{{The Late Dr Charles Karibuhungu Murego will be laid to rest tomorrow, the 1st July 2014.
According to Maj. Rene Ngendahimana the Deputy Defence/Military Spoksperson}}
The Funeral ceremony will be conducted as follows:
{0800hrs: Family and Friends will pay their last respect to Late Dr Charles Murego at his home in Gishushu, Kimihurura;
1200hrs: Requiem Mass at the Catholic Church, Regina Pacis, Remera;
1500hrs: Lowering the casket into the grave at Rusororo Cemetery;}
Dr Charles Karibuhungu Murego passed away on 25 June 2014.
“The long serving Orthopedic and Trauma Surgeon Specialist, died in a car accident on his way back to Kigali from official duty at Kaduha Hospital, Nyamagabe District,” regrets Maj René Ngendahimana, Deputy Defence and Military Spokesperson.
Though an immediate Medical Evacuation by an RDF Helicopter was organized, to airlift Dr Murego from Kaduha Hospital-where he had been rushed after the accident- to King Faisal Hospital, unfortunately he could not reach alive the latter Hospital, mainly due to a serious head injury he had sustained during the accident.
Late Dr Murego was the Director of Medical Services at the Ministry of Defence and has been tirelessly serving the Ministry since 1999.
Born on 14 December 1948, Dr Charles K Murego is survived by a widow and children.
{{A contingent of 140 Police officers will on July 2 depart for one-year peacekeeping operations under the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).}}
The contingent under Formed Police Unit (FPU V) headed by Chief Supt. Freddie Murenzi includes 17 females.
It is the fifth FPU rotation since RNP started to deploy in Haiti to support humanitarian activities and build peace and stability following the 2010 devastating earthquake that wrecked the country causing massive damage and loss of lives.
They will replace other 140 officers who successfully completed their one year mandate in the Caribbean nation and are scheduled to return home on July 4.
The Inspector General of Police, Emmanuel K. Gasana, during the pre-deployment briefing at the force’s headquarters in Kacyiru on June 30, challenged the officers to stay focused to the mission mandate.
To keep the Rwandan flag high, IGP Gasana said, requires maximum discipline, professionalism and to uphold the Rwanda values and that of the force in particular.
“You are going to Haiti to build on what your colleagues did with integrity and patriotism so maintain that spirit and be good ambassadors,” the Police Chief said.
He said Rwanda remains committed to bring about peace and stability including sharing best experience and expertise with Police forces in other countries.
The Rwanda National Police, at the request of UN, is also scheduled to deploy other two contingents to South Sudan and Central African Republic before the end of this year.
“Rwanda was able to reach this far because of the good leadership spearheaded by President Paul Kagame and dignity of Rwandans has been restored, so don’t tarnish this image,” he noted.
The contingent commander, Chief Supt. Murenzi also said they will take Rwanda’s success stories in policing and even human security, to help both Haitians and the local Police force.
The Rwandan officers will also support in building the capacity of the Haitian National Police.
The RNP peacekeeping operations started in 2005 and over 2000 Police officers have served in various missions.
Rwanda currently maintains about 600 police officers in eight peacekeeping missions. The missions are Darfur, South Sudan, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Abyei and Haiti.
{{Police officers attending the Formed Police Unit (FPU) Training of Trainers course at the Rwanda National Police Peace Support Training Centre in Gishari, Rwamagana district visited Kigali Memorial Centre in Gisozi on June 20 to pay tribute to Genocide victims. }}
Twenty one officers from Ethiopia, Burundi and Rwanda are attending the one month course which started on June 10.
The officers laid wreath on mass graves in respect of the over 250, 000 genocide victims buried there.
They also visited various rooms of the memorial centre to witnesses how the horror act that claimed more than one million innocent lives was planned and executed.
They were also explained on the role role played by the previous regimes including security organs in planning and implementing the mass massacre with intent to exterminate the Tutsi.
Col. Apollinaire Ndayimirije from Burundi, one of the trainers said the tragedy that befell Rwanda should be an eye opener to the rest of the world to lay firm foundation to ensure this never happen again.
“We are here to get first hand information on what happened but also to learn the successful stories because Rwanda and Burundi share a lot in common as neighbours,” said Col. Ndayimirije.
He said as Security organs charged with also ensuring peace in other countries, they have to be equipped with knowledge and skills on how to handle communities in countries of their peacekeeping operations.
{{The US Ambassador to Rwanda Donald Koran last week launched the inaugural meeting of the Ambassador’s Youth Council, a body comprising Rwandan youth and representatives from Rwandan groups focused on youth issues in the country.}}
The purpose of the council is to inform and collaborate with Rwandan youth to make sure U.S. government programming, development assistance and partnerships in Rwanda are targeting the issues important to youth in the country, Ambassador Koran said.
