DR Congo: UN to probe claims of rape by DR Congo army, rebels

DR Congo:
UN to probe claims of rape by DR Congo army, rebels

AFP, Kinshasa -
The United Nations said Wednesday it would investigate dozens of claims of rape by army officers and rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. (AFP)

The United Nations said Wednesday it would investigate dozens of claims of rape by army officers and rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The UN’s mission in the country, Monusco, said that 126 cases of rape were recorded between November 15 and 30 last year in and around Minova, in the restive eastern province of South Kivu.

Monusco will lead “an inquiry into rights violations by the army and the M23” rebel movement, spokesman Madnodje Mounoubai said Wednesday.

He said the UN would “support judicial investigation” into the violence and push “Congolese authorities at the highest level to take appropriate action and ensure justice is done”.

The rapes were reportedly carried out as the army retreated from an assault by the M23 rebels on the regional hub of Goma. Widespread pillaging was also reported around Minova.

The launch of the investigation comes as a separate UN report into rights violations in the resource-rich east -- home to a number of armed groups -- nears completion.

Its damning content has already led DR Congo’s military to suspend 12 officers, who could face charges, said Kieran Dwyer, spokesman for the UN’s peacekeeping operations unit.

Earlier this month, the UN and DR Congo signed an accord aimed at reducing rape and sexual violence in conflict zones.

It includes providing help to victims of sexual violence and reinforcing specialized police units that deal with protecting women and children.

Rape is widespread in DR Congo, with perpetrators including Congolese and foreign rebel groups, but also the national armed forces, which have been much criticized for their brutality against civilians and corruption.

South Africa: S.Africa announces troops for troubled DR Congo

South Africa:
S.Africa announces troops for troubled DR Congo

President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday extended the deployment of 1,345 troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo where South Africa will form part of a first-ever offensive United Nations peacekeeping brigade.

The fresh deployment comes after Zuma faced public anger over the dispatch of troops to the Central African Republic, where rebel clashes killed 13 soldiers last month.

The deaths were South Africa's heaviest military loss since apartheid and mired in claims of dodgy deals with ousted president Francois Bozize. Zuma later pulled all troops out of the country.

Zuma's office said parliament had been informed about the new operation.

The soldiers already served as part of the UN's peacekeeping operation for a year, which ended in March, and "will continue in this mission" until the end of April 2014, Zuma's office said.

South African troops are set to form part of a new intervention brigade to battle rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Defence force spokesman Brigadier General Xolani Mabanga said South Africa would contribute one battalion to the new force, which will also comprise troops from Malawi and Tanzania.

"The government of South Africa is going to contribute troops to form part of the intervention force," he told AFP.

But neither he nor Zuma specified whether these troops would be drawn from the current mission in DR Congo or if they would be part of a new deployment.

"As soon as United Nations establishments are ready to assemble the forces... the three contributing countries are ready to provide the forces," he added.

The UN security council last month decided that the brigade will be included within the current UN mission's troop ceiling of 19,815.

The new force will be tasked with carrying out targeted offensive operations to neutralise and disarm rebel groups, a first for a peacekeeping mission.

South Africa has had troops in the DR Congo, a country gripped by conflict for more than two decades, since 1998.

"We are very proud of them and their contribution to African renewal and development," said Zuma.

The South African leader also announced the extension of a mission of 850 soldiers in Darfur, Sudan.

jg/sk/vjf
Source of News: http://www.globalpost.com

Rwanda: Sky Is the Limit - Rwandair Looks Ahead As New Aircraft Lands

Rwanda: 
Sky Is the Limit - Rwandair Looks Ahead As New Aircraft Lands

BY FRANK KANYESIGYE, 17 APRIL 2013


RwandAir has revealed intentions to extend its flights to Europe and far ends in the Middle East, after acquiring Boeing 737-700 Next Generation (NG) aircraft which has a long range compared to already existing airplanes.

The aircraft, that landed yesterday at Kigali International Airport (KIA) from Germany, and was received by senior government officials as well as aviation officials, will replace the existing Boeing 737-500.

RwandAir expects the arrival of another Boeing 737-700 NG next month.

