Author: John Mbaraga

Aegis Trust in an international organization that works to prevent genocide, crimes against humanity and mass atrocities worldwide.

Aegis Trust was recognized yesterday in an event that took place at Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre in Gisozi for preserving genocide history and outstanding role in peace promotion.

The award was named after ‘Raphael Lemkin’, of Poland-Jewish descent who coined the word ‘genocide’ between 1943 and 1944 and initiated the Genocide Convention.

While presenting the award, the Poland Foreign Affairs Minister, Jacek Czaputowicz said that it is terrible to see how the world failed to prevent the genocide from reoccurring after the one that had been committed against the Jewish and latter that committed against the Tutsi.

“Over 250,000 victims who died as a result of hatred are laid to rest in this place, it simply means that the World has failed to combat the proliferation of crimes and murder,” he said.

Speaking about Aegis Trust’s job, Jacek said that it is not only justice that has the job to prevent genocide from happening, but they need other humble people who have to maintain history and promote peace so that what happened would not re-occur.

The State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and East African Community, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe said that the genocide could not happen when they are no preparation activities like trivializing the human being.

He said that it is miserable to see countries which do not arrest or bring genocide against the Tutsi suspects to book.

“I thank countries that arrested, tried or extradited people suspected of role in the genocide against the Tutsi. But, we still have the journey as many countries especially in Europe and North America continue to drag feet in bringing suspects to book,” he said.

Aegis Trust Regional Director, Freddy Mutanguha welcomed the award saying such recognition encourages them to work harder.

“This award comes to raise our voice in uniting people and countries and we aim to increase efforts in fighting the genocide, murder and loss of lives of innocents in the World,” he said.

Nduhungirehe said that they discussed accessing Polish expertise in different sectors like in agriculture.

“We also discussed cooperation in international peace and security activities as Rwanda is the fifth country which provides many peacekeepers Worldwide, but Poland is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) member and has expertise in security issue, so, we discussed cooperation aimed at promoting peace and security Worldwide,” he explained.

He also said that they discussed African Union-European Union relations and peace and security in the region.

On Friday, Nduhungirehe received copies of the credentials from the newly appointed ambassador of Poland in Rwanda, Krzysztof Buzalski who will have residence in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and Chief Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet Dr. Misheck Sibanda and his deputies were also in attendance.

In Zimbabwe, Akamanzi was accompanied by RDB chief operations officer, Emmanuel Hategeka.

The two shared their experiences on how Rwanda managed to improve the ease of doing business and economic performance after emerging from the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.

President Mnangagwa said he was smitten by Rwanda’s way of doing business when he went for an African Union (AU) summit last month.

“During my visit to Rwanda, I was impressed. I met the CEOs of Rwanda and hardly anybody was above 50; very young. I did not know why, and President Paul Kagame explained to me. We then agreed that a team be sent here to share with us their experiences,” President Mnangagwa told his audience yesterday.

“Rwanda is not as gifted as Zimbabwe in terms of resources and is 15 times smaller than Zimbabwe in size, but the manner in which they are organised is a marvel. I felt it was necessary for you my colleagues to be exposed to Kigali and I asked President Kagame to send us his team,” he said.

“I have no doubt a majority of us will appreciate what Rwanda has achieved, especially in the manner they process investment. It’s like a machine. Here we do not even know when an investor comes or where he will stay and he may spend three weeks moving from one ministry to another. If the minister is out, the investor may wait for him to come back; it’s absolutely unnecessary. Systems must continue to function and this is what we want to achieve,” he said.

Akamanzi said their invitation by the Zimbabwean Government showed the country was keen to follow through on its commitment to open up and develop its economy.

“Zimbabwe is not only open for business, but clearly you mean business, Mr President,” she said.

For Rwanda to make significant progress, she said, it stressed unity, accountability and aiming high.

“We united our people because we came from a history of division. The first priority was to ensure that the Rwanda that was being built was united; that everyone could see themselves in. The youths, women, educated, rural and urban and all those that came from outside the country to be part of the rebuilding. So unity was very important,” she said.

“The second thing President (Kagame) said was thinking big. Even though we were coming from the lowest place you could imagine, even though we had a divided past, even though we had challenges such as being a landlocked country with few skilled people, the point was how could we think about that and aim high. How can we think Rwanda can achieve what other developed countries can achieve. Thinking big changed our mindest and trained us,” she explained.

She said Rwanda also established strong institutions to enhance accountability.

“Accountability ensured leaders remained accountable to the citizens and the citizens remained accountable to the leaders,” she added.

Hategeka told the same meeting that central to Rwanda’s transformation was the private sector, including running the public service as efficient as the private sector.

“Our President (Kagame) ran the country like a company and so there were performance contracts. It’s not exclusive to enterprises and corporations, it also works in the public service. And every ministry and government employee at the beginning had to sign performance contracts that contained the priorities that impact positively on the lives of the people, and was signed by the President,” he said.

Hategeka said there was also deliberate effort for Government, civil society, the private sector and citizens to work around an agreed agenda and national vision.

