RIB spokesperson Dr. Murangira B. Thierry told IGIHE that the case files of the 46 suspects had been submitted to the Prosecution.
'After arresting the first 81 suspects, who are now facing legal proceedings, another 46 were arrested and their case files have been submitted to the Prosecution. Investigations are still ongoing in other districts,' he said.
The latest arrests include one suspect from Kirehe District, 11 from Kayonza, six from Rwamagana, 16 from Nyabihu, two from Musanze, three from Gicumbi, four from Nyamagabe and three from Huye.
The case files from Kirehe, Kayonza, Rwamagana, Nyabihu, Musanze, Nyamagabe and Huye were submitted to the Prosecution on September 14, 2026, while those from Gicumbi were submitted on September 15.
Preliminary investigations found that some Primary Six teachers posed as cooks to gain access to national examination venues.
In one case, a teacher entered the examination venue carrying cooking supplies and was allowed into the kitchen, where an examination paper was brought to him. He then completed it before the answers were reportedly used to help students cheat.
The suspects face charges of abuse of office for personal benefit, a corruption-related offence, and breach of professional confidentiality.
Under Article 15 of the law on combating corruption, a person convicted of abuse of office faces seven to 10 years in prison and a fine of Rwf5 million to Rwf10 million. A conviction for breach of professional confidentiality under Article 150 of the law determining offences and penalties carries one to two years in prison.
Dr. Murangira thanked members of the public for providing information that has helped authorities identify people suspected of involvement in examination malpractice.
The 46 latest arrests bring the total number of suspects to 127, up from the initial 81 arrests. File photo
During their tête-à-tête, the two leaders reviewed existing bilateral initiatives and tasked their respective delegations with advancing strategic cooperation across key sectors.
'Following their talks, President Kagame and President Romuald Wadagni of Benin tasked their respective delegations with strengthening existing bilateral cooperation and advancing new areas of collaboration, with a focus on translating shared priorities into concrete outcomes,' stated the Office of the President.
President Kagame also hosted President Wadagni for an official lunch following their meeting.
Wadagni, 49, assumed office on May 24, 2026, succeeding Patrice Talon following his victory in the April 12 presidential election. His trip to Kigali marks his first official visit to Rwanda since taking office.
Cooperation between Rwanda and Benin has expanded significantly in recent years, underpinned by key agreements signed during President Kagame's state visit to Benin in April 2023. Most notably, the security and defence agreement was established to help Benin secure its northern borders against the southward spillover of Sahel-based jihadist insurgencies, drawing on the Rwandan Defence Forces' operational experience through joint training, strategic coaching, and potential security deployments.
Beyond defense, these bilateral frameworks encompass trade and investment, agriculture, digital transformation, tourism, taxation, and institutional development.
The two-day visit serves as an opportunity for both governments to evaluate ongoing progress, streamline the cross-border movement of people and goods, and map out new avenues for economic integration between East and West Africa.
During their tête-à-tête, the two leaders reviewed existing bilateral initiatives and tasked their respective delegations with advancing strategic cooperation across key sectors.Wadagni, 49, assumed office on May 24, 2026, succeeding Patrice Talon following his victory in the April 12 presidential election. His trip to Kigali marks his first official visit to Rwanda since taking office.
At 27, Teckno has established himself as one of Rwanda's recognised male models, building a career that has taken him from university pageants to major fashion events in Rwanda and international stages.
Born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and raised in Rwanda, Teckno completed his studies in Uganda, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from East African University in Kansanga, graduating at the top of his class.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with IGIHE, Techno said his modelling journey gained momentum when he was crowned Mr University 2018–2019.
The title came with opportunities including free tuition, a stipend, an office and television appearances on Ugandan stations such as NTV and NBS to promote the university.
It also opened doors to modelling opportunities through Black Models Kenya, allowing him to participate in fashion events across the region.
After returning to Rwanda in August 2019, Teckno continued pursuing modelling. In 2023, he won Rwanda Global Top Model and became Rwanda Top Model for 2023–2024.
The achievement took him to Dubai on an all-expenses-paid trip, where he experienced a different level of compensation for modelling work.
He says he received $500 for an hour on stage, which made him reflect on the difference between international and local modelling markets.
'I was so shocked to see the money they are paying us. When I compared it with the money I'm getting from my country, I was like, 'No good,'' Teckno told IGIHE.
