Mr Mugabe had been under house arrest for days. The army made its move after a power struggle over his successor.
The military said on Friday it was “engaging” with Mr Mugabe and would advise the public on the outcome of talks “as soon as possible”.
Mr Mugabe was cheered by the crowd at the graduation ceremony after he spoke, a witness quoted by Reuters news agency says.
Neither the 93-year-old president’s wife, Grace Mugabe, nor Education Minister Jonathan Moyo – an ally of hers whose house was reportedly raided by the military – were present.
The army acted after Mr Mugabe sacked Vice-President Emmanuel Mnangagwa last week. Mr Mnangagwa was seen as a potential successor and his sacking paved the way for Mr Mugabe’s wife Grace Mugabe – who is four decades younger than him – to take over the presidency instead.
Mr Mugabe’s attendance at the graduation is an annual tradition but few expected to see him there.
Kaljulaid who is in a two day working visit in Rwanda came in the country yesterday from Ethiopia. She said that she was pleased to meet President Kagame for important talks.
Speaking to the media, Kadri Humal-Ayal, Honorary Consul of Estonia in Kenya said that their country aims to expand relations with other countries based on available opportunities.
Kadri said that Estonia and Rwanda share different things and can explore opportunities in developing ICT in government services.’
Later on, she described her experience of her visit in Kigali in one of her tweets, saying that she had received ” a really warm welcome by President Kagame in Kigali. #Rwanda is African #ICT champion and great part of our discussion focused on digital societies. But also EU-AU relations as well as coop in UN. Great to find friends so far from home!”
President Kaljulaid also visited Kigali Genocide Memorial Center where she paid tribute to more than 250,000 genocide victims laid to rest there.
According to the statement issued by the EAC Secretariat this Thursday, the postponement comes following consultations and guidance from the Chairperson of the EAC Heads of State Summit, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, Convening the Joint EAC Heads of State Retreat on Infrastructure and Health.
Development and Financing as earlier planned, according to EAC will coincide with the African Union Heads of State – European Union Summit due in Abidjan, Ivory Cost on 29th to 30th November 2017, where the EAC Heads of State are expected to attend.
“In a bid to give way for effective dialogue at both events for the benefit of the East African region, the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat in collaboration with Partner States are working on rescheduling the Retreat and a final decision on the new dates shall be communicated in due course” reads the statement on EAC Secretariat website.
The statement continues to say that the papers and registrations for participants and exhibitors received will retain an active status until the rescheduled date.
According to the statement issued by the DGIE, the directive refers to the Cabinet Meeting of November 8, 2017 that approved the establishment of new visa regime for the Republic of Rwanda.
Before the new regime, only nationals of African Countries and few others were getting visa upon arrival.
Effective from the date the statement issued, Rwanda will grant visa free of charge with 90 days to residents of Benin Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea, Indonesia, Haiti, Senegal, Seychelles and So Tome and Principe.
“This is in addition to the Democratic Republic of Congo, East African Community Partner States, Mauritius, Philippines and Singapore” reads the statement.
Also the Government of Rwanda has entered into a visa Waiver Agreement for holders of Diplomatic and Service Passports with Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, India, Israel, Morocco and Turkey, a move which takes immediate effect.
Citizens from The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) member states will get 90 days visa on arrival (on payment of the prescribed fee) as provided by Article 4 of the COMESA Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Labour, Services, Right of Establishment and Residence.
Rwanda ratified this protocol on 13th July 2016. Currently, citizens of COMESA member states were getting 30 days on arrival as other holders of African Passports.
Rwandans living abroad with dual nationality are allowed to use national Identity Cards on entry
This waive visa fee goes to Rwandans travelling on foreign passports in possession of a Rwandan Identity Card for countries that permit dual nationality only. Initially Rwandans travelling on a foreign passport in possession of a valid Rwandan passport were the only granted visa free on arrival.
Foreign residents will also be able to use their Resident ID cards for entry –where returning residents holding valid residence permits with corresponding resident cards will be allowed to use them on entry, including using electronic gates (Automated Passenger Clearance System) at Kigali international Airport.
