Kenya and Guinea-Bissau are implementing far-reaching policies that will boost trade between the two countries.

President William Ruto said while the current trade volume between the two countries is low, there is potential for improvement.

He cited the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement that is poised to enhance commerce.

President Ruto said Kenya and Guinea-Bissau are keen on implementing the Memorandum of Understanding that established a Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) signed in 2022.

He explained that enhanced collaboration between the private sectors of both nations will significantly boost trade volumes.

He made the remarks on Friday during a press briefing following bilateral talks with his Guinea-Bissau counterpart President General Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

President Ruto who is on a state visit to Guinea Bissau was decorated with Guinea-Bissau’s highest medal by President Embalo at the presidential palace.

He said the JCC will facilitate cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including security, agriculture and livestock, fisheries and the blue economy, as well as environment and forestry.

President Ruto pledged to initiate direct flights between the two countries.

He noted that this will bolster trade and strengthen people-to-people cooperation.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will today, 06 April 2024, undertake a visit to the Republic of Rwanda to attend the 30th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

This year, Rwanda marks 30 years since the Genocide against the Tutsi which began on 7 April 1994 and lasted for 100 days, leading to more than a million deaths of mainly ethnic Tutsis. Every year, on this date, the government of Rwanda hosts an official ceremony to mark the beginning of the 100 days of commemoration.

The ceremony of remembrance will take place in Kigali on Sunday, 7 April 2024. President Ramaphosa will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, followed by the National Commemoration ceremony, which will conclude with a Night Vigil at BK Arena in Kigali.

Bilateral relations between South Africa and Rwanda were established in 1995, which were further strengthen through the signing of a General Cooperation Agreement in 1999. Since the inauguration of the Joint Cooperation Commission in Pretoria on 22 June 2001, significant progress was recorded in areas such as institution and capacity building, health, and education. South African companies have also invested in Rwanda.

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor will  accompany the President.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

On 3 April, Chargé d’Affaires Wang Sheng and Hon. Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Finance and National Planning of Zambia, jointly attended the handover ceremony of $500,000 humanitarian assistance in cash from the Chinese Government to Zambia.

Mr. Wang said as the cholera outbreak hit Zambia this January, the Chinese Government and people acted quickly and offered assistance to the best of its abilities. The past months have seen China and Zambia working together to materialize the nine assistance measures announced by China to keep cholera under control. It remains a long-term task to eradicate cholera. The $500,000 is provided by the Chinese Government to help the Zambian Government and people improve sanitation and water supply to avoid another outbreak. The Chinese Government will continue to support Zambia in the areas of vaccine production, the construction of water supply projects and the fight against drought.

Dr. Musokotwane said Zambia has been battling with the cholera epidermic since October 2023 when two cases where first reported in Lusaka. Since then, the country experienced an unfortunate surge in cases recorded resulting in the spread to 71 districts across the country. However, through the Government’s effective control and the Chinese Government’s strong support, the situation is now largely under control. But the threat of cholera remains. The Zambian side appreciates the ongoing support and assistance from the Chinese Government, which has made major contribution to the fight against cholera.

Mr. Wang said 11 years ago, when Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the vision of building a community with a share future for mankind, he aimed at offering a Chinese solution to what kind of place the world it should be and how to realise it. The goal is to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity. China has been working hard to make that vision a reality. In the 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Zambia, the two countries have proven to be true friends and win-win partners who share weal and woe. They have supported each other in the pursuit of development, and will continue to stand together in the fight against global challenges for a more peaceful, just and prosperous world. There is every reason to be confident about an even more promising 60 years of China-Zambia relations under the guidance of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, delivering tangible benefits to the two countries and two peoples.

Dr. Musokotwane said the Chinese side has made significant  contribution to Zambia’s economic recovery, with its active coordination and facilitation during the debt restructuring process as a most recent example. The Chingola-Kasumbalesa Road, as the first PPP project led by a Chinese enterprise, has become an excellent model for Zambia to explore the PPP cooperation model. The Lusaka-Ndola road, whose construction is about to start, will also adopt the PPP model. It is hoped that more Chinese investors will invest in Zambia and help with its economic recovery.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Zambia.

As the 30th commemoration begins this Sunday, 7 April of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed, including Hutu and others who opposed the genocide and the extremist government that orchestrated it, Amnesty International calls on the international community to urgently renew its commitment to ensure justice and accountability for the victims and the survivors.

While many perpetrators have been tried before national and community courts in Rwanda, as well as by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and by courts in Europe and North America under the principle of universal jurisdiction, recent developments underline the importance of urgently pursuing justice.

“Justice delayed is justice denied. The confirmed deaths of several of the most-wanted genocide suspects before they could face justice, and the indefinite suspension of the trial of another indictee due to age-related illness, show the importance of maintaining momentum to deliver justice for survivors and relatives of victims in Rwanda,” said Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa.

Between May 2020 and November 2023, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals’ (IRMCT) Fugitive Tracking Team confirmed the deaths of four of the most wanted fugitives indicted by the ICTR.

The remains of Augustin Bizimana, Minister of Defence during the genocide, were identified in the Republic of Congo in 2020. The IRMCT also confirmed that Protais Mpiranya, commander of the Presidential Guard, had died in Zimbabwe in 2006. He had been charged with responsibility for the murders of senior moderate leaders, including Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, the President of the Constitutional Court, the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Information, as well as ten Belgian United Nations peacekeepers. It was also confirmed that Phénéas Munyarugarama, the commander of Gako military camp and the highest-ranking military officer in the Bugesera region during the genocide, had died in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002, and that Aloys Ndimbati, mayor of Gisovu, had died in Rwanda in 1997.

In May 2023, another genocide suspect and ICTR indictee, Fulgence Kayishema, who had been in hiding for decades, was finally arrested in South Africa. It was expected that he would be transferred either to the IRMCT in Tanzania or directly to Rwanda to face trial, but to date he remains in detention in South Africa facing immigration-related charges.

In August 2023, the trial of 90-year-old alleged chief genocide financier, Félicien Kabuga, who was caught after 26 years on the run, was suspended indefinitely due to age-related illness. The decision was made by appeal judges at the IRMCT following a ruling in June 2023 that Kabuga was unfit to stand trial as he was suffering from severe dementia. He was accused of funding and providing other logistical support to the Interahamwe militias, as well as promoting the broadcasting of genocidal hate speech by the Radio Television Libre des Milles Collines (RTLM). Survivors expressed anger and disappointment following the court’s decision.

“To honour the memories of the victims of the genocide and to deliver justice for survivors and victims’ families, we urge states to recommit to the tireless and timely pursuit of justice, including through prosecuting suspected perpetrators through universal jurisdiction where appropriate,” said Tigere Chagutah.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.