Rwandan model Jean Teckno has built a modelling career that has taken him from university pageants to international fashion stages
His career has since been marked by several awards. He won the Karisimbi Award for Best Male Model of the Year in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 2025, he was also named Best Stylish of the Year, while he won Best Male Summer Model of the Year from Supra Company for 2024–2025.
Teckno has worked with major fashion and entertainment events including Kigali Fashion Week, Karisimbi Awards, Supra Awards, Rwanda Global Top Model, Agaciro Fashion Gala, Kigali Festival, Video Vixen Awards and Rimba Fashion Show.
He has also appeared in music videos featuring artists such as Eazy, Marina, Bushali, Kevin Kade, Ishi Kevin and Phil Peter. His credits include 'Basi Sori,' 'Eden,' 'Jugumira,' and 'Vanilla.'
His international experience extends to Dubai, Nigeria, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Tanzania.
The hidden cost of modelling
Behind the glamour of the runway, Teckno says models face challenges that are rarely visible to the public.
In the interview, he identified low pay and unfair casting practices among the biggest problems affecting models in Rwanda.
He says models can sometimes travel from outside Kigali, spend money on transport and accommodation and attend castings only to discover that the final choices had already been made.
Jean Teckno says his experience in international markets has shown him the opportunities and challenges facing models in Rwanda
Teckno also believes models deserve greater recognition because they are central to fashion events.
'Without a model, I don't think that any event would be an event,' he said.
He argues that the financial value of models is sometimes overlooked despite the significant investments made in fashion events, including spending on venues, production, photography and other services.
His international experiences have further highlighted these differences. He says he encountered stronger professional structures, greater respect for fashion professionals and better financial compensation in some foreign markets.
Nevertheless, he remains proud of representing Rwanda and says international opportunities have helped him gain exposure and build professional connections.
A call for change in Rwanda's fashion industry
Teckno believes Rwanda's modelling industry has significant potential but requires greater collaboration between models, organisers and the media.
He says fashion receives less media attention than sectors such as sports, which limits the visibility of models, designers and other fashion professionals.
He wants journalists to cover fashion events more consistently and organisers to recognise the contribution of models and other creative professionals.
He also believes models themselves must create a stronger sense of community instead of allowing competition to divide them.
'We need to love each other. Which generation are we building?' he asked.
Looking ahead, Teckno has ambitions that extend beyond becoming a successful model. He hopes to walk on major runways in fashion capitals such as Milan and Paris, launch his own fashion line and contribute to building a stronger modelling industry in Rwanda.
He also wants to mentor young models and create opportunities for people entering the industry.
'I want to see myself changing what people have failed to change. At least I put a milestone,' he told IGIHE.
For aspiring models, his advice is straightforward: remain authentic, build discipline and believe in yourself.
He also encourages parents to support their children's talents while ensuring they receive an education. His own experience, he says, demonstrates that academic education and a creative career can complement each other.
The Rwandan model has worked with several major fashion and entertainment events in Rwanda and across the regionBeyond modelling, Jean Teckno wants to mentor young talents and contribute to building a stronger fashion industry in Rwanda
Makinen made the remarks on Wednesday, September 16, at the opening of the Africa Patient Safety Summit in Kigali, which brought together regulators, policymakers, healthcare professionals, researchers, patient organisations and pharmaceutical industry representatives to discuss ways of strengthening medicine safety across the continent.
The two-day summit, running from September 16-17 at the African Medicines Agency headquarters and the Kigali Convention Centre, is organised by Medicines for Africa in partnership with the African Medicines Agency (AMA).
Makinen explained that the summit was created to address gaps in patient safety by bringing together stakeholders from across the medicines ecosystem instead of addressing issues such as pharmacovigilance, falsified medicines and regulatory oversight in isolation.
'Medication-related harm remains the biggest patient safety challenge on the African continent today,' he noted.
He added that the forum was intended to promote a more integrated approach to patient safety and put patients at the centre of discussions involving medicines regulation, manufacturing, supply chains and healthcare delivery.
Dr Kimmo Makinen, co-founder of Medicines for Africa, said one in 20 African patients experience medicine-related harm, calling for stronger, coordinated patient safety systems across the continent.
Rwanda among countries strengthening regulation
Makinen highlighted progress in African medicines regulation, noting that the continent has gone from zero to 10 national regulatory authorities at Maturity Level 3 under the WHO's Global Benchmarking Tool in nine years.
The countries include Rwanda, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
WHO's Maturity Level 3 classification refers to a stable, well-functioning and integrated regulatory system. Rwanda achieved the designation in December 2024, when it became the eighth African country to reach the level.