Speaking to The New Times at the event to receive the new airplane, John Mirenge, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RwandAir said the newly acquired aircrafts will replace the existing older version of the Boeing.

"The Boeing 737-700 NG is in the same range of the ones we acquired last year but the difference is that, it is slightly smaller compared to Boeing 737-800 NG. It is a 120 seater compared to the 154 seats of the 800 NG, but the other features are the same including the engine properties and the cabin," he said.

Mirenge added that, the aircraft has a long range and can fly direct to south Europe without any stop over compared to the big 800 NG series.

RwandAir now boasts four Boeing Next Generation series and the institution is optimistic to move to greater heights in aviation industry.

New destinations:

The Boeing 737-700 has 12 business class seats and 108 seats in the economy class and has 28 more seats compared to the existing 737-500.

"It gives a better feeling and comfort to passengers, has entertainment options with bigger capacity."

The CEO said that they are looking forward to acquiring new aircrafts next year that will replace the ones operating Bujumbura, Entebbe and Kamembe routes.

"The Boeing NG has boosted our operations because we are able to fly to Dubai on schedule and carry more people and baggage. It has moved us to the another level, we should now be aspiring to fly to Europe and far in the Middle East," said Mirenge.

In addition, RwandAir plans to open new destinations to Accra, Ghana and Douala in Cameroon in the next few months, which would become the national flag carrier's fourteenth and fifteenth destinations respectively.

Professor Silas Lwakabamba, the Minister of Infrastructure, said the Kigali International Airport is being expanded to handle more aircrafts.

"We are getting more airlines opening routes to Rwanda that is why we expanding KIA. We are also looking at building an international airport at Bugesera Airport in the near future," he said.

Lwakabamba commended RwandAir for registering growth in the short period of time.
Source of News:  http://allafrica.com

SOMALIA: PM asks Burundi government to assist stabilization

SOMALIA: 
PM asks Burundi government to assist stabilization
Bujumbura (RBC) Somalia prime minister Abdi Farah Shirdon has asked the Burundi government to assist his country on the security and stabilizing the liberated regions in Somalia, RBC Radio reports.

Prime minister Shirdon made the appeal during his first official visit to Burundi this week.

“Burundi is a key player in the securing Somalia and eliminating extremists in the country, and the call from the prime minister comes in a very important moment.” Somalia’s new ambassador to Burundi, Abshir Hassan Abshir told local media on Sunday.

“The president of Burundi made clear his willingness to stand aside by the Somali people and its new government in order to build new and safe Somalia.” the ambassador mentioned.

Speaking ti the media shortly after the meeting with the Burundi president, Somalia prime minister said that his country needs strong support to speed up the fight against terrorism and free the Somali people altogether from Al Shabaab.

“We are on the verge of defeating them completely.” he added.

Somalia prime minister has on Sunday reached Nairobi, the capital of Kenya on his way back to the country after wrapping up two weeks regional tour to the eastern Africa nations.

RBC Radio
Source of News: http://www.raxanreeb.com

Iran calls for enhanced ties with Burundi

Iran calls for enhanced ties with Burundi


Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for enhanced collaboration between the Islamic Republic and the African state of Burundi.

In a Tuesday meeting with visiting Burundian President Pierre NKurunziza and his accompanying delegation in Tehran, President Ahmadinejad described the visit by his counterpart from Burundi as a major step toward the development of friendly ties between the two nations.

Emphasizing that there are many grounds for the expansion of bilateral relations between Iran and Burundi, the Iranian president added that the two countries can closely cooperate in the fields of agriculture, industry, trade, education, health, culture and politics.

Ahmadinejad noted that Iran and Burundi can have effective cooperation with the establishment of a just world order.

Iran’s chief executive also noted that, in terms of culture and political principles, the Islamic Republic and Burundi belong to the same front.

For his part, the Burundian president pointed to the steady expansion of ties between his country and Iran in recent years and said the presence of him and the accompanying delegation in Tehran reflects the solidification of mutual cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

President NKurunziza also stated that Burundi was determined to expand the level of its ‘constructive ties’ with the Islamic Republic in all fields.

