The ceremony was attended by senior government officials, including Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Kazarwa Gertrude, Senate President François-Xavier Kalinda, and Chief Justice Domitilla Mukantaganzwa, among others.
A representative of the diplomatic corps in Rwanda also laid a wreath in tribute to the country’s heroes.
Rwanda recognizes its heroes under three categories: Imanzi, Imena, and Ingenzi. The Imanzi category includes fallen heroes such as the Unknown Soldier, representing all soldiers who died defending the nation, and Maj Gen Fred Gisa Rwigema, who lstarted the liberation struggle on October 1, 1990.
The Imena category honors King Mutara III Rudahigwa Charles Léon Pierre, Michel Rwagasana, Agatha Uwilingiyimana, Félicité Niyitegeka, and the Nyange students, all remembered for their courage and patriotism.
No individual has yet been officially recognized under the Ingenzi category, though efforts are ongoing to identify and honor deserving figures.
Heroes’ Day is observed in Rwanda every year on February 1.
The summit, chaired by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, concluded with a resolution to convene an urgent joint meeting with the East African Community (EAC) to deliberate on the situation.
This decision follows a request from the EAC Summit held on January 29, 2025, which also gathered regional leaders to discuss the deteriorating security conditions in the DRC.
The summit was attended by leaders from Zimbabwe, Botswana, the DRC, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Angola, Malawi, and Namibia.
A moment of remembrance was observed for SADC troops who lost their lives in recent clashes, particularly in the town of Sake. The fallen soldiers were primarily from Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa.
SADC forces have been operating in North Kivu since December 2023 under an agreement with the Congolese government to help eliminate the M23 rebel group and reclaim territories under its control.
The forces deployed in the DRC under the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) have been fighting alongside the Congolese army (FARDC) and allied armed groups, including the FDLR, a militia responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda but faced heavy resistance.
Initially, 5,000 troops were deployed, including 2,900 from South Africa, which leads the mission, and 2,100 from Tanzania and Malawi. However, their presence has not yielded the expected results, as M23 continues to expand its control, recently seizing key cities such as Sake and Goma.
In June 2024, SADC reinforced its deployment, increasing its troop count to over 9,000, with South Africa contributing an additional 2,600 soldiers, Tanzania 750, and Malawi 1,000.
Despite these reinforcements, the mission has struggled to dislodge M23, which claims to be defending Congolese Tutsi communities targeted by government forces and allied militias.
During the summit, leaders acknowledged that the initial objectives of the SADC deployment had not been met and reiterated the need for diplomatic efforts, including supporting the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes.
They also called for an immediate ceasefire and the restoration of essential services in conflict-affected areas, including water, electricity, and food supply lines.
The summit also mandated the SADC Organ Troika on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation to engage all parties to the conflict and push for a ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid.
Additionally, it urged political and diplomatic leaders involved in the crisis to intensify dialogue efforts.
When asked about his thoughts on the issue during a press conference on Thursday, President Trump acknowledged that it is indeed a serious matter.
“You’re asking me a question about Rwanda, and it is a very serious problem, I agree, but I don’t think it’s appropriate right now to talk about it,” he responded.
During the same interview, President Trump touched on various other topics, focusing on his desire to address both domestic and international challenges.
The DRC accuses Rwanda of collaborating with the M23 rebel group, a claim that Rwanda has repeatedly denied, instead accusing the DRC of supporting the FDLR, a terrorist group responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and which still seeks to overthrow the Rwandan government.
This group receives military training, equipment, intelligence, and other support from the DRC government, further strengthening its position and ability to expand its operations.
The situation became even more tense for Rwanda after President Félix Tshisekedi of the DRC confirmed intentions to support whoever seeking to topple Rwanda’s leadership.
In response, Rwanda has implemented defensive measures to help combat the security threats along its border with the DRC, while President Tshisekedi remains committed to continuing the war against M23, a group that has been calling for talks for three years but has refused to participate.
M23 has gained control of vast areas in North Kivu Province, including the city of Goma, which they captured earlier this week.
The World Health Organization (WHO) congratulated Niger for meeting the criteria to eliminate onchocerciasis, with the country becoming the fifth globally to halt the transmission of the Onchocerca volvulus parasite.
Previous nations that reached this milestone include Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico.
Hakimi expressed appreciation for the 15 years of effort, which provided the scientific evidence needed for elimination.
WHO’s resident representative, Casimir Manengu, praised Niger’s commitment, while WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the significance of this achievement, offering hope to other nations still battling the disease.
