Thank you UK Government for this new policy about development assistance in Rwanda.

Thank  you UK Government for this new policy about development assistance in Rwanda.

This new policy will ensure the poorest gets the support they need regarded whether they are Hutu or Tutsi. For the last 18 years, Kagame's regime has been  using  foreign aid  by  targeting the Tutsi community in  poverty reduction programmes, education and other support in cash that  benefit the Tutsi.

No more budget support to Rwandan Government to support military operations in Democratic Republic of Congo, to pay salaries of 80,000 Rwandan military and police personnel, Members of Parliament, human rights abuses, to run Rwandan Embassies abroad, to pay  corrupted foreigners who work for Kagame's regime,  and to  prevent democratic and human rights in the country.

Rwanda should embark on family planning as it was before the genocide instead of hoping that foreign aid will pay for  education of all Rwandan children. Rwandan people should have children they can educate and nourish. Since the UK government started to provide massive aid to Rwanda based on the size of the population and  with UK commitment  to provide assistance for children education, Kagame's government abandoned family  planning policy that was in place before the genocide. This  policy was scraped by Kagame to  get more foreign aid from Britain. Despite massive aid  that has been provided to  Rwanda by UK for  the last 18 years for education support and poverty reducation,the lever of poverty  in rural areas has increased in rural areas and school children in Rwanda pay  higher school fees than any other country in  Africa.

We call on Kagame's regime to release all political prisoners, to launch dialogue with his political opponents and to  allow political parties in exile and in Rwanda to operate freely.

---

From: Nzinink <nzinink@yahoo.com>
To: Nzinink <nzinink@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, 1 March 2013, 12:48
Subject: [ChangingAfrica] DFID - Rwanda: UK aid to go directly to poorest

 

http://www.dfid.gov.uk/News/Latest-news/2013/Rwanda-ukaid-mar13/

Rwanda: UK aid to go directly to poorest

01 MARCH 2013

A £16 million package of development support to Rwanda will be channelled through aid agencies or directly to the poorest people, International Development Secretary Justine Greening announced today. None of this funding will be released to Rwanda as general budget support - meaning that it won't go through the Rwandan government.

Following a breach of agreed development assistance partnership principles, the UK government decided in November 2012 not to release £21 million of general budget support to the government of Rwanda.

At the time, Secretary of State Justine Greening initiated work on how to protect the poorest people in Rwanda through re-programming funds that were to be no longer disbursed as general budget support.

The support announced today will include direct payments for half a million people living in extreme poverty in Rwanda and the provision of almost two million textbooks for primary and secondary school children. It will also support aid agencies working in refugee camps.

Justine Greening said:

"The reprogrammed development assistance will be channelled through projects that directly reach and protect the poorest people in Rwanda. 
"In line with my earlier decision regarding the breach of the partnership principles, it is not appropriate to release any of these funds as general budget support."

This assistance will be channelled through independent aid agencies or directly to the intended beneficiaries.

The development projects will:

• Provide cash grants or cash for work payments for 545,000 of the poorest people. The £9 million funding will be used to provide small regular payments directly to individuals to prevent them falling deeper into poverty.
• Supply 1.8 million textbooks and supplementary readers to primary and secondary school pupils across Rwanda. The £4.4 million grant will be sent directly to the textbook suppliers.
• Provide emergency relief for 20,000 refugees. Working through UNICEF and the UNHCR, the new £2 million programme will provide sleeping mats, blankets, kitchen sets, hygiene equipment, education equipment, tents, tarpaulin, water kits, pumps, therapeutic food and medicines at refugee camps in Rwanda over the next year.
• Set up nine new UNICEF early child development centres. The £500,000 programme will help 1,000 of the most vulnerable children aged six or under access early childhood facilities, such as parenting skills, educational starter kits and health and nutrition awareness.
• Set up VSO education support programmes in 270 schools across 18 districts. The three year programme will give teachers, school heads and pupils the advice they need to provide the best schooling possible.

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LAST UPDATED: 01 MAR 2013

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Mozambique: Govt to Send Troops to DRC - allAfrica.com

http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201302280132.html/

Mozambique: Govt to Send Troops to DRC

28 February 2013 , Source: AIM

Maputo

The Mozambican Council of Ministers (Cabinet) on Tuesday approved a proposal to send a military contingent to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to join a United Nations peace enforcement mission.

Announcing the decision, Fisheries Minister Victor Borges told reporters that the proposal will now be sent to President Armando Guebuza for his approval, in his constitutional capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM).

He said it was Guebuza who will decide on the size of the Mozambican military contingent.

The decision follows the signing on Sunday in Addis Ababa of a framework agreement for peace in the DRC. 11 southern and central African states signed the agreement, which is aimed at ending all outside interference in the DRC's internal affairs.

