Dr. Mutasem was received by the Rwanda FPU-1 contingent commander, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Faustin Kalimba, who briefed him on their mandate and operations conducted.
The UNMISS Deputy Police Commissioner also visited some of the Rwanda FPU-1 posts in the Protection of Civilians (POC) camp for displaced persons, which is under the protection of Rwandan unit, and briefed the Rwandan contingent.
He thanked them for ensuring the safety and security of the displaced civilians and encouraged them to work in harmony with Individual Police Officers (IPOs) to achieve the UNMISS mandate.
“Continue to be defined by your discipline and commitment to uphold the good image that Rwanda Police has portrayed in peacekeeping missions. Work hand-in-hand with IPOs as UN Police family to effectively achieve the mandate,” Dr. Mutasem said.
Rwanda FPU-1 of 240 officers, is one of the two Rwandan Police contingents deployed under the UN Mission in South Sudan.
It is charged with the protection of civilians, who were displaced by violent conflicts, conducts patrols, escort duties and supports in capacity building of the local Police and other players in policing.
DG Zokoue was received by PTS commandant, Commissioner of Police (CP) Robert Niyonshuti, who briefed him on the school’s capacity development programmes.
PTS conducts, among others, Cadet and Basic training courses, Peace Support pre-deployment training, and District Administrative Security Support Organ (DASSO) course.
“I am happy to visit Rwanda and the training schools where we are benefiting more experiences in policing,” DG Zokoue said. He also toured various PTS wings.
“The cooperation pact signed between RNP and the CAR Police is a great opportunity for us to send our Police officers here to gain from the knowledge and skills,” he added.
He lauded the impact of the school in enabling Rwandan security organs in restoring peace and security and protecting high profile officials in CAR.
“The infrastructures and training programmes offered here conducted in this school define the professional performance of Rwanda Police peacekeepers in our country,” DG Zokoue said.
Rwanda has over 500 Police peacekeepers in CAR. The Head of MINISCA Police component, CP Christophe Bizimungu, is also Rwandan.
The Rwanda Protection Support Unit (PSU) is charged with the protection of the SRSG, his two deputies, the Prime Minister of CAR, President of the National Assembly, Minister of Justice and the Head of MINUSCA Police Component.
The development announced on Tuesday 15th February 2020, complements the ruling of the Court of Appeal of Paris in July 2020.
The ruling rejects investigation carried out by Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière which led to the issuance of arrest warrant for top Rwandan officials who were on the front line of the Rwanda Patriotic Army that stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi accused of shooting down the aircraft.
The court backed findings of Judge Marc Trévidic who reported that the plane was shot down by missiles from Kanombe Military Barracks that was controlled by Hutu extremists that planned and executed the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
The ruling puts an end to a case that has been spoiling relations between France and Rwanda for more than 27 years.
Agathe Kanziga, the wife of Habyarimana is among people who filed an appeal along with families whose relatives perished during the incident.
Rwanda’s interests during the court case, were represented by Lawyer Léon lef Forster and Bernard Maingain who have expressed optimism that the ruling will contribute to justice for more than one million victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana’s private Falcon 50 jet was shot down on April 6, 1994, near Kigali International Airport, leaving Habyarimana dead. Cyprien Ntaryamira, the then President of Burundi, with everybody else on board also died in the plane crash.
The plane shooting was followed by the 100-day Genocide that left more than a million Tutsis killed.
In 1997, a family member to one French citizen filed a lawsuit to a court in Paris which saw the Judge Jean-Louis Bruguière start an investigation the following year on who shot down the plane that was carrying President Habyarimana.
Judge Bruguière carried out the investigation without stepping on Rwanda’s land and issued arrest warrants for nine Rwandan officials who were on the front line of the Rwanda Patriotic Army that stopped Genocide.
Lawyer Léon lef Forster and Bernard Maingain have through a joint statement paid tribute to officials who were totally prosecuted in a defamatory manner.
In 2010, Judges Nathalie Poux and Marc Trevedic came to Rwanda for investigation on Habyarimana’s plane shooting, heard testimonies of witnesses in Rwanda and Burundi.
