Niyonkuru Florence was the first to put Rwanda on the podium, winning bronze at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Rwanda's success continued in Udine, Italy, where Musabyeyezu Adeline won gold in the women's 21-kilometre half marathon.
Musabyeyezu clocked 1:14:02 to take the title. Italy's Anna Frigerio finished second, 32 seconds behind the Rwandan, while Kenya's Nyaboke Nyabocho was third in 1:20:05.
In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hakizimana John added another Silver medal to Rwanda's weekend haul by finishing second in the marathon.
Hakizimana completed the 42-kilometre race in 2:08:39, just 16 seconds behind winner Bethwel Chumba of Kenya. Another Kenyan, Felix Kiptoo Kirwa, finished third in 2:10:24.
The performances drew praise from Rwanda's Minister of Sports, Nelly Mukazayire, who praised the performance of the Rwandan athletes in a post on X.
'Across three cities and three international stages, the Rwanda flag was raised with honour,' she said, highlighting it as a reflection of Rwanda's growing presence and competitiveness on the international athletics stage.
Hakizimana John has finished second in the Buenos Aires Marathon in Argentina.Musabyeyezu Adeline (in the middle) has won gold in the women's 21-kilometre half marathon in Udine, Italy, clocking 1:14:02.Hakizimana John (left) has won silver in the Buenos Aires Marathon in Argentina after finishing the 42-kilometre race in 2:08:39.
They later formed the armed group Army for the Liberation of Rwanda (ALiR), which evolved into the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The group included former Rwandan Armed Forces (Ex-FAR) soldiers and Interahamwe militia members and continued its activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including attacks against Congolese Tutsi communities.
In 1997, ALiR fighters infiltrated Rwanda and carried out attacks in several areas, including Ngororero. They looted communities, abducted girls, subjected them to sexual violence, recruited them into their ranks and forced young men to join them.
One of the women abducted during that period is Mukagasana (not real name). Now 43, she is among former members of groups such as the FDLR who recently completed reintegration training at the Mutobo Demobilisation and Reintegration Centre in Musanze District.
Mukagasana was 14 when the infiltrators reached her family home in the former Kanama Commune in 1997. They killed her father and cousin, abducted her and took her to an area controlled by the group.
'They took my father and killed a visitor who was there, my cousin. They beheaded my father and took him to the area where the FDLR was operating. They hung him from a tree so that everyone could see,' she said.
The fighters also stole 10 cows from the family before taking Mukagasana to the former Ramba Commune.
She said she was sexually assaulted while still on the journey.
'They raped me because I was a young child. I was 14. I could no longer walk, so they left me along the way and later came back for me when I was able to walk,' she said.
She was later forced to undergo military training. According to her, the fighters gave her cannabis to make her less fearful of the activities they forced her to undertake.
She said the sexual abuse continued during her time with the group, including by commanders such as Colonel Nkundiye, making it impossible for her to determine how many men assaulted her.
Forced to participate in attacks
Mukagasana said she was also taken to areas where the group attacked communities sheltering Tutsi refugees, including Karumbi.
During one attack in 1997, she said, fighters killed a man, a woman and three girls aged 12, 13 and 14.
She was later ordered to look after children who had been abducted.
Mukagasana decided to help some of them escape.
'I told them, 'I am going to help you. I will show you where to pass. Go and follow the route we came from,'' she said.
The fighters punished her with 150 strokes of the cane. The beating left her unable to walk properly and, she says, caused a disability that still prevents her from doing physically demanding work.
She was later taken to Mukura forest in the former Kibuye area, where the fighters left her with a large stone placed on her back to prevent her from escaping. She remained there for four days before they returned for her.
They subsequently continued using her knowledge of the area to identify households where they could obtain food.
Taking part in Nyange school attack
Mukagasana says she was among the fighters involved in the attack on students at Nyange Secondary School in the former Kibuye area on the night of March 18, 1997.