Addressing the signing ceremony, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he would shortly be issuing a report on the DRC and the Great Lakes region which "will outline my proposal for a new comprehensive approach to addressing the underlying causes of the conflict".

This would include "a strengthened political and security role" for the UN mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), "including the deployment of an intervention brigade with a peace enforcement mandate".

A summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), held in December in Dar es Salaam, decided to provide 4,000 troops for a Neutral International Force (NIF) that will operate in the eastern DRC.

Prior to the Mozambican announcement, pledges of troops were made by Malawi, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania. It is estimated the NIF will cost the SADC region around 100 million US dollars.

Mozambique: Govt to Send Troops to DRC - allAfrica.com

http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201302280132.html/

Mozambique: Govt to Send Troops to DRC

28 February 2013 , Source: AIM

Maputo

The Mozambican Council of Ministers (Cabinet) on Tuesday approved a proposal to send a military contingent to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to join a United Nations peace enforcement mission.

Announcing the decision, Fisheries Minister Victor Borges told reporters that the proposal will now be sent to President Armando Guebuza for his approval, in his constitutional capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM).

He said it was Guebuza who will decide on the size of the Mozambican military contingent.

The decision follows the signing on Sunday in Addis Ababa of a framework agreement for peace in the DRC. 11 southern and central African states signed the agreement, which is aimed at ending all outside interference in the DRC's internal affairs.

Addressing the signing ceremony, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he would shortly be issuing a report on the DRC and the Great Lakes region which "will outline my proposal for a new comprehensive approach to addressing the underlying causes of the conflict".

This would include "a strengthened political and security role" for the UN mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), "including the deployment of an intervention brigade with a peace enforcement mandate".

A summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), held in December in Dar es Salaam, decided to provide 4,000 troops for a Neutral International Force (NIF) that will operate in the eastern DRC.

Prior to the Mozambican announcement, pledges of troops were made by Malawi, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania. It is estimated the NIF will cost the SADC region around 100 million US dollars.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/congo-rebel-group-splits-over-firing-president

CONGO REBEL GROUP SPLITS OVER FIRING OF PRESIDENT

By MELANIE GOUBY

— Feb. 28 9:29 AM EST

You are here

Home » Democratic Republic of the Congo » Congo rebel group splits over firing of president

• 
   

  FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2012 file photo, M23 rebels withdraw from the eastern Congo town of Goma. Eleven African countries signed a United Nations-drafted peace deal on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, to stabilize the troubled Central African country of Congo, where rebels allegedly backed by neighboring countries last year threatened to oust the government. Congo's neighbors collectively promised not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Congo or to tolerate or support armed groups. A U.N. report last year said that Rwanda and Uganda helped aid M23 rebels inside Congo. The two countries denied the allegations. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

• 
   

  FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2012 file photo, M23 rebels sit in a vehicle as they withdraw from the eastern Congo town of Goma. Eleven African countries signed a United Nations-drafted peace deal on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, to stabilize the troubled Central African country of Congo, where rebels allegedly backed by neighboring countries last year threatened to oust the government. Congo's neighbors collectively promised not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Congo or to tolerate or support armed groups. A U.N. report last year said that Rwanda and Uganda helped aid M23 rebels inside Congo. The two countries denied the allegations.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

• 
   

  FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2012 file photo, Jean-Marie Runiga, then president of Congo's M23 rebel group, poses for a portrait at his hideout near the Congo-Uganda border town of Bunagana. A spokesman said Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, that Runiga has been dismissed by the group's military leader over accusations that he is supporting Bosco Ntaganda, a wanted war criminal. The move has split the M23 as a new group has been formed by those who still support Runiga, including Gen. Baudoin Ngaruye, the second-ranked military leader of the group. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

• 
   

  FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2012 file photo, Jean-Marie Runiga, center, then president of Congo's M23 rebel group, walks with his security guards near the Congo-Uganda border town of Bunagana. A spokesman said Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, that Runiga has been dismissed by the group's military leader over accusations that he is supporting Bosco Ntaganda, a wanted war criminal. The move has split the M23 as a new group has been formed by those who still support Runiga, including Gen. Baudoin Ngaruye, the second-ranked military leader of the group. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

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• 1 of 4
 
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GOMA, Congo (AP) — The president of the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo has been dismissed by the group's military leader over accusations that he is supporting Bosco Ntaganda, a wanted war criminal, said a spokesperson of the M23 Thursday.

"Jean-Marie Runiga gave Bosco Ntaganda financial support to recruit military personnel. He has also been compromising the peace process in order to protect Ntaganda. We say it is not acceptable and General Sultani Makenga dismissed him yesterday," said Bertrand Bisimwa, an M23 spokesman.

