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Kagame appoints son into board of Rwanda’s investment agency

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Kagame appoints son into board of Rwanda’s investment agency

A son of President Paul Kagame has been appointed to the board of the Rwanda Development Board, RDB. 30-year-old Ivan Kagame is the eldest son of his parents. The Kagames have four children – three sons and a daughter.

The RDB is government machinery tasked with fast tracking the country’s economic development by enabling private sector growth. The US-educated Ivan joins as one of four new members announced by the Prime Minister’s office earlier this week.

In welcoming the new members, the board wrote about the young Kagame “Ivan Kagame is a partner at a Venture Capital fund, and co-founder of a leading energy company.

“Ivan brings a diverse skill set and vast experience in investment advisory services, entrepreneurship and investments management both in Africa and the USA. He holds a Bsc in Economics from Pace university and an MBA from the Marshall School at the University of Southern California.”

The other new members were: Solange Uwituze, Eric Kacou and Liban Soleman Abdi. They join a board currently headed by Itzhak Fisher with vice chair Evelyn Kamagaju, a former Auditor General of Rwanda. Diane Karususi, Faith Keza and Alice Nkulikiyinka complete the list of serving members.

RDB is behind high-profile sponsorship deals with English Premier League side Arsenal and French side Paris Saint-Germain – both deals under the “Visit Rwanda” label is to promote tourism in the East African nation.

RDB’s website describes its mission: “To transform Rwanda into a dynamic global hub for business, investment, and innovation.”

It pools all the government agencies responsible for the entire investor experience under one roof. It reports directly to the president and is guided by a board that includes all relevant sector ministers.

It is modeled on international best practice examples of Singapore and Costa Rica. It has advisory and hands-on support from global entrepreneurs and experts from Singapore Development Board, World Bank, IFC and the Office of Tony Blair.

Armed Banditry: NAF Deploys Special Forces, Additional Platforms to Boost Operations in Katsina

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Armed Banditry: NAF Deploys Special Forces, Additional Platforms to Boost Operations in Katsina

In furtherance of President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive on the launch of a major crackdown against bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements in Katsina and other States in the North West of the Country, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) today, 22 May 2020, injected Special Forces (SF) operatives and deployed additional platforms to Kastina State.

The arrangement according to Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, is to consolidate on the already existing security architecture in the State in order to ensure the success of the ongoing renewed offensive against the armed bandits under the auspices of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ)-led Operation HADARIN DAJI.

In his address during the deployment, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, represented by the Air Officer Commanding Special Operations Command (AOC SOC), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Charles Ohwo, stated that the deployment was informed by the need to quickly add value to the current effort by all security agencies to decisively deal with acts of banditry and criminality in Katsina State and the entire Northwestern Nigeria.

He disclosed that precursor air operations that commenced 2 days ago had already yielded positive results with some armed bandits’ camps destroyed, thereby further degrading the fighting capability of the criminals. He said the deployment of the additional SF operatives would complement the successes so far recorded to ensure the activities of bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers and other criminal elements are curtailed.

Speaking further, the representative of the CAS assured the good people of Kastina State that the NAF, working in synergy with sister Services and other security agencies, would continue to do its utmost to ensure a return to normalcy in the area.

He also thanked the Executive Governor of the State, Governor Aminu Bello Masari, for his support and encouragement towards ensuring the success of the Operation. AVM Ohwo charged the troops to continue to uphold the NAF’s core values of ‘Integrity’, ‘Service before Self’, and ‘Excellence’ as they carry out their assigned tasks.

The Katsina deployment is coming just few days after the NAF had deployed SFs and Combat Search and Rescue operatives to Nasarawa and Plateau States.

Saudi Arabia, UAE mosques to be closed for Eid prayers – Officials

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Saudi Arabia, UAE mosques to be closed for Eid prayers – Officials

Mosques will remain closed for prayers on the Eid-Ul-Fitr festival, Saudi and United Arab Emirates officials said Friday.

They asked the population to adhere to safety guidelines to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The Eid, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, may come up today or tomorrow in the Gulf region.

The Saudi Press Agency said the Islamic Affairs Minister, Abdullatif al-Sheikh, gave instructions not to have Eid prayers in mosques.

“Muslims will hold the Eid prayer at home because of the pandemic,” it quoted Sheikh Abdul Bari al-Thubaiti, the prayer leader, of the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, as saying.

During Ramadan, prayers without worshippers were held by Imams in the two holy mosques of Mecca and Medina, in the west of the kingdom.

In the UAE, the Dubai government’s media office said on Twitter that mosques will remain closed and listed a series of Eid customs that should not be observed, including family visits and giving gifts or money to children.