“The national dialogue brought accountability. It was a moment of truth,” he said.

Rwanda has made significant progress towards gender inclusivity, with 64 percent of its leadership being women.

The Rwanda Development Board is a one-stop centre responsible for making instant decisions on investment inquiries across all sectors of the economy and as a result, it only takes six hours for one to start a business in Rwanda.

{{SRC: The Herald}}

Makuza was speaking Friday while closing the commemoration week at Rebero Genocide Memorial in Kigali where slain politicians are laid to rest.

He said that Rwandans have committed commemoration period as time to re-dignify victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi who had been ridiculed and brutality killed.

“Every day, we should use this time to challenge ourselves, remind one another and reflect on the reason that caused this to happen,” he said.

He reminded that commemoration activities continue in 100 days from different parts of the country. He said that commemorating is a Rwandan culture that has been there from the past.

“Our ancestors believed that when a person is dead does not that they are completely gone. Rwandans used to commemorate their family members and at the events they used to practice rituals which aimed at showing the deceased that families still love, honor and value them,” he said.

Makuza said that commemoration shows the value and right a human being has had in Rwandan society.

For the genocide against the Tutsi, Makuza said is a special programme coming from the recent bad history of the country, a history which he said was caused by bad politics.

“The politics of divisionism and hatred led us to the genocide against the Tutsi and ruined Rwandan community starting from survivors and other consequences caused,” he added.

In a way to generate solutions to problems, Makuza said that the country chose to ‘remember-unite and renew’.

Makuza said that the genocide against the Tutsi did not happen by accident; he said it was prepared and happened due to bad politics and leadership.

Speaking about slain politicians, Makuza said that if the country had had many politicians which similar spirit, the genocide would never have happened nor had such severity.

“The honor we owe these politicians we commemorate today is to embrace their heritage and assume the responsibilities to avoid any divisionism but uphold unity of Rwandans,” he said.

“Commemorating politicians laid to rest in this memorial site reminds us to borrow a leaf from them as all Rwandans, politicians and leaders from different categories,” he added.

Twelve politicians and over 14,000 more victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi are laid to rest there at Rebero Genocide Memorial Center.

Lomas was speaking to the media on Thursday shortly after paying courtesy call to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Johnston Busingye.

Lomas said that they had wide range discussions about various international judicial issues including the case of genocide suspects living in the UK.

“I have really showed the minister that this is an issue we take very seriously, it is however a judiciary issue, not political issue we can’t get involved. I assured the minister that the metropolitan police have launched a preliminary investigation to see whether there would be a case that would be brought to court and punished by law, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will decide on that. There is always that investigation and we have showed the government of Rwanda that we are taking this case seriously,” she told journalists.

Busingye said that the issue of genocide fugitives is close to the hearts of Rwanda’s justice system, Rwandan population and the government.

“I raised all the issues that need to be raised; one of them is the time it is taking, it is now twelve years since we started trying to get these people extradited to Rwanda for trial. It’s now one year since we said, well, if you cannot extradite these people try them,” he said.

Busingye said that the high commissioner assured him that the metropolitan police have seriously taken on the issue.

“What I expressed seriously is that to us time is of essence whether these people will be put to trial and their innocence or guilt get proved is so important in their lifetime, it is useless after they are dead,” he explained.

On whether suspects could get fair trial in Rwanda, Busingye said that justice system should interrogate itself more because many countries across the globe have extradited suspects at different phases of cases and that kind of fear has not been there.

“We have not had the fears expressed by British Justice system justified in any of the cases that have come from the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Canada and USA among other countries that have extradited people here,” he added.

{{About genocide suspects in the UK}}

Vincent Bajinya also known as Brown is suspected of being in a group that had been working closing with former President Juvénal Habyarimana in the preparation of genocide. He’s suspected on participation in acts that killed many people in Kigali.

He was arrested by Police in the UK on December 28th 2006 following the call by government of Rwanda.

Célestin Mutabaruka had been a pastor in Pentecostal Church before the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. He’s suspected on collaboration with Interahamwe in preparation, coordination and execution of mass killing that took lives of over 20,000.

Charles Munyaneza had been the mayor of former Kinyamakara commune in Gikongoro Prefecture. He’s suspected on role in preparation and execution of genocide, and heading and organizing the attacks at Mwogo River in former Gikongoro, the attacks killed many Tutsi.

Célestin Ugirashebuja was born in 1953. He had been the mayor of former Kigoma Commune in Gitarama Prefecture. He is suspected on planning and execution of genocide in the commune. It is said that he ordered the killing of Tutsi who were carried at his office and ordered Hutu to hunt all Tutsi who had hidden.

In the second week of April 1994, Ugirashebuja led an attack which had been hunting and raping women.

Emmanuel Nteziryayo had been the mayor of former Mudasomwa commune in Gikongoro Prefecture. He is suspected on planning and execution of genocide. He also led the attack that killed many Tutsi in the region.