Category: Rubrique

{{Members of Party for Progress and Concord (PPC) have vowed to contribute towards the country’s development starting from the grass root level.}}

PPC political party was established in 2007. Currently the members are estimated at a total of 100,000.

Addressing the party’s annual general meeting held in Nyanza town, southern province, Elyse Semama a senior PPC leader motivated the few members to support key national developmental activities including food security, poverty eradication, education and health among others.

The PPC representative in Nyaruguru district, Providence Mukamazimpaka added that members don’t necessary have to be in top decision making positions to be active but rather can start from their respective communities.

“I advise everyone to study carefully national priorities and start educating their neighbours. For instance Umurenge SACCO is a government based microfinance program aimed at supporting income generating projects at community level yet people are hesitant to utilize the funds,” she remarked.

{{President Paul Kagame and the chairman of the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) yesterday called on RPF party members to maintain high levels of discipline as it remains one of the key principles that guide the party.}}

President Kagame in his capacity as the chairman of the ruling party told party members who had convened at the Petit Stade in Remera for the General Assembly which happens every two years that any acts that contravene the fundamental principles of the party dont only spoil the good image of the party but also impact on the well being of the people they are supposed to serve.

He pointed that selfish acts such as corruption cannot be tolerated and that whoever gets to stray from that path will face the consequences, making it clear that the party is built on an all inclusive, participatory policy where all the citizens are not only part of the development process but equally share the benefits that come from the hard work and commitment.

He warned that any leader who strays from the idea has strayed from the path of the party and has to be answerable of the consequences.

In reference to the just concluded 9th National Dialogue, Umushyikirano, President Kagame said that the overall outcomes of the two-day meeting was an example of how Rwandans, regardless of their political difference, can come together to look for solutions to the challenges, adding that such an event should be reason for people to reflect on what they have to do and had a mindset change towards achieving that.

Kagame told the assembly which was attended by representatives of recognised opposition parties and non-political government entities that the RPF took the decision to liberate the country because the regime at the time was using discriminative politics and that it will always stand for participatory politics as one of the key principles of RPF is to involve
citizens in the decision making processes.

President Kagame said that since it was founded, the RPF Political ideology was designed in a way that everyone was involved, observing that it is different to a football game where only 22 men on the pitch play and the rest who fill up the stadium are just fans who cheer the players on the field,saying that RPF acts as a team where everyone is involved.

He highlighted that the outcomes of the national dialogue which were a result of the deliberations between leaders, citizens and all the parties in the political and development processes present a better opportunity for all to reflect and have mindset change focussed on the future of the country.

President Kagame pointed out that while RPF rules a team, each and every person has their responsibilities which they must fulfill and if not, that person will be put to task to explain why they did not meet expectations while those who misuse their positions for selfish interest will be brought to book.

Pointing out that no country in the world appreciates poverty among its citizens, President Kagame said that the all inclusive approach was adopted such that all Rwandans benefit equally from the development process and that citizens have what it takes to participate in the initiatives to eliminate poverty.

He however, noted that when leaders divert from such principles to pursue selfish interests, such targets are never, warning party members against abandoning the original objective of the ruling party.

He pointed out that every negative action by a party member is attributed to the party, issuing a stern warning that RPF is a party that will not allow such individual mistakes to soil the good image of the party, making it clear that it is important for all party members to conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, amongst themselves and in whatever they do for the country.

Once again, despite Sheikh Musa Fazil Harelimana who was invited to the assembly defending his idea of a 3rd term of the incumbent, President Kagame came out clearly saying that RPF as a party is not built on an individual, observing that the main focus today should be addressing the challenges the country is facing, which is the main issue and there after “many Kagames” can come up to lead the country.

Harelimana who is the head of the Ideal Political Party (PDI) who was among the other opposition party leaders that were invited to the assembly was recently put on spot by President Kagame saying that he should be the one answering questions of another term since he is the one who started the talk.

The Sheikh who also doubles as the Minister of Internal Security defended his actions arguing that his idea was a result of a research his party conducted worldwide which showed that countries normally revise the constitution to allow a leader another term in office when it is deemed necessary.

Also present at the biennial meeting were the president of the Senate and the Speaker of Parliament who are invited in their non-partisan capacities as well as representatives of recognised political parties in the country.

Perhaps the invited guest who drew the most applause was Christine Mukabunani, the leader of Parti Sociale Imberakuri who noted that her once embattled party has overcome its challenges and it is now ready to partake on the national cake. Last year, the newly formed party was riddled with internal wrangles.