She said the operation was planned in the evening, with some fighters sent ahead to gather information about the area and security arrangements.
'We carried out the attack and asked them to separate, Tutsi on one side and Hutu on the other,' she said.
According to her account, the students refused to separate.
She said the fighters had expected to identify and abduct Hutu students and kill Tutsi students, but their refusal to separate disrupted that plan.
'The Tutsi could not separate and the Hutu could not separate, so we killed all of them and left,' she said.
She said the incident discouraged the attackers because they realised that distinguishing between the students was not possible.
Mukagasana also recalls taking part in other attacks, including one in which she says she shot and killed two soldiers.
FDLR fighters received support from the DRC
After arriving in the DRC, Mukagasana said, the fighters initially looted government facilities and health centres.
She said this later changed when Laurent-Désiré Kabila, who led the DRC from 1997 to 2001, began using the fighters in the conflict against Rwanda.
According to Mukagasana, the fighters received clothing, shoes and salaries from the Congolese government.
She held the rank of corporal in the FDLR.
She also recalls attacks in areas around Rubaya, where fighters looted cattle belonging to Congolese communities, including Banyamulenge.
'We killed them, took their cattle and ate them. We also abducted girls. Many died and others were raped,' she said.
Women were also used for intelligence gathering
Mukagasana said women and girls abducted by the group were subjected to sexual violence and were often assigned tasks such as gathering intelligence.
Some were selected because they were tall or could pass as members of Tutsi communities. They would enter areas inhabited by Congolese Tutsi communities to collect information without raising suspicion.
'During the day, her work was to gather information. Those who were not gathering information were raped or sent to loot and look for food,' she said.
Some women were also sent back into Rwanda to collect information before returning to report to the fighters.
Mukagasana said many did not perform these tasks willingly, but were controlled through threats and violence.
Returning home
She eventually escaped the FDLR and returned to Rwanda in 2003, but initially concealed her past because of fear.
She said fighters had told them that anyone who returned to Rwanda would be killed, creating fear among those who wanted to escape.
Mukagasana was pregnant when she returned to Rwanda as a result of sexual violence and did not know the identity of the father of her first child.
She later married a soldier in the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), after first telling him about her past.
'He comforted me and told me that what happened was not something he would use against me or something that would make him stop loving me,' she said.
The couple now have four children.
Mukagasana says the stigma and trauma associated with her past made her fear that neighbours would label her an Interahamwe or an enemy of the country. She eventually asked her husband to move to another district.
She says her recent reintegration training at Mutobo has helped her overcome some of that fear after hearing the experiences of other former fighters.
Mukagasana also expressed gratitude to the Rwandan government for allowing her to rebuild her life, saying that much of what she experienced happened after she was abducted at the age of 14 and forced to participate in the group's activities.
Mukagasana (name changed) explained that she was abducted by the infiltrators and took part in their attack on students at Nyange in Ngororero.
According to an advisory from the Office of the Prime Minister, Nsengiyumva will use the address to outline Rwanda's perspectives and priorities on key global and regional issues.
The 81st session officially opened on September 8, with the high-level General Debate taking place from September 22 to 28 at the UN Headquarters in New York. The debate brings together heads of state, heads of government and other high-level representatives from UN member states.
The session is being held under the theme 'Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.' Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is presiding over the session as president of the General Assembly.
The agenda includes discussions on multilateral cooperation, peace and security, sustainable development, climate action, public health and human rights.
Several high-level meetings are also scheduled during the session. These include a meeting on the 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development and a high-level event on climate action and the just transition on September 23, a meeting on the threats posed by sea-level rise on September 24, and a summit on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response on September 25.
The UN says the General Debate provides an opportunity for world leaders and other senior representatives to present their countries' positions and priorities on major international challenges.
Beyond his national statement, Nsengiyumva is scheduled to participate in high-level meetings, side events and bilateral engagements with various partners during his time in New York.
The engagements are expected to provide opportunities for Rwanda to exchange views with other countries and international partners on issues of mutual interest, while strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
The UN General Assembly comprises all 193 UN member states, with each country having an equal vote in the body.
Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva will represent President Paul Kagame at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York, where he is expected to deliver Rwanda's national statement on September 23.
U.S. military support has so far been limited to providing Saudi Arabia with intelligence and targeting data for its operations against the Houthis, according to the report.
Washington has recently increased the sharing of such information with Riyadh. The White House believes the United States is currently providing Saudi Arabia with all the support it needs to confront the Houthis, said the report.
'No offensive strikes,' a U.S. official was quoted as saying.
Alex Plitsas, a former Pentagon official, said on CNN earlier that he had been told that U.S. President Donald Trump held a meeting at Camp David on Saturday to discuss and review options for strikes in Yemen. The White House and the Pentagon have not publicly confirmed the claim.
The Trump administration has so far shown little willingness to become directly involved in the conflict. Multiple U.S. media outlets reported earlier this month that Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had urged Trump to order U.S. strikes against the Houthis, but Trump declined.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has reportedly sought air-defense assistance from France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt as its supply of missile interceptors runs low and U.S. stocks of interceptors have been strained by the conflict with Iran.
The Houthis' recent advances and attacks have raised concerns that it could open another front in the broader U.S.-Iran conflict, further complicating an already volatile regional situation.
The case seeks to legally end their marriage and will be heard at the Kicukiro Primary Court.
Information obtained by IGIHE shows that the hearing will consider the requests and arguments raised by both parties during a preliminary hearing held on September 14, 2026.
Vestine, through her lawyer, told the court that she was seeking a divorce because Ouedraogo had concealed from her that he already had a family in Burkina Faso.
She told the court that after discovering this and confronting him about it, Ouedraogo began assaulting and beating her.
IGIHE has also learned that Vestine was informed that Ouedraogo had a family in Burkina Faso by his sister, who called her by phone.
During the preliminary hearing, Vestine said she was not seeking a share of any property with her husband.
She also told the court that she would continue raising their child, who lives with her and is still young.
Ouedraogo, however, denied the allegations through his lawyer and said he did not agree to the divorce.
'We do not accept the allegations made against us, and we also do not agree to the divorce because the grounds on which it is being sought never happened,' his lawyer told the court.
Ouedraogo's side argued that if the court decides to grant the divorce, it should be based on grounds attributable to Vestine, including what it described as her abandonment of the marital home and other grounds presented to the court.
The lawyer also told the court that Ouedraogo believes the child is his but wants a DNA test conducted because there are doubts about their biological relationship.
Beyond the question of paternity, Ouedraogo's side said he was concerned that he had not been able to see the child and asked the court to order Vestine to allow him to do so.
The court is expected to consider the arguments from both sides when it hears the case on December 3.
Vestine and Ouédraogo married on July 5, 2025, after their relationship became public. The couple had earlier formalised their union through a civil marriage.
Nduhungirehe's remarks follow reports that Rwandans who had sought refuge in eastern DRC are continuing to return home. According to figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 3,752 Rwandans have returned home since the beginning of 2026.
Clarifying the details behind the figures in a post on X, Nduhungirehe pointed out that these 3,752 refugees, repatriated with the assistance of the UNHCR and MONUSCO, were located in territory controlled by the AFC/M23 alliance. Conversely, he emphasised that those living under Kinshasa's control are being actively prevented from leaving.
'As for the refugees living in the government-controlled area, they are still being held hostage by the genocidal FDLR, which prevents them from returning to their country and subjects them to miserable living conditions,' Nduhungirehe said.
He further argued that the return of refugees poses a direct challenge to organisations claiming to protect them, as a successful repatriation process disproves their narrative that an ongoing Rwandan refugee crisis exists.
'Finally, it is surprising to see that RFI is attempting to give credence to the arguments of the 'movements that present themselves as close to these refugees', which have consistently obstructed the return of these refugees,' Nduhungirehe wrote.