The investigation came with a resolution that the plane had been shot down by Hutu extremists who opposed to Arusha accords that directed for the sharing of power among political parties in Rwanda including RPF with MRND, Habyarimana’s single political party that operated in Rwanda since 1973 until 1990 when the RPF launched a liberation struggle putting Habyarimana on pressure to open the political space and accept the multiparty political system in Rwanda.
These units constructed in compliance with Kigali City master plan are environment friendly while most of construction materials are sourced locally.
The first phase of the project comprised of 14 housing units is expected to be completed in July this year to be followed by the second comprised of 16 units.
Imara Properties was created with a vision to help Rwandans, particularly Kigali City dwellers to get modern homes.
The CEO and Co-founder of Imara Properties, David Benazeraf recently told IGIHE that increased clients’ demand encouraged them to carry on their activities with the second phase.
He said that the first phase will be completed in July while 93% of housing units have been sold.
The second phase of the project will be comprised 12 apartments and six villas for main residence or rental investment.
It comprises of housing units of different designs featuring sleeping rooms, bathrooms, parking space, kitchen, garden and gym.
Benazeraf has revealed that the company is offering 5% discount to clients buying or renting houses before 28th February 2022.
Clients can pay 90% of the total cost upfront and the balance later.
There are other options for payments in installments where interested buyers can pay 10%, 20% respectively in the first two months, 30% in the third and fourth month and the remaining 10% in the fifth month. One can also pay 30% upfront and 70% later. Each house has three to four rooms.
A person standing at Isange Estate at Rebero Hill gets a better view Kigali City. It is home to other infrastructures including Kigali Cultural Village.
‘Isange Estate’ was conceived by three Rwandans along with their colleagues from France and Belgium.
The idea surfaced as the three colleagues from Rwanda namely; Serge Kamuhinda, the CEO of Volkswagen Mobility Solutions Rwanda; architect, Aimé Bakata Nkunzi and Alain Ngirinshuti, currently serving in the top management of Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) met with their colleagues at school.
After visiting Rwanda, their friends were impressed by the country’s progress. Since then, the six colleagues decided to concert efforts through a joint company dubbed ‘Imara Properties’.
Clients interested to learn more about the project can access more details via provided website link: https://www.imara-properties.com
CHOGM is scheduled to take place in the week starting from 20th June 2022.
The meeting was due to have been held in Kigali in June 2020 but was postponed twice due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CHOGM is customarily held every two years and is the Commonwealth’s highest consultative and policy-making gathering. Commonwealth leaders selected Rwanda as host for their next summit when they met in London in 2018.
During preparations of CHOGM, the University of Rwanda received Rwf4.2 billion in this fiscal year to clear debts related to the renovation of Kigali Convention Exhibition Village as one of venues to host the meeting.
Under the revised national budget, Rwanda allocated more Rwf600 million for efficient execution of related activities. This means, related works might be completed at a cost of Rwf4.8 billion.
Meanwhile, the revised budget allocated Rwf4.7 billion to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs including funds for preparations of the meeting.
As part of preparations of CHOGM, roads have been constructed in different parts of Kigali expected to reduce traffic jam during the meeting.
These include Gasabo – Sports View Hotel – Airtel road that has been completed among others.
More roads from Alpha Palace to Kabeza, Rwandex-Unilak-Sonatubes, Rwandex – mu Myembe – Kigali Convention Centre and Mulindi to Rusororo were built to decongest traffic.
Kigali International Airport also underwent renovations to increase parking space for aircraft and passengers lounge at the terminal.
Hotels have been also prepared to be able to offer the best customer experience as they serve guests attending the meeting.
Through a statement released on Monday 31st January 2022, President Paul Kagame welcomed participants of the meeting expected to discuss, among other things, ways to address COVID-19 related challenges.
“Rwanda is pleased to welcome all delegates and participants to Kigali for a safe and productive CHOGM Rwanda 2022. The last two years have made it clear to us that we are more connected than ever before and we must work together to achieve the tangible and sustainable results we want. The long awaited meeting will be an important occasion to come together to address the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to build on innovative technological and economic opportunities to solve other key problems facing our citizens,” he said.
