Category: News

In a recent interview on Top Congo FM, Muyaya stated that the withdrawal of the M23 rebels would be carried out in the same spirit as the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM), established under the Washington Peace Agreement of June 27, 2025, on dismantling the FDLR militia group.

However, in a post on X, Minister Nduhungirehe termed Muyaya’s remarks as a “blatant disinformation” aimed at misleading the Congolese public.

Nduhungirehe clarified that the JSCM is a strictly bilateral mechanism between Rwanda and the DRC, responsible only for neutralising the genocidal FDLR group and overseeing the lifting of Rwanda’s defensive security measures along the border with the DRC.

According to the minister, the AFC/M23 rebel group is not covered by the mechanism, neither in its wording nor in its spirit.

Unlike the JSCM’s mandate, which focuses on the “neutralisation” of a cross-border security threat and the lifting of related defensive measures, Nduhungirehe said the issue of the M23 will be resolved through political dialogue.

The dialogue aims to “address the root causes of the conflict” and find an “effective resolution,” which would logically follow the restoration of state authority.

“These points are clearly stated in the Doha Declaration of Principles,” he added.

The Doha Declaration was signed on Saturday in Qatar between representatives of the DRC government and the AFC/M23 rebels, marking a significant step towards ending years of conflict in eastern Congo.

The agreement is part of ongoing peace efforts facilitated by the State of Qatar, with support from the United States, the African Union, and regional bodies such as the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Following the June 27 Washington agreement between Rwanda and the DRC, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the Doha signing as “a significant step forward towards the peaceful resolution” of the conflict in eastern DRC. The ministry praised Qatar’s mediation role and called for continued support to conclude the peace process.

Rwanda reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable peace and economic development in the Great Lakes region, stressing the importance of addressing the root causes of conflict to restore security and stability.

It is “not possible to equate” the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) with “outlawed rebel armed groups,” read a statement by the ministry, urging the EU to adopt a more balanced approach that takes into account Sudan’s unique national circumstances.

On Friday, the EU adopted sanctions against two individuals and two entities affiliated with the SAF and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), including asset freezes, prohibition of the provision of funds or economic resources, directly or indirectly, and travel bans.

Sudan remains gripped by a conflict between the SAF and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, both internally and across borders, deepening the country’s humanitarian crisis.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a joint statement to formally reject the WHO’s 2024 International Health Regulations Amendments.

The statement accused the amendments of being “vague and broad” in terminology, claiming that U.S. agencies “put Americans first in all our actions” and “will not tolerate international policies that infringe on Americans’ speech, privacy or personal liberties.”

The pact, which was adopted in Geneva in June 2024, aims to ensure that drugs, therapeutics and vaccines are globally accessible when the next pandemic occurs.

The event took place on the evening of Friday, July 18, 2025, in Kayonza District. It was attended by customers representing others from the districts of Rwamagana, Kayonza, Ngoma, Kirehe, and others who came from Gatsibo District.

Xavier Shema Mugisha, Executive Director Commercial Businesses at BPR Bank Rwanda, expressed delight at joining the customers of the Eastern Province to celebrate the achievements of the 50 years since BPR Bank Rwanda was founded, especially as they were celebrating in the place where the bank originated. He assured customers that the bank will continue to get closer to them and support their development.

Eulade Bayingana thanked BPR Rwanda for helping him progress from working at a car wash to buying a car, all with the support of this bank.

Rehema Uwamahoro expressed gratitude to BPR Bank Rwanda for giving her the courage to take out a loan and improve her life.

“It encouraged me, gave me courage to take a loan. Now I have reached this point, whereas before I used to be afraid and stay behind at home. But they encouraged me to take a loan and improve myself,” she said.

Jean de Dieu Nkurunziza, Head of the Private Sector Federation (PSF) in the Eastern Province, thanked BPR Bank Rwanda for taking the time to celebrate with their customers.

He pledged cooperation on many projects where businesspeople need funding and encouraged the bank to get even closer to them and collaborate more.

John Bosco Nyemazi, the Mayor of Kayonza District, said that the fact that this bank started in their district means a lot both for the district and for BPR Bank Rwanda.

