Author: Elie Imanishimwe

President Kagame made the remarks on Saturday, at Intare Conference Arena where he chaired the Political Bureau Meeting bringing together about 2500 party delegates.

RPF Political Bureau has attracted delegates including those from Diaspora and representatives of party structures right from the grassroots.

This meeting aims at discussing how the development of the country can be based on Rwandan citizens by building the capacity of Rwandans in various areas to enable them to contribute to national development.

“We have two neighbors who don’t wish us well and two with whom we have no problems. But we will find a way to remedy that situation. Our priority is good relations but it does not prevent us from being ready if things do not turn out as we hope,” said President Kagame and RPF Chairman.

He said that 2018 has done well in all sectors because the country had ‘good production of all kinds’.

He further stated that the RPF Inkotanyi played an important role in maintaining good relations between Rwanda and other countries, although it was not easy, especially due to the history of the country.

He said that currently, Rwanda has two neighbors who are not friendly enough but will continue to look for ways to normalize its relations with them.

“Some issues calmed down giving us time to work, but we are still far, there are still a lot of things to do. It seems like they are alternating. Those who are far away used to cause problems, while we lived at peace with our neighbors. Now we are friends with them (those from far) […] so, we are going to find a remedy for that too,” he said.

“Living with a neighbor who wants to set fire at your things is not good. We have two neighbors in the region who do not wish us good, but we live at peace with two other people,” he said.

“We will also find ways to appease those two neighbors who do not wish us well. That’s on one side, you find ways to appease people and live with them peacefully, but when you do so, you cannot also forget to build the capacity to say what if it does not work out ? ” he added.

President Kagame talked about people who, with the help of neighboring countries, have been trying to disrupt Rwanda’s security by changing their names and disguising themselves as Christians but with other intentions.

President Kagame said that what needs to be done is building capacity for the people themselves because ‘when they do not doubt about you, they maintain security, others may come later or not’.

The last RPF Political Bureau meeting was held in July this year when the final list of candidates that ran as members of parliament was approved for elections that took place in September 2018.

In the elections, FPR Inkotanyi and its affiliated parties came on the top, won 40 out of 53 seats.

Col. Simba was convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for 25 years after finding him guilty of leading different Interahamwe raids which targeted and killed the Tutsis in former prefectures of Butare and Gikongoro, as well as crimes against humanity.

The International Criminal Tribunal of Rwanda convicted Simba of genocide and the crime against humanity of extermination, and it sentenced him to 25 years imprisonment.

In 2016, he wrote to the court asking for release because he had completed his 2/3 sentence and Judge Theodor Meron President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) expressed his desire to release him.

He should serve his entire prison term

The statement by the Government of Rwanda on Friday, states that at a meeting between Valentine Rugwabiza, the Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations and Judge Meron, on 14 December 2018, Rwanda knew that the latter had the desire to release Simba.

This unilateral action by Judge Meron comes over the objections of the Government of Rwanda and despite the dire consequences of Simba’s release for the survivors of his crimes, his lack of remorse, and his failure to cooperate with authorities.

In the midst of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Aloys Simba converted what should have been places of refuge into human slaughterhouses.

At Kaduha Parish, Simba put traditional weapons, guns, and grenades into the hands of mass murderers and ordered them to “get rid of this filth.”

Simba likewise handed out weapons to militias surrounding the Murambi Technical School and instructed them to massacre the thousands of Tutsi civilians seeking shelter there.

According to the statement, one might legitimately question whether the deliberate massacre of more than 1,000 innocent civilians is adequately punished by a term of 25 years imprisonment – in other words, whether imprisonment for three months or less for each helpless victim adequately reflects the severity of the crime.

But Judge Meron somehow believes that greater leniency is due and has decided to set Simba free eight years before the end of his sentence.

Under these dire circumstances, inasmuch as Judge Meron is ordering Simba’s release subject to conditions, such as a prohibition on genocide denial, the Mechanism should release him to Rwanda to help ensure compliance with these conditions and to help advance his demobilization and integration, as has been the case for countless individuals in Rwanda.