Since January 1st 2013, Rwanda is among the few countries that allow African citizens to obtain a visa on arrival.
Since then, all African nationals were allowed to acquire entry visa upon arrival and pay the subsequent fee; the cost of an entry visa reduced from $60 with 15 days in 2011 to $30 with 30 days.
From 2013 when Rwanda decided to issue visa upon arrival to all Africans to 2016, the statistics of African nationals that were issued with visa on arrival at Rwandan entry points increased from 31,054 to 77,377 approximately 149, 1%.
Foreign nationals with work or residence permits in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya can travel within these countries without paying visa fees as per the Northern Corridor Integration Project. Eligible residents are issued with interstate pass.
The trio have been competing with colleagues from the University of Lay Adventists of Kigali (UNILAK), Kigali Independent University (ULK) and the University of Kigali (UoK).
After competing before a jury composed with international armed conflicts law experts, the trio representing UR law students were selected to represent the country in Arusha on November 18th to 27th in the competition that bring together law students from English speaking countries in Africa.
The competition’s format is a simulated war-crimes trial, in which the teams take turns playing the roles of both the prosecution and the defence.
Speaking on behalf of the UR’s winning team, Elysée Rugundana said that they learnt a lot in the competition and he is optimistic that his team will shine in Arusha.
“They are different articles on law governing aarmed conflicts that I was not aware of, I was also not aware of suitable behaviors in court. I learnt much about the difference between international armed conflicts and internal armed conflicts” he said.
According to the Head of RCRC delegation in Rwanda, Pascal Cuttat the competition aims at raising awareness about international law governing armed conflicts and sensitizing all people to implement them as a way to avoid armed conflicts which results in negative impacts to civilians and their properties from across the World
“Our organization will continue to support these competitions and other activities aimed at sensitizing population on implementation of international laws governing armed conflicts” said Cuttat
UR team will be fully sponsored by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which is also the organizer of the competition both locally and internationally.
The owner of Gashumba milling factory and adjacent buildings hosting three other milling factories located in Gisozi Sector of Gasabo District, Tharcisse Sebukayire, claims to even not be concerned with the ongoing phase of wetlands eviction saying he has settlement permits while the phase concerns those who settled in the wetlands without official permits.
The four maize milling factories on one compound were closed down mid September when Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) the City of Kigali (CoK) flanked by ministers and security forces cracked whip on industrial, business and residential houses located in the city wetlands.
The millers are hitherto guarded by two rotating men to ensure that they do not operate the mills while Sebukayire says the closure has caused him heavy losses as over 200 tonnes of maize in stores he had already acquired before the closure are perishing while he sought at least 10 days to process them but the CoK has rejected his request.
Parfait Busabizwa, the CoK Vice Mayor in charge of Finance and Economic Development, told IGIHE on Wednesday that 39 business owners were granted extension of relocation period ranging from one month to one year but the case of Sebukayire is different because the milling factories were found with poor hygiene conditions among other uncertainties during the crackdown.
“For the maize millers in Gisozi, they have a permit to develop coffee factory but they are milling maize and their poor hygiene also prompted their closure. We have showed them a site cheaper than what they have in Gisozi. They can rent at Rwf300,000 in Kigali Special Economic Zone, the same amount they are renting currently. There are cheap sites but still smart and authorised under the Kigali Master Plan,” said Busabizwa adding that resistance is always there among people when they are told to relocate and some of them even ask for unreasonable relocation period by lying on the reasons.
Busabizwa says small factories can still settle in Nzove and Gahanga sectors while garages have space in Jabana and Masaka.
“They said they found lack of hygiene at one of the plants at this site but why did they close all four milling plants here. Again, the hygiene is not irresolvable, it can be worked on for reopening operations but they never allowed us even a single day to process the maize we have in stores. We are losing much, worrisome losses,” complains Sebukayire adding that he has met with city officials over five times but all in vain.
{{Who is to be relocated?}}
The ongoing relocation order concerns properties which were developed in the wetlands after the ban on settling in wetlands in 2005 while those which settled before will be evicted later as the government finds the budget for their expropriation, according to Remy Norbert Duhuze, Director of Environmental Regulation and Pollution Control at REMA.