“As the foremost groups representing Rwandan youth, I will count on you in the future to inform me and future Ambassadors about the issues you think affect Rwandan youth the most,” Ambassador Koran told the groups assembled at the U.S. Embassy in Kacyiru.
The Youth Council is part of the myriad efforts the US government and U.S. Embassy in Kigali lead for engaging with and connecting to youth across Africa.
Part of that effort includes this summer’s Young African Leaders Initiative Washington Fellowship, a six-week exchange for young leaders from Rwanda and other countries in Africa.
Five hundred young leaders from across the continent are taking part in the exchange, learning leadership skills and networking with fellow young leaders.
{{Newly appointed director Generals of Public Enterprises and board members of Government Business Enterprises have undergone an induction training workshop on corporate governance, risk management and financial orientation to maximize enterprises market value.}}
Organized by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning through the Government Portfolio Management Unit (GPMU), the training was also aimed at equiping participants with knowledge on how to mitigate government’s exposure to fiduciary risk posed by public enterprises.
Permanent Secretary and Secretary to Treasury Kampeta Sayinzoga reminded participants at the beginning of the workshop that every single company that they sit on has a direct link to EDPRS2 strategic objectives.
“You should ensure that business objectives of companies you lead or boards you sit on are directly linked to national development objectives,” PS Kampeta said.
She urged participant to discharge their responsibilities with the highest level of integrity, transparency and professionalism.
The training is facilitated by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda (ICPAR). ICPAR has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning where the former is responsible for promoting capacity building and enforcement of best practices in areas of auditing, financial reporting, risk management and governance within public enterprises.
Over last four years, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning through Government representatives on Boards of Enterprises carried out several trainings mainly focused on risk management, corporate governance, Financial Management and strategic management.
The World Bank last week officially launched new Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for Rwanda.
The new strategy launched June 25, will mobilize World Bank Group financing and knowledge behind three priorities expected to have the greatest impact on the country’s development future These include: accelerating private sector-driven growth to create jobs; improving productivity and raising poor peoples’ incomes; and support transparent, accountable governance .
The Bank Group believes that these priorities will be further strengthened by investing in greater regional integration with Rwanda’s neighbors and the rest of the East African Community.
The CPS is fully aligned with the Government’s Second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy.
The four year Strategy for Rwanda endorsed by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on June 5, 2014 was launched during a high level forum attended by key government officials and a host of stakeholders, representing county governments, private sector, parliamentarians, civil society and other development partners.
Rwanda has had remarkable progress in recent years and now it has the potential to expand its growth by focusing on export diversification, structural transformation, regional integration and financial sector deepening.
“This progress, so notable in this year, marking the twentieth anniversary of the genocide, illustrates the possibilities and opportunities for any country seeking a new path to peace and prosperity.
We know there is much further to travel and the World Bank Group is proud to accompany Rwanda on its journey to shared prosperity over the next four years.” said Diariétou Gaye
Prepared jointly by the International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the new strategy represents a shared view of how resources across the entire Bank Group can best support the government’s effort to achieve its national goals.
“The Synergy between the WB m IFC and Mega using all their resources and expertise to make sure that they can together assist us in different ways and in all areas that are so crucial for our development is commendable.” Said Claver Gatete, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.
IFC will provide investments and advisory services to help expand access to finance, promote competitive businesses and investment climate, and support critical sectors of the economy, including agribusiness and infrastructure.
“Rwanda’s remarkable economic reforms in recent years are helping to encourage investment in infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and financial markets.
IFC will work across the World Bank Group in partnership with Rwanda’s government and private sector to help create new jobs and opportunities for inclusive growth“, said Cheikh Oumar Seydi, IFC’s Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.
MIGA will look for opportunities to support sustainable private sector investments in the power, water, transportation, and agribusiness sectors.
“As Rwanda works to achieve private sector-led growth, MIGA guarantees can offer reassurance for foreign investors, including investors in public-private partnerships,” said Michel Wormser, MIGA Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
The new strategy reflects results of extensive consultations with government, local government officials and Members of Parliament, the private sector, development partners, civil society, and academia.
{{The Rwandan Parliament will host the Women in Parliaments (WIP) 2014 Summer Summit from 1-3 July. }}
Participants from 45 different countries will gather in Kigali to study Rwanda’s success in female political empowerment and discuss the need for more women in politics worldwide.
The theme of the summit is ‘The Spirit of Women in Parliaments: Advancing Society’.
Speaking about why Rwanda has prioritised female empowerment, Speaker of Rwanda Parliament/Chamber of Deputies, Donatille MUKABALISA, said that in many ways the rapid advance in gender equality in Rwanda was hastened by necessity.