Under Judge Meron’s presidency, Rwanda and the world have watched as he reversed convictions, reduced sentences, and released criminals long before they served their duly imposed prison terms.

Rwanda also observes that his plan to release Simba is not the result of a statutory requirement or the facts.

Rather, Judge Meron alone has created an arbitrary and automatic rule, not required by statute and unburdened by individualized considerations and assessments, to release any prisoner after service of two-thirds of the sentence. That is not justice.

As a matter of international law, the Mechanism must take into account the gravity of the offense, the interests of the victim survivors, the prisoner’s demonstration of repentance and rehabilitation, and his cooperation with the prosecution.

Simba orchestrated the brutal massacre of his victims in order to advance the genocidal destruction of an entire group.

In its submission to the Mechanism, Rwanda provided a detailed opinion from an expert in the trauma of genocide victims, who personally interviewed some survivors and reviewed statements from others.

She described how Simba’s release would cause untold trauma for survivors of Kaduha Parish and the Murambi Technical School, where children saw their parents murdered, and parents saw their children murdered.

In the face of this devastation, Simba has shown no remorse and has not cooperated, in any way, with investigators and prosecutors.

“We urge the next President to take more seriously the law and the facts when reviewing applications for early release,” the statement further reads.

It says that with due consideration to appropriate and established legal and factual considerations, the Mechanism can review and act upon an application for release prior to completion of the sentence.

But, it says, such decisions must be viewed as the exception, reserved for special cases and backed by compelling justifications.

International law does not confer unfettered discretion to the Mechanism or its President.

He is not at liberty to undermine what was found and upheld by courts of law, following multi-year investigations and months-long prosecutions, where the sentence captured the fullness of the events and considered all relevant arguments.

In the end, the statement says that going forward, the United Nations, member states, and those who have agreed to these processes must understand that Judge Meron’s approach threatens to undermine the international criminal justice system.

She made the highlights in Dubai recently where she attended the ongoing summit of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that started on October 29 and will be concluded on November 16, 2018.

In an interview with Maximillian Jacobson Gonzalez, ITU senior communications officer, Ingabire said that Rwanda has not stopped working on the development of technology.
She said that Rwanda has realized that technology should not be treated as a separate sector but it is a tool that eases development and other sectors of life.

“I am glad we have surpassed the idea that technology should be separate from other sectors, but it is now considered a tool to facilitate many economic institutions,” she said, citing a variety of examples such as in health where drones are used to transport blood to remote hospitals.

She said that this approach has helped the country to save the lives of many because blood is delivered on time and cannot get spoilt.

On ICT in education, the minister said the One Laptop Per Child Project which started in June 2008 aimed at providing one computer for every child had, until February 2018, provided about 270,000 computers in 1523 primary schools, enhancing children’s creativity.

“We have a great deal of interest in nurturing talented people, by expanding our research in skills and innovation. Nurturing talent is in line with different programs where Rwanda is aiming to be on top in innovation,” she said adding that universities of international repute including; AIMS, Carnegie Melon University, and Andela are supporting the government in the honing of IT skills.

In his remarks on October 19, 2018, the president noted that the efforts of leaders in coordinating actions should be the basis for wishes of Rwandans.

Among the 19 ministers of the cabinet and seven state ministers, there are four that are coming for the first time and two more that are returning.

Dr. Richard Sezibera, the former Health Minister was appointed Foreign Affairs Minister, replacing the outgoing Louise Mushikiwabo who was elected to head the International Organization Francophonie (OIF).

Solina Nyirahabimana, former Gender and Family Promotion Minister regained her post replacing Espérance Nyirasafari who was appointed Sports and Culture Minister.
Those who joined the cabinet for the first time include; Maj. Gen. Albert Murasira, the Minister of Defense; Anastase Shyaka, Minister of Local Governance; Soraya Hakuziyaremye, Minister of Trade and Industries and Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT.
Other officials that took oath include DCG Dan Munyuza who was appointed to head Rwanda National Police and CP Félix Namuhoranye, his deputy.

