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This decision overturns a 2024 ruling by a French court, which had dismissed the case on the grounds of insufficient evidence.

The Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR), rights group dedicated to prosecuting genocide suspects, successfully appealed the dismissal.

The Paris Court of Appeal ordered a renewed investigation into Mbarushimana’s alleged role in the atrocities.

Speaking with IGIHE, CPCR co-founder Dafroza Gauthier welcomed the ruling.

'We are pleased that the judiciary has agreed to reopen the investigation to uncover new evidence,' she said.

Mbarushimana worked for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) during the genocide.

In April 1994, after the UN evacuated foreign staff from Rwanda, he was tasked with protecting local employees. Hired by the UN in 1992, he was dismissed in 2001 following allegations of involvement in the deaths of 32 people, including UN staff.

UN war crimes investigator Tony Greig reported that Mbarushimana personally shot two victims and was implicated in the killing of Florence Ngirumpatse, UNDP’s human resources chief in Rwanda, and several Tutsi children she had sheltered, aged 8 to 18.

Greig’s findings, submitted to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), included testimonies from 25 witnesses alleging Mbarushimana’s direct involvement in the massacre and support for the Interahamwe militia, which spearheaded the genocide.

On April 7, 2024, Rwandan President Paul Kagame publicly criticized Mbarushimana’s freedom, noting that Florence Ngirumpatse was his cousin.

Kagame further disclosed that his cousin was betrayed by a colleague to the killers and celebrated after her death.

He expressed his disappointment that no action was ever taken against the UNDP staffer despite evidence implicating him.

'It later emerged that a Rwandan working at the UNDP betrayed his Tutsi colleague to the killers. Witnesses remember him celebrating Florence’s murder the night after the attack. He continued his career with the UN for many years even after evidence implicating him emerged. He is still a free man now living in France,' Kagame narrated.

In 2008, the CPCR requested an investigation into Mbarushimana by the Paris court handling crimes against humanity.

French authorities dismissed the case in October 2024, citing insufficient evidence and unreliable witness testimony.

The CPCR appealed, arguing that the ruling ignored critical testimonies and a UN internal report detailing Mbarushimana’s alleged crimes.

On May 21, 2025, the Paris Court of Appeal acknowledged these oversights, ordering a re-examination of evidence and new witness interviews. The reopened investigation has renewed hopes for accountability.

Links to the FDLR

Mbarushimana’s alleged crimes extend beyond 1994. He is linked to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a terrorist group operating in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he reportedly served as Executive Secretary.

In 2010, the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrested him in France on 13 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by FDLR fighters in 2009.

The ICC released him in 2011 citing insufficient evidence, and he has since lived freely in France.

The French judiciary has reopened its investigation into the case of Callixte Mbarushimana, a former United Nations employee accused of complicity in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

IGIHE

Among the envoys were Sylver Aboubakar Minko Mi Nseme of Gabon, Vu Thanh Huyen of Vietnam, Viacheslav Yatsiuk of Ukraine, and others representing Chad, South Sudan, Argentina, Somalia, Tanzania, Angola, Sudan, and Norway.

A particularly notable development is the appointment of Viacheslav Yatsiuk as Ukraine’s new ambassador to Rwanda. He replaces Andrii Pravednyk, who had served in the role from 2021 until February 2025.

This follows the recent opening of Ukraine’s first embassy in Kigali on April 18, 2024—an important milestone in the bilateral relationship.

The embassy is currently headed by a Chargé d’Affaires as preparations continue for Ambassador Yatsiuk to officially assume his duties.

Ambassador Yatsiuk spoke warmly of the commonalities between Ukraine and Rwanda, noting that although the two countries are separated by more than 6,000 kilometers, they share histories of resilience.

He emphasized Ukraine’s deep respect for Rwanda’s progress under President Kagame’s leadership and expressed hope for Rwanda’s support as Ukraine continues to defend its sovereignty amid ongoing conflict with Russia.

He also identified areas of potential collaboration, including agriculture, technology, fertilizer production, and broader economic development.