He said, “It is an honor to have the unique distinction that the history of this bank began in our district. Now we are pleased that they are coming back to the source to renovate where it all started along with many other great planned projects.”

Patience Mutesi, the CEO of BPR Bank Rwanda Plc, thanked BPR Bank customers in the Eastern Province.

She said that currently, they have the capacity to provide a customer with up to 40 billion Rwandan Francs.

“Kayonza District is historic for BPR Bank Rwanda because it is where our bank started. We remember and cherish this, which is why we are here to thank you for being with us. Today, we are a major investment institution in the East African Community [EAC], and we are here to help you develop. We have many excellent services that can assist everyone who comes to us, both those requiring collateral and those who do not,” she noted.

BPR Bank Rwanda was founded on August 4, 1975, in Nkamba village, Ruramira sector, Kayonza District as a cooperative. It later became Banque Populaire du Rwanda, which merged with KCB Bank Rwanda Plc to become BPR Bank Rwanda Plc.

This new loan complements the initial Frw 20 billion agreement signed between BRD and Umwalimu SACCO in early 2023, bringing the total amount injected into the program to Rwf 50 billion. Initially, the program aimed to benefit approximately 1,900 teachers, but due to high demand, over 5,000 teachers have already received housing loans under “Gira Iwawe.”

Gaspard Hakizimana, Chairperson of Umwalimu SACCO’s Board of Directors, emphasized that the additional Rwf 30 billion will significantly improve teachers’ ability to access home loans.

“This loan will continue to boost the Gira Iwawe initiative and enable more of our members to secure permanent housing without struggle,” Hakizimana said.

He expressed deep appreciation to BRD for increasing the loan amount, noting the positive impact of the previous funding and the responsible use of the initial Frw 20 billion.

“We are pleased with the strong partnership with BRD, which allows us to continue providing Gira Iwawe loans to our members. It is a major step in improving the well-being of Rwandan teachers,” he noted.

Umwalimu SACCO now counts over 160,000 members, with around 5,000 new members joining in 2024 alone, all serving in various capacities within Rwanda’s education sector.

The members of Umwalimu SACCO who attended the meeting discussed the future of the cooperative.

The Chairman of the Board of Umwalimu SACCO, Gaspard Hakizimana, stated that the 30 billion Rwandan Franc loan granted by BRD will continue to help members acquire homes.

In that stillness, a government was born — not in celebration, but in defiance. Not in triumph, but in the persevering, unyielding will to live after a genocide that had aimed not just to exterminate bodies, but to annihilate the idea of Rwanda itself.

And so, under the grey dome of an ashen sky, a cabinet was sworn in. Pasteur Bizimungu, President. Paul Kagame, Vice-President and Minister of Defense. Faustin Twagiramungu, Prime Minister. Men whose political paths were diverse, sometimes even contradictory, but who now stood together, not because of shared ideology, but shared urgency — to piece back together what had been shattered.

The master of ceremonies, Colonel Théoneste Lizinde, spoke into the microphone — a voice surviving amidst the hum of makeshift generators, because Rwanda had no electricity, no functioning radio coverage save for rebel-run Radio Muhabura. Be reminded, there was no coin in any bank. The genocidaires, fleeing westward into Zaire, had looted the Central Bank and every commercial vault like avaricious ghosts making sure even the idea of rebuilding was starved.

No minister for Foreign Affairs. None for Agriculture. None for Justice. Those portfolios were left open, because justice was still on the run — hiding in refugee camps, seeking asylum in European salons, commanding from French-created zones of impunity in Cyangugu, Kibuye, and Gikongoro.

But even among those offered positions in this new government, some revealed their true allegiances. Pierre Claver Kanyarushoki, Rwanda’s Ambassador to Uganda before and during the genocide, was offered the position of Minister of Agriculture. He refused. “I can’t work for a government of Inyenzi,” he sneered, using the genocidal slur for the RPF, and dismissed the administration as “a passing cloud.” His loyalty, it turns out, remained with the killers.