MFB/HSN/HJL
Source of News: http://www.presstv.ir

Foreigners watch as Kenya’s KCB banks profit in Burundi

Foreigners watch as Kenya’s KCB banks profit in Burundi

April 15 2013 at 08:00am
By Reuters
REUTERS
Standard Chartered Africa CEO Diana Layfield speaks at the 2013 Reuters Africa Investment Summit in Johannesburg, April 9, 2013. Standard Chartered has opened two new branches in South Africa to target Cape Town and Durban-based companies looking to expand across the continent, its chief executive for Africa said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings (SOUTH AFRICA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS HEADSHOT)


Helen Nyambura-Mwaura
It took Kenyan lender KCB Group less than a year to break even after opening in tiny Burundi, a country better known for explosive violence than explosive growth.

KCB’s success highlights the hunger for financial services that the biggest local banks are turning regional to tap.

Stretching beyond home markets, they are morphing into formidable competition for established international lenders – and becoming potential acquisition targets for outsiders seeking a foothold on the fast-growing continent.

“It’s an incredibly exciting phase,” said Diana Layfield, Standard Chartered’s chief executive for Africa, where the global bank has worked for more than 150 years.

“What you have seen, particularly in some of the newer local regional banks, is an ability to serve emerging mass market consumers where other financial institutions haven’t necessarily been able to cover effectively,” she told the Reuters Africa Investment Summit last week.

Despite being in Africa for so long, foreign headquartered banks such as Standard Chartered and Barclays have tended to focus on businesses and the wealthiest. African banks are seeing more opportunities at the lower end of the market. Innovations such as cellphone banking offer them the chance of getting access to more people more quickly than ever.

KCB opened in Burundi last year, bringing the number of its east African operations to six. Equity Bank, its bigger rival by market capitalisation, is in five countries and is also eyeing southern Africa.

On the opposite side of the continent, Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank announced plans last week to make acquisitions in three east African countries. The $4.4 billion (R39.4bn) bank already has six operations outside its home market.

South Africa’s Big Four banks are also building up to the north. The biggest, Standard Bank, operates in 18 African countries.

While there is an average of pretty much one deposit account for every South African, according to the latest World Bank data, that falls to fewer than 220 accounts per thousand people in Burundi, a 2012 survey showed.

Growth can be dramatic. Between 2006 and 2009, the number of accounts in Burundi’s neighbour, Rwanda, grew more than twentyfold.

Present in the largest number of countries is Togo-based Ecobank Transnational, a $1.6bn lender with branches in 32 nations. It was that wide presence which drew South Africa’s state pension fund manager, the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), to pay $250 million for a stake of nearly 20 percent in 2012.

“It’s African pride to be able to start an African institution from scratch and grow it to compete with large global entities,” said Elias Masilela, the PIC’s chief executive. – Reuters
Source of News: http://www.iol.co.za

Rwanda Plans Debut Bond Sale of $400 Million to Lift Economy


Rwanda Plans Debut Bond Sale of $400 Million to Lift Economy
Rwanda said it plans to raise $400 million in a debut sale of Eurobonds as the East African country seeks to accelerate economic growth.
The government appointed BNP Paribas SA and Citigroup Inc. as lead managers for the 10-year bond offering, Finance Minister Claver Gatete said in mobile-phone text messages today. The banks will arrange investor meetings in Asia, Europe and the U.S. starting Thursday, central bank Governor John Rwangombwa said in comments posted on Twitter.
President Paul Kagame
Less than two decades since a genocide cost the lives of more than 800,000 Rwandans, President Paul Kagame has vowed to pull citizens out of poverty by transforming the land-locked tea- and coffee growing nation into a middle-income economy by 2020 by developing infrastructure such as transport links and energy supplies, and promoting regional integration. Photographer: Mark Elias/Bloomberg
“There will be strong interest” from investors that don’t track benchmark emerging-market indexes, Stuart Culverhouse, chief economist at investment bank Exotix Ltd., said by phone from London. It “will give them a bit of a yield pick up,” he said.
Less than 20 years after a genocide that killed about 800,000 Rwandans, President Paul Kagame is boosting transport links and energy supplies and promoting regional trade to lift the land-locked tea- and coffee-growing nation into a middle- income economy by 2020. Rwanda’s economy will expand by 8 percent this year, Kagame said in an interview last month, from 7.4 percent in 2011. That’s almost double the 4.2 percent forecast by the International Monetary Fund for neighboring Burundi and Uganda.

