RegionWeek 16th Edition

A woman arrested with fake US$20,000 in Rwanda

World Cup 2022: Burundi drawn against Tanzania Burundi national team will face neighbors Tanzania Taifa Stars in the first qualifying round counting for the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar.

BURUNDI AND EAST AFRICA WEEKLY BRIEFING AUGUST 03th 2019 $ 3.50 No 016

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Rwanda closes border with DR Congo over the Ebola outbreak.

AMISOMSomalia: 6 Burundian soldiers killed in attack.

The Burundi military spokesperson, Kolonel Floribert Biyereke has confirmed that at least 6 Burundian soldiers were killed by Al Shabaab rebels in Somalia in the town of Balad, the local magazine reported.

Rwanda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where a deadly Ebola outbreak that started a year ago has killed more than 1,803 people.

The Burundian troops, who are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), were attacked by alShabaab militants in Balad district, about 30 kilometers east of Mogadishu, the spokesman said.

Rwanda awarded to host NBA’s Africa Basketball League finals

THE BIG PICTURE: Burundi is among the Troops contributing country alongside with other countries in the UN&AU funded AMISOM, tasked to maintain peace and security in wartorn Somalia and to repel Al Sjhabbab militants.

Kigali the capital of Rwanda has been named among 7 cities which will host the semi-finals and the final of the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) slated on March 2020.

Burundi’s mineral exports overtake tea, coffee in foreign currency earnings Prominent investigative journalist arrested in Tanzania A prominent investigative journalist known as Erick Kabendera was reportedly arrested in Tanzania on Monday, July 29, 2019, by unknown assailants.

Tanzania local media reported

Museveni promises to end the border row impasse between Uganda and Rwanda.

As the border row between Uganda and Rwanda is going o hitting the headline and reaching the dead-end, the president of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has spoken out and promised to end this border row impasse between Kigali and Kampala.

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BURUNDI

AMISOMSomalia: 6 Burundian soldiers killed in attack.

The Burundi military spokesperson, Kolonel Floribert Biyereke has confirmed that at least 6 Burundian soldiers were killed by Al Shabaab rebels in Somalia in the town of Balad, the local magazine reported.

The Burundian troops, who are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), were attacked by alShabaab militants in Balad district, about 30 kilometers east of Mogadishu, the spokesman said.

THE BIG PICTURE: Burundi is among the Troops contributing country alongside with other countries in the UN&AU funded AMISOM, tasked to maintain peace and security in wartorn Somalia and to repel Al Sjhabbab militants. “Elements of the alShabaab terrorist group have attacked Burundian soldiers of the Somalia Peacekeeping Mission (AMISOM) in Balad district, located about 30 kilometers northeast from the capital city of Mogadishu,” Colonel Floribert Biyereke, spokesman of the Burundian army said late Sunday.

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“ Six soldiers were killed on the spot. Three others sustained serious injuries. Two soldiers are missing ,” Biyereke added.

According to Anadolu News Agency, the Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the deadly suicide attack.

WHY IT MATTERS: Some observers are seeing that the UN-led plan of troops drawdown from the AMISOM task force by 2021 may result in a kind of ‘boomerang’ as the Al Shabaab fighters have been regularly coming back to ‘fill the gap’ left by the drawn down troops in Somalia.

Some Troops contributing countries such as Burundi and Uganda had already voiced their concerns about this gradual drawdown that it Burundian troops have been in Somalia since would endanger the safety and the lives of re2007 when AMISOM troops deployed inside maining troops.

Somalia.

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RWANDA

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Rwanda closes border with DR Congo over the Ebola outbreak.

Rwanda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where a deadly Ebola outbreak that started a year ago has killed more than 1,803 people.

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WHY IT MATTERS: The bordering city with Rwanda, Goma, has already recorded the second Ebola case when the patient also died from the deadly virus yesterday on Wednesday.

Following fears of the possible Ebola crossover into Rwanda, the latter closed the border with DRC Congo to keep the Ebola at bay.

DR Congo’s presidency on Thursday said that Rwandan authorities had closed the border between Goma and its nearest town of Gisenyi for all people other than Congolese citizens leaving Rwanda, the Cable reported.

