Rwanda Police recovers over Rwf4 million stolen from British national – Newstrends
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Rwanda Police recovers over Rwf4 million stolen from British national

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Rwanda Police recovers over Rwf4 million stolen from British national

Rwanda National Police and Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) recovered Rwf4.1 million which was stolen from a British national after thieves broke into her vehicle in downtown Kigali. The money was recovered from two suspected thieves, both in their early twenties, who were also taken into custody. The money was on Saturday, April 15, handed over to the victim, Walker Jemrose Leanora, the head of Young Citizens of Rwanda, a charity organization that supports vulnerable youth and children. Walker said that, on April 12, she withdrew £3000 and exchanged it into local currency (Rwf4,110,000) but left the money in her vehicle.

I am so happy to receive this money because it was what we withdrew from the bank to pay for third term school fees for our 22 secondary students that we support. So, many children would be suffering because we did not know how to replace that money for them to go to school, Walker said. When she discovered that the money was gone, she said, it was her grandchildren that made her feel at ease that the money would be found. They (grandchildren) said ‘do not worry, you will get the money back, our Police will find them (thieves)’. So, I reported the theft at Nyarugenge Police, she added. The RNP spokesperson, Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera, said that a motorcycle, which the two suspects had used to escape after breaking into the car and stealing the money, was also impounded.

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They trailed the victim from the bank, and they were identified from the CCTV footages. Rwf2,600,000 was recovered from one suspect while Rwf1.5 million was recovered from the other, Kabera said. One of the suspects, a resident of Nyamirambo sector in Nyarugenge District, is a former convict, who served two years at Nyarugenge prison for breaking into vehicles to steal valuables. He was released in December 2022 after completing his sentence.He was previous arrested on three different occasions and taken to Kigali Transit Centre for rehabilitation. Later, in 2017 he was taken to Iwawa Rehabilitation Centre. The other suspect was arrested in February for stealing a television flat screen and taken to Kigali Transit Centre for rehabilitation.

Kabera said that sharing information in real time is crucial in facilitating investigations. Real time information helps law enforcements to arrive at the scene swiftly to collect evidence. When you delay, it affects investigations in one way or another, Kabera said. He also sent a message to influencers and other people using social media platforms who report theft and other crimes, to always labour to give detailed information that facilitates investigations. Out of 30 people, who reported cases of theft on social media platforms, in March, Kabera said, only 11 gave additional information as requested by the Police. We know groups of young people at Giti k’inyoni, Gisozi, Gatsata, Gikondo and other areas, who spend the whole day loitering waiting for darkness to start stealing from cars, snatching phones and other valuables from people, breaking into houses, and those who steal clothes from drying ropes in homes. The advice to them is that they should not spend the whole day thinking of how to steal, but have positive thinking of what to do to change their lives, the spokesperson reiterated

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How Mali army killed 13 civilians in drone strikes – Amnesty

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How Mali army killed 13 civilians in drone strikes – Amnesty

Mali’s army has killed at least 13 civilians, including seven children aged between two and 17, in drone strikes in the north of the country, Amnesty International said Wednesday.

One man told the London-based rights group he had lost his wife and six of his children in the night-time air raid on the area of Amasrakad on March 17.

The army had described the two strikes as “having contributed to neutralising many terrorists”, Amnesty said, but that claim was refuted by the accounts of seven survivors and witnesses.

A first strike hit a pick-up truck, then a second struck a makeshift shelter where residents had sought refuge, killing nine people instantly, Amnesty said.

Three more people died of their wounds and a woman discovered later that her unborn foetus had died.

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“It is unconscionable that whole families could be killed by drone strikes, without any accountability or justice,” said Amnesty’s Samira Daoud.

“Authorities in Mali must ensure an effective and independent investigation into the killings of these civilians.”

Mali has since 2012 been ravaged by different jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as by self-declared self-defence forces and bandits.

The country has been under military rule since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, with the security situation compounded by a profound humanitarian and political crisis.

Amnesty says the army has intensified military operations against Al-Qaeda, IS and former rebel groups since mid-2023, regularly conducting drone strikes.

It said an increase in military operations in the regions of Kidal and Gao over the last few months had pushed many people to flee to Amasrakad.

How Mali army killed 13 civilians in drone strikes – Amnesty

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Senegal begins voting for new president

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Senegal begins voting for new president

Senegal began voting Sunday for a new president in an unpredictable race following three years of turmoil and political crisis.