Onchocerciasis is transmitted through the bite of an infected blackfly, which breeds in fast-flowing rivers, hence the disease is also known as river blindness. The fly picks up immature worms (microfilariae) when it bites an infected person.
These worms develop into larvae inside the fly, which are then transmitted to others during subsequent bites. Once in the human body, the larvae mature into adult worms, forming under-skin nodules.
The disease causes severe skin issues and vision loss, with over 99% of infected individuals living in Africa and Yemen.
To stop transmission, communities must be treated for 10 to 15 years, the lifespan of the adult worms.
Niger’s success follows its 2013 certification for interrupting dracunculiasis transmission.
The outbreak was confirmed on Thursday after a 32-year-old nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital succumbed to the Sudan Ebola virus. Uganda’s Ministry of Health declared it the country’s eighth Ebola outbreak.
WHO is working closely with Ugandan authorities to enhance surveillance, case management, community awareness, and risk communication.
Health officials revealed that the deceased initially sought treatment at multiple facilities, including a traditional healer, before his diagnosis. So far, 45 contacts have been identified and isolated, including health workers, family members, and patients.
The Ministry of Health announced an immediate vaccination rollout for all identified contacts and frontline health workers using available Ebola vaccine doses.
Uganda had confirmed another Ebola outbreak in 2022.
Ebola is a highly contagious viral disease with symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding. Its fatality rate varies between 50% and 89%, depending on the virus strain.
Kagame shared the update via X account on Thursday night, stating: “Earlier today, I had a productive conversation with President João Lourenço and discussed the need for a long-term and sustainable solution to the ongoing situation in the DRC.”
He further noted that both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to working with other regional stakeholders to find a lasting solution while ‘deepening strong bilateral partnership going forward’.
The discussion comes amid escalating violence in eastern DRC, particularly in North Kivu province, where the M23 rebel group has taken control of several areas, including the provincial capital, Goma.
Earlier this week, M23 forces seized Goma, forcing the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and their allies to either surrender or flee, with some troops seeking refuge in Rwanda.
In response to the crisis, East African Community (EAC) heads of state convened for an emergency summit on January 29, 2025.
Following the summit, regional leaders expressed deep concern over the deteriorating security situation, citing violent protests, attacks on embassies of EAC member states, arson, looting, and other unrest.
The leaders called for an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian assistance for affected communities. They also urged all parties to engage in dialogue and pressed the DRC government to hold talks with M23 and other armed groups advocating for their rights.
During the meeting, President Kagame condemned cross-border gunfire from Goma that had killed Rwandan civilians, warning that Rwanda would take necessary action in response.
He also criticized the involvement of foreign nations, particularly South Africa, accusing them of being manipulated by DRC President Félix Tshisekedi. Kagame questioned Tshisekedi’s insistence on war despite its repeated failure to resolve the conflict.
Meanwhile, during their first press conference on January 30, 2025, after taking control of Goma, leaders of the AFC/M23 coalition announced plans to advance toward Kinshasa to overthrow Tshisekedi’s regime.
This development comes despite Tshisekedi’s recent declaration that he would intensify military offensives against M23 and called on all Congolese citizens to support the fight.
The emergency law grants authorities broad powers, including home arrests, curfews, media restrictions, bans on gatherings, and censorship without prior judicial approval.
Tunisia has been under a continuous state of emergency since November 24, 2015, following a deadly bombing that targeted a presidential guard bus, killing 12 security personnel.
Kagame was speaking at the 24th Extraordinary East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit, which was held virtually on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
The summit focused on addressing the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC and the M23 crisis.
Earlier this week, during the battle to liberate Goma, FARDC soldiers and their allied forces were defeated. Instead of repelling attackers, they launched artillery shells into Rwanda’s Rubavu District.
By January 28, 2025, the attacks had claimed the lives of nine Rwandans and left many others injured.
In response to the incident, Kagame emphasized Rwanda’s responsibility to protect its citizens.
“The other day, two or three days ago, we lost people, there was a lot of shelling from eastern Congo, from Goma, killed a dozen people and injured hundreds. We will definitely take care of that, there is no question about it.”
During the summit, Kagame also voiced his frustration about the role of international players in the crisis, particularly pointing out South Africa’s involvement.
He expressed concern over the confusion caused by various processes such as the Nairobi and Luanda peace initiatives.
“Honestly, even here, maybe you will help me understand what all this means. The processes became an end in themselves, and the people leading these processes became more important than the results of the processes,” Kagame noted, further emphasizing the lack of real progress in resolving the issue.
Kagame also reflected on his recent discussions with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who sought him out to discuss the situation.
