Participation of ACOFEPE in the 1st meeting to draft the statutes of ASEFEPE
The President of the Congolese association of women journalists of the written press (ACOFEPE), Grace Ngyke Kangundu, participated Saturday by video conference, in the first preparatory meeting for the elaboration of the statute and rules of procedure of the Association of Senegalese Women of the Written Press « ASEFEPE », in order to reflect on the methods of regularization of the documents of this platform. During these meetings, Senegalese media professionals shared their experiences in turn, taking into account, on the one hand, the exercise of the profession and, on the other, the place occupied by women without discrimination in print media editorial staff. Once authorized to operate, underline the members of ASEFEPE, the non-profit organization will be much more inclined to lead the fight to improve the status of Senegalese women journalists in the written press through the organization of workshops, training sessions and popular forums. For her part, the President of ACOFEPE reaffirmed her unwavering support for all the steps that her peers in Senegal will take to campaign together for the rights of women in the written press in Africa. ACP/LRP
President Felix Tshisekedi pledges to involve the Congolese diaspora in the country’s emergence
The President of the Republic, Felix Tshisekedi, made a commitment, in his speech delivered on the occasion of the opening of « Forum on the involvement of the Congolese of the Diaspora in the development of DRC ”, to involve the latter in national life, with a view to the emergence of the country. He declared it on Wednesday in Rotana Kin Plazza in front of Congolese living abroad from, in particular, the world of entrepreneurship, public institutions, diplomacy, associative movements as well as technical and financial partners, united, in a two-day Republican debate, to reflect on their contribution to the development of DRC. « The objective of this forum is to work together in order to channel the actions that the Congolese diaspora leads in the world, for the development of the country and the fight against poverty », underlined the Head of State, welcoming the holding. of these meetings placed under the theme « The Congolese diaspora, actor of development and the fight against poverty ». The President of the Republic has also noted, to the credit of the Congolese diaspora, its economic role through the transfer of funds to his country of origin, DRC, an essential source of funding for many households and which reached the amount of 2.1 billion USD in 2019, exceeding, he said, the height of traditional official development assistance. These transfers constitute a not insignificant part of the formation of GDP of our economy, added President Tshisekedi who has, moreover, indicated that he has been working, since his accession to the supreme office, to relax the conditions conducive to the integration of the diaspora « to promote exchanges with our brothers who have opted for a new nationality and those whose country of origin is DRC ». For his part, the Special Advisor to the Head of State in the fight against poverty, Jude Badibanga Kabongo, indicated that this two-day forum is organized by the Presidential Cell under his leadership and the Ministry in charge of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The diaspora and the dynamics of development The Congolese diaspora is already active in the country since it has been at the initiative of various development and social projects for many years at the national level, and contributes to the dynamics of development and emergence of DRC, he argued, stressing that his projects as well as other entrepreneurial or associative initiatives induce recourse to significant means of financing, For his part, the Deputy Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs, Samy Adubango Awotho, welcomed the organization, under the leadership of President Felix Tshisekedi, of these meetings around « the thorny issue of the contribution of the Congolese diaspora to development of DRC, in the current socio-political and economic context marked by the considerable improvement of the business climate « . IOM chief of mission, Fabien Sambussy, meanwhile, said that this conference has the advantage of bringing together all the actors concerned, with the aim of exchanging and sharing on the opportunities, the obstacles, the possible necessary solutions or support is an essential step. Previously, the journalist Marius Muhunga, of the Voice of America, had scrolled, by video, the interventions of some Congolese of the diaspora for testimonies and the presentation, in essence, of the table of the problems which they are confronted. The President of the Senate, the Prime Minister and the Governor of Kinshasa city had enhanced this ceremony with their presence. ACP / LRP
Rwanda: « Hotel Rwanda » hero sentenced to 25 years in jail on terror charges
Paul Rusesabagina, the « Hotel Rwanda » hero who became a fiercely outspoken government critic, was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison on terrorism charges after what his supporters labelled a politically motivated show trial. He was convicted by a high court in Kigali of forming a rebel group blamed for deadly gun, grenade and arson attacks in Rwanda in 2018 and 2019. « He founded a terrorist organisation that attacked Rwanda, he financially contributed to terrorist activities, » Justice Beatrice Mukamurenzi said at the end of a seven-month trial. Rwandan prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Rusesabagina, the 67-year-old former hotelier credited with saving over 1,200 lives during the country’s 1994 genocide, and whose actions inspired the Hollywood film. But Mukamurenzi said the term « should be reduced to 25 years » as it was his first conviction. Neither Rusesabagina, whose family has raised concerns about his health, nor his lawyers were in court for the verdict. He is expected to appeal. The 20 other defendants in the case, handcuffed and dressed in pale pink prison uniforms, did attend the session. Security forces were deployed both in and around the court, which was packed with journalists and diplomats from foreign embassies. Rusesabagina, who used his fame to denounce Rwandan leader Paul Kagame as a dictator, has been behind bars since his arrest in August 2020 when a plane he believed was bound for Burundi landed instead in Kigali. His family say Rusesabagina was kidnapped and had rejected the nine charges against him as payback by a vengeful government for his outspoken views. Earlier this month, Kagame dismissed criticism of the case, saying Rusesabagina was in the dock not because of his fame but over the lives lost « because of his actions ». ‘Lack of independence’ The trial opened in February