Kanyarushoki would later become the First Vice-President in charge of diplomacy for the Rally for the Return of Refugees and Democracy (RDR), a front organization of genocidaires masquerading as a democratic opposition.

Another name soon to reveal its duplicity was Jean Marie Ndagijimana, who accepted the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs briefly — before vanishing with $200,000 meant for diplomatic missions. He, too, landed in the RDR as ‘Advisor’, presumably lobbying for himself as Minister of Kleptocratic Affairs.

These men, and many others like them, believed they had time on their side, betting on the failure of the RPF. Their confidence found music in the Mugunga and Kibumba refugee camps near Goma, where the song “Rwigere urumpe” — “Try it briefly and return it to the owners” — echoed like a cradle song for the deluded, as corpses still rotted across Rwanda.

And the corpses were many. Piled in churches—Simbi, Mugombwa, Karubamba, Nyamasheke, Bisesero… etc. Rwanda was more than depressing. Tutsi bodies stuffed into pit latrines. Left on roadside ditches like forgotten luggage. Some had decayed beyond recognition, their bones stripped clean. Others were bloated, oozing, and stinking in the sun. The air was thick with the smell of decomposition which defeated common sense and sanity.

Survivors of genocide — mothers, children, the elderly — walked among the dead in search of the living. Some could not speak. Some wept silently. Others just stared, eyes blank, refusing to believe the ground would not open and return what had been lost. Night after night, they sat beside the remains of their beloved — without candles, without prayers, without proper burial. And they were not alone.

Who can forget about what we daily witnessed here and there? Stray dogs, overfed and fearless, roamed the streets and villages. Some had torn flesh dangling from their jaws. Many had gorged themselves on human remains, turning into feral beasts with blood-matted fur and glowing eyes.

For many survivors, this was the final indignity: that their mothers, fathers and sons— husbands, brothers and sisters, had become dog meat. The pain of surviving genocide was not just emotional — it was visceral, physical, crushing. This was not Rwanda rising. This was Rwanda crawling through ash.

{{A Government After Death}}

Fifteen days earlier, the capital Kigali had fallen to the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA). Butare had followed. Two days before the swearing-in, Gisenyi — twin of Goma, the haunted city now cradling killers and their enablers — was captured. But Rwanda was not “taken.” It was salvaged, barely breathing, one pulse at a time.

In many urban and rural areas, there was no food. No medicine except in RPA sickbays which had become de facto hospitals for the injured, orphaned, and nearly hopeless. Telephones were silent—dead as the bodies decomposed in homes, roadsides, churches.

Communications ran on RPA walkie-talkies. Electricity was a myth, except in pockets where small but noisy petrol-powered generators stuttered to life. Even the roads fought against progress — with landmines and laced with rot. There were many booby-trapped houses which killed many after the country was liberated from the hands of genocidaires.

Stray dogs ruled neighborhoods. They had acquired a taste for human flesh. And yet, on July 19, Rwanda chose life.

This was not just the formation of a new government. This was the defiant creation of a post-genocide state. A metaphor of resurrection. Of renaissance. An audacity not to die or forget, but to continue.

Every Rwandan old enough to remember carries that date like a sacred scar. For survivors, the mere sight of humans standing again under a Rwandan flag — however dilapidated — was unbearable and necessary. There were no psychologists then. No grief counselors. Only silence and sobbing, and the unbearable guilt of surviving.

Rwanda was not just a country without infrastructure. It was a country without sleep. Nightmares were not confined to the night, but part of many people’s lives.

Along roads leading to Nyamirambo, Gikondo, Kicukiro or Remera, the smell of death lingered. It was not imaginary. It was not symbolic. It was literal. Skulls around the country were not metaphors; they were piled in churches. Bones were not symbols; they were scattered under beds, beside toys, in latrines.

But the RPA marched on — not for conquest, but for protection. The only functioning institution in the country was the RPA, with its discipline, code of conduct, and mission not to avenge but to restore. It is this philosophy that prevented the genocide from becoming a genocide redux. One might have expected revenge; what Rwanda got instead was structure.