The assembly was also an opportunity for the ruling party to elect new commissioners where necessary and also take disciplinary action where needed.

The biennial assembly attended by all party representative at local government levels is also used by the party lay new strategies to consolidate the current development.

{{The chairman of Social Democratic Party (PSD) Dr. Vincet Biruta has urged party members to pay their contributions on time since the delay is pulling back the party’s ambitions.}}

He was addressing the party’s senior leaders in annual end of year meeting meant to review their challenges and areas that require improvement.

Biruta also called for better management of PSD property amounting to Frw 50 million, “we have a building in Kimihurura which we rent offices, the revenue is used to facilitate our activities that’s why it needs proper care,” he said.

The PSD political party also uses the revenues to build capacity among its members. “We have been training district representatives on better political lessons and next year we want to equip the youth with entrepreneurship skills.

PSD party’s branches in various districts have opened bank accounts through which members channel their contributions.

Mariam Ayinkamiye the PSD vice president in Bugesera district noted that most of the contributions are used for party’s activities. especially last year’s presidential campaign.

“However, we lack an office making it hard to conduct party activities in an organized manner. However, Iam hopeful that if party members contribute on time we can build our own bureau. Ordinary members pay only Frw50 while leaders pay Frw 3000 monthly. We have over 200 members,” Ayinkamiye insisted.

Biruta also challenged officials whom up to now have not presented tangible reports on how they used the party’s finances during the recent presidential elections period.

{{President Paul Kagame has received five new high commissioners and ambassadors assigned to Rwanda.}}

The Diplomats included Amb. Raoul Barrientos from Dominican republic, David Collins high commissioner for Canada, amb. Yahya Bin Moosa Bin Isaa Al-Bakri of Sultan of Oman, Amb. Marek Libricky of Czech Republic and amb. Habib Mahfud A. Boukhreis of Sahrawi Arab Democratic republic have presented their credentials to President Kagame today.

Raoul Barrientos whose residence in Pretoria, South Africa said that his country would be involved in sectors of industrial development, tourism and trade promotion.

While David Collins, with residence in Nairobi- Kenya, said that he will strive to strengthen the existing relations between Rwanda and Canada.

Amb. Yahya Bin Moosa Bin Isaa Al-Bakri with residence in Dar es Salaam Tanzania, said his country intends to intervene in investment and intends to establish a joint trade committee between his country and Rwanda, with an objective of promoting investment in the country.

The Czech Republic ambassador whose residence is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, said that his country has already signed MoU in energy and transportation sectors.

Czech Republic is also a landlocked country like Rwanda and a member of European Union surrounded with Europe’s powerful nations like German.

In October, president Kagame received credential from three Ambassadors including Donald W. Koran from United Amb. Marc Pecsteen de Buyrswerve, from Belgian Ambassador and Amb. Nasreldin Ahmed Walli from Sudan.

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{{The Final day of Election campaigning in the Democratic republic of Congo has climaxed into clashes prompting police to ban final rallies ahead of Monday’s Parliamentary and Presidential vote.}}

Police in the capital Kinshasa moved in to end a stand-off with supporters of the main opposition candidate, Etienne Tshisekedi.

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the government had “primary responsibility” for maintaining peace.

“I call on all political leaders and the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to exercise restraint throughout the process to ensure that the elections are held in a peaceful and secure environment,” he said.

President Joseph Kabila and his two main rivals had been due to hold rallies within several hundred metres of each other, at the Kinshasa City main stadium.

However, Governor Andre Kimbuta said, “because of the escalating violence seen in Kinshasa, all public demonstrations and other political meetings are cancelled over the weekend”.

DR-Congo interior ministry confirmed that two people had died in earlier clashes on Saturday.

Later,Tshisekedi, of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), attempted to defy the ban as he flew into Kinshasa.

Throngs of his supporters, many brandishing palm fronds, had gathered along the airport road to greet the 78-year-old.

But his car was blocked by police who parked a large armoured truck across the road, hemming him in for eight hours.

According to local press, the standoff ended only when police pushed members of his 20-car entourage into their cars with shoves and baton blows and forced the motorcade to drive off.

Police fired tear gas canisters into the crowd to disperse them. A number of UDPS officials were reported to have been roughed up or arrested.
Mr Tshisekedi was eventually escorted to his home by police.

The elections on Monday see 11 candidates running for president and more than 18,000 candidates for the 500-seat parliament.

It will be the second presidential poll since the 1998-2003 war.
However, there are concerns over the distribution of ballot papers, as some planes bound for the country’s regions have been unable to take off because of bad weather.