The new ambassador from Vietnam, Vu Thanh Huyen, will be based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, while overseeing Vietnam’s diplomatic interests in Rwanda.

Vietnam and Rwanda established formal relations in 1975, and the partnership has been strengthened over the years.

A milestone in this relationship came in 2008 when President Kagame visited Vietnam, resulting in cooperation agreements in agriculture, health, and education. Today, the two countries continue to work toward shared goals such as sustainable development and economic transparency.

One of the most symbolic moments of the day was the appointment of Dr. Sylver Aboubakar Minko Mi Nseme as Gabon’s first ambassador based in Kigali.

Although Gabon and Rwanda have had diplomatic relations since 1976, the position had remained vacant since 2016. Dr. Minko Mi Nseme’s appointment marks a renewed commitment to deepen ties, especially in education, culture, and trade.

He emphasized the importance of collaboration, noting that over 2,000 Gabonese students are currently studying in Rwanda.

Ambassador Dr. Habib Gallus Kambanga of Tanzania pledged to focus on enhancing cooperation and trade between the two neighboring nations. Similarly, Ilyas Ali Hassan of Somalia affirmed his intent to strengthen bilateral relations.

From Sudan, Ambassador Khalid Musa Dafalla expressed admiration for Rwanda’s achievements in peacebuilding and national reconciliation, highlighting opportunities for agricultural trade.

Paul Malong Akaro of South Sudan echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the appeal of Rwanda’s education sector, which continues to attract students from his country.

Chad’s Ambassador Abdelkerim Ahmadaye Bakhit, who last visited Rwanda five years ago, shared his appreciation for the development he witnessed upon his return.

He affirmed that Chad could draw valuable lessons from Rwanda’s progress, particularly in the area of education.

The new ambassador from Vietnam, Vu Thanh Huyen, will be based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

One of the most symbolic moments of the day was the approval of Dr. Sylver Aboubakar Minko Mi Nseme as Gabon’s first ambassador based in Kigali.

The Angolan Ambassador Alfredo Dombe also presented credentials

Similarly, Ilyas Ali Hassan of Somalia affirmed his intent to strengthen bilateral relations.

Paul Malong Akaro of South Sudan emphasized the appeal of Rwanda’s education sector, which continues to attract students from his country.

The Ambassador of Argentina, Luis Alejandro Levit will be based in Nairobi, Kenya

Ambassador Khalid Musa Dafalla from Sudan expressed admiration for Rwanda’s achievements in peacebuilding and national reconciliation,

Ambassador Dr. Habib Gallus Kambanga of Tanzania pledged to focus on enhancing trade

Chad’s Ambassador Abdelkerim Ahmadaye Bakhit, who last visited Rwanda five years ago, shared his appreciation for the development he witnessed upon his return.

Ambassador Yatsiuk spoke warmly of the commonalities between Ukraine and Rwanda.

The new ambassador from Vietnam, Vu Thanh Huyen, will be based in Dar es Salaam

IGIHE

The man attacked the diplomatic mission on Jan. 27, 2023, with a Kalashnikov rifle, killing a staff member and injuring two others, Tehran Police told local media in the wake of the incident.

The man was executed after the completion of relevant judicial investigations and trial process, during which he was convicted of willfully murdering an Azerbaijani national using a firearm inside the embassy, purchasing, carrying, and keeping an illegal weapon and ammunition, and disrupting public order, the Mizan news agency affiliated with the judiciary reported.

The ruling against him was also upheld by the Supreme Court of Iran, according to the report.

In the aftermath of the incident, Azerbaijan shut down its embassy in Iran. Baku described the attack as an “act of terror,” but Tehran said investigations revealed that the assailant had “personal and family-related” motives.

Azerbaijan reopened the embassy at a new location in Tehran in July 2024, after nearly a year and a half, with a guarantee from Iran that it would take appropriate measures to ensure the security of the new embassy.

Image from Mizan News shows the attacker, face blurred, sitting in court during his trial over the Azerbaijani embassy shooting. Photo by Iran International

Xinhua

Tengjun International Land Port, operated by Yunnan Tengjin Logistics Co., Ltd., is quietly redefining inland connectivity under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — and could eventually reshape how African goods reach consumers in Asia’s growing interior.