Some of the new officials said what they plan to do for Rwandans.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Richard Sezibera said that he will cooperate with others in building on what has been achieved by the outgoing Louise Mushikiwabo.

‘‘Those are heavy responsibilities but which have a true leader, the President of the Republic. What is done within this ministry is planned by him. There is no doubt that these responsibilities will be achieved despite their heaviness because Rwanda must achieve what she has committed to do,” he said.

He said that he will keep up the momentum of the country towards the way to its vision.
Dr. Sezibera said that Rwanda learned from her history and uplifted herself from the abyss in which those who hated her wanted to throw her. He said this was made possible by establishing sustainable strategies.

“Rwanda is a country that is respected at the international level. We have a stable and inclusive leadership which longs for national development where citizen participation is essential. Even though these are heavy responsibilities, that cooperation will make them easy,” he promised.

The new Local Government Minister Prof. Anastase Shyaka, who has been the CEO of Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) since 2011 said that the position he was appointed to but involves heavy responsibilities.

Prof Shyaka was also the Executive Secretary of Rwanda Governance Advisory Council (RGAC) between 2008-2011.

He said that he will work with others to address challenges in local government institutions.
‘‘We know the solutions to the problems we have. What we need to focus on is implementing them so that they benefit citizens.’’

Soraya Hakuziyaremye, the Minister of Trade and Industries replaces Vincent Munyeshyaka.
Hakuziyaremye, 42, was Special Advisor to Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo between 2012-2014. She targets to develop investment in the country.

‘‘I’m going to work with the entire government to serve Rwandans. Rwanda is moving faster but we must work harder because other countries are learning from us in a bid to raise their trade and economy. All we have to do is work with investors in accelerating development,” she said.

Hakuziyaremye announced that she will employ the experience she got from abroad to promote the industrial sector.

“What I bring is applying the experiences I have learned from the international community. The fact that I worked in London where I headed Global Banking and was vice-president of ING Bank in London, things will be done much faster. If we work together, we shall scale the heights,” she said.

In the Ministry of ICT, Paula Ingabire, 35, replaced Jean de Dieu Rurangirwa.
Her goal is to promote innovations based on technological infrastructures that the country has built in developing the economy.

“The goal is to strengthen innovation and promote talents because it is necessary for us in the journey to being a hub of geniuses in science and technology,” she said.
Ingabire studied technology at Massachusetts University, USA.

She was head of Investment at Rwanda Development Board and Coordinator of Kigali Innovation City.

Speaking to IGIHE, Ohlson said that when she presented her credentials at the President’s Office, she was informed by Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo that she would be pleased to be sitting with her at lunch. She didn’t understand it.

To her surprise, Ohlson was seated by the president’s table whom he had never met before.

“It was very nice but I was a bit nervous because it was the first time I met him. It was when I handed over my letters of credentials.” She told IGIHE

For Ohlson, 41, new ambassador seated at the small lunch table with the President and the first Lady that was quite a new experience for her, she said.

“That was a very interesting lunch. I hadn’t prepared for any special topics to talk about since I didn’t know beforehand,” She said.

However, Ohlson said that later, the luncheon was a good opportunity to discuss with the President about pertinent subjects.

She says that it was a very interesting conversation about current political affairs and differences as well as similarities between Sweden and Rwanda.

{{Something memorable and not secret
}}

Ohlson says that when the waiters came to ask them to stand up and go to the dessert table, the president said he did not want any dessert. For a second she must have looked very disappointed, because she had seen all the nice Rwandan fruits and had waited to try some. But she was definitely not going to take off for the dessert table alone.

“I was not sure about the protocol! I saw that he noted the disappointed look in my face, and he smiled and immediately said, ‘No, of course we will have dessert, let’s go’. To me, that was a little friendly gesture to a nervous young ambassador,” She says.

{{I didn’t feel physically intimidated
}}

Ohlson says being at lunch with five people around the table was a big day. She had never gone to the ceremony of the credentials before.

“I didn’t think of any intimidation or anything like that. It was just a very nice lunch. I was happy and relieved I had managed to do the protocol around the ceremony,” she says.