Makinen observed that African regulatory capacity has continued to mature, with the number of WHO-recognised regulatory authorities reaching ML3 increasing substantially in recent years.
He stressed, however, that stronger regulatory systems need to be matched by greater cooperation and information sharing between countries.
'If something happens in one country, it will be then known by other countries straightaway, and they can take action,' he explained.
He also pointed to the need for regulators to look beyond individual areas such as pharmacovigilance or counterfeit medicines and consider patient safety across the entire medicines ecosystem.
The two-day summit brings together regulators, policymakers, healthcare professionals, researchers, patient organisations and pharmaceutical industry representatives to discuss ways of strengthening medicine safety across the continent.
AMA calls for faster safety information sharing
Opening the summit, African Medicines Agency Director General Dr Delese Mimi Darko underlined the importance of keeping patients at the centre of medicine regulation.
She explained that patient safety covers the entire journey of a medical product, from regulatory assessment and manufacturing to distribution, use and monitoring after it reaches the market.
Darko stressed that regulators must ensure that medicines, vaccines and medical devices available to patients meet required quality and safety standards, while also maintaining systems capable of detecting and responding to problems after products enter the market.
'Regulation is invisible until it fails,' she remarked, noting that patients rarely see the systems behind the products they use, including manufacturing oversight, quality surveillance, pharmacovigilance and laboratory testing.
She called for safety information to move across African borders as quickly as medicines and medical products themselves.
A safety concern identified in one country can affect patients elsewhere because medicines move rapidly across the continent, including through porous borders, Darko noted.
'Strong regulatory authorities are the foundation of medicine safety in Africa,' she emphasised, adding that AMA's role is not to replace national regulators but to connect and strengthen them.
Darko urged countries to establish systems through which a safety finding in one African country can quickly alert regulators and patients in others.
'A safety finding in one country should be able to be a warning for patients in several others,' she stated.
She called on the summit to produce a small number of concrete actions, with clear responsibilities and practical arrangements for communication and information sharing.
Darko also proposed a 90-day timeframe for reviewing progress on commitments made at the summit, rather than waiting until the next annual meeting.
Rwanda urges stakeholders to move from information to action
Dr Raymond Muganga, Acting Director General of the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA), who represented Minister of State for Health Dr Yvan Butera, called for greater involvement from every stakeholder in protecting patients.
Muganga stressed that patients themselves have a role to play by reporting suspected adverse reactions and other medicine-related problems.
'We are all patients,' he remarked. 'We are all concerned. It's all about our lives.'
Dr Raymond Muganga, Acting Director General of the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA), called for greater involvement from every stakeholder in protecting patients.
He urged participants to move beyond exchanging information and translate safety data into concrete action.
'It means that starting by just information but ending also by action,' Muganga told journalists.
He explained that regulators have responsibilities throughout a medicine's lifecycle, beginning with assessment of applications and laboratory testing before registration and continuing with inspections and monitoring once products enter the market.
The Rwanda FDA also relies on information from patients and other medicine users to identify potential safety concerns, he added.
'You cannot control every corner in the country. It's also important to get information and feedback from users and the people,' Muganga explained.
He also highlighted the role of the supply chain in medicine safety, noting that risks can arise from raw materials, manufacturing processes, storage conditions and other stages before a product reaches the patient.
Muganga referred to Rwanda's recent action against illicit alcoholic beverages as an example of the need to act when products pose risks to public health.
He noted that the issue extends beyond the finished product to the substances and materials used to produce it, as well as storage and handling conditions.
Muganga also backed greater cooperation between African regulators to make medicine registration and monitoring more efficient, while maintaining the due diligence needed to protect patients.
Regulators urged to put patients first
Prof Papa Madieye Gueye, chair of the Regulatory Council of Senegal's Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency, described patient safety as an ethical and collective responsibility.
He stressed that every African patient has a right to safe, quality and effective healthcare and medicines.
Gueye observed that increased trade, new health technologies and continuing challenges involving falsified and substandard medicines have made cooperation between African countries increasingly important.
'No country can act alone,' he stated.
Prof Papa Madieye Gueye, chair of Senegal's Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency Council, called patient safety a collective responsibility.
He called for stronger monitoring systems, effective governance, reliable safety information-sharing mechanisms and closer cooperation among African states.
Gueye noted that the establishment of AMA, strengthening of national regulatory authorities, continental pharmacovigilance initiatives and growing involvement of patient organisations have created opportunities to build a stronger patient safety system.