Privatization Push

Rwanda will use $200 million to repay loans on the Kigali Convention Centre and a development plan for RwandAir (0118669D), the national carrier, according to a copy of the prospectus obtained by Bloomberg News. Another $150 million will be spent completing the center and $50 million on a hydropower plant, according to the prospectus.
The government is also planning to sell stakes in 13 state- owned companies focusing on agriculture, services, transport, banking and insurance industries by the end of the fiscal year of 2014 to 2015, raising about 10 billion Rwandan francs ($15.7 million), according to the prospectus.
Rwanda is rated B with a stable outlook by both Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings, five levels below investment grade at both companies. The nation’s inflation rate may accelerate to 7.5 percent by the end of the year, IMF said in a statement today, after easing to 3.25 percent last month from 4.79 percent in February, according to Rwanda’s statistics agency.
Kagame, who has been president since 2000, said last month in an interview in Miami that the government was planning to sell about 350 million euros ($457 million) in debt before the end of the fiscal year.

Bigger Offering

With Rwanda’s rating the bonds may be priced to yield 7 percent to 8 percent, said Exotix’s Culverhouse. Zambia, which is rated one level higher at B+ by S&P and Fitch, yields 5.4 percent on its $750 million of dollar bonds due September 2022, which it sold in September, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
“It’s a shame it’s not a benchmark size,” Culverhouse said, referring to the $500 million cut-off needed to include the bonds in emerging market indexes compiled by JPMorgan Chase & Co. “Obviously they’d be paying more for a slightly bigger issue, but maybe the incremental cost of going from $400 million to $500 million would be offset if it was in the benchmark.”
Rwanda is joining other East African countries looking to sell their first Eurobonds this year.Kenya, the region’s largest economy, plans a sovereign bond by September, raising as much as $1 billion, Finance Minister Robinson Githae said last month. Tanzania, East Africa’s second-biggest economy, in February enlisted Citigroup to help prepare for a credit rating before issuing a maiden Eurobond by year-end.
To contact the reporters on this story: Lyubov Pronina in London at lpronina@bloomberg.net; Chris Kay in Abuja at ckay5@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Vernon Wessels at vwessels@bloomberg.net; Gavin Serkin at gserkin@bloomberg.net

Suspicious Letter Addressed to US President Obama

Obama Suspicious Letter

Today at midday, Eastern Standard Time, Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary, has confirmed in the media conference that a letter has been intercepted at mail centre outside of the White House. Mr. Carney said that the letter contained powder that is suspected to be poison.

Jay said that preliminary tests have been conducted by the FBI and the results tested positive of poisonous substance. This substance is believed to be ricin.

Asked if there is any connection to the incident of Boston Bombing, Jay said that there is no indication that connects the suspicious letter to the Boston Bombing.

As for the connection between this letter addressed to the President Obama and the letter that was address to the Michigan Senator few days ago, Jay said that he has no information that puts these two incidents together. He said that so far there is no connection established between these two incidents other than there are all mails and are believed to contain poisonous substance.

During the Press Conference, Jay Carney was asked on the Boston Bombing incident, and he said that president is following close on this matter. He said that the US PResident has been briefed on the incident in Boston. He also said that

Jay Carney, The White House Press Secretary, also said that the US President has made it clear that whoever is responsible for the Boston bombing will be held responsible and he said that now the matter are in the hands of the FBI.

During this Press Conference, Jay Carney, seemed to be very reserved in providing answers to some of questions related to updates on the on-going investigation on the Boston Bombing and the Suspicious Letters respectively addressed to Republican Senator of Michigan and the US President.

Also, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is not making any connection itself between the bombing and the letters.

It should be remembered that after the 9/11 bombing, there following a series of poisonous letters addressed to officials in Washington. This is what is making people very concerned in these days of crises on the US soil.
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