Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

On January 3, a grenade attack killed two and wounded 16 in a Kigali market.
On January 24, a grenade attack in Gitarama injured at least 14 people. Rwandan
National Police (RNP) arrested two suspects
On March 23, an explosion at Ruhengeri bus station killed one and injured five. There
were no arrests.
On March 30, two nearly-simultaneous grenade attacks in Kigali markets injured six.
Four suspects were arrested by the RNP.
On November 27, approximately 120 armed men reportedly crossed into Rwanda from
the DRC to attack Rubavu province. The attack was repulsed by the RDF with no civilian
casualties.
Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: On June 14, Rwanda promulgated a new
penal code, which increased the Rwandan government’s ability to combat terrorism, in accord
with relevant international conventions. The law includes new penal provisions for terrorism
aboard aircraft or at airports, attacks on internationally protected persons, weapons of mass
destruction, and other matters. The new code also expressly forbids exportation of arms,
ammunition, and related materials to an area of armed conflict or a country under an arms
embargo imposed by the UNSC or by organizations of which Rwanda is a member.
The poor security situation in the eastern DRC put pressure on Rwanda’s western borders.
Rwanda has been active in prosecutions of terrorist attacks. On January 13, judges convicted 21
defendants and acquitted eight in relation to several grenade attacks that took place in 2011 and
earlier. Prosecutors in this case earlier dropped charges against more than 70 others. On
December 6, the High Court in Musanze District convicted 11 of 12 defendants for threatening
state security in relation to grenade attacks and other “terrorist acts” that occurred prior to
2012. On December 14, criminal trials started involving defendants charged in the 2012 grenade
attacks.
Countering Terrorist Finance: Rwanda is not a member of a Financial Action Task Force-style
regional body. Rwanda’s new 2012 penal code prohibits money laundering and terrorist
financing by individuals and entities. The Government of Rwanda continued efforts to
implement its 2009 law on the “Prevention and Suppression of Money Laundering and Financing
of Terrorism,” which established the legislative framework to adhere to international money
laundering standards. For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, we
refer you to the 2013 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume 2,
Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.
Regional and International Cooperation: Rwanda is not a member of any regional
organization or grouping that carried out counterterrorism activities, but hosted security and
terrorism-focused conferences held under the auspices of regional organizations like the
International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the East Africa Police Chiefs
Cooperation Organization, a sub-regional organization of Interpol.
Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism: In January, the Government of Rwanda
sponsored an Africa Center for Strategic Studies conference on “Preventing Youth
Radicalization in East Africa” in Kigali. Until April, Rwanda worked with MONUSCO and the
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