Located in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, Tengjun Port spans over 3,600 acres and represents an 18-billion-yuan investment to develop China’s only national-level logistics hub in the southwest.

With bonded warehousing, multimodal rail connectivity, cold chain services, and a recognised international port code (CNKML), it is more than just a dry port — it’s a strategic node in China’s vision of land-based trade corridors stretching from Southeast Asia to Central Asia, and potentially, to Africa.

Tengjun Port is a flagship project under China’s 14th Five-Year Plan and forms part of the Western Land-Sea New Corridor, a logistics route designed to reduce dependence on congested coastal ports.

The port connects directly to Southeast Asian countries via the China-Laos Railway and operates cross-border cold chain trains, vital for transporting perishables and high-value agricultural goods.

Tengjin Logistics, the company behind the land port, is more than a transport provider. It is a national 5A-level logistics enterprise, recognised for innovation in digital supply chains, bonded logistics, and cross-border e-commerce — precisely the areas where many African nations, under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and their own digital transformation agendas, are investing.

This matters for Africa. As the continent increases its production of exportable fresh produce, pharmaceuticals, and manufactured goods, the ability to access inland China via overland corridors — bypassing traditional chokepoints like Shanghai or Guangzhou — could become a strategic advantage.

It unlocks faster, more stable supply routes to major Chinese consumption centres that are geographically closer to Africa than they appear on a map, especially via Southeast Asian logistics hubs.

As African logistics platforms modernise, the potential to digitally integrate with Chinese inland ports becomes increasingly real. This could enable African exporters — whether shipping tea from Kenya, cut flowers from Ethiopia, or coffee from Rwanda — to digitally pre-clear goods, synchronise with e-logistics systems, and access Chinese inland markets through land ports like Tengjun.

Historically, the Africa—China trade relationship has been routed through China’s eastern seaboard. But that model is shifting. China’s focus on regional hubs such as Kunming, alongside increasing connectivity across the Greater Mekong region, opens up new trade lanes for Africa.

This shift could also reduce the continent’s reliance on maritime routes vulnerable to disruption, such as those in the Red Sea or through the Suez Canal.

Moreover, BRI projects now increasingly emphasise both 'hard' and 'soft' connectivity — infrastructure alongside institutional alignment. Tengjun’s evolution into a modern, one-stop trade platform shows how this approach can work — and potentially be replicated or linked with Africa’s own inland dry ports, from Nairobi to Niamey.

For African governments, port authorities, and private sector exporters, Tengjun is more than a Chinese success story. It is a window into a logistics future where Africa is not merely exporting raw commodities, but actively engaging with smart, regional trade ecosystems.

As China’s inland logistics hubs mature, African nations connected through BRI projects, digital trade platforms, and multimodal infrastructure may discover unexpected yet valuable opportunities, not just at the coast, but inland, on track, and online.

While Tengjun Port currently looks eastward toward Southeast Asia, one official accompanying our visit noted that Africa is not yet a core focus, but in four or five years, the continent may become part of their strategic priorities.

This quiet but telling remark suggests that while Africa is not yet central to current logistics flows in this corridor, it is increasingly on the radar for future expansion.

Aerial view of Tengjun International Land Port, the only national logistics hub (Kunming Commercial Service Type) in Yunnan Province.

Tengjin Logistics headquarters in Kunming, the command center of China’s first enterprise to operate the China-Laos cold chain train.

Inside Tengjun’s bonded logistics zone, supporting high-efficiency storage, customs clearance, and international freight movement.

Autonomous logistics robots in action at Tengjun Port’s bonded warehouse, enhancing efficiency in cargo sorting and movement.

AI-powered robots navigate warehouse aisles, carrying goods between storage zones and loading docks with precision.

The charging stations for automated guided vehicles (AGVs), equipped with fast-charge technology for round-the-clock operations.

Christian Mugisha

Covering just four percent of China’s land area, Yunnan contains more than half of the nation’s plant and animal species, earning its reputation as China’s kingdom of biodiversity.