{{The Indifference That Killed}}

We should not let the world ever forget that all the terrible things happened on their watch. France, which gave cover to killers in its so-called humanitarian Zone Turquoise, harbored genocidaires and offered them not just shelter but respect. They fled to the Prefectures of Cyangugu, Gikongoro and Kibuye and declared “victory” because they had not yet been captured.

Belgium, ever the former colonizer, shed crocodile tears while some of its media questioned whether what happened was “really a genocide.” The UN, that indecisive assembly of diplomatic bureaucracy, watched and issued “warnings” as over a million people were slaughtered in a member country.

And when Rwanda, emerging from its tomb, formed a government, these same actors snickered.

Stanislas Mbonampeka — genocidaires’ former justice minister and legal mouthpiece of Hutu Power — declared with certainty that the RPF-led government would not last beyond March 1995.

French generals echoed that sentiment. Belgian journalists parroted it. Some American think tanks labeled Rwanda a “temporary success” — as if human decency had an expiration date.

They waited. They are still waiting. The passing cloud never passed. They were very wrong. It rained, instead, and nourished a nation. July 19, 1994 was a new dawn after dusk.

What they did not understand — what they still cannot — is that Rwanda was not rebuilt from the benevolence of donors or the generosity of aid. It was rebuilt by orphans. By widows. By RPF cadres and wounded RPA soldiers, with missing limbs who still stood guard to protect the peace they had earned in blood.

The new leaders, many of whom had themselves lost family or barely escaped the machete, did not build for glory. They built the country, because not building meant returning to hell.

What was expected to collapse by 1995 became a government of such extraordinary resilience that, today, many of its architects are still guiding Rwanda — not from memory, but through vision.

President Paul Kagame, then vice president, became the symbol of this new Rwanda. But the symbol alone did not sustain it. It was the system, the discipline, the refusal to wallow in pity, the unyielding embrace of dignity over despair.

Young Rwandans today — many born after that fateful July 19 — walk streets and villages that were once soaked in blood but are now wired with fiber optic cables. They enter schools built on mass graves. They apply for jobs in institutions once imagined impossible. They travel to other African nations not as refugees but as investors, consultants, peacekeepers, and doctors.

And to them we say: You are the answer to “Rwigere urumpe.” You did not “try it.” You owned it. You built it. You made liars of those who thought your parents’ survival was a historical mistake.

{{A Message to our African Youth}}

Rwandan youth are not exceptional because of geography. They are extraordinary because they chose hope when everything — every thing — told them it was irrational.

So, to the youth of Africa, from Harare to Abidjan, from Cairo to Kinshasa, from Dodoma to Abuja — hear this: Your dignity is not a donation. Your future is not charity.

Rwanda is not a miracle. It is a product of commitment. Of sweat, blood and dry tears. Of non-negotiable dignity. If the children of genocide, walking barefoot through blood and bones, could build hospitals, make drones, plant forests, and negotiate peace, why not you?

Let those who still wallow in blame games, in tribal vendettas, in anti-development politics be reminded: every day you delay change, you entrench dependence. You are not fighting colonialism by destroying your country. You are only performing your own irrelevance on the world stage.

Let the blind watchers learn too. And to the so-called international “experts” who still host panels asking, “But is Rwanda really democratic?” — we laugh at your obsession with perfection from the people you once left to perish. Your hypocrisy is colonialism with a dictionary of synonyms. You scream about “human rights” from capitals that denied Rwandans the right to life, equality and dignity.

You grieve the victims of other genocides but still invite FDLR sympathizers to conferences and op-eds. You read criminal Victoire Ingabire’s political manifestos and call it dissent, when it is merely a rebranding of ideology that saw infants smashed against walls.

And to President Félix Tshisekedi, who plots regime change in Kigali like a man tossing stones from his collapsing glass house — do you not see that even your citizens would rather flee to Rwanda than remain in your oil-rich despair?

Your alliances with genocidaires do not make Rwanda vulnerable. They make Congo irredeemable.

{{We Rwandans Chose Life}}

On July 19, 1994, Rwanda had every reason to collapse, as an alternative—and the only one, it rose.