The Secretary-General Scotland also expressed delight that the meeting is set to take place following years of adjournment.
“I am delighted that the Commonwealth family can finally be reunited, four years on from our last CHOGM in London. Our meetings in Rwanda will give us a real opportunity to reaffirm the values that bind the Commonwealth together and focus on vital issues, including the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, tackling climate change and poverty, boosting trade and promoting sustainable development – all issues that can only be dealt with decisively through multilateral cooperation and mutual support,” she stated.
The upcoming CHOGM due in Kigali will be the first to be held in Africa for over a decade.
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal sovereign states. The Commonwealth spans the globe and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. Thirty-two of members are small states, many of which are island nations.
The agency’s statement reads that precipitations between 10th and 20th February are expected to be above normal rainfall in different parts of the country.
Meteo Rwanda has revealed that it will continue to pour down heavily above average precipitation usually experienced in the second half of February in Rwanda.
“The rainfall is expected to be between 50 and 200 mm within ten days while the average rainfall in the same period ranges between 10 and 70 mm,” reads part of the statement.
The weatherman has disclosed that the rainfall is particularly expected to be above normal in different parts of Western Province, Southern Province and Kigali City as well as the districts of Rulindo, Ngoma and Rwamagana.
Average rainfall has been predicted in Gatsibo, Kayonza and Nyagatare districts compared to other parts of the country.
Meteo Rwanda has revealed that above normal rainfall was reported in Eastern Province as well as some parts of Southern and Northern Province between 1st and 10th February compared to other parts of the country.
Among others, the weatherman has also disclosed that rainfall reduced in many parts of Southern Pprovince, southern part of Eastern Province, Musanze and Nyagatare districts during the same period.
{{Disasters}}
Meteo Rwanda has revealed that the soil has been accumulating much water due to recent heavy rains noting that it might cause flooding and landslides in the parts of the country forecasted with above normal rainfall.
The weatherman has advised relevant authorities, residents in the aforementioned areas and Rwandans in general to take proactive measures to prevent disasters.
Farmers have been also reminded to preserve agricultural yields and efficiently utilize collected water to finalize preparations for the agriculture season 2022B.
The pact was signed in Kigali on Monday, February 14, between Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dan Munyuza and his counterpart of CAR, Director General Zokoue Bienvenu.
Gen. Zokoue and his delegation are in Rwanda since Sunday for a week-long bilateral visit.
The memorandum of understanding, which was part of the bilateral meeting held at the RNP General Headquarters in Kacyiru, provides mutual assistance in fighting transnational organized crime and terrorism, smuggling and trafficking in narcotics and psychotropic substances as well as their precursors, fighting against currency counterfeiting and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
Other areas of partnership include enhancing professional competence, best practices sharing, intelligence sharing in areas of interest; conducting joint or simultaneous operations; fighting cyber criminality, human trafficking, organ trafficking, document fraud; and other areas of cooperation that the parties may identify.
The bilateral meeting was also attended by the Deputy IGP in charge of Operations, Felix Namuhoranye and DIGP in charge of Administration and Personnel, Jeanne Chantal Ujeneza.
IGP Munyuza thanked Gen Bienvenu and his delegation for honouring the RNP invitation to visit Rwanda, which he said that it has provided an opportunity for the two friendly Police institutions to discuss and strengthen cross-border cooperation against security threats.
“Rwanda National Police is proud to be working with brothers and sisters from Central African Republic Police to provide peace and security to the citizens of Central African Republic.
The existing ties between our two countries have gone beyond the usual bilateral cooperation to real friendship and brotherhood. I trust our cooperation will deliver joint actions for us to tackle increasing security challenges in our countries and African continent at large,” IGP Munyuza said.
Rwanda and Central African Republic, he added, have been reliable partners in ensuring safety and security of the people of CAR since 2013, when the Central African country experienced violence.
Rwanda National Police was the first country to deploy a Formed Police Unit (FPU) contingent under the UN Multi-dimensional Integrated mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in September 2014.