but the Belgian citizen and US green card holder has boycotted it since March, accusing the court of « unfairness and a lack of independence ». The United States — which awarded Rusesabagina its Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 — along with the European Parliament and Belgium have been among those to voice concerns about his transfer to Rwanda and the fairness of his trial. Kagame’s government accused Rusesabagina of supporting the National Liberation Front (FLN), a rebel group blamed for attacks in 2018 and 2019 that killed nine people. He denied any involvement in the attacks, but was a founder of the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD), an opposition group of which the FLN is seen as the armed wing. « MRCD-FLN committed terror acts. MRCD cannot be separated from military acts » of the FLN, said judge Mukamurenzi. « The court finds that Rusesabagina’s role in founding the FLN, provision of funds to the rebels, purchase of communication tools for the rebels all constitute the crime of committing terrorism. » During the trial, his co-defendants gave conflicting testimony about the level of Rusesabagina’s involvement with the FLN and its fighters. Disillusioned Rusesabagina was the former manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, where he sheltered hundreds of guests during the genocide that left 800,000 people dead, mostly ethnic Tutsis. A decade later the American actor Don Cheadle played Rusesabagina, a moderate Hutu, in the Oscar-nominated blockbuster that brought his story to an international audience. Rusesabagina soon became disillusioned with the new Tutsi-dominated government led by Kagame, the rebel leader-turned president whose forces ended the mass killings. He accused Kagame of authoritarian tendencies and left Rwanda in 1996, living in Belgium and then the United States. Abroad, he used his global platform to crusade for political change in Kigali, and developed close ties with opposition groups in exile. His family, who have campaigned globally for his release, say Rusesabagina is a political prisoner and accuse the Rwandan authorities of torturing him in custody. The Hotel Rwanda Foundation, which supports Rusesabagina, earlier this month described the court proceedings as a « show trial » and said the government had failed to provide any credible evidence against him. « Paul’s family and team knew that he would be declared ‘guilty’ the moment he was kidnapped — no trial was needed, » it said. In July, meanwhile, an international media investigation claimed that Rusesabagina’s daughter Carine Kanimba was spied on using Pegasus malware developed by Israeli company NSO. Investigators confirmed that a cell phone belonging to Kanimba, a US-Belgian dual national, had been compromised multiple times. AFP/LRP
DRC : President Félix Tshisekedi launches construction of 220KV Kinsuka substation
The President of the Republic, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, launching the construction works of the high voltage 220KV Kinsuka substation The President of the Republic, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, on Tuesday launched the construction works of the high voltage 220KV Kinsuka substation and the associated MV / LV distribution networks in Kinshasa, during a ceremony organized in the Mbudi district located in the town of Mont-Ngafula, west of Kinshasa, noted the our desk. « This project is a complement to the Zongo II hydroelectric power station, the first automated distribution network in the DRC and a strategic post in the Kinshasa / Brazzaville regional interconnection and aims to boost the supply of electrical energy in a large part of the city of Kinshasa”, indicated in his speech for the occasion, the Minister of Water Resources and Electricity, Olivier Mwenze Mukaleng. While praising the excellence of Sino-Congolese relations, he affirmed that this project is materialized by the sole will of the Head of State, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo. The Director General of SNEL Jean-Bosco Kayombo, indicated that the laying of the first stone of the construction of this work is the materialization of the vision of the Head of State for the emergence of the country which is sums it up in these terms: “No development is possible without electricity”. Growth of 42,000 customers The representative of the company Shanghai Electric announced that the realization of this project will allow bringing in the city of Kinshasa 150 MW (+ 27%) on the point of the city, with for consequence the increase of 42,000 customers. (+ 10%) at the initial moment of commissioning of the installations, namely an increase of 150,000 electrified households (+ 13%) and the improvement in the rate of access to electricity which will go from 53% to 60 % as well as the reduction of 21% on load shedding. According to the representative of Shanghai Electric, the construction of this structure is one of the biggest projects of Sino-Congolese cooperation. According to him, his company has always kept to its commitments by ensuring the safety and quality of its work as well as the respect of timing by delivering the works within the agreed timeframe. The objectives and management standards of this project are to provide SNEL sa with an automated distribution network in the Kinsuka area and around, increase the availability of electricity in the city of Kinshasa, remedy certain shortcomings with regard to electricity supply; increase the level of electricity coverage throughout the country and increase SNEL’s income through the installation of prepaid meters, etc. Financed by China via EXIM Bank of CHINA and the national electricity company (SNEL) SA, this work will last 24 months or 2 years and will cost around 200 million USD. Several high personalities, both civil and military, including the presidents of the Senate, Modeste Bahati Lukwebo and of the National Assembly, Mboso Nkodia Pwanga, the Governor of the city of Kinshasa, Gentiny Ngobila attended this ceremony. The electricity supply rate in the DRC has increased from 11 to 13% Of all the efforts of the Head of State, Félix Tshisekedi, the rate of electricity supply in the DRC has increased from 11 to 13%, said, for his part, the principal adviser to the Head of State at the College of Mines and Energy, Eboma Ablavi. Recalling certain achievements of the Head of State, Félix Tshisekedi in the field of electric energy, Eboma Ablavi notably mentioned: the organization, in 2019 in Matadi, of the Forum on Electric Energy, the signing of the DRC agreement -General Electric, the establishment of the Mwinda Fund for the electrification of rural and peri-urban areas, the rehabilitation of the hydroelectric plants of Inga I and II and the resumption of construction of the hydroelectric plants of Katende and Kakobola.