disaster-hit areas in Aceh on Friday that the government continues to work to fulfill various basic needs of the community.

    “Together we will improve this situation. The government will step in and help with everything,” Prabowo said.

    He also called on all citizens to remain steadfast and keep their spirits up during the recovery process, expressing hope that community activities, including teaching and learning for children, can return to normal soon.

    Police officers lay coffins during a mass burial for victims of floods and landslides in Agam regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Dec. 11, 2025. The death toll from floods and landslides that struck three provinces on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island has exceeded 1,000, with 218 people still missing, according to the latest data released Saturday by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

    Xinhua

    Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/indonesia-flood-death-toll-exceeds-1-000-as-rescue-recovery-efforts-continue