Currently, Rwanda maintains close to 500 Police peacekeepers under MINUSCA, including three contingents: a Protection Support Unit (PSU) of 140 officers, FPU contingent of 140 officers and another FPU of 180 officers.
Rwanda PSU is charged with the protection of the SRSG, his two deputies, the Prime Minister of CAR, President of the National Assembly, Minister of Justice and the Head of MINUSCA Police Component.
“I am happy that Rwandan Forces deployed in Central African Republic have very good working relations with Central African Republic security and law enforcement agencies. This close collaboration should continue and be strengthened further,” IGP Munyuza said.
To effectively confront the organized security challenges that are transnational in nature, like terrorism, drug trafficking, cyber and financial crimes among other crime, IGP Munyuza said that it requires law enforcement agencies to work closely together to train law enforcement officers and to equip them with necessary knowledge and skills to be able to combat those crimes.
“We should coordinate and regularly share information and intelligence on criminals bent on destabilizing peace in our countries and the continent.
It is the policy of our country to share expertise and experience that RNP has with our brothers in Africa and beyond. This is in the spirit of working together with friendly African countries to strengthen peace and security on our continent,” IGP Munyuza reiterated.
On his part, General Zokoue said that CAR has gone through a great crisis and that the national police, which is part of the institutions of defence forces, participated extensively in operations for restoration of order and territorial reconquest in CAR.
“During this crisis, the Rwandan special forces and the Rwandan Police helped us a lot in the recovery and operational defence of our national territory,” Director General Zokoue said.
“I want to reassure you that we are ready to benefit from your long experience… and implementation of substances contained in this memorandum, which will allow considerable momentum between our two institutions,” he added.
Director General Zokoue is also expected to visit different RNP facilities, including training schools.
When I read the post on Molato_rw’s Instagram, of course I became intrigued. It was just two days before Valentine festival and guess what, this was another attempt for single people to get hitched, I thought. After all, 12th and 13th February are commonly known as ‘Desperate Days,’ in which the singles are the busiest trying to get something, someone in this case, to hang out with on the big day, 14th Feb.
I thought it was going to be the cringiest thing ever but boy was I wrong! My curiosity about the event really never died since I saw the post, and, to be honest, the need to see new people and have fun has been piling up for months; another obscure burden proudly sponsored by Covid-19. Thank God the future looks bright now.
Well, I couldn’t handle it all by myself though, and I turned to my friends for company, and trial if you like, because you never know! Needless to say they hesitated, some asking me why I looked so interested, others proposing other options. It was a battle, but I wasn’t prepared to give up that easily.
At exactly 6:30 PM we arrived at the location, a beautifully fancied place near the Remera Bus Station. It is not quite popular as Molato is yet to officially inaugurate the promising facility, a ceremony eagerly awaited sometime in the next two to three months, I was told.
The event was supposed to start at 4 PM, but my last minute efforts to convince a few more friends took a while, and by the time we got in, the place was fully packed, music blasting from every corner and the vibe was so incredible. It was a proper party.
The first sight would have been just fine until I looked all around and my attention stuck at the impeccable interior design. Interior is usually my weakness, I always fall in love with its brilliance and this time was no different, it was my first crush on the spot.
I could see from the faces of my three gorgeous girlfriends that by then, there was absolutely no regret. In fact, some were too confident and chilling out loud. I wasn’t that dump myself but quite nervous, trying to figure out what could possibly go wrong.
We were greeted by stares and pointy fingers, and the smiley waiter showed us the way to our table near the pool, a perfect spot to observe everything that was happening.
And what did I see? Firstly, I thought that Kigali people would not show up, you know those poor concerts whose shameful emptiness are hard to justify. Then, I thought it was going to be a few cringy people, normal single people and those old-fashioned cliche-guys who pressure you to get a drink, or girls who are desperate to be asked to get a drink.
But it was the complete opposite. Firstly people pulled up in masses, even the engaged ones I know were present. The place was so crowded that you could lose your seat in a blink of an eye. And guess what, only those who are boosted were allowed in. In fact, me and my squad got our boosters at the entrance. The process was so smooth though, we didn’t have to sacrifice our vibes for the shot.