The challenge now, he added, is to turn that progress into measurable improvements for patients.
He called for a shift from systems that primarily react to adverse events towards approaches capable of anticipating risks, preventing harm and continuously learning from patients' experiences.
The summit is expected to focus on identifying vulnerabilities in medicine safety systems, sharing experiences and defining practical actions to strengthen coordination between national regulators, healthcare providers, manufacturers and patients across Africa.
Dr Raymond Muganga, Acting Director General of the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) represented Minister of State for Health Dr Yvan Butera at the summit.The two-day summit brings together key stakeholders to strengthen medicine safety across Africa.
The summit is organised by Medicines for Africa in partnership with the African Medicines Agency (AMA).
Over 90% of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) run their entire sales operations inside messaging apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. It's where customers discover products, ask questions, negotiate prices, and make buying decisions.
Yet, despite mobile messaging being the primary commercial engine of Sub-Saharan Africa, the transaction checkout remains painfully broken.
Merchants are forced to send manual bank account details, ask buyers to take screenshots of transfer receipts, or redirect customers to external websites where over 70% abandon their carts. A single 3-hour manual inventory check or delayed reply often means a lost customer. This disconnect creates an estimated $120 billion annual friction gap across African informal trade.
John Josiah Sakala, CEO & Founder, ChatCash Holdings Inc., says ChatCash didn't discover this problem in a research paper; 'we lived it'. The company spent months running manual merchant operations on the ground, experiencing firsthand the friction of reconciling manual mobile money transfers, losing orders, and watching hard-working micro-entrepreneurs remain locked out of formal bank credit because their sales left zero verifiable paper trails.
ChatCash, he affirms, was built to cure this problem.
APOMA: Turning chat threads into automated storefronts
ChatCash introduces APOMA (Autonomous Conversational Commerce Operating System), an AI-native engine that brings the entire e-commerce lifecycle directly into the active messaging thread.
Instead of forcing buyers to download third-party apps or leave WhatsApp, ChatCash enables consumers to browse multilingual catalogs, searching product inventory in real-time in English, Kinyarwanda, or French. They can also interact with AI agents for 24/7 automated intent parsing and price negotiations.
Consumers can pay natively by executing instant, secure mobile money (MTN MoMo, Airtel Money) or bank checkouts inside encrypted, tokenized WhatsApp Flow containers. ChatCash also enables instant settlement (T+0), routing funds through national payment switches directly into commercial bank accounts.
More importantly, every transaction processed on ChatCash generates an immutable, cryptographically logged digital trail. For the first time, an informal shoe vendor or boutique owner in Kigali builds a verifiable credit profile that formal financial institutions can underwrite.
Operational scale & regulatory excellence
Without spending millions on customer acquisition, ChatCash proved its commercial unit economics by scaling across 5,000+ merchants in East and Southern Africa.
The company's growth is built on regulatory trust and institutional infrastructure. ChatCash is actively executing its live regulatory pilot with the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) for in-chat eKash API settlements and native ledger protections, ensuring world-class compliance with personal data protection laws.
Headquartered at Norrsken House Kigali under the Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC) framework, Rwanda serves as the company's regional operating hub and engineering engine.
ChatCash has also established strategic integration with local agent networks like DDIN, which has 4,000+ agents in Rwanda, as well as cross-border settlement rails via partners like Onafriq and Visa.
Partnering with Ingressive Capital: Fueling the next chapter
As ChatCash moves to accelerate its Pan-African expansion, it has secured investment from Ingressive Capital.
Led by Maya Horgan Famodu, Ali El-Gayar, and a world-class team, Ingressive Capital has consistently backed some of Africa's most transformative technology companies. Their deep Pan-African footprint across West and East Africa aligns with ChatCash's expansion roadmap into Ghana, Nigeria, and regional East African markets.
'We are not trying to change how Africans trade—we are simply empowering how they already communicate,' says Sakala. 'Partnering with Ingressive Capital gives us the strategic leverage, venture network, and capital to scale our conversational commerce operating system to ten thousand micro-merchants over the next 12 months.'
For Ingressive Capital, the investment reflects a broader conviction about how commerce is evolving across the continent. Maya Horgan Famodu, Founder & Managing Partner of Ingressive Capital, had this to say:
'ChatCash is building at the intersection of two powerful shifts in African markets: the migration of commerce into messaging platforms and the formalization of millions of informal businesses. As Africans, we've always loved ordering through conversation — asking questions, negotiating, and knowing there's a person on the other side of the transaction. ChatCash takes that inherently conversational behavior and solves for it at scale.