Tshisekedi has also alleged that the head of the national election commission favoured Mr Kabila, and that “ghost” polling stations would be used to rig the result.

Election experts say it is unlikely the ballots will be able to reach the remote interior of a country where some 60,000 polling stations are spread out over a territory the size of Western Europe.

“The end result of a democratic election should be the resolution of conflict. Instead, we’re heading into an election which is by its very nature bound to aggravate conflict,” said Jerome Bonso, co-ordinator of the Coalition for Peaceful and Transparent Elections.

The last election, in 2006, was marred by weeks of street battles led by supporters of the losing candidate.

{{The Minister of Justice Tharcisse Karugarama has announced that the presidential pardon to release 1667 prisoners will begin next week contrary to what has been previously reported that it would begin mid this week.}}

According to the Ministry of Internal security website, the prisoners would have been released this week but details of delay has not been communicated but inside sources suggest it was only finalizing administrative process.

“Only those who have served a quarter of their sentence, those with life imprisonment sentence and have served at least ten years and those who meet all criteria for conditional release will benefit the presidential pardon,” Minister Karugarama said.

He also said that Rwanda Correction Services and Public Prosecution is scrutinising the list of those illigible for conditional release so as no mistake is cited after their release.

Other criteria considered for the prisoners to benefit from the presidential pardon include those who have demonstrated good behaviour or suffered from serious and incurable diseases, according to the internal security ministry website.

Presidential Pardon was announced during the recent cabinet meeting in accordance to LAW N° 13/2004 OF 17/5/2004 relating to the code of criminal procedure.

Section two of that law in articles 237 to 243 provides criteria for conditional release and also done on request from the Minister having justice in his or her attributions.

It can also be approved by the Minister having Justice in his or her attributions on the request of the public prosecution and director of prison.

This section two of this law also gives powers to deny public prosecution request of a conditional release of any inmate.

In case of urgency, a new arrest for the purposes of detaining a person who is under conditional release can be ordered by the Prosecutor General of the Republic, or the Public Prosecutor in charge of prosecution service office at a Higher Instance level or the public prosecutor in charge of the prosecution service office at a Lower Instance level, and shall immediately inform the Minister in charge of justice.

However article 237 also provides that persons who have been sentenced for genocide or crimes against humanity, terrorism, defiling children or sexual torture and all other crimes related to national security or of other countries, treason and espionage and all other international crimes provided for by the penal code cannot be conditionally released.

Minister Karugarama says that the release is also aimed at creating environment of taking a prison as a correction place other than looked at as a punishment ground.

According to the Minister about 3000 inmates had applied for conditional release adding that other benefit include decreasing crowding of the prisons.

Karugarama says that after 1994 Genocide prison crowding has decreased from 200, 000 inmates to 58000 inmates to date with 40,000 charged with Genocide crimes.

The minister says conditional release has helped in reduction of over overcrowding of prisons which led to three prisons of Nyagatare, Gisovu and Nyanza close doors.

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{{Despite thousands of 1994 Genocide deniers in USA and elsewhere in the world, U.S permanent representative to the UN Susan E. Rice has come up with what she witnessed six months after the Genocide.}}

Rice testified what she saw then at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) while addressing a gathering of senior government officials, students and faculty members.

Below is the verbatim testimony extracted from her seven pages speech;

I have come to Rwanda to bear witness to the remarkable progress you have made against all odds.

Rwanda holds its own tragic place in the 20th century’s grim litany of mass violence. As you know so well, the evil of genocide came swiftly, home by home, in the form of men with machetes, calls to murder hissed out over transistor radios, lists of innocents for slaughter. Deliberate, direct cruelties that still leave us shocked and shaken.

Rwanda did not suffer from so-called “ancient hatreds.” It suffered from modern demagogues: from the ex-FAR, the Interahamwe, Radio Mille Collines. It suffered from those who were willing to kill in the name of difference, from those who saw division and death as the path to power.

And it suffered from the indifference of neighbors, international institutions, and individual governments – including my own – that failed to act in the face of a vast, unfolding evil.

Tomorrow, I will take my husband and two children to the genocide memorial here in Kigali, so they can experience what I have learned in my prior visits.

We will pay our respects both to those forever lost and to the brave survivors, who challenge us all even to comprehend their enduring sacrifices and extraordinary strength.

Today, I am here as an American ambassador. But I also will speak for myself, from my heart. I visited Rwanda for the very first time in December 1994, six months after the genocide ended.