From the wild elephants of Xishuangbanna to the elusive Yunnan golden monkeys, this province harbors life found nowhere else on Earth. Ancient tea trees that have witnessed millennia still grow in Lincang, and the deep, fertile forests offer rare orchids and medicinal herbs used for generations.

But Yunnan’s uniqueness runs deeper than its flora and fauna. This province is the birthplace of Pu’er tea, a fermented treasure steeped in tradition.

For over a thousand years, caravans of traders traversed the Tea Horse Road, exchanging tea bricks for sturdy Tibetan horses, forging a cultural artery that connected China with its Himalayan neighbors. Today, those ancient tea trees—some more than 3,200 years old—still stand.

Yunnan is home to 25 of China’s 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, including the Yi, Bai, Dai, Naxi, Hani, Miao, Lisu, Tibetan, and Mosuo peoples

At the heart of Yunnan’s character is its extraordinary human diversity. Of China’s 56 recognized ethnic groups, 25 live in this single province. The Yi, Bai, Dai, and Naxi peoples, among others, maintain rich traditions that shape daily life, from the joyful water-splashing rituals of the Dai New Year to the firelit Torch Festival celebrated by the Yi.

In the old town of Lijiang, the Naxi people preserve Dongba culture, the world’s last remaining pictographic writing system still in use—a fragile bridge between ancient belief systems and modern life.

Ancient tea trees in Lincang, some over 3,000 years old, continue to produce leaves for Pu’er tea

Yunnan’s landscapes feel as if drawn from a fantasy map. At one end lies Shangri-La, whose snow-capped mountains and Tibetan monasteries inspired James Hilton’s fictional paradise.

At the other, the Stone Forest stretches like a petrified city, its 270-million-year-old limestone spires rising from the earth in surreal formations.

The mighty Tiger Leaping Gorge slices nearly 4,000 meters deep between towering peaks, while the Yuanyang rice terraces ripple down hillsides in UNESCO-protected harmony with the land and seasons.

In the provincial capital, Kunming, the air carries the mildness of what locals call eternal spring. The city rarely experiences frost or sweltering heat, maintaining an average temperature of 15 degrees Celsius year-round. The climate has nourished not only a unique ecosystem, but also a colorful cuisine.

Kunming, known as the City of Eternal Spring for its mild year-round weather

Local dishes like Crossing the Bridge Noodles are served with ceremony, while wild mushroom hotpots tempt diners with earthy aromas—and occasional hallucinations if one picks the wrong fungi.

Rose pastries from Dounan Market, the largest flower market in Asia, capture the province’s fragrant creativity in every bite.

Despite its inherent natural beauty, Yunnan stands as a powerful testament to human resilience in the face of challenging geographical obstacles.

Ninety-four percent of the province is mountainous, with elevation ranging from under 100 meters in the Red River Valley to over 6,700 meters at Kawagarbo Peak.

The terrain is so rugged that three of Asia’s great rivers—the Yangtze, Mekong, and Salween—run nearly parallel through towering gorges just kilometers apart.

The engineering required to make this region accessible is staggering. Yunnan is home to more road tunnels and bridges than any other part of China, including marvels like the Gaoligongshan Tunnel, one of the world’s deepest at over a kilometer underground, and the Beipanjiang Bridge, which soars higher than the Eiffel Tower over a plunging canyon.

Tourists in Yunnan find experiences as rich and varied as the province itself

Yunnan’s highways are more than mere infrastructure; they are bold testaments to human endeavor, often spiraling through mountains in defiance of the rugged terrain. The newly opened expressway between Lijiang and Shangri-La packs 86 tunnels and 120 bridges into just 125 kilometers.

Despite such progress, less than a third of Yunnan’s land is truly habitable. In the most remote corners, some villagers still rely on rope bridges or mules to reach markets and schools.

Others continue to live in matriarchal societies, like the Mosuo people near Lugu Lake, where women inherit property and lead households in a tradition that defies mainstream norms.