We didn’t detain COVID-19 patients, National Hospital management reacts

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We didn’t detain COVID-19 patients, National Hospital management reacts

The National Hospital Abuja has reacted to reports that a COVID-19 patient has been detained in the hospital.

Mr Tayo Haastrup, Deputy Director and Head of Information and Protocol for the hospital, in a statement in Abuja, described the reports as false.

Haastrup said that more than 35 patients were admitted at various times and 27 of them had been discharged successfully.

According to him, the only patient, who refused treatment, stayed beyond 45 days.

“All our patients were discharged within three weeks of admission, following treatment with their full cooperation and in line with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) protocol on case management.

“We want to make it clear to the public that no patient is being detained in the hospital,’’ the statement read in part.

Haastrup said that in complaince with the review of protocol for isolation with the Ministry of Health and NCDC, patients who remained asymptomatic beyond 45 days, could be allowed to go home on self-isolation.

He said that with such review, a repeat test could be done after five to 10 days, to confirm if the patient has become negative.

He noted that the hospital would continue to support the government in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Haastrup also advised Nigerians to obey health guidelines by the National Committee on COVID-19 to curb the spread of coronavirus.

NCDC set to discharge COVID-19 patients without confirmation tests

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NCDC set to discharge COVID-19 patients without confirmation tests

Overwhelmed with the rising number of COVID-19 positive cases, the Nigerian government has said it was pondering on discharging patients earlier than their required treatment and isolation period at the different centres, even if they were still positive.

The Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, disclosed this in Abuja.

The decision, he said, ”follows the realisation that the country’s isolation and treatment centres have become overwhelmed by the number of persons requiring institutional isolation and treatment.

According to Ihekweazu, in a bid to decongest isolation centres, the Centre has begun testing people for COVID-19 only once as against its earlier stance on second testing before discharge.

”Up till now, we have kept patients in care or advised that patients be kept in care until they turn out to be negative on the test that we are using the PCR tests. New evidence is emerging that even when the test is still positive, in certain circumstances, after that patient have been in care for a certain amount of time.

“It is possible and safe to discharge that patient to home isolation. So we are looking at the evidence and we might change our guidelines over time. I am sharing this so that we start preparing ourselves for some changes and the directions of how we are planning to go,” Ihekweazu said.

Expantiating on the discharge criteria, the centre for disease control boss said this has changed from two tests, 24 to 48 hours apart, to a single negative test.
“Of course, there will be some exceptions, but in most cases when they test negative the first time, the second test is also negative. Given the pressure we have on bed spaces especially in Lagos, Kano, and the FCT, we made a pragmatic decision to move to one negative test sufficient to discharge people.
“There will always be exceptions where it is not appropriate and of course it is dependent on your being clinically cleared of symptoms. So, if you are still symptomatic, then, this does not apply to you,” Ihekweazu said.

Breaking: PIA flight A320 crashes in Karachi killing 80

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Breaking: PIA flight A320 crashes in Karachi killing 80

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane crashed near the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on Friday, one minute before landing, according to CAA sources.

As per CAA sources, PIA Airbus A320 from Lahore was about to land in Karachi when it crashed at the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir.

CAA sources said that its communication with the plane one minute before its landing was cut off. It is estimated that 91 passengers were aboard the flight, 85 in economy class while six were in business class.

The Pakistan Army Quick Reaction Force & Pakistan Rangers Sindh troops arrived at thecrash site shortly to assist the civil administration in relief and rescue efforts.

Several homes were damaged in the area where the plane crashed.

Eid-el-Fitr/COVID-19: FRSC Deploys Massive Personnel, Emphasizes on Inter-Agency Collaboration

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Eid-el-Fitr/COVID-19: FRSC Deploys Massive Personnel, Emphasizes on Inter-Agency Collaboration

Following the imperatives of achieving a crash and hitch free 2020 Sallah celebration, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi has approved massive deployment of personnel, directed Commanding Officers to collaborate with COVID-19 Task Force teams and security agencies across the country to ensure maximum compliance with established laws and orders and all directives on physical distancing, compulsory use of face mask and restrictions of movement across states. The special patrol is to commence from 22 May, to 30 May, 2020.

According to Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, the directives of the Corps Marshal was contained in an administrative instruction released to field Commands where the Corps Marshal maintained that massive deployment of personnel to ensure free flow of traffic, prompt removal of obstructions and timely rescue services in the event of any road traffic crash is critical to the realisation of a safe motoring environment during the season and beyond.

The Corps Marshal outlined the modus operandi for a successful 2020 Eid-el-fitri celebration and gave Commanding Officers matching order to enforce without compromise all established laws and orders on safe road use.