Without pity. Without excuses. Without the world’s applause. We Rwandans saw the worst of humanity, and we decided not to become it. That day was not just a swearing-in. It was a covenant. Between the dead and the living. Between loss and resolve. Between despair and duty.

And to those who still wait for Rwanda to fall, we have only one answer: We are not a passing cloud. We are the rain that came after the fire to extinguish it. We are the nation that buried death and gave birth to life. We are Rwanda.

Not in one day, not by magic, and not by foreign aid. But by courage. The RPF did not just win a war — it planted the seeds of reconstruction for reconciliation, often among people who had every reason to hate each other.

Sons and daughters of genocide survivors, who bore psychological wounds no words could heal, came together with sons and daughters of perpetrators — the very people whose kith and kin had once hunted them — to build a nation greater than its scars. It was not easy. But nothing worth building ever is.

Together, they staffed schools. They designed and built roads and bridges. They wrote feasible national policies. They launched businesses. They guarded borders, healed wounds, and picked up the pieces—others thought too crushed to mend.

They rebuilt homes on land still haunted. They cleaned rivers once clogged with bodies. They planted trees close to mass graves and built memorials that told the truth — not to enflame hatred, but to anchor healing. They chose unity over disunity and vengeance, responsibility over victimhood. And they succeeded.

Today, Rwanda is admired by the world not because it was spared horror, but because it faced horror and refused to die. It stared into the deepest hole and built a bridge across it.

Rwanda’s youth, born of both trauma and resilience, now travel the world not as victims but as examples. That, perhaps, is the greatest revenge: not hatred, but excellence. Not war, but unity. Not death, but enduring, dignified life.

This landmark agreement signed on Saturday, July 19, marks a significant step toward achieving lasting peace, security, and stability in eastern DRC and the broader Great Lakes region.

In a statement released after the signing of the agreement, the Chairperson praised the constructive mediation efforts of the United States and the State of Qatar, alongside the invaluable contributions of regional facilitators from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

He extended special gratitude to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, for his steadfast commitment to fostering peace across Africa.

Further commendations were directed to the AU Champion for Peace and Reconciliation, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola, and the AU-appointed Mediator, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of Togo, for their tireless efforts in facilitating dialogue.

The Chairperson also lauded the Governments of the DRC and Rwanda for their spirit of compromise and political will, which paved the way for this breakthrough.

“This breakthrough offers renewed hope for regional cooperation and sustainable peace. The African Union remains fully committed to working with all stakeholders to support the successful implementation of the Peace Agreement and to contribute to sustainable peace, security, and development in the DRC and the region,” the statement concludes.

The signing ceremony took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, which has recently been hosting peace talks between both parties.

It was attended by various officials, including Rwanda’s Interior Minister, Dr. Vincent Biruta, President Donald Trump’s special advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, a representative from Togo, and a representative from the African Union.

Among the key principles outlined is the requirement for both sides to respect the ceasefire agreement signed in April 2025.

Both parties agreed to facilitate the voluntary return of refugees living abroad, based on the agreements signed between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and host countries.

The Government of the DRC and AFC/M23 agreed to take confidence-building measures, including arrangements for the release of prisoners, with the involvement of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Both parties are urged to begin peace negotiations based on these principles as soon as possible, with the aim of reaching a lasting peace agreement.

The appointment was announced in a statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister on July 18, 2025.

Uwase had been serving as Deputy CEO of RMB since June 14, 2024, a position she assumed after previously heading Head of the Mining, Petroleum, and Gas Exploration Department at the same institution.

Before joining RMB, she served as the Project Manager of Gold Mining and Trading at Ngali Mining, a subsidiary of Ngali Holdings.

A high-level delegation from SUNY, comprising senior leaders and university presidents, concluded a two-day visit to Kigali on Friday, July 18, 2025, with a declaration of intent to collaborate, made in partnership with Rwanda’s Ministry of Education.

Speaking during the event held at Serena Hotel Kigali, Dr. Melur K. “Ram” Ramasubramanian, SUNY’s Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, emphasised the institution’s long-term commitment to fostering mutually beneficial relationships with African nations.