'Their return would undermine the main argument of these genocidaires, along with their networks in Europe, such as Jambo ASBL, which present themselves as the 'protectors' of these refugees.'
The Radio France Internationale (RFI) report referenced by Nduhungirehe was published on September 20, 2026. While acknowledging that Rwandan refugees continue to return from eastern DRC, RFI raised questions about how information regarding departures from areas controlled by the AFC/M23 alliance is gathered. RFI reported that these concerns were voiced by civil society organisations close to the refugees.
UNHCR statistics confirm that 3,752 Rwandan refugees have been repatriated from the DRC since early 2026, including a recent cohort of 366 individuals returning from Kamanyola as well as the cities of Goma and Bukavu.
UNHCR maintains that these returns are voluntary, safe, and carried out under conditions respecting the dignity of the refugees.
According to data compiled by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), approximately 194,500 Rwandans remain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The vast majority are located in the volatile eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.
Jambo ASBL is a Belgium-based non-governmental organisation largely comprised of diaspora Rwandans whose parents were key figures involved in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, including high-ranking officials from the former regime of Juvénal Habyarimana. While the organisation claims to advocate for refugee interests and solutions grounded in international law, its members are accused of promoting genocide ideology and collaborating with FDLR combatants and the DRC government.
Kigali points to a recent statement by Jambo ASBL expressing support for a protocol signed between the DRC government and the FDLR on the disarmament, demobilisation and cantonment of the armed group as evidence of this connection.
The request seeks technical, legal and judicial assistance to support Libyan authorities' ongoing investigations, share the investigative burden, help establish the circumstances of the incidents and identify those responsible, according to the statement.
Preliminary investigations by relevant Libyan institutions indicated that the attacks were part of what the authorities described as a broader plan targeting civilian infrastructure, including fuel storage facilities and power stations, while putting civilians' lives at risk.
The council said security agencies and the National Safety Authority had contained some of the operations and prevented others from being carried out.
Given the nature and gravity of the incidents and the circumstances surrounding them, they could constitute crimes against humanity or genocide, according to a legal assessment by the Libyan authorities, the statement said.
Earlier this month, Libya's internationally recognized Government of National Unity announced that it had dismantled an organized sabotage cell and arrested five Libyans and foreigners allegedly involved in suicide drone attacks on oil and electricity facilities in Tripoli and Zawiya.
It said investigations were ongoing to identify other individuals involved and the parties that planned, financed, or supported the operations.
Libya has formally requested support from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating attacks on vital civilian facilities in the capital Tripoli and the western city of Zawiya.
Niyonkuru completed the 21-kilometre race in 1:06:08 (a new national record), finishing behind Kenya's Agnes Jebet Ngetich, who set a women-only world record (1:05:15) for gold, and Kenya's Veronica Loleo, who took silver in 1:06:05.
The 25-year-old was the best-performing of Rwanda's three representatives in the race. Emeline Imanizabayo (15th) and Ibishatse Angelique (39th) also competed for Rwanda.
The World Athletics Road Running Championships are organised by World Athletics and were held in Copenhagen.
The bronze adds to Niyonkuru's recent run of strong performances. She finished third in the 10,000 metres at the Commonwealth Games, winning Rwanda's first-ever senior medal at the Games. She also won gold at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru in India earlier this year.
Niyonkuru completed the women's half marathon in 1:06:08, setting a new Rwandan national record in the 21-kilometre race.The 25-year-old was the best-performing of Rwanda's three representatives in the race.
Ishimwe shared the emotional account in a lengthy Instagram post on Sunday, September 20, 2026, describing it as 'my story of thanksgiving' and noting that she wanted young people facing similar experiences to learn from her journey.
She recounted that her difficulties began after completing secondary school, when she fell in love with a man she had known for years but did not fully know.
Ishimwe explained that she ignored advice from those around her because she was driven by emotions, later discovering that the man already had another family and children.
She chose to remain silent and endure what she was experiencing, guided by the biblical teaching that 'love bears all things and endures all things.'