The move has split the M23 as a new group has been formed by those who still support Runiga, including Gen. Baudoin Ngaruye, the second-ranked military leader of the group.

"President Runiga was not dismissed, it was a unilateral decision made by Makenga," said Col. Seraphin Mirindi, who has been appointed spokesperson of the new M23 faction. "The army supports President Runiga and we do not want to follow Makenga who is conniving with the government in Kinshasa to destabilize us."

Runiga and Gen. Ngaruye in are presently in Kibumba, 12 kilometers (7 miles) from Goma airport, while Makenga is in Tchanzu, near the Ugandan border, said Mirindi. Ngaruye controls an estimated 2,000 men, twice as many as Makenga, said Mirindi.

The M23, which is allegedly backed by Rwanda, seized eastern Congo's strategic city of Goma in November 2012. The rebels withdrew from the capital of North Kivu a few weeks later after the Congolese government agreed to negotiate with them. However the rebels kept their positions just outside Goma, within 2 kilometers (1 mile) of the city's airport which is guarded by United Nations peacekeepers.

The M23 has fought against the Kinshasa government of President Joseph Kabila for nearly a year. The M23 is made up of soldiers and officers who defected from the Congolese army, complaining that the government did not implement the terms of a peace accord signed on March 23, 2009. The rebels take their name from the date of that agreements.

Tensions between the two M23 factions began when Gen. Makenga took the decision to withdraw the M23 troops from Goma after it conquered the city in November. While Makenga wanted to start negotiations with the government, President Jean-Marie Runiga wanted the M23 to keep control of Goma.

On Sunday, the feud deepened as fighting erupted in Rutshuru, the M23 stronghold, when an M23 major was assassinated in a local bar. Although the M23 officially said that the FDLR, a Hutu armed group, was responsible for the attack, other sources say the shooting was the result of an M23 internal dispute that degenerated into a firefight.

Col. Vianney Kazarama, a supporter of Makenga, said that Bosco Ntaganda is in Kibumba as well. "We are looking for a way to arrest him, he is a war criminal, and we ask for the international community's support," he said.

Col. Mirindi denied that Bosco Ntaganda is in Kimbuba.

Bosco Ntaganda is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The United States government recently placed a bounty of 5 million dollars for capturing him alive, according to diplomatic sources. Since its creation, the M23 has officially denied having Ntaganda in it ranks.

Makenga's faction appeared eager to assert its wish to resume negotiations with the Congolese government.

"Now we can peacefully go on with the negotiations since we are got rid of the person who was compromising them," said M23 spokesman Bertrand Bisimwa, speaking on the phone from Kampala where the negotiations are being held.

Runiga's faction on the other hand, appeared to be getting ready to fight again.

"If the Congolese army keeps on trying to occupy M23 positions, we will attack back and we will chase them as far as is necessary," said Col. Seraphin Mirindi.

Few government troops came back to Goma after the M23 left the town, leaving the city vulnerable to a return of the M23, despite the U.N. presence. The U.N. peacekeeping force, known as MONUSCO, has a limited mandate which only allows the peacekeepers to fight alongside the Congolese army or in the event of a direct physical threat on the population.

On Sunday, the 11 central Africa leaders and the U.N. signed an agreement to try to establish peace in eastern Congo. But the agreement had few concrete details on how this would be achieved.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/congo-rebel-group-splits-over-firing-president

CONGO REBEL GROUP SPLITS OVER FIRING OF PRESIDENT

By MELANIE GOUBY

— Feb. 28 9:29 AM EST

You are here

Home » Democratic Republic of the Congo » Congo rebel group splits over firing of president

• 
   

  FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2012 file photo, M23 rebels withdraw from the eastern Congo town of Goma. Eleven African countries signed a United Nations-drafted peace deal on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, to stabilize the troubled Central African country of Congo, where rebels allegedly backed by neighboring countries last year threatened to oust the government. Congo's neighbors collectively promised not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Congo or to tolerate or support armed groups. A U.N. report last year said that Rwanda and Uganda helped aid M23 rebels inside Congo. The two countries denied the allegations. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

• 
   

  FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2012 file photo, M23 rebels sit in a vehicle as they withdraw from the eastern Congo town of Goma. Eleven African countries signed a United Nations-drafted peace deal on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, to stabilize the troubled Central African country of Congo, where rebels allegedly backed by neighboring countries last year threatened to oust the government. Congo's neighbors collectively promised not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Congo or to tolerate or support armed groups. A U.N. report last year said that Rwanda and Uganda helped aid M23 rebels inside Congo. The two countries denied the allegations.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