In a country as vast and fast-moving as China, Yunnan remains a world apart. It is a place where tropical jungles brush against snow-capped summits, where languages, scripts, and beliefs intertwine in daily life, and where the earth itself resists being tamed.

Yunnan’s engineering marvels are vital in conquering the province’s rugged terrain

Yunnan’s dramatic terrain rises from river valleys to snow-draped peaks like Kawagarbo, reaching over 6,700 meters

Yanjin County, tucked between cliffs along the narrowest stretch of the Jinsha River, is considered the narrowest city in the world

Mountain ridges fold into each other under a fading sun

Crossing the Bridge Noodles in Kunming—a dish served with theatrical flair and rich tradition

Engineering innovation has made once-isolated communities reachable

Despite its mountainous geography, Yunnan leads in infrastructure development, with roads that stretch across canyons

Asia’s largest flower market, craft rose pastries that bloom with local flavor

A highway tunnel emerges into breathtaking alpine scenery, revealing how infrastructure cuts through some of China’s most dramatic terrain

A high-speed rail line linking Kunming to Vientiane, Laos, opened in 2021

A bustling border crossing in Hekou County connects Yunnan with Vietnam

Christian Mugisha

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection tour of the cities of Luoyang and Zhengzhou in the province on Monday and Tuesday.

He emphasized that Henan should focus on building a modern industrial system and strengthening its agricultural capacity, improving people’s well-being and social governance, enhancing ecological and environmental protection, and promoting cultural prosperity.

On Monday afternoon, Xi visited Luoyang Bearing Group Co., Ltd. Its predecessor was a factory established during China’s inaugural five-year plan period (1953-1957). The five-year plan laid the industrial foundation via concentrated efforts to build New China’s first steel production base and first auto manufacturer.

It is imperative to maintain a robust and reasonable share of the manufacturing, a key pillar of the national economy, in the process of advancing Chinese modernization, Xi said.

“Modern manufacturing relies on sci-tech empowerment,” Xi said, while calling for greater efforts in the quest for core technological breakthroughs and pursuit of a path of independent innovation.

Xi then visited the White Horse Temple, originally built during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), where he learned about the adaptation of Buddhism to the Chinese context and local efforts to preserve cultural relics.

At the Longmen Grottoes, an over 1,500-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site which also represents the pinnacle of Chinese stone carving art, Xi underlined the importance of preserving, inheriting and promoting these treasures of Chinese culture.

The integration of culture and tourism holds great potential, Xi said, requiring efforts to promote the high-quality development of the sector and turn it into a pillar industry that benefits the people and enriches their lives.

On Tuesday morning, Xi heard the provincial authorities’ work report.

Xi emphasized that high-quality development is fundamental to advancing Chinese modernization. In the face of a complex external environment, China should unwaveringly focus on managing domestic affairs well and expanding high-standard opening up, he added.

Xi called for concrete efforts to maintain the stability of employment, businesses, the market and expectations.

As an economic powerhouse, Henan should strengthen its real economy as the bedrock of development and foster new quality productive forces tailored to local strengths, Xi said.

He also highlighted the need to enhance farmland protection and development, advance comprehensive rural revitalization through integrated urban-rural development, and strengthen the ecological conservation of key river basins.

Xi urged more efforts to strengthen social governance as Henan faces complex and diverse social issues due to its large population, high population density, and significant population mobility.

He also demanded the province to enhance Party-building within new-type economic and social organizations and among groups in new forms of employment, emphasizing the need to improve public services, and forestall and defuse risks in key sectors to safeguard social stability.

Carrying out the education campaign to implement the Party central leadership’s “eight-point decision” on improving work conduct is a major task for Party-building work this year, and the focus should be put on solving problems, Xi said.

As drought has lingered in certain regions of the country since the beginning of this year, Xi called for better water allocation to safeguard water supply for residents and meet agricultural irrigation needs.

Xi urged all regions to make thorough preparations for flood prevention and control as the flood season arrives.

Xinhua

Xi made the remarks during his inspection tour in a bearing producer in Luoyang City, central China’s Henan Province, on Monday afternoon.

Xi visited the company’s intelligent manufacturing plant to learn about the performance and applications of various types of bearing products. He inspected the intelligent production lines and had an amiable conversation with the workers.