'We believe this can fundamentally change how merchants sell, collect payments, and build financial histories. What really stood out to us during our diligence was the strength of the customer advocacy we saw, and how broadly this infrastructure can serve B2C businesses. We're excited to support the team as they take this model into more markets across Africa'
Setting the stage for institutional seed round
As ChatCash prepares for its upcoming Institutional Seed Round, the company is expanding its engineering capacity, deepening its integration with it's ultra-low latency AI models, and passporting its Merchant Gateway licensing across multi-currency markets.
'The future of global retail is conversational, and Africa is building the blueprint. To our merchants, partners, and investors, thank you for building with us,' Sakala said.
ChatCash introduces APOMA (Autonomous Conversational Commerce Operating System), an AI-native engine that brings the entire e-commerce lifecycle directly into the active messaging thread.
Wadagni was welcomed by President Paul Kagame at Urugwiro Village in Kigali on Wednesday, September 16, where he was received with an official welcome ceremony.
The visit comes as Rwanda and Benin continue to strengthen bilateral ties in areas including security, trade, investment, agriculture, technology and governance.
Wadagni, 49, was sworn in as Benin's president on May 24, succeeding Patrice Talon after winning the April 12 presidential election with 94.27% of the vote. His running mate, Mariam Chabi Talata, became vice president.
According to Benin's Constitutional Court, Wadagni received 4,575,449 votes, while his main challenger, Paul Hounkpè, received 278,297 votes. Voter turnout was 63.57%.
Before becoming president, Wadagni served as Benin's minister of economy and finance from 2016 and was later promoted to senior minister. He previously worked at Deloitte before joining government.
The visit provides an opportunity for the two countries to review and deepen their existing cooperation.
Rwanda and Benin have expanded their partnership in recent years, with cooperation covering security and defence, economic and commercial affairs, agriculture, digital transformation, tourism and institutional development.
During President Kagame's state visit to Benin in April 2023, the two countries signed agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation in several areas. The partnership included security and defence cooperation, with the two sides agreeing to work together to address security threats affecting Benin's northern borders.
The countries have also pursued cooperation in trade, investment promotion, taxation, information and communications technology and other areas. Rwanda and Benin have previously described their relationship as a strategic partnership and have sought to facilitate the movement of people and goods between the two countries.
Wadagni's visit comes less than four months after he assumed office and marks his first official trip to Rwanda as Benin's president.
The two-day programme is expected to include discussions between the two presidents and their delegations on bilateral and regional issues.
Wadagni was welcomed by President Paul Kagame at Urugwiro Village in Kigali on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.He was received with an official welcome ceremony.The visit provides an opportunity for the two countries to review and deepen their existing cooperation.
Amb. Nduhungirehe made the remarks in an interview with Mama Urwagasabo TV published on September 15, 2026, in which he discussed what he described as the DRC government's failure to implement the peace commitments agreed with Rwanda under the Washington Accords.
The Washington peace agreement, signed on June 27, 2025, and reaffirmed in the December 4, 2025 Washington Accords, includes commitments on the neutralisation of the FDLR and Rwanda's lifting of defensive measures.
The implementation process is being monitored through the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM), involving Rwanda, the DRC and international partners.
Amb. Nduhungirehe said the DRC government lacked the political will to implement its commitments, but argued that Rwanda was also concerned about what he described as a lack of impartiality by the mediator.
'There is an issue we have with the Government of Congo. But there is also another issue we have with the political will of the mediator.
'It does not make sense that the Government of Congo does whatever it wants, continues to provide weapons to the FDLR, even goes as far as organising politicians intended to give the FDLR a political face, and continues firing shells and drones at civilians in Masisi, Minembwe, Mushaki and everywhere, while the mediator does nothing about it,' he said.
Amb. Nduhungirehe said Rwanda had repeatedly informed the mediator about what it considers violations of the Washington Accords by the DRC, including alleged attacks by Congolese forces on civilians, but that the concerns had not resulted in a change of course.
'What they tell us is that they are talking to Kinshasa, that they understand what we are saying and that they are sending messages to Kinshasa. If those messages exist, they are not producing results because the attacks continue. We have never seen the Government of Congo change its policy of continuing the war,' he said.
He also questioned what he described as the mediator's approach of communicating privately with the DRC about Rwanda's concerns while publicly addressing allegations against Rwanda.
Amb. Nduhungirehe said Rwanda had lifted some defensive measures under the Washington process, although the United States has said Rwanda's steps were insufficient.