Duhuze says the relocation will be done on an area of 7,700 hectares of wetlands in Kigali and later reach out to all other parts of the country.
Busabizwa says at least 2,078 properties are concerned with the relocation in Kigali including 1,118 which lack settlement permits and 960 which have the documents and will receive compensation. Gasabo District has the largest number of properties in wetlands standing at 1,448, while Nyarugenge and Kicukiro have 317 and 313 respectively.
He urged property owners to respect the relocation period they were granted “without trying our authority to force them out.” “Those hiding out there, we shall catch them and it will not be good for them. We are fining those who default the order. We work with local leaders and security forces, so it is easy to catch them,” warns the city official.
Rwanda’s wetlands represent about 14.9% of the national territory, including 6.3% for marshes and 8.6% for lakes, rivers and permanent or seasonal fresh water pools.
The State Minister was speaking yesterday in Musanze District where he officiated at the launch of the road safety campaign.
The official launch brought together hundreds of road users including drivers, cyclists and motorcyclists as well as students and residents.
The countrywide campaign, which will last for a month is held under the theme: “Know and Respect Traffic Rules to Save Lives.”
“The government is constructing more roads, but it’s one thing to have goods roads and another to keep them safe. We are not constructing roads to kill people… we are building roads to further improve the livelihoods of the people,” said the State Minister.
Last week, Rwanda National Police (RNP) held a meeting with partners including policymakers and transporters, and resolved among others, to revise road traffic laws to criminalise fatal accidents, ease the process of withdrawing driver’s and operational license including those of transport companies or individuals caught in life-threatening traffic offences.
The current law specifies a maximum of six month in prison, although majority traffic offenders easily challenge the law in court with financial penalties almost the only available option.
Terminating or suspending a driver’s license is also close to impossible in court, with only one person stripped of the license in the last four years.
While reacting on the “reckless behavior” of drivers, Eng. Uwihanganye said: “It’s not about holding a steering wheel… you are not transporting luggage; you are holding the lives of people with that wheel. You are transporting human beings whose lives matter to their families and to the nation.”
He reminded that launching the road safety campaign shouldn’t just be an event but a reminder of the responsibility of every individual to make roads safer for all.
“Whenever you are in a vehicle and the driver is on phone or speeding, you have a right to stop it, get out and inform the police immediately. That way, you would be saving not only your life but also the lives of others,” he said.
About 23 percent of total accidents recorded between August and October were either caused or involved passenger service vehicles.
He also reminded motorcyclists and cyclists to reorganize their cooperatives and “take safety first.”
The road safety report also indicates that motorcyclists account for 18.5 percent of fatalities while cyclists comprise of 17 percent, in the last three months.
The Governor of the Northern Province, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi said that the region will carry on with the road safety awareness programmes by holding talkshows on radios.
“Roads are part of safety and development programmes and it’s the responsibility of everyone to make them safe,” Governor Gatabazi said.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana said that “prevention requires strong partnership and individual responsibility to drive and use the road safely.”
“Road accidents are not a pandemic; it’s a result of individual behaviors that we cannot entertain. Don’t drive if you are drunk; regulate your speed; don’t use a phone while driving; use pedestrian pathways and zebra crossing…be vigilant whenever you are using the road,” IGP Gasana said.
He also called for strengthened partnership in raising awareness and fighting high impact crimes like human trafficking, narcotic drugs and child related crimes including child pregnancy.
The road safety month will be conducted in four phases; the first week will focus on educating pedestrians on road safety standards and how safe they can use roads;
Pedestrians comprise the majority victims involved or cause road traffic accidents accounting for 46 percent of the fatalities registered between August and October.
Pedestrians also account for 21 percent of the 254 serious injuries registered in the same period.
Meanwhile, the second week of the campaign will focus on motorcyclists followed by cyclists in the third week, and vehicles in the fourth week.
The students were also urged to utilize their holidays for the good of their families and communities rather than wasting it in non-developmental and unlawful activities, which at times result into arrests and unwanted pregnancies for the case of girls.
