Africa Travel News, Rwanda Information and Gorilla Safaris

Rwanda is to host the 2007 Africa Malaria Day Territorial Memorial proceedings, scheduled for the 25^th of April, revealed Dr Innocent Nyaruhirira, the country minister in charge of accusation of HIV/Aids and Other Epidemics.

The event will be held in the Eastern province since it has the highest malaria records and the topic of discussion will be, “The topic of this case is ‘Free Africa from Malaria Now’.

At press league held at Treatment, Research and Aids Control (TRAC) premises at Nyarugenge District, Dr Innocent Nyaruhirira said that according to resolutions of last years’ Abuja summit, the objective was to cut to half, the folk who perish of malaria by the year 2010.

“The Abuja summit targets were to quickly scale upward insecticide-treated mosquito nets and artemisinin combination therapy in the national sector,” he said, adding that new issues that had been discussed embraced the introduction of original home-based maintenance administration of malaria activities using Artemisinin at the community scale, while accomplish the Millennium Development Goals in the course of action.

He expressed the pleasure to host this global event and used this chance give confidence to the citizens of Rwanda that malaria is absolutely preventable if all of take the obligation to reside in secure and spotless surroundings and make it as a tradition to practices, such as mosquito nets, timely consulting of community health workers and health services for any fever, and avoiding blindfolded auto-medication. This will help to improve the health sector in Rwanda.

Compiled by Grace Nakawooya

A onetime Deputy Chief of Operations of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) yesterday testified that French soldiers trained Interahamwe militias preceding the 1994 Genocide.

13 years after the genocide, in which a million Tutsis and conservative Hutus were killed, Rtd. Lt. Col. Walter Ballis, testified that French troops intensively skilled civil groups of radical Hutus in a valley near Kigali International Airport.

“We were tipped that the trainings were being conducted in an exclusive ground near the airport but at the time Gen. Romeo Dallaire (the UNAMIR force Commander) sent us for reconnaissance, the French had learnt of the mission and relocated the training wing,” he told the seven-man commission hearing the role of France in the 1994 Genocide.

He alleged that the participation of the French in the masterminding of the Genocide dated backwards when they refused to take to their motherland after the Operation Noroit between 1991 and 1993. After the signing of the Arusha Peace Accord, the French troops were supposed to depart Rwandan land by December 1993 because their consent had expired.

“But the French soldiers remained around disguising in simple apparel. I came across one of the soldiers whom I personally knew at Meridien Hotel and I was shocked,” Ballis said. He said that by the fact that the soldier was not open to him supposed that there was a mission in Kigali at the moment their sanction was over and done, it gave a clear-cut image that they were in the nation to help the radical regime in preparing the Rwanda Genocide.

The operations launched by the French included; Noroit (1991-93) that led warring RPF and the opinion MRND regime into the Arusha peace accord, Amaryllis (evacuation of international experts) at the start of the Genocide on April 8, 1994 and lastly the notorious Operation Turquoise that was established at the beginning of the human slaughter in which French troops purportedly aided the Interahamwe.

The retired Colonel told the committee at Prime Holdings Conference Centre in Kimihurura, a Kigali suburbia that in all these operations the French, in some manner, aided the extremists and abandoned the masses in the conception of the Genocide and subsequently during the Genocide in Rwanda.

Find more information about Rwanda Genocide at Rwanda Travel Directory

Posted by Grace Nakawooya

Late Steve Irwin’s family expected in Kigali at the mountain gorilla naming ceremony this June.

Late Steve Irwin, a crocodile hunter wasa famous wildlife activist a former director Australia Zoo in Qeensland. He died in 2006 after being stung by a stingray during one of his shootings.

His family, wife and two children, has been invited by Rosette Rugambwa the Director General of Rwanda Tourism Office known as the ORTPN to be among the guest of the mountain gorilla naming ceremony to take place at Volcanoes National Park.


Other outstanding personalities who support the conservation of mountain gorillas have been invite to attend this event though the list is not yet out to the public.

Rugambwa also noted that Rwanda is a home to the biggest number of the remaining 700 gorillas in the world. These gorillas are shared with Uganda and Congo since they keep migrating among the three countries.

The ceremony will start in the morning, having the gorillas named by specific people and followed by the adoption of gorillas.

“The adoption is in four categories and those available are Bronze for $5,000 or more, Silver for $15,000, Gold Category for $25,000 and the Platinum Category for investment of $50,000 or more, said Rosette Rugambwa.

Many companies,according to ORTPN, are already using gorillas in their names, logos or advertisement campaigns, acknowledging the contribution of gorillas to their marketing strategies.

“Adoption of a mountain gorilla allows such companies to fulfill the moral obligation of ensuring the long-term survival of mountain gorillas, ” a statement on the ORTPN’s portal says.

Gorilla safaris and tourism have developed over the past years and contribute the largest portion to Rwanda tourism industry.

Volcanoes national park sited among the Virunga Mountains supports families of mountain gorillas that are the next relatives of human beings.

Among the many wildlife safaris to Rwanda, gorilla trekking safaris have been rated to have the highest number of tourists. They contribute two thirds of the total number of Rwanda safaris and tours.

Chimpanzee safaris in Nyungwe forest national park come next to gorilla safaris. Nyungwe forest is a home to many primates and a wonderful place to bird lovers.

The tourism industry of Rwanda has upgraded historical sites and national parks to boost the tourism industry as a whole.

A Regional economic bloc has been launched by the members of CEPGL as a step to restore peace and stability in these Great Lakes Regions.

Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, belonging to CEPGL have launched this alliance to allow free movement of people within these countries and ease trade.

Charles Murigande, Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister said that this launch was a manifestation that these three countries are ready to strengthen peace and security. He stresses that they had to be united for the Region to Be Powerful and Rwanda Government was dedicated to make the union a reality.

The three key institutions of this coalition include; the DRC based Economic and Development Bank of Great lakes countries and the Energy of Great Lakes, and the Institute of Agricultural Research and Zoology in Burundi.

CEPGL with a French acronym had collapsed following the 1994 Rwanda Genocide and civil wars in the area but its re-launching will help Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo build a better future.

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