Africa

Rwanda’s President Kagame announces fourth term bid

Published

1 year ago

September 20, 2023

Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame

Rwanda’s President Kagame announces fourth term bid

Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame declared he will run for a fourth term next year, saying that “what the West thinks is not my problem,” after the United States and others criticized the earlier lifting of term limits to extend his rule.

Kagame made the announcement in an interview with the French-language publication Jeune Afrique published Tuesday.

The 65-year-old Kagame has been president since 2000 and was declared the winner of the previous election in 2017 with more than 98% of the vote. He has been the de facto leader since Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.

He is one of a number of African leaders who have prolonged their rule by pursuing changes to term limits. In 2015, Rwandans in a referendum voted to lift a two-term limit. Kagame could stay in power until 2034 if he wins a five-year term next year and then another.

When asked what he thought the West would think of him running again, he replied, “I’m sorry for the West, but what the West thinks is not my problem.”

Kagame was re-elected as chair of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front party earlier this year for another five-year term. The U.S.-based watchdog Freedom House described Rwanda as “not free” in its latest report and said the party has been “banning and repressing any opposition group that could mount a serious challenge to its leadership.”

Political analyst Gonzaga Muganwa, a former executive secretary of the Rwanda Journalists Association, said Kagame’s control over the party is total and that “All the legal political parties in the country are subservient to his authority.”

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“Rwandans expect him to be around until at least 2034 unless a major upheaval happens. In the leadup to the polls, his biggest challenge is managing the cost-of-living crisis as food inflation is wiping away any rise in incomes” since the COVID-19 pandemic, Muganwa said.

Kagame and his government have received praise for stabilizing the country and developing public health and the economy since the genocide in which more than 800,000 people were killed. But human rights groups and other critics have long accused the government of harshly targeting opponents, including with extrajudicial killings even far outside the country’s borders.

The government has rejected such allegations. But earlier this year, under diplomatic pressure, Rwanda released Paul Rusesabagina, who had inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda,” after tricking onto a plane to the country and convicted of terror offenses in a widely criticized trial.

The other candidate who has declared he will run for president is lawmaker Frank Habineza with the Green Democratic party, who received 0.45% of the votes in 2017.

Habineza told The Associated Press his party was not surprised by Kagame’s announcement and will continue to fight for democracy.

“As we speak now, there is a high level of poverty and people have no food and youth have no jobs. This is what bothers Rwandans,” he said.

Some Kagame supporters believe he needs more time. William Harerimana, a 53-year-old businessman, said “we need to be patient a bit more and under him, the country will register more economic growth and benefit all Rwandans.”

Rwanda’s President Kagame announces fourth term bid

Africa

Boyfriend of murdered Kenyan journalist arrested

Published

5 days ago

November 10, 2024

Trends Admin

George Mwenda Mutegi and Lilian Achieng Aluko

Boyfriend of murdered Kenyan journalist arrested

A man has been arrested in connection with the brutal killing of Kenyan journalist, Lilian Achieng Aluko, whose body was discovered in a house in Kahawa West, Nairobi, Kenya.

Lilian, who was a presenter at Radio 44, a local radio station, was found dead at her boyfriend’s house with injuries on her face and a stab wound at the back on November 1, 2024.

A day before her death, the 33-year-old had informed her family that she would be spending the night at her boyfriend’s place.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in a statement on Friday said the suspect, believed to be Achieng’s boyfriend, was apprehended in the Kaanwa area of Tharaka Nithi County.

The DCI worked closely with local authorities in Meru County to track down the suspect, whose movements had been monitored since he disappeared on November 1.

Police investigations revealed that Achieng and the suspect spent the evening at a local spot before heading to the suspect’s house in Kahawa West.

“George Mwenda Mutegi, the prime suspect in the monstrous murder of Ms Lilian Achieng Aluko has been arrested after days of scrupulous manhunt. Mutegi was smoked out of his hideaway at Kaanwa area of Tharaka Nithi county,” the statement read.