“We’re here to explore the possibility of deploying our Africa initiative and building long-term collaborations with the education system of Rwanda,” he said. “We’ve been impressed by the commitment of the people and the opportunities we’ve encountered.”

The SUNY Africa Initiative is an intentional global strategy aimed at deepening academic and cultural ties across the continent. The delegation’s visit to Rwanda followed an earlier stop in Kenya and will continue to other countries, including Nigeria and Ghana.

Dr. Ramasubramanian outlined key areas of interest, including student and faculty exchange programmes, joint research, online education offerings, and workforce development initiatives.

“We call this the SUNY Africa Initiative… Our goal is to build long-standing academic programmes where students from Rwanda can come to the United States to study at one of our 64 campuses,” he said.

“At the same time, we want our students to experience the culture and innovation happening here in Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills and a thousand smiles.”

Research collaboration is another key priority, particularly in fields aligned with Rwanda’s national development goals. SUNY officials expressed interest in partnering in areas such as energy, mining, and materials science.

“We have research interests aligned with Rwanda’s priorities, such as energy and minerals,” said Dr. Ramasubramanian.

“At SUNY Poly, for instance, Professor Soboyejo, an international expert in materials science, and his team, along with other material scientists within the SUNY system, are planning to collaborate with Rwandan counterparts to not only support the immediate use of extracted minerals but also innovate and modify these materials for future applications.”

Rwanda’s Minister of Education, Dr. Joseph Nsengimana, welcomed the collaboration, noting that the government prioritises such partnerships in pursuit of its Vision 2050 goals.

“To achieve that vision, we must ensure that we have a workforce capable of delivering on it,” he said. “Collaborations like this bring significant value to the country and help us build the Rwanda we want and deserve.”

The discussions also highlighted Rwanda’s interest in tapping into SUNY’s expertise in areas such as materials science, advanced manufacturing, and e-learning. Dr. Nsengimana noted that Rwanda is exploring “e-internships” that would allow students to gain international experience virtually, expanding access to global opportunities without leaving the country.

Dr. Winston “Wole” Soboyejo, President of SUNY Polytechnic Institute and Chairman of the Council of the Institute of Applied Sciences at the University of Rwanda, stressed the importance of aligning education with industrial needs.

“We listened to industry here in Rwanda articulate their needs for skilled human capacity to scale, and we believe SUNY can play a role in bridging that gap,” he said. “We’re thinking not just of students travelling to New York, but also of short courses and online education tailored to Rwanda’s needs.”

Dr. Peter O. Nwosu, President of SUNY Oswego, pointed to SUNY’s involvement in major U.S. industrial development projects as a model for collaboration.

“In Central New York, we’re working with Micron Technology on a $100 billion investment in semiconductor manufacturing,” he said.

“This kind of transformation requires talent — the right kind of workforce. That’s where universities come in, and we want to explore what we can learn from Rwanda and what we can offer in return.”

Rwanda’s openness to innovation was another key point of interest. “One intriguing idea we heard is Rwanda being open to acting as a proof of concept,” said Dr. Ramasubramanian. “We have faculty developing new ideas, and Rwanda could offer a place to test and refine these ideas before scaling them globally.”

The SUNY delegation included university presidents from SUNY Oswego, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and SUNY Fredonia, as well as senior officials in international education and external relations. Among them were Dr. Joshua S. McKeown, Associate Provost for International Education and Programs at SUNY Oswego, and Wayne Westervelt, Vice President for External Relations at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

During their visit, the delegation engaged with the University of Rwanda, Rwanda Polytechnic, and various private industry stakeholders.

Dr. Stephen H. Kolison Jr., President of SUNY Fredonia, expressed appreciation for the hospitality and vision he witnessed during the visit. “The potential to do things here is just tremendous,” he said. “We hope to return.”

The collaboration, still in exploratory stages, is expected to lead to a range of academic activities, including co-developed programmes, research partnerships, and expanded student mobility between Rwanda and the SUNY system, which serves over 375,000 students across 64 campuses in New York State.

“We believe in starting small and executing quickly,” said Dr. Ramasubramanian. “It’s only a matter of time before we return and move to the next phase of implementation.”