Around 7.3 million voters are registered in the West African nation where two favourites have emerged: the governing coalition’s former prime minister Amadou Ba and anti-establishment candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

They were both once tax inspectors but now appear to have little in common. Ba, 62, is offering continuity while the 43-year-old Faye promises profound change and left-wing pan-Africanism.

Both say they will claim a first-round victory – but a second round looks probable with 15 other candidates in the field, including a sole woman, at a date yet to be decided.

Former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall, 68, is considered to have an outside chance.

“It’s a symbolic and historic day for me because it wasn’t easy to hold these elections, it was gained through a great fight,” voter Mohamed Bop, 42, told AFP in Dakar.

“So, I’m very relieved and proud,” he added.

The eventual winner will be tasked with steering traditionally stable Senegal out of its recent troubles, and managing revenues from oil and gas reserves that are shortly to start production.

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Voting will end at 1800 GMT and provisional results could be known overnight. The first official results are expected during the coming week.

Senegal has traditionally been considered a beacon of democracy and stability in the coup-hit region, where Russia is strengthening its influence.

Raucous campaign
Hundreds of observers will be out representing civil society, the African Union, the ECOWAS regional group and the European Union.

A raucous campaign, lasting just two weeks after being shortened, followed a dramatic last-minute delay to the election date, originally scheduled for February 25.

President Macky Sall’s intervention to delay the presidential vote sparked unrest that left four people dead.

Sall, who won praise abroad last year by renouncing a possible third-term bid, said he called off the vote over fears it would not go smoothly.

After weeks of political crisis, the country’s top constitutional body stepped in and forced him to reset the date to March 24, despite clashing with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Sall’s hand-picked would-be successor Ba has positioned himself as a last bastion against “bandits” and urged people to vote “for experience and competence instead of entrusting the reins of the country to adventurers”.

“We don’t need officials who need two years of apprenticeship,” Ba said at his final campaign rally on Friday.

“We need to consolidate what we have. We need to go even faster and further,” he said, with a vow to create one million jobs in five years.

But he must also face the darker side of Sall’s legacy that includes mass arrests, persistent poverty and 20 percent unemployment, and thousands of migrants setting off on the perilous voyage to Europe each year.

Senegal begins voting for new president

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Niger revokes military accord with US, junta spokesperson says

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Niger revokes military accord with US, junta spokesperson says

NIAMEY, March 16 (Reuters) – Niger’s ruling junta has revoked with immediate effect a military accord that allows military personnel and civilian staff from the U.S. Department of Defense on its soil, junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane said on Saturday.

The decision follows a visit by U.S. officials this week which was led by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee and included General Michael Langley, commander of the U.S. Africa Command.

Abdramane, speaking on television in the West African nation, said the U.S. delegation did not follow diplomatic protocol, and that Niger was not informed about the composition of the delegation, the date of its arrival or the agenda.

He added that the discussions were around the current military transition in Niger, military cooperation between the two countries and Niger’s choice of partners in the fight against militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition anonymity, said senior U.S. officials had “frank discussions” in Niamey earlier this week about the trajectory of Niger’s ruling military council – known as the CNSP.

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“We are in touch with the CNSP and will provide further updates as warranted,” the official added.

Since seizing power in July last year, the Niger junta, like the military rulers in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, have kicked out French and other European forces, and turned to Russia for support.

“Niger regrets the intention of the American delegation to deny the sovereign Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and types of partnerships capable of truly helping them fight against terrorism,” Abdramane said.

“Also, the government of Niger forcefully denounces the condescending attitude accompanied by the threat of retaliation from the head of the American delegation towards the Nigerien government and people,” he added.

There were about 1,100 U.S. troops in Niger as of last year, where the U.S. military operates out of two bases, including a drone base known as Air Base 201, built near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million.

Since 2018 the base has been used to target Islamic State militants and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, an al Qaeda affiliate, in the Sahel region.

Abdramane said the status and presence of U.S. troops in Niger was illegal and violated constitutional and democratic rules because, according to the spokesperson, it was unilaterally imposed on the African nation in 2012.

He said Niger was not aware of the number of U.S. civilian and military personnel on its soil or the amount of equipment deployed and, according to the agreement, the U.S. military had no obligation to respond to any request for help against militants.

“In light of all the above, the government of Niger, revokes with immediate effect the agreement concerning the status of United States military personnel and civilian employees of the American Department of Defense on the territory of the Republic of Niger,” Abdramane said.

Niger revokes military accord with US, junta spokesperson says

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