Kagame described South Africa’s role in the conflict, stating, “For the last two days, on Monday and today morning, I spoke with the President of South Africa, who sought me out to speak with me on this matter because of their involvement in Eastern Congo. He’s also there pretending to be playing a peacemaker role, and he has a force that has been fighting alongside FDLR and has been fighting the M23 on the instructions of Tshisekedi.”
Rwanda has experienced tensions with the DRC following the resurgence of the M23 rebel group in 2022.
DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting the rebels, a claim Kigali has denied, urging DRC to address its internal issues without involving neighboring countries.
DRC has been fighting alongside the FDLR genocidal militia, Western mercenaries, Burundian troops, and SADC forces. These forces were recently defeated by the M23, leading to the capture of Goma and other towns in eastern DRC.
Kagame questioned why leaders continue to accept manipulation by DRC President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi.
“Why do we, leaders of our own countries, accept this to go on forever and just accept that we shall be manipulated by Tshisekedi or whoever is supporting him?” he wondered.
Kagame also addressed the broader international community’s confused response to the situation, stating, “Then you have the whole international community just confused. They talked about Luanda, they talked about the Nairobi process.”
He criticized the international community’s focus on processes rather than addressing the root causes of the conflict.
“The Nairobi process became Uhuru process. Then the Luanda process, it’s like you can’t say anything that will displease President Lourenço. Definitely, this does not help deal with such a serious matter as we are faced with today,” he added.
The president made it clear that Rwanda would not tolerate any further provocations.
During the extraordinary summit, heads of state urged the DRC government to engage directly with M23 rebels and other armed groups in a bid to resolve the escalating crisis in the country’s east.
The leaders also called on DRC to directly engage with all stakeholders, including the M23 and other armed groups that have grievances.
DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, who has previously resisted direct negotiations with M23 was absent from the summit.
Kagame made these clarifications after observing that South African officials and President Ramaphosa himself had distorted the content of their recent conversations in the media.
“I held two conversations this week with President Ramaphosa on the situation in Eastern DRC, including earlier today. What has been said about these conversations in the media by South African officials and President Ramaphosa himself contains a lot of distortion, deliberate attacks, and even lies,” Kagame responded on his X account to a message posted by Ramaphosa.
“If words can change so much from a conversation to a public statement, it says a lot about how these very important issues are being managed,” he added.
{{South Africa’s deployment in DRC }}
South African troops have been fighting in the DRC as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in DRC (SAMIDRC), supporting the Congolese Army and its allied militias, including Wazalendo, the FDLR genocidal force, Burundian troops, and mercenaries, in the war against the M23 rebel group, which claims to be fighting for the rights of the marginalised Tutsi community in the country.
The coalition was formed amidst Kinshasa’s statements threatening to support whoever intends to overthrow Kigali’s leadership.
During the fighting, South African soldiers were among the casualties, intensifying criticism over the country’s contested involvement in eastern DRC.
Following recent discussions between Kagame and Ramaphosa, South African Minister of Defence Angie Motshekga revealed that President Cyril Ramaphosa had issued a warning to Rwandan forces, stating that continued hostilities against the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the DRC would be considered a declaration of war.
“It is just that at the moment when they were firing above our heads, the president did warn them to say, ‘If you are going to fire, we will take it as a declaration of war, and we will have to defend our people,’ and that’s when the firing stopped,” Motshekga said.
The DRC accuses Rwanda of backing M23, an allegation Kigali has consistently refuted, instead urging Kinshasa to resolve its internal issues without dragging a neighbouring country into its crisis.
In a message shared on his X account, Ramaphosa—who did not contest the ‘warning’ attributed to him by Motshekga—confirmed that his country had lost 13 soldiers in the volatile region.
He attributed the escalation of violence to the M23 rebel group and what he referred to as the “Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) militia.”
He framed South Africa’s military engagement under the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) as a peacekeeping effort aimed at stabilizing the region.
However, in his response, Kagame dismissed these claims, asserting that ‘the RDF is an army, not a militia’.
He further criticized SAMIDRC’s role in the conflict, stating, “SAMIDRC is not a peacekeeping force, and it has no place in this situation. It was authorized by SADC as a belligerent force engaging in offensive combat operations to help the DRC Government fight against its own people, working alongside genocidal armed groups like FDLR which target Rwanda.”
Kagame also highlighted how SAMIDRC’s deployment displaced the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF), which had been engaged in peacekeeping efforts. “This contributed to the failure of the negotiation processes,” he noted, challenging the notion that the SADC force was fostering peace.
{{Distorted truth}}
One of the key points Kagame refuted was Ramaphosa’s alleged “warning” to Rwanda regarding its role in the conflict.
