Ousted RCD leader accused of training Interahamwe members

Seventy-seven of 139 rebels being trained at the Kisangani base of ousted RCD rebel leader, Wamba dia Wamba, were members of the Interahamwe militia who had been roaming in the forests of eastern DRC resisting repatriation to Rwanda, the Kigali-based weekly 'New Times' claimed this week. The publication quoted Wamba's RCD rivals in Goma who alleged that the 77 were identified by some NGOs as "genocidaries". The NGOs' suggestions on deporting them to Arusha or Rwanda for trial had "hit a dead end", RNA cited the paper as saying. Wamba has insisted he is training ordinary Congolese.

Government condemns disruptive fuel price rise

The Rwandan government on Wednesday condemned a sudden increase by oil companies in fuel prices, which has caused transportation chaos in Kigali and a knock-on effect on commodity prices. On Tuesday, the price of fuel at petrol stations in Kigali was increased from 230 Rwf to 265 Rwf, allegedly due to vehicle weight limitations imposed on Rwandan transporters by Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. "The decision by importers to increase oil prices was not discussed and approved by the government. It was an initiative by fuel dealers and transporters," Commerce Minister Mark Rugenera told the Rwanda News Agency. He condemned the move and called on business people to return their fuel prices to normal.

More local information needed for effective health planning, survey finds. A report published by the World Health Organisation has said restrictions on the ability to introduce effective health planning in Rwanda are due in part to the poor quality of available local information. The report noted that Rwanda's infrastructure was almost completely destroyed during the genocide of 1994 and this led to an urgent requirement for assistance in the health field. According to the report, health planning should take into account society and environmental factors. "Effective monitoring and detailed observation are identified as being essential to the continuity of existing humanitarian assistance," the report said.