KIGALI, May 1 (Xinhua) -- The Rwanda Workers' Trade Union Confederation (CESTRAR) on Monday called for tighter workers' protection and safety regulations, especially in the country's mining sector.

In a message to mark Labor Day, the CESTRAR also urged employers in the mining sector to "conduct regular health checks for workers for respiratory diseases" which may be contracted from their work, so as to ensure their timely treatment.

"We appeal to all employers to tighten safety regulations to protect the health of workers through the provision of safety equipment and put in place regulations as per the work conditions," the CESTRAR said in a statement. "Relevant authorities should pay particular attention in enforcing regulations in the mining sector through regular professional inspections to prevent fatal accidents which have often been reported."

The issue of the safety of Rwandan miners entered public debate following a recent report by the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board showing there were 337 mine accidents from July 2018 to July 2022.

Mine accidents claimed the lives of at least 429 people and injured 272 in a period of five years, according to the report. The mining sector is Rwanda's second largest revenue earner. - Xinhua

THE Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has debunked reports that a bus conveying Nigerian students to Port Sudan from Khartoum, the Sudan capital, caught fire on Monday, May 1.

Head, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NIDCOM Abdur-Rahman Balogun debunked the reports in a chat with The ICIR on Monday, May 1.

However, he revealed that the vehicle suffered tyre burst.

“It was a tyre that got burst. No bus caught fire,” he said. 

The NiDCOM spokesman also noted that payments had been settled for the evacuation of the Nigerians leaving through Port Sudan, adding that they would be leaving early on Tuesday, May 2.

“They cannot move tonight. It is not safe. They will proceed first thing tomorrow morning,” he stated.

He added that clearance was still ongoing for Nigerians at the Egyptian border, as the conditions given for their entry into the country were quite stringent.

There were reports that a tyre on one of the buses moving Nigerians from Khartoum to Port Sudan exploded in the early hours of Monday, resulting in a fire. 

The Federal Government had contracted bus operators to evacuate Nigerians stranded in Sudan following the violence that broke out between two rival forces in the country.

Some Nigerians had been conveyed to the Egyptian border in hopes that they would be airlifted to Abuja from Aswan, Egypt.

However, the Nigerians remained unable to gain access into the country for four days. 

Though the Egyptian authorities opened the border on Monday following interventions by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, other batches of students are being evacuated through Port Sudan. By Ijeoma OPARA, ICIR

At least six General Service Unit (GSU) officers were injured on Monday, May 1, after a vehicle they were travelling in hit a landmine in Karo location, Mandera East.

According to County Commissioner Amos Mariba, a rescue operation is underway while the injured officers are receiving treatment at Mandera County Referral Hospital.

"We are continuing with the rescue mission and cannot comment further on the incident," said Mariba on phone with The Standard. 

The six were among a contingent of security personnel dispatched to the area early Monday morning following intelligence reports of Al-Shabaab insurgents' presence in the area.

"Their vehicle hit the landmine at Burta Ashaqa village at around 5.30pm on their way back to their station in Mandera town," said a source. 

Speaking to The Standard on condition of anonymity, a senior police officer said officers who were part of the convoy escaped unhurt.

The attack comes weeks after a warning by Mariba, tipping the media, that the insurgents had stepped up their presence along Somalia’s border towns. 

The county commissioner, however, assured the public of their safety and affirmed that security officers are on continuous patrol in the suspected areas to weed out the militants. By Ibrahim Adan Ali, The Standard