The nature and purpose of this particular event was really something I have not seen before in this beautiful city; crowded people who are just catching up with one another, and I wanted to understand the idea behind this innovation.
Moise, one of the organizers, had something to say. It was hard not to imagine how surprised he must have been at the unfolding of the event, and he was. Struggling to hold in his chuckle, he revealed that the initial idea was just to have fun, but steadily materialized into something serious later on.
“This started as a funny idea,” he said, “We all thought it was a joke, but it became more serious as we went on.”
I asked if they were surprised with how many people pulled up.
“We did this as a social experiment, we wanted to see if people in Kigali would be open to coming to such an event and obviously we’re pleasantly surprised.”
The introduction and discussion part wore on, and time for business had arrived. We went on to receive a card which detailed the color your cup of drink should look like to determine your current dating status.
Green was for people who are ‘Single AF”, Blue was for “DTF”, Orange was for “It’s complicated”, and Pink was for “Taken”. You see, the Taken ‘singles’ were allowed in so you won’t need to wrongly judge the engaged who were present.
I took my green cup and continued to enjoy the night with my friends. People seemed happy, they seemed open and most importantly, the vibe was kind and superb.
Then came the activity we were all waiting for, of which I was nervous about: ‘Speed Dating’. To those who don’t know how the game works, Speed Dating is a matching game.
Attendees embark on a number of quick-fire dates and a bell or buzzer rings when each timed date has come to an end. Players generally progress from one table to the next, until everyone has had a chance to meet each other.
We were given a number and were asked to sit in the reserved part of the restaurant, we waited to meet our spontaneous dates. (I won’t be mentioning names for privacy purposes).
My first was number seven, a software engineer. He was witty and humorous, he was chilled and somehow cute, we connected instantly.
We talked about our experiences in the dating arena and we talked about our types, our glasses cheered everytime we discovered we had many things in common.
“I didn’t know I was going to come here,” he said when I asked why he came. “I am a regular here so my friends called me and told me there were some beautiful ladies so I came and I am not disappointed.”
In fact, most people that came were nicely dressed and ready to impress, I couldn’t understand “how come all these people are still single.”
We continued to chat until our timed minutes were over and then came Number nine, the cringiest guy I have ever met! dark and tall with predominantly pinky shirts in a coloured fashion of Congolese style.
The type with the pick up line “Did it hurt when you fell from the sky”; rude and unauthentic. I was glad when they said our time was over.
Unto the next came number 23, an agricultural enthusiast, he was nervous but kept his nerves. He was also funny and simple,
He talked about his passions and type and I told him mine as well, very sarcastically he said he checked all the boxes.
I asked him why he came to the event and his response was what the organizers had hoped for.
“I wanted to do something new and get new experiences. I am an open person ready to discover new things,” he replied.
By the time we were mixing up and talking, it wasn’t possible to get contacts to follow up. But that time was reserved towards the end of the event. Those who were lucky to find their match would say so and the organizers would then mingle the two. The following steps would be their business. So far, some of my friends have had some good updates. Neither do I regret anything.
Overall I learnt a few things and made a conclusive observation. Different from what we might think, the singles in Kigali are not simply desperate; they are actually living their lives and making connections.
The people I managed to talk to did not come to get hitched or get boo’d up, most people simply came to have fun and meet interesting people.
One of them said “Honestly I am not eager to get into a relationship, I just want to have fun meeting interesting people and perhaps if I do find mister right today that would be fun too.”
One more observation though, Kigali boys really need to up their game. Dudes, some of us came to have fun and just chill, why would some of you panic that much to the point of almost scrapping the whole thing? It was so shameful to see guys who were hiding as if it wasn’t a public dating thing, of which everyone of us was fully aware of.
Also, big up to whoever is doing God’s job of teaching us how to match clothes properly. Yes, the majority of attendees were young, mostly under 30s, but the way everyone was dressed caught everyone’s attention. May it continue.
Organizers also deserve a thumbs-up. The event was so smooth, so clear, no drama, no disappointment and so the likes. We just hope it ain’t the last of such events.