While charging them on the need to give maximum effect to Presidential Orders, Oyeyemi revealed that the objectives of the special patrol is to achieve among others, the following;
a. Compliance with protocol and guidelines set up by the various states with respect to COVID-19
b. Ensure that the Presidential Orders on interstate travels and restrictions ate diligently enforced with all sense of professionalism and civility
c. Curtail the occurrence of Road Traffic Crashes within the period and provide prompt rescue services
d. Ensure full deployment of patrol vehicles, ambulances, tow trucks, bikes and other patrol equipment
e. Collaborate with security agencies, ensure effective traffic management, increased visibility on the highways, and strict enforcement of overloading and physical distancing amongst commuter.

He warned that the special patrol was necessitated by the upsurge in traffic volume and the rise in COVID-19 cases Nationwide. The strategies deployed are anchored on achieving a decline in transmission of the virus amongst commuters and the need to mitigate the attendant risks of road traffic crashes.

As such, the Corps Marshal further instructed Commanding Officers to apprehend any vehicle caught in the act of overloading of vehicles in both persons and goods. The offenders are to be tried in already established mobile courts across the federation.

He therefore called on all Nigerians to be at alert, cautious and imbibe all safety ideals before, during and after the celebration.

Malawi’s election boss resigns amid controversies

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Malawi’s election boss resigns amid controversies

Chairperson of Malawi’s electoral body resigned her position in what is the latest twist of an upcoming election rerun in the southern African country.

Jane Ansah’s Malawi Electoral Commission, MEC; suffered credibility crisis earlier this year when a court annulled May 2019 elections that won incumbent Peter Mutharika re-election.

The Constitutional Court ruled that opposition petitioners had proven that there were widespread irregularities in the poll. Her resignation further adds to “the uncertainty in the run up to fresh presidential elections whose date is not clear at the moment,” the privately-owned Nation newspaper said.

She had been the subject of dogged protests by a civil society group, the Human Rights Defenders Coalition that held protests between July 2019 and January 2020 calling for Ansah and other MEC commissioners to resign.

Malawi currently has to sort out the processing of ballots and setting of an election date all within 42 days to the final countdown set by the court to hold fresh polls. The court had ordered that the rerun be held in 150 days of their ruling back in February.

A parliamentary committee had asked the president to fire Ansah and the MEC top brass but Mutharika refused with the reason that he had not seen any grave breach on their parts.

The incumbent went to the Supreme Court to challenge the annulment of the his re-election but was unsuccessful. His veep Saulos Chilima who he unconstitutionally sacked is now running mate to main opposition candidate Lazarus Chakwera.

Nigerian troops have killed, fatally injured 762 Boko Haram terrorists, centre says in report

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Nigerian troops have killed, fatally injured 762 Boko Haram terrorists, centre says in report

A report by the Institute for Peace and Counter-Terrorism Studies (IPCTS) has revealed how the Nigerian military killed and injured over 762 Boko Haram terrorists in the last one month.

According to the report signed by Executive Director, Dr. Samson Bello, the institute attributed the military’s all-new operational strategy for this feat, which is the brainchild of Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. T.Y Buratai.

The Army Chief’s relocation to the northeast to lead the final clearance operation has rubbed off on the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole.

The atmosphere has drastically changed with the troops highly motivated ever than before in the quest to flush out the fleeing terrorists.

After its extensive research work in the northeast, the Institute for Peace and Counter-Terrorism Studies hailed the COAS for being the catalyst propelling his troops from the front in the last one month.

It disclosed that no fewer than 350 Boko terrorists have lost their lives and nearly 500 suffered life-threatening injuries in the said period.

This situation, IPCTS reckoned, has heightened the tension in the Boko Haram camp and further given the Nigerian troops the edge with sustained military offensives.

With the troops on the cusp of victory, the institute, however, urged that the tempo is sustained as the jihadist might eventually surrender as the odds are well against them.

Read full report below.

Introduction:

The Institute for Peace and Counter-Terrorism Studies is a Think-Tank that coordinates intellectual activities for the promotion of global peace and prevention of terrorism across the globe. The Institute for Peace and Counter-Terrorism Studies has been at the vanguard of identifying the operational methods of the Nigerian Military in operation in North East Nigeria since 2009 when the Boko Haram group began a violent campaign in Nigeria.

Consequently, the Institute for Peace and Counter-Terrorism Studies commissioned a research into the operations of the Nigerian Military in North-East Nigeria for January to April, 2020 and presents the following report.