“Of the survivors of the genocide, 70 per cent were women. They had no choice but to take the lead in healing a broken and fractured society. Rwanda needed everyone to come together to ensure an inclusive reconstruction process and guarantee that genocide would never happen again,” she said.
“In formulating the 2003 constitution, it was decided that all decision making organs must have a quota of at least 30 per cent of women. This has been easily exceeded in every election since.
In September of last year, national elections for the Chamber of Deputies saw women take 64% of seats – the highest level of female representation of any country in the world. We are happy to share this success stories with our colleagues by hosting the WIP Summer Summit,” she added.
During the summit, the MDG Advocacy Group, co-chaired by President Paul Kagame and Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, will join participants for a joint session on the post-2015 Development Agenda.
Attendees will also discuss topics such as gender balance in politics and its role in societal change and the impact of constitutions and legislation in establishing gender equality and women empowerment.
The WIP Summer Summit 2014 will give participants first hand insights into Rwandan society, built on the values of gender equality and female social, economic and political empowerment.
Participants will meet with ministers, parliamentarians, community and business leaders and academics. They will make also field visits to talk with Rwandan women who run projects and businesses.
On Friday, 4 July 2014, all participants will be invited to take part in the official celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the Liberation Day of Rwanda at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
The Women in Parliaments Global Forum is an independent, international and non-partisan foundation established with the purpose of advancing society by building a network of Women in Parliaments. It is the only global forum for all female parliamentarians.
WIP endeavours to find ways to address global challenges by using the collective experience of Women in Parliaments across the world.
During the last year’s WIP Summit, President Kagame was given the WIP Leadership Award in Closing the Gender Gap.
{{At least two people were killed and seven wounded when a bomb ripped through a busy market in the Somali capital on Monday, a government official said.}}
It is not clear who carried out the attack but in the past similar attacks in Mogadishu have been claimed by al Shabaab militants, who have vowed to wage a series of attacks during Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month which started on Sunday.
Islamist al Shabaab gunmen shot dead three people on Sunday and said the killings were just the start of the group’s Ramadan campaign.
“It was a bomb they planted in a small room in the market that the local government staff used as they collected tax,” Ahmed Hassan, the district commissioner of Kaaraan district, told reporters.
The government and African Union peacekeepers have stepped up security to try to prevent assaults during Ramadan by al Shabaab, which has waged a seven-year campaign to impose its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
In the past year or so, al Shabaab has killed dozens of people in guerrilla-style assaults in Mogadishu, on U.N. offices, the presidential compound, parliament and the courts.
{{A Tunisian diplomat and an embassy worker kidnapped earlier this year by unknown gunmen in Libya arrived at dawn on Monday at a Tunis airport after being freed on Sunday.}}
With Libya’s government weak and its armed forces still in formation, armed groups have targeted foreign diplomats for abduction this year to pressure for the release of Libyan militants held in jails overseas.
The Tunisian diplomat who worked as an advisor to the embassy was kidnapped in Tripoli in April. The other embassy official was taken separately.
“The kidnapped victims have been released and they will be with their families shortly. Right now they are with us at the embassy,” the ambassador, Ridha Boukadhi, told Reuters by telephone.
The Tunisian diplomat had been kidnapped just two days after gunmen also took the Jordanian ambassador after they shot and wounded his driver in the Libyan capital.
In Aouina presidential airport in Tunis, President Moncef Marzouki and Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa welcomed the two Tunisians who arrived in a military plane.
“Tunisia does not leave her sons, we thank the Libyans who helped in the release. a few months ago we shared the grief and now share the joy of their return today”, Marzouki said in a speech in airport.
Kidnappers freed the Jordanian envoy in May after a handover of a Libyan Islamist militant who had been serving a life sentence for a bombing plot in Jordan.
{{An Egyptian police officer was killed and three others wounded in a small explosion near the presidential palace in Cairo’s Heliopolis district on Monday, security sources said.}}
State newspaper Al-Ahram reported that security forces were defusing one makeshift bomb found at a street intersection near the presidential palace when a second device exploded.
The blast came days after the militant group Ajnad Misr, or Soldiers of Egypt, said it had planted a series of bombs in the same area to target security forces.
It aborted the mission due to concerns that civilians would be hurt but was unable to remove the bombs and released a statement urging caution.
The group formally announced itself in January saying it would target the government after the army ousted elected President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood last year.
Eight people were hurt in a series of explosions last week on Cairo’s metro, the first attacks in the capital since Abdel Fattah al-Sisi became president this month.
Islamist militants have targeted police and soldiers with bomb attacks and shootings since Mursi’s ousting. Thousands of Brotherhood supporters are in jail, and hundreds more have been killed.