The Indian with expertise in Herbal Medicine arrived in Kigali on Friday 11th February 2022 to assess the feasibility of his activities in the country.
The man who is also the founder of Life Care Phyto Labs-India (LCPR) which produces herbal medicines entered cooperation agreements with different dealers including Bold Regain International operating in Rwanda. The latter supplies nutraceuticals to different countries across the world.
Speaking to IGIHE, Dr. Rajendran revealed that he came to Rwanda to explore investment opportunities that might see him producing the nutraceuticals locally.
“I am here to provide technical assistance. We can create a linkage for the entire African continent through setting up a hub for our nutraceuticals. That is our goal because they are used by many people all over the world,” he said.
“Orders can be placed from our huge market in India but we plan to bring them here in Rwanda by setting up facilities for local production. We cave capacity do so,” Dr. Rajendran added.
He explained that using the herbal medicines is more helpful to human’s health than using pills and other medications to treat or strengthen immunity.
“Using the nutraceuticals are beneficial to human’s health because they have no side effects. They different from other drugs in terms of application. Besides, they rich in nutrients helping to strengthen body’s immunity,” Dr. Rajendran noted.
He disclosed that there are several considerations luring him to Rwanda as a country promising to be a gateway for his business in Africa. These, he said, include security assurance, Rwandans humanity as well as the fact that the country promotes gender equality and women empowerment.
Jacqueline Iryamwiza, the Country Director of Bold Regains International Rwanda has said that hosting Dr. Ranjenderm is of great significance to ongoing partnership.
She revealed that the anticipated local production would ease their operations and gradually change mindsets of a large number of Rwandans who have not yet understood the importance of herbal medicines.
During his stay, Dr. Rajendran is also expected to visit different regulatory institutions including Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) and National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA).
{{Who is Dr. Rajendran?}}
Dr. A. Rajendran has an illustrious research career spanning 30 years in herbal research. He did his Doctorate in science and humanities at Anna University, Chennai. Dr. Rajendran has an outstanding experience in Phytotechnology Innovation, Cultivation, Extraction, processing and value addition of herbal medicines, nutraceuticals, Cosmeceuticals and bio agro products.
He has own patent in Aloe vera cold processing technology through the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) in New Delhi. Dr. Rajendran has been carrying on Research and Development activities in various herbal formulations and has developed several formulations of Medicines, Cosmetic and Nutraceuticals.
On 2015, he launched a company that produces herbal medicines dubbed ‘Life Care Phyto Labs’.
Nicolas Rwaka, the director of research in Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decorations of Honor (CHENO) reminded the youth to uphold heroism in whatever they do.
Rwanda’s Ambassador to Morocco, Zaina Nyiramatama thanked Rwanda’s visionary leadership that promotes the culture of heroism which continues to play a critical role in national development.
He also urged the youth to stand against behaviours that can tarnish Rwanda’s reputation.
Participants of the event who shared ideas, commended Rwandans’ heroism and stressed the need for regular talks reminding them on values that should be embraced.
The ceremony was also characterized by performances including poem recital and songs praising heroes.
The majority of Rwandans living in Morocco is comprised of students studying n the country through existing partnership with Rwanda.
Rwanda’s embassy in Morocco was opened in 2020. It oversees Rwanda’s interests in other countries including Tunisia, Guinea and Mauritania.
The National Heroes’ Day is celebrated on 1st February every year.
This year’s ceremony was held under the theme ‘ Our Heroism, Our Dignity’.
According to the law establishing the Chancellery for Heroes, National Orders and Decorations of Honor “a hero is any person who pursues objectives he/she undertakes to obtain a special achievement for the public interest and with high proven integrity, sacrifice and noble courage in his/her acts and who avoids being a coward in his/her actions in very trying situations.”
{{Rwandan heroes are classified into three categories namely:}}
{{Imanzi:}} The unknown soldier and Major General Fred Gisa Rwigema.
{{Imena:}} Mutara III Rudahigwa, Rwagasana Michel, Agathe Uwiringiyimana, Niyitegeka Félicité and Nyange students.
{{Ingenzi:}} No hero was classified in this category.