The singer revealed that the situation eventually became so difficult that she began thinking her life was over and contemplated taking her own life.
'She saw things that disturbed her so deeply that she began to think her life was over because of what she witnessed every day,' she wrote.
Ishimwe recalled being unable to tell her parents, relatives or friends what she was going through, but credited God with preventing her from taking her own life.
'Eventually, she reached a point where she thought the only way to escape what she was experiencing was to take her own life and leave this world,' she wrote.
Ishimwe alleges attempts to derail her music career
The Vestine & Dorcas singer also accused her husband of trying to interfere with her music career by preventing her from attending concerts and going to the studio, as well as attempting to separate her from her sister Kamikazi Dorcas.
She claimed he also succeeded in separating her from her former management, believing this would end her musical career.
'Instead, that was only the beginning,' she wrote.
Ishimwe further alleged that after failing to stop her music career, the man turned to efforts to damage her reputation.
She claimed he accused the man she regarded as a father figure, whom she had known for about five years, of being the biological father of her child. The man is believed to be Murindahabi Irene, Ishimwe's former mentor and manager, whom she has previously described as a father figure.
She also alleged that people were paid to spread rumours about her, including accusations of sexual misconduct and fraud.
Court battle over child
Her revelations come days after Ouedraogo filed a case at Kicukiro Primary Court seeking access to a child he claims they had together and requesting a DNA test to establish paternity.
Ouedraogo filed the case on September 17, 2026, following a divorce case initiated by Ishimwe.
According to court documents, Ishimwe cited alleged abuse and maintained that she sought a divorce after discovering that Ouedraogo had other wives. Ouedraogo denies the allegations.
He also maintains that he has never seen the child since birth despite repeatedly seeking an opportunity to meet them.
Ouedraogo is asking the court to order Ishimwe to allow him to see the child and to conduct a DNA test involving him and the child.
Ishimwe explained that she had avoided allowing him to see the child because the two were in conflict, adding that she was waiting for a peaceful moment for him to meet the child.
The couple married on July 5, 2025, after their relationship became public. They had earlier formalised their union through a civil marriage.
Ishimwe ended her message by encouraging women and girls going through difficult situations to remain hopeful and urging unmarried people to be cautious about people who may not be what they appear to be.
She also asked her supporters to pray for her and Dorcas, expressing hope that her 'anointing' would not run dry.
The couple married on July 5, 2025, after their relationship became public. They had earlier formalised their union through a civil marriage.
That question became the starting point for Kabizu Business Group Ltd, a venture Bizumuremyi first established in Ostend, Belgium, in 2020 before bringing the business to Rwanda.
Today, his agricultural processing plant in Nyamiyaga Sector, Kamonyi District, turns locally produced crops into a range of food products, some of which have found their way to markets in the United States, Canada and Belgium.
For Bizumuremyi, the journey from Belgium to Kamonyi is not only about building a business. It is also about turning experience gained in the diaspora into opportunities for farmers and communities back home.
From promoting Rwandan products to creating his own brand
Bizumuremyi, who lives in Ostend, was involved in the Rwandan diaspora community in Belgium and helped establish the Diaspora of the North Sea.
He was also part of a 'Made in Rwanda' initiative that brought products from Rwanda to Belgium, including coffee, tea, food products and handicrafts.
'We would bring different products from Rwanda and sell them in a shop. They included Kinazi and other products, as well as artisanal works from Rwanda,' he said.
The experience exposed him to both the demand for Rwandan products abroad and the challenges of getting them to consumers at the right time and in the right form.
From 2010 to 2017, Bizumuremyi also worked with entrepreneurs in different sectors in Belgium, building experience that later influenced his decision to establish his own business.
'I looked at products that would reach me in Belgium and services that would not reach me at the right time. This pushed me to make my own brand, Kabizu Business Group,' he said.