'Rwanda is the country implementing what it committed to, while Congo has not started doing anything, and the mediator is watching. Congo must understand that a peace agreement is an agreement between two parties.
It has not started doing anything. On our side, there are defensive measures that we removed this year, and the Americans themselves have said so,' he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that although Rwanda had taken steps to lift some defensive measures, those steps were not sufficient.
Amb. Nduhungirehe argued that if Rwanda's measures were considered insufficient, the mediator should also assess the DRC's implementation of its own commitments.
The Washington peace agreement provides for implementation of the agreed security arrangements, including the neutralisation of the FDLR terrorist group and Rwanda's lifting of defensive measures.
Amb. Nduhungirehe said Rwanda would continue using defensive measures if the DRC failed to neutralise the FDLR and the mediator continued, in his view, to act without impartiality.
'What we do as Rwanda, as a country, is that we will continue to defend ourselves. That is something that cannot be reversed. The Genocide against the Tutsi that happened in this country in 1994 will never happen again. We will put in place defensive measures that enable us to protect ourselves and our security, while continuing to demonstrate our willingness to implement the Washington Accords,' he said.
The Washington peace process set out a framework for the neutralisation of the FDLR and Rwanda's lifting of defensive measures, with the parties working through the JSCM to coordinate implementation and monitoring.
At the sixth JSCM meeting in August, Rwanda and the DRC agreed to advance two initiatives aimed at strengthening monitoring and verification of implementation on the ground.
Rwanda and DRC officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on September 16–17 for the seventh JSCM meeting to review progress in implementing the Washington Accords.
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe says Rwanda will continue taking defensive measures to protect its security amid concerns over the DRC's collaboration with the FDLR.
The Texas supreme court has blocked the execution of a man on death row in a late-night ruling on the day of the scheduled lethal injection.
Robert Roberson, 57, was convicted of killing his two-year-old daughter more than two decades ago, but his supporters across the US and the lead detective on the case have insisted he is innocent and that the case rested on junk science.
A committee of more than 80 Texas lawmakers, including at least 30 Republicans, had asked the parole board and governor to stop the execution and had subpoenaed Roberson to testify next week in a last-ditch effort. A judge in Travis county, Texas, blocked the execution late on Thursday afternoon, less than two hours before it was scheduled to take place at the Texas state penitentiary in Huntsville, so Roberson could testify.
The Texas court of criminal appeals overturned that ruling late on Thursday evening, but the lawmakers appealed, and the state supreme court sided with them, issuing an injunction at about 10pm.
Roberson spent hours in a cell by the prison's death chamber as during his case appeal and his execution seemed imminent.
'He was shocked, to say the least,' said the Texas department of criminal justice spokesperson Amanda Hernandez, who spoke with Roberson after the court stayed his execution. 'He praised God and he thanked his supporters. And that's pretty much what he had to say.'
She said Roberson would be returned to the Polunsky unit, about 45 miles (72km) to the east, where the state's male death row is located.
Gretchen Sween, Roberson's lawyer, said he was celebrating the fact that he 'lives to fight another day'.
'The vast team fighting for Robert Roberson – people all across Texas, the country, and the world – are elated tonight that a contingent of brave, bipartisan Texas lawmakers chose to dig deep into the facts of Robert's case that no court had yet considered and recognized that his life was worth fighting for,' Sween said in a statement.
The Texas representatives Joe Moody and Jeff Leach, who orchestrated Roberson's subpoena and have championed his cause, praised the court's decision in a written statement. 'We look forward to welcoming Robert to the Texas capitol, and along with 31 million Texans, finally giving him – and the truth – a chance to be heard,' they wrote.
The case has drawn national outrage as Roberson's lawyers have insisted that no crime occurred and that medical records show his daughter died of pneumonia that progressed to sepsis.
Roberson brought his daughter Nikki Curtis to hospital in Palestine, Texas, on 31 January 2002. He told doctors that she was ill with fever and had fallen from a bed.
Curtis was 'not breathing and had a blue color to her skin', court documents cited by Time said, and was rushed to another hospital in Dallas, Texas. She was pronounced dead and doctors suspected abuse, finding that her injuries were in keeping with symptoms of shaken baby syndrome.
The syndrome is a condition in which a baby or small child is shaken repeatedly, resulting in their brain hitting the inside of their skull. Medics noted that Roberson was unemotional, further stoking abuse suspicions, and on 1 February 2002, authorities charged Roberson with capital murder.
