Rwanda’s Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) has closed 12 additional factories producing alcoholic beverages, bringing the total number of facilities shut down in an ongoing crackdown on substandard drinks to 148.

The Government of Rwanda has allocated Rwf2.7 billion in the 2026/2027 national budget to support more than 28,300 vulnerable persons with disabilities across all 30 districts, marking a significant expansion of a targeted social protection programme aimed at improving livelihoods and promoting inclusion.

Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement Dr Jean Damascène Bizimana has urged Rwandans, particularly the youth, to reject alcoholism, drug abuse and other harmful behaviours, saying a healthy population is essential for sustainable development.

Rwanda’s government has defended the ongoing closure of factories producing substandard alcoholic beverages, saying protecting citizens’ health remains more important than economic interests linked to businesses that violate safety regulations.

Rubavu District Mayor Mulindwa Prosper has urged 302 Rwandans who returned home from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after years under FDLR captivity to distance themselves from the forces and circumstances that pushed them into exile.

Rwanda has received 177 refugees and asylum seekers evacuated from Libya, marking the 24th group to arrive in the country under the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM), a programme aimed at providing protection for vulnerable people stranded in conflict-affected areas.

Authorities in Kigali have seized more than 470,000 litres of ethanol in a four-day operation targeting illegal alcohol production, as Rwanda intensifies its fight against unsafe alcoholic beverages.