“President Ramaphosa has never given a ‘warning’ of any kind, unless it was delivered in his local language which I do not understand,” Kagame remarked, dismissing any suggestion of a formal reprimand.
Furthermore, Kagame revealed a crucial detail from his conversations with Ramaphosa that contradicts the official South African stance: “President Ramaphosa confirmed to me that M23 did not kill the soldiers from South Africa, FARDC did.”
This statement directly challenges South Africa’s claim that its troops were targeted by M23 and raises questions about the accuracy of Ramaphosa’s public declarations.
While Ramaphosa portrayed South Africa’s military presence in the DRC as a stabilizing force, Kagame argued that South Africa is in no position to act as a mediator.
“If South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, that is well and good, but South Africa is in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator,” he stated.
Kagame also made it clear that if South Africa seeks confrontation rather than diplomacy, Rwanda is prepared to respond accordingly: “And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day.”
The war in eastern DRC has been exacerbated by the presence of multiple armed groups, historical grievances, and geopolitical interests.
Rwanda has long accused the DRC government of working with the FDLR, a militia composed of remnants of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
After the resurgence of M23 in 2022, the rebel group has since captured different key towns, including the recently captured Goma, considered the capital of North Kivu Province.
The recent fighting has led to the evacuation of UN staff through Rwanda. Additionally, some Congolese soldiers fled to Rwanda, and over 280 mercenaries fighting alongside the Congolese Army surrendered.
On Tuesday, January 29, 2025, they were granted passage to return to their home countries through Rwanda.”
Kagame’s direct rebuttal to Ramaphosa’s lies highlights the ongoing struggle for an accurate representation of the conflict, while also raising fundamental questions about the role of external forces in the DRC’s turmoil.
The drivers, who escaped the fighting with the help of M23 rebels, included 34 Tanzanians, nine Burundians, and three Kenyans.
Clashes between M23 and the Congolese army (FARDC) and its allies erupted near Goma International Airport, where the drivers were stationed in a nearby parking lot. As the violence escalated, their hopes of survival faded.
At the onset of the conflict, they hid beneath their trucks, struggling without food, water, or basic necessities. In a desperate plea for help, they used social media to call for assistance.
After securing the area, M23 forces responded to their distress call and rescued them.
The rescue operation was led by M23 spokesperson Lt Col Willy Ngoma, who reassured the drivers before escorting them to the Rwandan border.
Among those rescued was Burundian driver Ndinzayaha Shadrack, who frequently travels to Tanzania, Kenya, the DRC, and Zambia.
He left Dar es Salaam on January 3, 2025, and arrived in Goma on January 11, where his truck remained unloaded for two weeks before the conflict erupted.
Recalling the ordeal, he told IGIHE: “Gunfire lasted for two days, and we had no way out. We sent distress messages on social media. Today, M23 soldiers told us they had come to rescue us after seeing our call for help. They gathered us together, and Lt Col Willy Ngoma reassured us before escorting us to the Rwandan border.”
Ndinzayaha added: “None of us believed we would survive. The airport became a battlefield, with bullets flying over us. I am truly grateful to M23 for saving us and giving us hope when we had none.”
Another driver, Ndayizeye Alexandre, had left Dar es Salaam transporting flour for the WFP to the DRC.
He described the harrowing experience: “M23 saved our lives, and I can’t thank them enough. May God bless them. Without them, we would have died. Bullets were everywhere, and we hid under our trucks. I was even shot in the head, but by God’s grace, the bullet didn’t kill me. We are also grateful to the Rwandan government for their generosity.”
Kenyan driver David Kahiga was transporting WFP goods from Mombasa to Goma. He arrived in Goma on January 5, 2025, only to be caught in the conflict days later, watching his chances of survival disappear.
“I never thought I would be standing here today. I sincerely thank the Rwandan government for receiving us, taking care of us, and now handing us over to our embassies. We cried out for help, and they responded. As for M23, I cannot thank them enough—we owe them our lives. We spent four days without food or water, with bullets flying above us, but they came and rescued us,” he said.
The drivers expressed deep gratitude to the Rwandan government for providing them with food, shelter, and other necessities at its own expense until they were safely handed over to their embassies.
Alex Mutamba, Division Manager for EAC and Eastern Africa Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that Rwanda values strong regional ties and offers assistance without discrimination.
“We help everyone, regardless of nationality. If others find themselves stranded, we will assist them as well. As you have seen, Rwanda provided transportation and other necessities. Rwanda is a country that welcomes all,” he stated.
The embassies of Tanzania, Burundi, and Kenya in Rwanda are now working on repatriating their nationals.