According to a BBC report, the border was closed “to avoid unnecessary crossings” to Goma, as said Gilbert Habyarimana, mayor of Rubavu district in western Rwanda which borders Goma

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“We are closely monitoring the situation at Goma, the border can be reopened anytime, when the situation improves,” he told .journalists.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), which declared the DRC outbreak a global health emergency in July, has recommended against travel or trade restrictions.

It has also said the risk of regional spread was “very high”.

‘Both DRC and Rwandans regret the decision’ The DRC presidency’s office said it regretted what it described as a unilateral decision by the Rwandan authorities to restrict movement at the border, “which runs counter to the advice of the WHO”, the Cable added.

Rwandan citizens who were making a living by crossing into DR Congo’s Goma are also regretting the decision by Kigali.

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“The closure is terrible for me. My seven children and I get something to eat when I go to Goma for work.

Yes, Ebola is a terrible thing, but living is what matters most,” Ernest Mvuyekure, a builder who works in Goma, told the BBC.

“I am more afraid of hunger than Ebola, they should not close the border. I would rather die of sickness than of hunger.”

‘Fears of the third case of Ebola in Goma’ Fears are mounting over the possible third case of the Ebola virus on a child left behind by the late father who died from the Ebola yesterday in Goma.

Earlier on Thursday, a DRC official said the one-year-old daughter of the man who died on Wednesday was at a treatment center after showing signs of the disease, the Cable added He had spent several days at home with his family while showing symptoms.

If this suspected case is confirmed, it could be the first transmission of Ebola in this outbreak inside Goma, a city of more than two million people.

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AFRICA

Museveni promises to end the border row impasse between Uganda and Rwanda.

As the border row between Uganda and Rwanda is going o hitting the headline and reaching the dead-end, the president of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, has spoken out and promised to end this border row impasse between Kigali and Kampala.

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THE BIG PICTURE: the Border row impasse has been dragging for months since February this year when Rwanda took unilateral decision to close the Katuna border which was considered as a major hub and facilitator of trade exchange between Uganda and Rwanda.

Local media reported that mutual talks between Uganda and Rwanda to revive the cross border trade between the countries which was disrupted after the closure of the Gatuna post are progressing.

Museveni told reporters that he ‘ is currently in touch with his Rwanda counterparts to resolver the border row’.

“Recently we met the Rwandan leader in Angola and we discussed the border issue. Leave it to us. Talks shall continue until the matter is completely resolved. It does not make sense to keep talking on radios but what is important is to ensure that the border issue is resolved, ” Mr. Museveni said.

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“[The issue] took me to Angola to meet President [Paul] Kagame [Rwanda’s president] and other leaders and I will not reveal what we discussed”, Museveni added.

It should be noted that the president of Angola, Joao Lourenco, had urged both Kagame and Museveni to ‘ end hostilities’ and create peaceful opportunities for the best development of the region.

Since the closure, both Kigali and Kampala have suffered economic woos due to the resilience of both Uganda and Rwanda.

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Rwanda awarded to host NBA’s Africa Basketball League finals Kigali the capital of Rwanda has been named among 7 cities which will host the semi-finals and the final of the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) slated on March 2020.

Kigali (Rwanda) on its side will host city for the first-ever BAL Semi-Finals and BAL Final.

In addition, NIKE and Jordan Brand will be the exclusive outfitter of the new professional league that features 12 club teams across Africa.

The 12 teams will be divided into two six-team conferences, each conference playing games in three of the six host cities.

Each team will play five regular-season games, with the top three clubs in each conference advancing to the playoffs.

The announcements were made on Tuesday, July 30, 2019

by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall during a reception at the Musée des Civilisations Noires in Dakar in the presence of FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis, FIBA Africa Executive Director Alphonse Bilé, NBA Commissioner The “Super Six” will play Adam Silver and NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, a roundrobin format to dealong with current and former NBA and WNBA players. termine the BAL Final Four that advance to Kigali in “Today’s announcements mark another late spring 2020 for the sinimportant milestone as we head into gle-game elimination semiwhat will be a historic first season for finals and final.

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the Basketball Africa League,” said NBA President Amadou Gallo Fall.

“We now have seven great host cities where we will play and our first partnership with a worldclass outfitter.