I was a young Director on the National Security Council staff at the White House, accompanying the then-National Security Advisor, Anthony Lake.

I was responsible then for issues relating to the United Nations and peacekeeping. And needless to say, we saw first-hand the spectacular consequences of the poor decisions taken by those countries, including my own and yours, that were then serving on the United Nations Security Council.

I will never forget the horror of walking through a church and an adjacent schoolyard where one of the massacres had occurred.

Six months later, the decomposing bodies of those who had been so cruelly murdered still lay strewn around what should have been a place of peace.

For me, the memory of stepping around and over those corpses will remain the most searing reminder imaginable of what humans can do to one another.

Those images stay with me in the work I do today, ensuring that I can never forget how important it is for all of us to prevent genocide from recurring.

Here, after three long months, the genocide finally ended. But the destruction was hardly over. Up to a million dead.

Another million refugees scattered across borders, including thousands of genocidaire eager to resume battle.

Zaire was their rear base, and the refugees in UN-supported camps were their hostages. Rwanda, according to the World Bank, in just a few months had become the poorest country on earth.

And within a few short years, it sent forces into neighboring Congo. “Africa’s first world war,” as it was called, claimed millions more lives from battle and disease.

Yet, even as war still raged, another story was beginning to play itself out. The people and the new government envisioned a different Rwanda, one where reconciliation replaced division, where healing helped salve deep wounds, where self-sufficiency could eventually defeat despair.

Having endured the worst, you nonetheless aspired for the best.

First, you worked to address the past, so your future could come sooner. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is finally winding down.

Gacaca courts, adapting traditional justice practices to the overwhelming task of separating the innocent from the small fish, and the small fish from the most guilty planners and perpetrators, brought a measure of justice and reconciliation.

Many former ex-FAR-Interahamwe militants have been reintegrated into society.

Though much more remains to be done, the processing of cases, the commuting of sentences to community service, and the building of new jails have combined to reduce the number of prisoners by half over the past decade.

The speech read in parts.

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{{President of Republic of Congo-Brazaville Denis Sassou Nguesso who has been in the country for a three days state visit, has left Rwanda heading to his country after promising farther relations between both countries.}}

Before leaving the country, Sassou Nguesso addressed the press in a joint press conference with his counterpart President Paul Kagame, organized by president’s office.

Sassou Nguesso said that his country will abide by the international law to respect cessation clause which puts an end on refugee status given to Rwandans in the world.

Cessation clause has been adopted by UNHCR due to no reasons in Rwanda that qualify one to seek for refugee status.

“We are going to sensitise Rwandan refugees in our country to return home voluntary and we work closely with UNHCR and we will follow the international law when the deadline for their refugee status comes,” Sassou Nguesso said in a joint press conference.

Both heads of state agreed to leave all options open to give opportunities to the population of both countries to benefit from the cooperation saying that there is no limit to what can be done jointly.

The heads of state also commented on African development saying that the continent no longer wait for solutions from international community, in spite of existing weaknesses as a result of low capacities.

President Sassou N’Guesso said that if you look at the recent past, African nations, through the African Union have been actively involved in finding solutions for problems that have been affecting the continent, citing peacekeeping in Darfur, Somalia and the AU involvement to find solutions for the Libyan crisis.

“It is an exaggeration to suggest that Africa is not united because it is evident that Africa is now moving forward as a continent and taking its position in global affairs. We now voice our global interests as a continent, like we did during the climate change Summit. Africa is getting organised.” Sassou Nguesso said.

Commenting on the recent developments in Libya where the late President Gaddafi’s son, Seif Al-Islam was arrested, President Kagame said that since the alleged crimes were committed in Libya and against Libyans, as a sovereign state Libya deserves to try him.

“Considering what Libya has gone through and may not have the capacity to try the case, the Libyan people should be able to look for other options, like combining local and international efforts to implement justice.” Kagame said.

President Kagame said that the continent did not wish to see more problems in the Democratic Republic of Congo beyond what is already there and wished that whoever the winner of the upcoming elections should be, should aim at ameliorating and not escalating the situation and ensure peace and stability for the people.

In a Joint Communiqué read by the Rwandan foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo and signed by both foreign affairs Ministers, the two Heads of State made a commitment to strengthen cooperation in areas of commerce, environment and natural resources, tourism, judiciary, air transport and public service reforms.

At a regional level, the two Heads of State made a commitment to follow closely the evolution of the DR Congo elections and noted that the International Heads of State Summit for the Great Lakes Sub-region scheduled for Kampala on December 25 would be good opportunity to revisit the security situation in the region.