The American Association of Pediatrics said in 2020 that shaken baby syndrome had been 'misinterpreted' by legal and health authorities. A neurosurgeon who helped create the hypothesis has said his work was distorted and that cases have been misdiagnosed. US civilian and military courts have exonerated at least 30 people in shaken baby syndrome cases since 1992, CNN reported.
Robert Roberson with his daughter. Photograph: Courtesy of Gretchen Sween
Roberson's attorneys contend that his case is among the wrongful convictions. They cite medical experts who say Curtis's death stemmed from severe viral and bacterial pneumonia.
They say her dire medical condition worsened when she was given medication that is now considered improper for children. They contend that hospital staff's immediate shaken baby syndrome determination – which they based on brain swelling and bleeding as well as bruises – amounted to misdiagnosis.
Roberson's emotionless comportment was not a sign of culpability but rather due to his autism which was not diagnosed until 2018, his supporters also said. He insisted on his innocence in an interview with CNN.
'It wasn't a crime committed,' Roberson said. 'I was falsely, wrongly convicted of a crime – they said it was a crime, but it wasn't no crime and stuff because I had a sick little girl, you know?'
Roberson received custody of Curtis two months before her death. He did not know about the girl until she was born, CNN said.
Curtis's maternal grandparents had had custody, but they ultimately agreed that he should have custody. Roberson said that he picked up Curtis from her grandparents' house and brought her home.
Roberson said he turned on a movie and that they both fell asleep in the same bed. But Roberson said he woke after hearing Curtis's cries and saw her on the ground.
There was blood on the girl's lips and a bruise below her chin, which Roberson cleaned up. Roberson said that he stayed awake for several hours to make sure the toddler was all right and fell asleep again. In the morning, she was not responsive, CNN quoted him as explaining.
'I carried her to the hospital and stuff, you know,' Roberson told the network. 'I didn't have nothing to hide.'
Texas lawmakers meet Robert Roberson at a prison in Livingston, Texas. Photograph: AP
Roberson's supporters include the Innocence Project, autism advocacy organizations andthecelebrated legal novelist John Grisham, CNN notes.
Brian Wharton, the lead detective who testified against Roberson, has said he now believes the prosecution had been based on a fallacy. Last year, he told the Guardian: 'There was no crime scene, no forensic evidence. It was just three words: shaken baby syndrome. Without them, he would be a free man today.'
Roberson's lawyers had petitioned for his sentence to be commuted to a lesser punishment or that he be given a postponement to allow more time for litigating appeals.
But the Texas pardons and parole board on Tuesday failed to recommend that the Republican governor, GregAbbott, grant clemency, Roberson's lawyers said in a statement. Abbott rarely grants clemency petitions. The US supreme court has rejected Roberson's appeals for a delay, though Justice Sonia Sotomayor has urged the governor to grant a 30-day delay.
In an interview last year, Roberson told the Guardian: 'I hope and pray that God gives them the knowledge for the people to make a righteous decision. I know I didn't do it. I'm not guilty. So I'm at peace with the Lord.'
In a speech when attending the second day of BRICS summit in New Delhi, Xi also outlined concrete proposals to further strengthen greater BRICS cooperation, with a focus on emerging areas including artificial intelligence, trade, digital industries and manufacturing.
Key driver of multipolarity
Xi pointed out that when changes unseen in a century are accelerating across the world, the Global South, with its collective rise, has become a key driver of world multipolarity.
At the same time, the international landscape is volatile and fraught with risks and challenges, Xi said, adding that to bring stability to the world and make it a better place, BRICS countries must seize the historical initiative, rally the Global South, and advance the well-being of all humanity.
Global South countries should jointly defend the rule of law in international affairs, safeguard the basic norms of international relations including sovereign equality, noninterference in internal affairs, and the peaceful settlement of disputes, Xi said. It should be ensured that international law and international rules are applied to all, and free from double standards, he added.
Global South countries should hold high the banner of multilateralism, uphold the authority and role of the United Nations, and support multilateral institutions in advancing reform and increasing efficiency, Xi said.
He also called for promoting the reform of the World Trade Organization in the right direction, as well as reforming and improving the international financial architecture to increase the representation and voice of developing countries.
Global South countries should stay committed to a people-centered development philosophy and strive to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Xi said.
Global South countries should also jointly advance security governance, tackle both traditional and nontraditional security threats, and improve global climate governance, Xi said, also calling for working faster to evolve a consensus-based global AI governance framework, so that new technologies can light the way toward shared prosperity.