• 
   

  FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2012 file photo, Jean-Marie Runiga, then president of Congo's M23 rebel group, poses for a portrait at his hideout near the Congo-Uganda border town of Bunagana. A spokesman said Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, that Runiga has been dismissed by the group's military leader over accusations that he is supporting Bosco Ntaganda, a wanted war criminal. The move has split the M23 as a new group has been formed by those who still support Runiga, including Gen. Baudoin Ngaruye, the second-ranked military leader of the group. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

• 
   

  FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2012 file photo, Jean-Marie Runiga, center, then president of Congo's M23 rebel group, walks with his security guards near the Congo-Uganda border town of Bunagana. A spokesman said Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, that Runiga has been dismissed by the group's military leader over accusations that he is supporting Bosco Ntaganda, a wanted war criminal. The move has split the M23 as a new group has been formed by those who still support Runiga, including Gen. Baudoin Ngaruye, the second-ranked military leader of the group. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

• Prev
 
• 1 of 4
 
• Next

GOMA, Congo (AP) — The president of the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo has been dismissed by the group's military leader over accusations that he is supporting Bosco Ntaganda, a wanted war criminal, said a spokesperson of the M23 Thursday.

"Jean-Marie Runiga gave Bosco Ntaganda financial support to recruit military personnel. He has also been compromising the peace process in order to protect Ntaganda. We say it is not acceptable and General Sultani Makenga dismissed him yesterday," said Bertrand Bisimwa, an M23 spokesman.

The move has split the M23 as a new group has been formed by those who still support Runiga, including Gen. Baudoin Ngaruye, the second-ranked military leader of the group.

"President Runiga was not dismissed, it was a unilateral decision made by Makenga," said Col. Seraphin Mirindi, who has been appointed spokesperson of the new M23 faction. "The army supports President Runiga and we do not want to follow Makenga who is conniving with the government in Kinshasa to destabilize us."

Runiga and Gen. Ngaruye in are presently in Kibumba, 12 kilometers (7 miles) from Goma airport, while Makenga is in Tchanzu, near the Ugandan border, said Mirindi. Ngaruye controls an estimated 2,000 men, twice as many as Makenga, said Mirindi.

The M23, which is allegedly backed by Rwanda, seized eastern Congo's strategic city of Goma in November 2012. The rebels withdrew from the capital of North Kivu a few weeks later after the Congolese government agreed to negotiate with them. However the rebels kept their positions just outside Goma, within 2 kilometers (1 mile) of the city's airport which is guarded by United Nations peacekeepers.

The M23 has fought against the Kinshasa government of President Joseph Kabila for nearly a year. The M23 is made up of soldiers and officers who defected from the Congolese army, complaining that the government did not implement the terms of a peace accord signed on March 23, 2009. The rebels take their name from the date of that agreements.

Tensions between the two M23 factions began when Gen. Makenga took the decision to withdraw the M23 troops from Goma after it conquered the city in November. While Makenga wanted to start negotiations with the government, President Jean-Marie Runiga wanted the M23 to keep control of Goma.

On Sunday, the feud deepened as fighting erupted in Rutshuru, the M23 stronghold, when an M23 major was assassinated in a local bar. Although the M23 officially said that the FDLR, a Hutu armed group, was responsible for the attack, other sources say the shooting was the result of an M23 internal dispute that degenerated into a firefight.

Col. Vianney Kazarama, a supporter of Makenga, said that Bosco Ntaganda is in Kibumba as well. "We are looking for a way to arrest him, he is a war criminal, and we ask for the international community's support," he said.

Col. Mirindi denied that Bosco Ntaganda is in Kimbuba.

Bosco Ntaganda is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The United States government recently placed a bounty of 5 million dollars for capturing him alive, according to diplomatic sources. Since its creation, the M23 has officially denied having Ntaganda in it ranks.

Makenga's faction appeared eager to assert its wish to resume negotiations with the Congolese government.

"Now we can peacefully go on with the negotiations since we are got rid of the person who was compromising them," said M23 spokesman Bertrand Bisimwa, speaking on the phone from Kampala where the negotiations are being held.

Runiga's faction on the other hand, appeared to be getting ready to fight again.

"If the Congolese army keeps on trying to occupy M23 positions, we will attack back and we will chase them as far as is necessary," said Col. Seraphin Mirindi.

Few government troops came back to Goma after the M23 left the town, leaving the city vulnerable to a return of the M23, despite the U.N. presence. The U.N. peacekeeping force, known as MONUSCO, has a limited mandate which only allows the peacekeepers to fight alongside the Congolese army or in the event of a direct physical threat on the population.

On Sunday, the 11 central Africa leaders and the U.N. signed an agreement to try to establish peace in eastern Congo. But the agreement had few concrete details on how this would be achieved.