The Nigerian Military as a State Actor and efforts to keep the peace:

RESCUE OPERATION FOR INNOCENT CITIZENS BEING HELD HOSTAGE:

The Institute for Peace and Counter-Terrorism Studies identified that the Nigerian Military had been actively involved in rescue operations across the North East involving the rescue of women and children, as well as older people that have been held hostage and used as human shields by the Boko Haram group.

A critical survey revealed that between 2018, 2019, and 2020 the Nigerian Military rescued a total number of 12,500 people from the captivity of Boko Haram in parts of Yobe and Borno State. From the figure, 80% were women and children, and 20% were aged people that needed urgent medical attention.

It was also observed that the Nigerian Military rescue operations were carried out in a fashion that has resulted in minimal casualties. The Nigerian Military also had a medical team that attended to those rescued from captivity before they are released to their various families.

NEUTRALIZATION OF TERRORISTS AND CRIMINAL ELEMENTS:

The Nigerian Military have been actively involved in the war against Boko Haram in North-East Nigeria, and that has seen several casualties from both sides. However, it was observed that the Boko Haram fighters have been at the receiving end of a continuous military onslaught that has led to the neutralization of Boko Haram terrorists, as well as other criminal elements.

The sustained military operations against the Boko Haram group also led to the death of scores of Boko Haram fighters. The Institute for Peace and Counter-Terrorism Studies identified that over 350 Boko Haram fighters were killed in the past month in North-East Nigeria, and over 500 sustaining life-threatening injuries.

COUNTER-OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN:

It was observed that the counteroffensives by the Nigerian Military had yielded positive results. The casualty figures recorded so far has been on the low compared to previous years where the Nigerian Military recorded heavy casualties from their operations.

The Nigerian troops have been able to sustain the tempo with the introduction of additional counter-terrorism methods, as well as a boost in their military hardware that gave them the edge and with superior firepower over the Boko Haram group.

It was also observed that the operational strategy of the Nigerian Military have indeed placed the Boko Haram fighters on the brink of defeat baring all unforeseen circumstances. As at concluding the research work, it was established that 762 Boko Haram fighters lost their lives in battle with the Nigerian troops led by the Military Chief in Nigeria, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

MOTIVATION:

In the course of the research work, it was observed that the military chief, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai has been leading the battle against Boko Haram. The military chief coordinates the day-to-day operations and offensives against the Boko Haram terrorists.

It was also observed that the presence of the military chief, Tukur Buratai has served as a source of motivation to the troops and this has been responsible for the gains recorded by the Nigerian Military in the war against Boko Haram in North-East Nigeria.

The presence of the military chief has continued to serve the purpose of motivation in the operations of the Nigerian Military in North-East, Nigeria.

The Non- State Actors (Boko Haram/ISWAP)

Loss of confidence by Shekau and his commanders:

In the course of extensive research in the operations of the Boko Haram/ISWAP, it was identified that the camp of the Boko Haram/ISWAP has been polarized along various lines. There are those opposed to the continued stance of Abubakar Shekau and want a truce with the Nigerian Military. There are also those who see the casualties as a sign that Abubakar Shekau has misled them so far, and there is a need for him to step down from his responsibilities as their supreme leader.

This situation has heightened the tension in the Boko Haram camp and further given the Nigerian troops the edge with sustained military offensives.

FATIGUE IN BATTLE AND LACK OF COHESION:

It was observed that the Boko Haram/ISWAP camp is experiencing fatigue which was occasioned by long hours of battle with the Nigerian Military. The fact that the Nigerian Military boast of more modern and advanced military hardware and tanks puts the Boko Haram fighters in terrible strain and the consequent result has been fatigue in battle and lack of cohesion.

It was gathered that this situation has led to the Boko Haram/ISWAP group splitting into many factions with most of the commanders that hitherto held sway no longer ready to continue.

POOR MANAGEMENT OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES AND GREED

Our team of researchers was able to gather that the Boko Haram/ISWAP group is having difficulties assessing funds and logistics. The group is struggling with the availability of limited resources at their disposal, and this has put a strain on their operational effectiveness.

There is also uproar amongst Boko Haram members that Abubakar Shekau is mismanaging funds meant for the execution of their offensive against the Nigerian Military as well as their allowances that have remained unpaid for a long time.

It was also gathered that Abubakar Shekau has been soliciting to his fighters not to down their arms in these critical times. However, the various pleas seem not to have been able to pacify the bulk of the fighters that have remained delusional zed daily.

REGIONAL COOPERATION

The Boko Haram crisis has assumed a regional dimension and this lead to the revamping of the Multinational Joint Task Force comprising of troops from Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon. This regional collaboration has put the Boko Haram group in a dire situation as most of their routes for receiving logistic supplies have been taken over by troops from the Multinational Joint Task Force.