In Kayonza, Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) Leonille Mujawamariya, the District Community Liaison Officer (DCLO) reached out to students of Fawe Girls School, and challenged them to pursue their academic careers rather than wildly things.
“You are now going for holidays, desist from drinking alcoholic beverages, night clubs and for the case of girls, temptations from men that might result into child pregnancy,” AIP Mujawamariya told the students.
“There are men who seduce young girls like you with phones, money and even taking them out for luxury life, and end up in sexual acts leading to pregnancies, contracting STDs and forcing them to drop out of school. Don’t leave room for such. Know why your parents sent you to school and what the country desires from you,” she added
She reminded them to stand up for their rights and report all forms of child abuse they either encounter or witness.
Similar messages were also delivered to students of St. Vincent in Misanze and Nyarutovu in Gakenke where police, local leaders and mentors educated the youngsters on positive living, staying focused and reporting wrongdoers to police.
{{Source: RNP News}}
The District Police Commander (DPC) Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Alex Ntaburana led about 100 police officers in an exercise headed by Dr. Marie Chantal Kanakuze, the head of National center for blood transfusion.
The DPC, while addressing the gathering including residents, shortly after the voluntary blood donation exercise, said that “health is part of security.”
“Before being police officers we are Rwandans, and we all strive for the wellbeing of Rwandans and the country,” he said.
He said that the police has a duty to work and support communities to ensure their own safety, but added that their health is a national priority, and so is the priority of everyone.
He cited an example of people that get involved in fatal accidents and lose a lot of blood and in need of blood to survive.
“The blood we donate is for our relatives and friends… to save them in times of need,” the DPC said, urging everyone to donate blood.
Dr. Kanakuze thanked the officers for the voluntary act, and the role of Rwanda National Police in health development activities.
More than 1000 police officers have donated blood this year as part of the implementation of the memorandum of understanding between Rwanda National Police (RNP) and Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) to partner in aspects of health and security related healthcare.
The agreement particularly binds the two parties in blood donation, fighting against drug abuse among the youth, mental health, and sexual and gender based violence.
Other areas include enforcement of laws and regulation against risks of Non Communicable Diseases, fighting counterfeit, selling and smuggling of pharmaceuticals; research activities, creation of data base for health care provision; prevention and detection of fraud and public funds embezzlement in health care agencies.
Nominated October 26, 2017, Vrooman most recently served at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as deputy chief of mission from July 2014 to August 2016 and as chargé d’affaires from September 2016 to July 2017. If confirmed by the Senate, Vrooman would succeed Erica J. Barks-Ruggles, who served in Kigali starting in December 2014.
Peter Hendrick Vrooman was born March 1, 1966, near Canton, New York. Vrooman worked from 1989 to 1990 as special assistant to Richard F. Pedersen, then the president of the American University in Cairo and a former U.S. ambassador to Hungary, before joining the State Department as a foreign service officer in 1991.
Vrooman served early career assignments as watch officer in the State Department’s Operations Center (circa 1991 to 1992); in Djibouti City, Djibouti (circa 1992 to 1993); at the US Liaison Office in Mogadishu, Somalia (circa 1994); as desk officer for Algeria (circa 1995 to 1997) in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs; and in Beirut, Lebanon (circa 1998 to 2000).
Vrooman served as deputy political counselor at the U.S. mission to the United Nations from 2000 to 2005, and was an advisor on the Middle East. He then served three straight postings concerned with that region: as deputy political counselor at the embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel (circa 2006 to 2008); at the embassy in Baghdad, Iraq (circa 2008 to 2009); and as director for Iraq on the staff of the National Security Council (circa 2009 to 2011).
Vrooman also completed his education, earning an M.S. in National Security and Resource Strategy at the Eisenhower School for National Security & Resource Strategy at the National Defense University in 2011.
Vrooman worked as spokesperson at the embassy in New Delhi, India, from August 2011 to May 2014, after which he began his stint in Ethiopia.
Vrooman speaks Arabic and French. He is married to Johnette Iris Stubbs, a photographer with whom he has two children, Zarah and Hendrick.
