On June 12, 2013, The Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMR) received 25 families composed of 48 individuals who repatriated from Orukinga camp in Uganda.

The returnees included 19 children, 15 women and 12 men. Most of them had spent more than 19 years in exile after they fled the country in 1994 during the Genocide against Tutsis.

As they crossed Gatuna border in the Northern Province of Rwanda, they said they felt extremely tranquil considering the warm welcome by MIDIMAR and UNHCR officials.

This report has the distinction of being the first ever Global Communities Annual Report and also the 60th anniversary report of the organization that began in 1952 as the Foundation for Cooperative Housing. It therefore explores both our new direction and our heritage, with the focus being the 60 years of partnership that has been and remains at the core of our work.

White maize is the main staple grain consumed in Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia. In Uganda, white maize is grown mainly as a commercial crop for export in the region. Imported rice is a major staple for Djibouti and Somalia, which mainly consume belem—the imported red rice. Tanzania is also a major producer and source of rice in the region while Kenya and Uganda are minor producers. Both red and white sorghum are produced and consumed in the region. This is an important staple in Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia as well as in other marginal agricultural areas of the region.

Le président tanzanien, Jakaya Kikwete a salué dimanche 26 mai à Addis-Abeba le projet de la brigade d’intervention de la Monusco pour combattre les groupes armés dans l’Est de la RDC. Au cours d’une réunion à huis clos entre quelques chefs d’Etats africains, il a cependant appelé aux négociations entre Kigali et les rebelles rwandais des FDLR et Kampala avec les rebelles de l’ADF-Nalu, rapporte rfi. Pour le chef de l’État tanzanien, il n’y a pas de paix durable, sans négociation globale.

By Miriam Gathigah

NAIROBI , May 25 2013 (IPS) - “My husband and older son, unable to cope with the war, became mentally ill. Two of my sons became child soldiers and an eight-year-old daughter was abducted – they were never to be seen again,” Mariamu Dong says, referring to the 21-year civil war between north and south Sudan, which are now separate countries.

Her seven children grew up during those years of bloodshed, but only one made it through.

KAMPALA, May 24, 2013—UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim on Friday ended a three-day historic mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Uganda, pledging that both of their global organizations will work closely together to bring peace, security, and economic development for the Great Lakes region that has for so long not experienced the fruits of prosperity.

KAMPALA, 24 mai 2013 – Le secrétaire général des Nations Unies Ban Ki-moon et le président du Groupe de la Banque mondiale Jim Yong Kim achèvent, ce vendredi, une mission historique de trois jours en République démocratique du Congo (RDC), au Rwanda et en Ouganda, en promettant que leurs deux organisations internationales collaboreront étroitement pour apporter la paix, la sécurité et le développement économique à la région des Grands Lacs, privée depuis si longtemps des fruits de la prospérité.

By Joram Muhoozi Rwanda Today

Posted Friday, May 17 2013 at 18:45

In Summary

• The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is working with the government to establish shelter and boost livelihoods for some returnees expected to be back in the country before the clause comes into effect.

As the UN Cessation Clause comes into effect some Rwf2 billion has been earmarked to support Rwandan refugees who are set to return to their motherland.

DRC, Sudan and Somalia continue to host the highest number of IDPs and persons severely affected by conflict. A new report provides in-depth analysis of the situation in 12 countries.