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“The suspect’s arrest by a combined team of hawkshaws from DCI Hqs augmented by their Meru counterparts is a culmination of days of meticulous investigations launched on 1st November, 2024, the night Mutegi is believed to have murdered his girlfriend. After the heinous killing, Mutegi disappeared and erased his footprints.

“Police and the neighbours would only wake up to a slain Achieng, whose lifeless body lay soaked in blood with a stab wound at the back of her right ear and visible injuries on her face and hips.

“Probing the case, police found out that the two lovebirds had on the fateful night had a good time at a local establishment, before retreating to the boyfriend’s place of abode in Kahawa West.

“In an ugly turn of events, the attention of the neighbours was drawn to loud screams from Mutegi’s locked house, which were quickly deafened by loud noise from his sound system.

“Unaware that the distress call was the last Achieng would ever make, the neighbours went back to their houses hoping that the duo would resolve their issues.

“That night, the life of a 33-year-old lady with a blossoming career as a presenter at a local radio station was ended.

“The suspect is currently being processed for arraignment as the DCI continues to investigate all other cases of a similar nature to ensure justice for all victims.”

Boyfriend of murdered Kenyan journalist arrested

Africa

Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal

Published

5 days ago

November 10, 2024

Trends Admin

Cristel Nchama and Baltasar Engonga

Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal

Cristel Nchama, one of the women appearing in viral explicit videos allegedly involving Baltasar Engonga, the former director-general of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), has filed a formal complaint with the National Gendarmerie in Malabo.

Engonga has been the focus of intense public scrutiny after investigators, probing allegations of fraud, searched his home and office and reportedly uncovered approximately 400 explicit videos featuring him with multiple women.

The tapes allegedly show Baltasar Engonga with his brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of the country’s president, the wife of the director-general of police, and around 20 wives of ministers, among others.

The recordings, which have since gone viral, are said to have taken place in Engonga’s office, hotels, and bathrooms, purportedly with the consent of those involved.

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In her complaint, Nchama disclosed that she had been in a four-year relationship with Engonga and expressed profound distress over the public leak of the videos, which she says has harmed her reputation.

Nchama claimed that Engonga “misled” her into trusting him and that she had initially resisted being filmed, under the impression that any recordings would be deleted.

She also claimed to have been “betrayed” by Bello for publishing the videos.

“I am humiliated,” she stated. “It is my reputation, my honour. I want to know where these images came from and why he kept the images.”

In addition to filing her complaint, Nchama has demanded reparations from Engonga for the damage caused to her reputation and personal dignity.

Following the scandal, the government dismissed Engonga from his position at ANIF on Thursday.

Officials also announced the suspension of various public officials allegedly involved in sexual activities within government offices.

Baltasar Engonga: I dated him for four years, lady says, sues for betrayal

Africa

Baltasar Engonga: Equatorial Guinea appoints new anti-graft agency boss

Published

7 days ago

November 8, 2024

Trends Admin

Baltasar Engonga

Baltasar Engonga: Equatorial Guinea appoints new anti-graft agency boss

Equatorial Guinea’s President, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, has appointed Zenón Obiang Obiang Avomo as the new Director General of the National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF), succeeding Baltasar Ebang Engonga, who was removed amid sex scandal.

Recall that Engonga was dismissed following accusations of “irregularities committed in the exercise of his functions,” along with inappropriate family and social behavior unfit for public office, as stated in Decree No. 118/2024, dated November 4.

The investigation uncovered over 400 video recordings in Engonga’s office, reportedly involving the wives and relatives of high-ranking officials, including ministers and police officers.

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The shocking discovery triggered widespread public outrage and prompted swift action by the government.

In response, the Equatorial Guinean government has mandated the installation of surveillance cameras across all state offices, aiming to monitor officials’ conduct and deter future misconduct.

Zenón Obiang Obiang Avomo, who steps into the role at ANIF is a graduate of the National University of Equatorial Guinea, Avomo and has held key positions, including Magistrate Judge in Malabo, Director General of Contract Studies and State Markets at the Ministry of Finance, and Secretary General for both the Ministry of Finance, Economy and Planning, and the Ministry of Mines, Industry, and Energy.