“We thank our first partners NIKE and Jordan Brand for supporting us on this journey and ensuring our teams have the best uniforms and oncourt products.” He added

BAL was launched by NBA in collaboration with FIBA on February, 16, during the All-Star game in Charlotte, North Carolina, aiming to operate a league outside North America.

The NBA and FIBA also plan to dedicate financial support and resources toward the continued development of Africa’s basketball ecoCairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda system, including training (Angola), Rabat (Morocco) and either Monastir or Tunis (Tu- for players, coaches and nisia) were announced as the host cities where the inaugu- referees, and infrastructure investment. ral BAL regular games will take place.

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AFRICA

Burundi’s 1st Lady opens Burundi’s consulate in Australia.

Burundi’s first Lady, Denise Nkurunziza has opened the Burundian consulate in Australia in order to help Burundians living in Australia.

Madam Denise Bucumi was an invit- sent this Consulate in Perth . ed guest in the opening of this Consulate in Perth, Western Australia.

BBC adds that recently, Mr. Barry cam,e in Burundi with a considerable Perth-based Victory Life Center de- delegation aimed at5t launching the clared it yesterday on Tuesday that Bu- exchange of exports and imports rundi’s Consulate has been opened in from and to outside of both Burundi Perth. and Australia.

Related: Merck Foundation together with Burundi First Lady release “Plus Qu’une Mere” theme song dedicated to infertile women.

According to a BBC report , Mr. Barry Court has tasked by Burundi to repre-

Australia hosts around 3000 Burundiann, some went there as asylum seekers, others were taken there from refugees camp in mainly Tanzania since the early 2000s.

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ECONOMY

RegionWeek Jully 2019

Burundi’s mineral exports overtake tea, coffee in foreign currency earnings

Burundi’s gold, tin, and rare earth minerals exports have overtaken tea and coffee as the major source of foreign exchange for the East African nation, the ministry of mining said.

Operators in the sector include Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd. Exports of gold, tin, tungsten, tantalum and rare earths minerals brought in $12.4 million in the past three months, he said. He did not say how much coffee and tea exports made during the same period.

The government plans to invest in a laboratory to support rare earths miners with research, Sindayigaya said.

The mining sector in the Burundi economy was thrust into prominence last month when the United States said it was one of those it was considering to diversify its sources of rare earths following a trade spat with China.

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“The mining sector mining sector is now bringing more than 50% of the foreign currencies. It will contribute even more, up to 70% in the future. The mining sector contributes more than coffee and tea put together,” Léonidas Sindayigaya Léonidas Sindayigaya, the mining ministry’s spokesperson, told Reuters.

However, some observers say that the mining sector in Burundi is not well distributed to all Burundians, as it is still regarded as the source of foreign currencies nowadays.

Gabriel Rufyiri, the head of nongovernmental organization Anticorruption and Economic Malpractice Observatory (OLUCOME), said the sector needed reforms to spread around the wealth to more people, without providing details.

Burundi also holds nickel deposits, which have not been exploited due to lack of adequate electricity and other infrastructure, mining experts told Mining Weekly.

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NEWS

Prominent investigative journalist arrested in Tanzania A prominent investigative journalist known as Erick Kabendera was reportedly arrested in Tanzania on Monday, July 29, 2019, by unknown assailants.

Tanzania local media reported

Erick Kabendera, a respected freelance journalist who writes for several international publications, was detained on Monday afternoon at his home in Dar es Salaam, by a group of men who claimed to be plainclothes policemen.

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“The manner in which this journalist was taken, by men claiming to be police, is very ominous and further evidence that the press is not safe in President John Magufuli’s Tanzania,” said Muthoki Mumo, the CPJ’s sub-Saharan Africa representative.

Kabendera’s wife Loyce told Citizen that her husband was arrested and taken away at around 4 pm by a group of six people As Reuters reported, Tanzania said earlier this month it did not know whether another claimed themselves to be policemen. journalist who went missing two years ago The assailants reportedly wore no uniform while investigating a series of murders of and refused to identify themselves when police and ruling party officials was dead they were challenged to confirm their iden- or alive. tity.