“China has always adhered to the path of developing the real economy. From the past reliance on imported matches, soap and iron, to now becoming the world’s largest manufacturing country with the most complete industrial categories, we have taken the right path,” Xi noted.

China must continue to strengthen the manufacturing sector, adhere to the principles of building self-reliance and strength, and master core technologies in key fields, Xi said.

He also urged efforts to strengthen collaboration between industries, universities and research institutes, and cultivate a large number of high-quality talents.

The producer, Luoyang Bearing Group Co., Ltd., is a traditional manufacturing firm that has invested heavily in scientific and technological research and made significant progress in industrial upgrading in recent years. Its wind turbine main bearings now hold over 40 percent of the domestic market share.

Xinhua

Xi pointed out that poverty eradication, a global issue, is a common goal of all countries in the world.

Through arduous efforts, China has successfully won the battle against poverty, achieved the poverty reduction target of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ten years ahead of schedule, blazed a poverty reduction path with Chinese characteristics, and written a new chapter in the history of mankind’s fight against poverty, Xi said.

Stressing that the root cause of poverty is inadequate development, Xi said the SCO has actively carried out cooperation on poverty reduction and sustainable development in recent years, achieving remarkable results.

As the rotating chair of the SCO, China is willing to continuously enhance policy communication with all parties, share poverty reduction experience, deepen practical cooperation, help more countries explore poverty reduction and sustainable development paths that suit their national conditions, and join hands to build a beautiful world free from poverty and with common prosperity, Xi noted.

The forum opened in Xi’an on Tuesday under the theme of “Sustained Poverty Reduction and Cooperative Development: Advancing Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development among SCO Countries.” The forum was co-hosted by the SCO Committee on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation and the People’s Government of Shaanxi Province.

Xinhua

During the visit, Xi toured the Luoyang Bearing Group Co., Ltd., the White Horse Temple, and the Longmen Grottoes.

He learned about local efforts to accelerate the development of advanced manufacturing, enhance the protection and utilization of historical and cultural heritage, and promote the high-quality development of the cultural and tourism sector.

Xinhua

The signing ceremony held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, was officiated by Mr. Yusuf Murangwa, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, and Mr. Ozonnia Ojielo, UN Resident Coordinator in Rwanda.

Anchored in Rwanda’s Second National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) 2024—2029 and aligned with Vision 2050, the UNSDCF represents the UN’s most important strategic planning and implementation instrument at the country level.

It outlines a shared commitment to support inclusive economic transformation, human capital development, and transformational governance—with a cross-cutting emphasis on gender equality, climate resilience, and innovation.

'This new Framework is a testament to our enduring partnership with the United Nations and to Rwanda’s vision for a more inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable future,' said Minister Murangwa. 'It reflects our shared priorities and values, and our resolve to leave no one behind.'

The UN system in Rwanda through this Cooperation Framework commits to mobilize resources —estimated at USD 1.04 billion over five years—which will be operationalized through joint programmes, innovative financing, and catalytic partnerships involving Government, civil society, the private sector, and international partners.

Commenting on the development, UN Resident Coordinator Ozonnia Ojielo emphasized that the Framework signed as the United Nations turns 80, reaffirms commitment to 'Delivering as One in support of Rwanda’s transformation journey’.

'It is both a call to action and a platform for results—driven by national ownership, powered by partnerships, and guided by the ambition to achieve the SDGs,' he noted.

The UNSDCF 2025—2029 was developed through an inclusive and consultative process involving over 50 national institutions, UN entities, and key development actors.

It responds to emerging challenges such as climate change, regional instability, and financing gaps—while leveraging Rwanda’s potential in digital innovation, green growth, and youth empowerment.

As the world enters the final stretch toward 2030, Rwanda and the UN are stepping forward with a bold, forward-looking framework—one that translates global commitments into local action, and ensures that development reaches those furthest behind.

The Government of Rwanda and the United Nations have signed the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2025—2029, charting a renewed path of partnership to advance Rwanda’s national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

IGIHE