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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

Wreckage of a GSU vehicle that hit an IED in Liboi in 2019.[File, Standard[

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.

“Our officers missed death by a whisker. We had other officers on a second Land Cruiser behind the GSU vehicle that hit the landmine but, fortunately, they were not harmed. The injured are in hospital and in stable condition," said the officer.  

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

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 30, 2023/APO Group/ --  President William Ruto has asked global financial institutions to focus on Africa’s underlying potential.

He said it was misplaced for them to perceive the continent only in the lens of a high risk borrower.

He explained that Africa is a promising investment spot that promises a high return.

“We are asking for a win-win financial architecture that brings everyone on board,” he said. Developed countries enjoy interest rates of as low as 0.5 per cent as compared to more than 10 per cent cent rates levied on developing countries

He made the remarks during the 2023 Mo Ibrahim Governance Forum held at Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi.

The President challenged the global financial system to charge developing countries just interest rates on loans.

“Developed countries enjoy interest rates of as low as 0.5 per cent as compared to more than 10 per cent cent rates levied on developing countries.

The high interest rates, he went on, have made it impossible for developing countries to finance any meaningful development.

He noted that the current system is struggling to respond to the challenges of the moment.

“It has failed to respond to the needs of emerging economies; it is rigged against those of us in the global south.”

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

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.

The journey by road became necessary after efforts to airlift Nigerians directly from Khartoum were frustrated by the crisis within 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

On the morning of April 15, Tagreed Abdin, an architect living in Sudan, was thinking of leaving for work despite it being a Saturday.

Her teen boys, who go to school on Saturdays, were off that particular day. Abdin knew that working from home with the boys around would be challenging. She opted to leave.

The busy day was to be followed by an evening where they would all relax and watch television.

But her plans and the peaceful morning were shattered by the sound of heavy gunfire. Uncertainty loomed as news started to pour in about violent clashes in Khartoum.

Electricity was soon disconnected and in scorching temperatures above 40 C (104 F), the family stayed without power for the next four days.

“We had no idea what was going on. We didn’t see it going on for two weeks. But it wasn’t really clear then the scale of what was going on,” she told Anadolu via telephone from Khartoum.

Almost two weeks into the power struggle between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, thousands are living with no or little access to food, water, or amenities. Hundreds have been killed; thousands injured, according to officials as the conflict rages on.

Abdin, who lives in the west of Khartoum, insisted that there has been no truce between the rival groups.

Her day starts with the sound of gunfire. The night ends the same.

“There has been gunfire and shelling on and off over the past week or past few days when the cease-fire was declared over the Eid break,” she said, referring to the holiday that marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

At home, since the conflict erupted, she ventured outside Thursday to buy hypertension medicine for her elderly mother, only to find pharmacies closed or out of stock.

The family is facing a shortage of fresh vegetables, milk, and other products. They also have to make sure that electricity is consumed less as it is pre-paid and once, they run out, it will difficult to purchase.

The situation is much worse for others. Her father, who is in the north of the capital, is surviving on lentil soup.

The overall situation for residents in Sudan is dire, she said.

“People are literally dying. They are dying of health care, of hunger, lack of water, electricity,” said Abdin.

Stations are without fuel and if people want to escape to the border or the port, their vehicles are empty. She noted how her friend’s father died as there was no ambulance to take him to the hospital due to lack of fuel.

At the moment, Abdin is staying put until there is a direct threat or when she is confident that an escape would be safe.

World leaders if they cannot stop the conflict should provide safe passages for residents to reach the border or ports, she said.

“Bring in supplies. Negotiate an agreement where the airports and ports are working,” said Abdin.

Her requests include lobbying other countries to waive visa restrictions to allow Sudanese to travel and a guarantee of safe corridors that would allow them to leave home and safely reach the ports.

“That’s what we need from the world right now,” she said.

For now, Abdin finds it hard to pass the day. Days earlier, a missile hit an apartment building in her neighborhood, killing one person.

“It’s very hard just to get through the day and to pretend that life is normal. Because you are constantly hearing the sound of shelling,” she said, as she is worried about rationing water and electricity. By Rabia Ali, Anadolu Agency

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