Activists have cited Azory Gwanda’s disapSimon Sirro, Tanzania’s inspector general pearance on November 2017 as a sign of of police, confirmed Kabendera had been worsening conditions for journalists under Magufuli’s government, which they accuse taken to a police station for questioning. of cracking down on press freedoms by “Police identified themselves and suspending newspapers. The government arrested him by following all proper rejects the criticism. procedure. He is still under police custody,” Sirro told Reuters on “Tanzania journalists under attack!

Tuesday. More information about Azory Gwanda missing since Kabendera’s arrest would be November 2017 … now Erick released later on Tuesday, he said.

Kabendera abducted from home,” Maria Sarungi Tsehai, a Dar es The New York-based Committee to Protect Salaam-based communications Journalists (CPJ) said it was concerned expert and social media activist, about Kabendera’s safety. tweeted on Monday.

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World Cup 2022: Burundi drawn against Tanzania Burundi national team will face neighbors Tanzania Taifa Stars in the first qualifying round counting for the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar.

The 14 winners will join the continent’s top-ranked 26 sides, who have been exempted from the initial round of qualifiers. Those 40 teams will then be split into ten groups of four for the second qualifying round.

The 10 winners of those groups will then be drawn against each other in home-and-away fixtures, with the five victors advancing to Qatar 2022.

The Swallows of Burundi will lock horns against Tanzania’s Taifa Stars in the first round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the Africa Zone.

According to the draws conducted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Monday, 29th, July 2019 in Egypt, the first leg will be played on September 2, 2019, while the return leg is scheduled for eight days later.

In the other fixtures involving teams from Cecafa region, Rwanda will face Seychelles, Sudan battle Chad, Ethiopia face Lesotho, Somalia welcome Zimbabwe, South Sudan entertain Equatorial Guinea while Djibouti will take on Eswatini.

The qualification process According to World Football governing body (FIFA), Only 28 of the continent’s teams – those ranked lowest in July’s edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – were involved in the draw. Those sides were paired off for homeand-away knockout fixtures – to be played between 2-10 September.

The 28 teams which were lowly-ranked on the continent were pooled together with the aim of picking the best 14.

Zimbabwe, Namibia, Angola, GuineaBissau, and Tanzania were drawn in Pot 1 while Burundi was placed in Pot 2.

About 2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be the 22nd edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international men’s association football championship contested by the national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It is scheduled to take place in Qatar in 2022.

The 2022 World Cup is stated to be the first World Cup ever to be held in the Arab world and the first in a Muslimmajority country. This will be the first World Cup held entirely in Asia since the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.

In addition, the tournament will be the last to involve 32 teams, with an increase to 48 teams scheduled for the 2026 tournament. The reigning World Cup champions are France.

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NEWS

A woman arrested with fake US$20,000 in Rwanda A woman identified as Florence Uvutseneza was arrested with counterfeit US$20,100, approximately Rwf19 million by Rwanda law enforcement agencies in the City of Kigali, on Saturday, July 26, 2019, New Times reported.

According to, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Marie-Gorette Umutesi, the Police spokesperson for the City of Kigali said that Uvutseneza was arrested at a bar in Gatsata, Gasabo District.

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“Earlier on Saturday, Gatsata Police station received information that Uvutseneza had a big sum of dollars, which she was trying to sell illegally. The informer also suspected the money to be fake,” Umutesi said.

“Reacting on the credible information, law enforcement agencies worked together and tracked Uvutseneza at a bar in Gatsata at about 6 pm, where she was at the time trying to defraud someone with the fake dollars,” she added.

New Times reported that Uvutseneza got into the room earlier and found a way to get into the ceiling where she hid the money as a precaution to avoid arrest.

The 28-year-old has been arrested in similar financial crimes for several times.

She was arrested in 2016 and released on August 2017 from Mageragere prison, after serving her one-year sentence over the same crime.

Anyone convicted for the crime of counterfeit serves between five and seven years in prison, and a fine ranging from Rwf7 million to Rwf10 million, according to the new penal code.

RegionWEEK is a Weekly News Briefing about Brurundi and East Africa.

Publisher: RegionWeek Ltd Editor in chief: Fabrice Iranzi Head of Africa Bureau: John Nshimirimana 11, Avenue du Gouvernement, Rohero Bujumbura-Burundi Tél: +257 79 43 28 86 P.O Box 6402 Bujumbura