The company initially focused on coffee, with the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) supporting the repackaging of coffee for the Belgian market. He later bought a machine to package tea sourced from Rwanda Mountain Tea, Karongi Tea Factory and others, selling it under the Akabizu brand.
As customers began asking for more products, the business gradually expanded into agricultural value addition.
'Later, clients requested me to expand into other products. That is how we had the idea of adding value to agricultural products from Rwanda,' he said.
Today, the plant processes cassava, maize, sorghum, millet and soybean flour, as well as baby food, cooking oil, processed cassava leaves, commonly known as isombe, and peanut-based products.
Turning farm produce into more value
For Bizumuremyi, agro-processing offers opportunities beyond producing finished food products.
He points to cassava as an example. While the crop has traditionally been processed mainly into flour, the company has also found ways to use cassava residues to produce animal-feed ingredients.
'The residues would be wasted, but under the project we started to produce animal feed,' he said.
He believes such value addition can create additional income for farmers while contributing to solutions for shortages of animal feed and cereals.
The company works with cooperatives and smallholder farmers supplying cassava, sorghum, wheat, rice, maize and other crops.
Bizumuremyi encourages farmers to organise themselves in cooperatives so they can consolidate production, while also accepting produce from individual farmers.
'We are here to provide a market for farmers in this province,' he said.
He wants farming to be seen as a profitable business rather than an activity limited to small-scale production. 'It should be a lucrative business that helps people to develop and enables them to see the added value of their produce,' he said.
A business rooted in Kamonyi
Choosing Nyamiyaga as the location for the plant was also intended to bring the business closer to farmers and contribute to the surrounding community.
The company employs people living near the plant, with specialised positions filled by workers from elsewhere when necessary.
Bizumuremyi says the business also works with local authorities, participates in community activities and exhibitions, and contributes to local initiatives.
He says the location has another benefit: giving Kamonyi greater visibility as the products reach international markets.
'When we export, we indicate the address of where they are processed on the labels. For me, this also adds to the visibility of Kamonyi,' he said.
Looking beyond Rwanda
The company initially exported to Belgium but has since expanded its reach, particularly to the United States, where Bizumuremyi says its products are sold in four states, including Michigan, New York and Kentucky. Canada and Belgium are also among its markets.
Looking ahead, he wants to expand the business across Africa and raise the standards of the processing facility to international levels.
'In line with the government's vision, we also have a vision of expanding to Africa and raising the standards of the manufacturing facility to operate at an international level,' he said.
His message to other members of the diaspora is straightforward: Rwanda offers opportunities for those willing to return and invest.
'I am part of the diaspora members who returned to Rwanda and invested, so as not to be left behind. The time is now, and it is possible to do it,' he said.
Bizumuremyi also commended Rwanda's leadership under President Paul Kagame, saying the country's security and conducive investment environment make it easier for investors to establish and grow their businesses.
Christian Bizumuremyi stands at his agro-processing plant in Nyamiyaga Sector, Kamonyi District, where locally produced crops are turned into finished food products.Christian Bizumuremyi established Kabizu Business Group after years of working with Rwandan products and entrepreneurs in Belgium.The Kabizu Business Group plant in Kamonyi processes crops including cassava, maize, sorghum, millet and soybean into a range of food products.Bizumuremyi during an interview with IGIHEBizumuremyi turned years of experience promoting Rwandan products in Belgium into a business focused on agricultural value addition back home.The company works with cooperatives and individual farmers supplying agricultural produce for processing at its Kamonyi facility.Workers from the surrounding community are employed at Kabizu Business Group's processing facility in Nyamiyaga Sector.Bizumuremyi began his business journey by selling Rwandan products in Belgium before expanding into agricultural processing in Rwanda.Kabizu Business Group adds value to crops supplied by cooperatives and smallholder farmers in Rwanda.Bizumuremyi returned from the Rwandan diaspora with the ambition of creating opportunities for farmers through agricultural processing.Bizumuremyi says agricultural processing can create additional value for farmers while making better use of locally produced crops.