Nigeria:

The Nigerian government, by all indices the most significant contributor to the operations of the Multinational Joint Task Force in terms of funding and troops. This commitment from the Nigerian government has enabled the operational effectiveness of the Multinational Joint Task Force.

Chad:

The contribution of Chad has been felt in recent times. The Chadian authorities on their part were able to secure the borders between Nigeria and Chad as well as the Lake Chad basin region. This action has deprived the Boko Haram group the luxury of launching attacks in Nigeria and retreating to the Islands on the Lake Chad Basin region from where they hitherto regroup and receive logistics supplies from external sources.

Niger:

The Nigerien authorities have shown commitment by deploying thousands of fighting troops to the operations of the Multinational Joint Task Force. Nigerien troops have also fortified the borders between Niger and Nigeria from the Lake Chad Basin region.

Cameroon:

The Cameroonian government has also contributed troops and resources towards the success of the operations of the Multinational Joint Task Force. Tremendous efforts have been made to secure Boko Haram cells located in the Mandara Mountains where they recruit and train their fighters.

Conclusion:

The Institute for Peace and Counter-Terrorism Studies after extensive scrutiny of the issues in the war against the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists concludes that the operational strategies of the Nigerian Military have proven to be effective in neutralizing the threats posed by the Boko Haram/ISWAP group.

We wish to state that if this tempo is sustained, the Boko Haram/ISWAP group might eventually surrender as the odds are against it.

China plans new national security law for Hong Kong

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China plans new national security law for Hong Kong

China will propose a national security law for Hong Kong in response to last year’s often violent pro-democracy protests that plunged the city into its deepest turmoil since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997, state news agency Xinhua has said.

The Chinese parliament will discuss the controversial new law at its annual session, Xinhua said, in a move likely to stoke unrest in the semi-autonomous region. The legislation will be introduced at the meeting of the National People’s Congress that opens on Friday.

Xinhua said a preparatory meeting for a Chinese parliament session adopted an agenda that included an item to review a bill “on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to safeguard national security”.

The South China Morning Post newspaper, citing unnamed sources, said the laws would ban secession, foreign interference, “terrorism” and all seditious activities aimed at toppling the central government and any external interference in the former British colony.

Reporting form Beijing, Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu said the legislation signifies Beijing taking “into their own hands” the political unrest in Hong Kong that sparked nearly a year of intermittent protests beginning in June of 2019.

Those protests were initially in response to an extradition bill introduced in Hong Kong’s legislature that would allow Beijing to extradite accused individuals to the mainland to face trial. The bill was stalled and later withdrawn.

“What will happen, as we understand it, [China’s parliament] will make an amendment to the basic law, which is Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, using a legal backdoor which essentially allows it to bypass the usual legislative processes in Hong Kong,” Yu said.

“This is because, as Beijing sees, there’s simply too much opposition from pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong, so they’re going to have to put this in themselves and make this very strong imposition of their power,” she added.

Hong Kong was returned to China from British rule in 1997 under the so-called “one country two systems” arrangement, in which the region maintained some autonomy, including a separate judiciary and more civil liberties for its citizens. The arrangement is set to end in 2047.

Suspect timing

Emily Lau, a leading member of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, told Al Jazeera that residents of Hong Kong are “very concerned, very alarmed, and very disturbed” over fears the new legislation “will take away our freedoms, will take away our personal safety and the rule of law”.

 “Now it seems like [Beijing] is breaking up all the promises and they want to legislate for us,” she said.

Reporting from Hong Kong, Al Jazeera’s Adrian Brown said China’s parliament appeared to be seizing on coronavirus pandemic restrictions in the semi-autonomous region, where gatherings of more than eight people are banned.

“Of course the timing of this is very significant. It may well be that a decision was taken by the leadership in Beijing to push through this legislation now because of course it’s difficult for people to protest in Hong Kong,” he said.

While protests have been smaller since the outbreak began, they have persisted through the pandemic.

On Monday, 15 veteran pro-democracy activists appeared in a Hong Kong court for the beginning of their organising and taking part in last year’s assemblies.

The arrests sparked criticism from the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United Nation’s human rights body, the latter saying non-violent activists should not be prosecuted for attending unsanctioned rallies.

The proposed legislation could be a turning point for China’s freest and most international city, potentially triggering a revision of its special status in Washington and likely to spark more unrest.

Online posts have already emerged urging people to gather to protest on Thursday night and dozens were seen shouting pro-democracy slogans in a shopping mall as riot police stood nearby.

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