Weekly Review

400 RDF troops return from Sudan In a period of a week a total of 400 troops of the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) have returned in the country after a one-year peacekeeping stint under the AU-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The troops have come in two groups of 200 each and were all from the 9th Battalion, both groups were based in Sector West with the second group specifically coming from Zalinge . The soldiers’ conduct while on the peace mission was hailed, for their dedicated service and commitment to restore peace in one of the most troubled areas in the world today. Kagame meets Egyptian leader President Paul Kagame mid-week met and held talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak as part of his ongoing visit to the northern African country. This was on the second day of his four-day state visit to the country. In a joint press briefing by Foreign Ministers of the two countries, Egypt’s Ahmed Abdul Geit reported that talks between the two Heads of State cantered on strengthening the already existing bilateral relations which he said was indeed a good step towards stronger ties. It was also noted that Rwanda and Egypt are looking at establishing cooperation in different areas like agriculture, business and trade. ICTR sentences Bagaragaza The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) sentenced the former head of the Rwandan Tea Authority (OCIR-Thé), Michel Bagaragaza, to eight years in prison. The close ally to former President Juvenal Habyarimana had pleaded guilty to one count of Complicity in Genocide and given credit for the time he has spent in detention since his arrest in 2005. Appearing before trial chamber III presided over by Judge Vagn Joensen, Bagaragaza was found guilty of having substantially contributed to the killings of more than one thousand Tutsi who had sought refuge at Kesho Hill and at Nyundo Cathedral, Western Province. RRA beats set target It was reported that Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), the national body charged with tax and non-tax revenue collection surpassed its target for the 1st Quarter under the East African Community fiscal year, collecting Rwf 86.2bn between July and September 2009. Announcing the first quarterly tax results following the country’s integration into the EAC fiscal year yesterday, the RRA Commissioner General, Mary Baine, also revealed that the body recorded an estimated shortfall of Rwf 1bn in customs collections following the implementation of the EAC Customs Union. RNOC interim executive starts work It was reported that the newly appointed interim executive of the National Olympics Committee (RNOC) has started work days after the Committee was suspended by the Minister of Sports and Culture. Until the December 27 elections that will decide the new executive, the short-term committee is bossed by the local cycling federation (Ferwacy) supremo Aimable Bayingana, Eric Kalisa is the Secretary General while Ferwafa’s CEO Jules Kalisa, Rwanda Automobile Club (RAC)’s Dismas Kayibanda and Charles Uyisenga (president of the local volleyball federation) are all advisors. The provisional committee was appointed by sports minister Joseph Habineza, a few days after dissolving the former executive led by Ignace Beraho. ICF boss calls for speedy trade relation for the region The Chief Executive Officer of the Investment Climate Facility (ICF), Omari Issa, called for speedy procedures to enable vibrant trade along East Africa’s critical transport corridors. Issa was speaking at the opening of a regional high level forum on customs reform and implementation of a fully fledged customs union held in Arusha, Tanzania. The forum was convened to discuss the implementation of key issues of the Customs Union and challenges to trade facilitation in the region. The ICF official challenged the region to simplify transit procedures in order to halve average transit times for businesses along the Northern and Central Corridors by the end of 2010. Ends