The two Heads of State also committed to fight all negative forces operating in the region and condemned FDLR and LRA militias and other negative forces bent on destabilising the region.

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{{After guided and explained visual findings of 1994 Genocide at Kigali Genocide Memorial Site,the President of the Republic of Congo-Brazaville Denis Sassou Nguesso called upon African leaders to join efforts in saving their population from human atrocities.}}

“What I saw from the memorial leaves me almost speechless. I am emotionally disturbed by the horror that befell this country,” Sassou Nguesso said at the memorial Site.

“As an African political leader, it’s a pity that we face such problems; Africa lacks preventive measures, it is upon us to ensure that we protect out land from such tragedies,” he added.

Sassou Nguesso said that the kind of atrocity that befell Rwanda can take place in another country if not prevented therefore called for the never again doctrine.

“I visited the section of child-victims in the memorial, it’s unbelievable how ruthless people became and it also unbelievable how Rwanda has moved on tremendously.”

After visiting the Memorial Site, Sassou Nguesso also visited the top beverage company Inyange industries where he vowed to begin looking at how its products can be exported to his country.

He however advised that infrastructural development was highly needed to boost such investments in the country.

President Sassou Nguesso is in the country on a three-day state reciprocal visit after his counterpart Paul Kagame visited his country last November.

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{{In a joint Permanent Commission meeting between the Congo-Brazaville and Rwanda, both countries have agreed to work hand in hand to see how refugees in Congo-Brazaville can come home.}}

This is in a way of applying cessation clause for refugees.

According to Mary Baine the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the meeting, delegation from both countries agreed on how to repatriate refugees in Congo-Brazaville Rwandan refugees.

Early this year, Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) delegations visited refugee communities in Malawi and Congo-Brazzaville to assure them of the transparency of the justice system, the success of reconciliation efforts and their right to reclaim the property they left behind.

Following previous campaigns in 2010 alone 12,000 refugees voluntarily returned to Rwanda and it is said that currently there are 70,000 Rwandans living as refugees around the world and those who choose to remain in their host country can do so by following that country’s standard immigration procedures.

The clause, under the UNHCR system, does not allow claims for refugee status after verification by the agency that there are no conditions in the country of origin that qualify for UN protection.

A cessation of refugee status is a legal avenue open to states and the UNHCR as a way of recognising changed circumstances in refugee- producing countries.

Designed to be narrowly interpreted, cessation requires a fundamental and profound change in the country conditions that provoked the need for asylum.

Congo-Brazaville head of state President Denis Sassou-Nguesso arrived in Rwanda for his three-day state visit.

Arriving at 5:30pm, Sassou-Nguesso was received by his counterpart President Paul Kagame in a high decorated calourful event at Kigali International Airport that saw Rwanda’s cultural troop dancing traditional dance and army parade.

President Sassou-Nguesso is scheduled to be hosted for a state banquet on tomorrow.

His visit aims at strengthening both countries bilateral relationships which also follows the last year’s visit of Paul Kagame he had to Congo-Brazaville.

During his visit in Rwanda, President Sassou-Nguesso is also scheduled to tour socio-economic sites in Kigali and the surrounding areas.

The two heads of state are expected to hold a joint press conference on Wednesday at Urugwiro Village before he leaves.

Rwanda and Congo enjoy good and established relations, which were strengthened by the state visit by President Kagame to Brazzaville last November.

The growing relationship between Congo and Rwanda has been further facilitated by the recent launch of a twice-weekly flight from Kigali to Brazzaville by the national carrier, Rwandair.

Earlier on today, both countries represented by government officials from different ministries of either states led by Louise Mushikiwabo Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and his counterpart Basile Ikouebe from Congo-Brazaville, discussed areas of bilateral cooperation.
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The Joint Permanent Commission between the two countries has been formed to farther bilateral relationship with areas of cooperation agreed in trade, agriculture, natural resources and human settlement.

President Denis Sassou-Nguesso has been an active government servant in the Republic of Congo for more than three decades.

According to www.congo-brazzaville.org, Sassou-Nguesso was a distinguished General in the military and served on two different occasions as the President of the Republic of Congo, first from 1979 – 1992 and then from 1997 to date.

President Sassou-Nguesso ended the Republic of Congo’s decades-long socialist state and put the country on the path to democracy.

He has previously served as Chairman of the African Union and in that capacity helped direct the organization’s peace efforts in Darfur, Sudan.

Sassou-Nguesso remains committed to preserving the natural environment, especially fostering sustainability and protecting wildlife in the Congo Basin.

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