'It is a solidarity that unlocks partnerships, unlocks democratization of the international system, unlocks an open international system, and unlocks an inclusive international system,' said Charles Onunaiju, director of the Center for China Studies in Nigeria.
Rakhim Oshakbayev, director of the TALAP Center for Applied Research in Kazakhstan and former Kazakh vice minister for investment and development, said BRICS cooperation should 'bring together developing countries' shared aspirations and promote coordination and cooperation.'
BRICS countries should continue seeking common interests, he said, noting that the grouping's expansion had placed greater demands on internal coordination.
Greater BRICS cooperation
During the speech, Xi proposed five initiatives on 'greater BRICS' cooperation in areas of AI, trade and investment facilitation, digital industry, intelligent manufacturing, and science and technology talent development.
To accomplish great things and achieve major progress, the foundation of greater BRICS cooperation must be cemented, Xi said, calling for leveraging BRICS' close ties with fellow emerging markets and Global South countries, upholding open cooperation for mutual benefit, safeguarding stable and smooth industrial and supply chains, and fostering a large integrated market.
'We should build incubators for innovation, upgrade traditional industries, develop emerging industries, and deploy future industries,' Xi said.
On the open source and inclusive AI initiative, Xi said that China will be a pioneer in establishing a BRICS AI open source community, support the cooperation in developing and applying large language models, hold specialized AI seminars and training courses, and build an open ecosystem for AI.
On the trade and investment facilitation initiative, China proposes to establish a BRICS special economic zone partnership, under which countries can set up an intelligent portal, coordinate policies, and build a new frontier for open development, Xi said, adding that in an effort to cultivate new drivers of economic and trade cooperation, China will hold the BRICS Forum on Trade in Services next year.
On the digital industry cooperation initiative, Xi said that China will push for establishing a BRICS digital ecosystem cloud platform, and conduct digital skills training, technological exchange and industrial alignment, so as to jointly enable the development of the digital economy.
On the intelligent manufacturing cooperation initiative, China stands ready to assist fellow BRICS countries in building smart factories and developing standards and norms, and jointly promote manufacturing transformation and upgrading, he said.
On the science and technology talent development initiative, China proposes to set up a BRICS engineer cultivation alliance for joint development of engineers and mutual recognition of competency standards, Xi said, adding that China will launch a BRICS youth exchange program for scientific and technological innovation, so as to cultivate more high-caliber talent.
The five initiatives proposed by Xi focus on key areas including technology, industry, trade and talent, providing concrete pathways to lay a solid foundation for practical cooperation among the broader BRICS community, said Serik Korzhumbayev, editor-in-chief of the Delovoy Kazakhstan newspaper.
It demonstrates China's firm resolve to share the opportunities of its modernization, a reflection of the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and mutual benefit that underpins BRICS cooperation, he said.
Xi has outlined concrete proposals to further strengthen greater BRICS cooperation
GDP at current market prices reached Rwf7.17 trillion in the quarter, up from Rwf5.8 trillion in the second quarter of 2025, NISR said in its latest GDP report released on September 15. Services accounted for 51% of GDP, followed by industry at 23% and agriculture at 21%, while indirect taxes contributed 5%.
Industry was the fastest-growing sector, expanding by 18% year-on-year. Construction activities grew by 24%, while mining and quarrying increased by 26% and manufacturing rose by 10%.
NISR attributed the strong industrial performance to increased construction activity, which boosted demand for locally manufactured construction materials.
Manufacturing growth was driven by a 51% increase in the production of metal products, machinery and equipment. Manufacturing of non-metallic mineral products grew by 22%, while textiles, clothing and leather products increased by 13%.
Services grew by 7% in the second quarter. Wholesale and retail trade increased by 18%, while transport services grew by 7%.
Information and communication services recorded particularly strong growth of 29%, while administration and support services and professional services each grew by 9%. Hotels and restaurants expanded by 5%, while financial services grew by 4%.
Agriculture grew by 4% in the quarter.
Food crop production increased by 5%, but export crop production fell by 20%, mainly due to a 33% decline in coffee production. The decline was partly offset by an 18% increase in tea production.
The latest GDP figures come as Rwanda's economy continues to face external pressures, with NISR noting that economic performance in the second quarter remained resilient despite spillovers from geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
GDP at current market prices reached Rwf7.17 trillion in the quarter, up from Rwf5.8 trillion in the second quarter of 2025, NISR said in its latest GDP report released on September 15.
