Rwanda authorities have suspended the Miss Rwanda beauty pageant amid allegations that contestants were sexually assaulted.
“That is not our main focus today. Rather we are working with various partners to see that the contestants are supported and are not deprived of their awards,” Rwanda's Minister of Youth and Culture, Rosemary Mbabazi, said as quoted by The New Times.
The decision came weeks after the event's organiser - a well-known musician in Rwanda - Dieudonne Ishimwe, popularly known as Prince Kid, was taken into custody on 27 April. He is suspected of several cases of sexual harassment of "former Miss Rwanda contestants".
Ishimwe heads Rwanda Inspiration Backup, the company behind the annual Miss Rwanda pageant.