Salem-News.com Africa articles

Ex-Kagame Escort Tortured, Threatened; US Urges Fair Trial

“I am afraid he’ll be beaten some more,” the wife said, crying. “He thinks he will die next time.”

(WASHINGTON, DC) - A Rwandan refugee who was illegally returned to Rwanda to face trial on rebellion charges has pleaded guilty after being severely beaten in detention, his wife and a rights activist have confirmed.

Joel Mutabazi -- a former escort of President Paul Kagame that was kidnapped in October from Uganda where he had been living in a UN safe house -- had originally pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism, planning an uprising against the state, and murder.

Power is Dangerous Unless You Have Humility
A Conversation with Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa

Now retired, this Rwandan businessman is a leader in Africa as an industrialist who has spent 52 successful years manufacturing tobacco, tea, snack foods and cement.

(WASHINGTON, DC) - After a long flight to Washington DC, Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa sat down with this writer for an exclusive two-hour interview.

Upon meeting him, one can immediately sense that Mr. Ayabatwa is a humble man with an obvious desire to improve the business community of Africa as well as empowering the lives of Africans through support in their business ventures. He is a soft-spoken man with a welcoming smile that never left his face no matter the topic.

Zimbabwe: Martha Tholanah summoned to stand trial on charges of running an

Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com,William Nicholas Gomes is deeply concerned by the ongoing mistreatment of GALZ members and the shrinking space for civil society in Zimbabwe in light of similar charges being brought against other human rights defenders, such as Abel Chikomo.

(Washington, D.C) - On 4 December 2013, human rights defender Ms Martha Tholanah was summoned to appear in Rotten Row Magistrate Court. She has been charged with running an “unregistered” organisation under Section 6 (iii) of the Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) Act and will appear in court on 12 December 2013.

Martha Tholanah is Chairperson of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ).

RWANDA: `We sacrifice more than people realize for this cause`

A conversation with Dr. Gerald Gahima.

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Academics at a recent London conference presented research works about Rwanda's twenty years of post-conflict governance under the Rwandan Patriotic Front in the period following the 1994 Genocide. Topics of the conference ranged from agricultural issues, to youth in Rwanda, political opposition and peace building. The event, sponsored by the Royal African Society in London, was organized by Dr. Phil Clark, Professor at London University.

Due to the nature of the academic conference, no direct quotations or information can be used in any publication. Journalist received this requirement the night before the conference began.

New, Unpublished Facts Around the 1985 Death of American Primatologist Dian Fossey in Rwanda

Bernard De WETTER had regular contacts with Dian Fossey up until the brutal murder of the famous American primatologist.

(BRUSSELS) - Was the famous American primatologist actually killed by poachers in the Virunga Forest in 1985? The author of the book, a Belgian naturalist who was working in Rwanda at the time, reveals unpublished facts and gives his own, different version about the murder.

Bernard De WETTER was in charge of anti-poaching operations in world-famous Volcanoes National Park during several years as from 1984. From 2009 to 2011, he lived again in the Volcanoes area of Rwanda, this time as the manager of a high-end mountain lodge.

First-Hand Observation

Kenya’s vibrancy
Is just a vibe
With little viability.

(UGANDA) - When you live in East Africa
In the vicinity of Kenya;

When you collate
Books like IT’s OUR TURN TO EAT
With what you see in flesh
Where democratically elected MPs
Pass draconian Bills
Just to piss of those
Who coveted their turn
To gorge themselves;

Facts Do Not Cease to Exist Because They are Ignored

"Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed." - Friedrich Nietzsche

(WASHINGTON DC) - Many have researched, conducted interviews, mapped the area and even written many reports on the assassination of former President Habyarimana of Rwanda and former President Ntaryamira of Burundi whose plane was shot down by a surface to air missile on April 6, 1994.

The French crewmembers as well as both Presidential aides were killed as the plane crashed to the ground on the very land where former President Habyarimana’s house resided. His own son watched the event happen while lounging at the pool. Body parts were scattered among the wreckage...

The Dangers of Doing Business in Rwanda, Foreign Investors Beware!

Foreign investors beware! According to new laws, your business too could be seized as “abandoned” if you do not reside in Rwanda.

(WASHINGTON DC) - The Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda makes for good reading and at first glance, one feels hope and prosperity for the landlocked country of Rwanda.

However, once one embarks on further research of how these amendments are put into practice it is a quick lesson in the saying “not worth the paper it is written on.” For example, the constitution declares there is freedom of speech, freedom for political groups to exist and protection of human rights.

For True Reconciliation, You Must First Know The Truth

Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa testifies in Spain

(WASHINGTON DC) - In a brief statement on social media today, Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa, founding member of the Rwanda National Congress, made the following statement: PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME RESPONSIBLE FOR THE KILLING OF NINE SPANISH CITIZENS

Today, 14/10/2013, I appeared before the Spanish Investigative Judge Andreu Merelles to testify that President Paul Kagame is responsible for the death of nine Spanish citizens...Dr. Rudasingwa testified in three specific areas before Judge Andreu Merelles covering the downing of former President Habyarimana’s plane in April 1994 killing two sitting heads of state as well as the French crew aboard the plane.

Oh! Africa

Oh! Africa, how many sins
Have been committed in your name
For the sake of keeping our tyrants
Unaccountable for their evil deeds?

(UGANDA) - Now that we ceased to give recognition
To ICC that only targets “our statesmen”
Why shan’t we also do away?
With our own kangaroo courts

Notorious for their selective justice
By only targeting small time crooks
While turning a blind eye
To big time corrupts