The delegation led by Col CM Munachilemba is in Rwanda for a study tour from 1st October to 7th October 2023.
The RDF Spokesperson, Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga briefed them on the RDF’s Structure, Roles, Organisation and Transformation Journey.
Col CM Munachilemba emphasized that their tour is aimed at equipping students with practical experience of whatever they learn at the College and be able to compare with other countries “so that we see how we can improve our curricula and the wellbeing of our country,” he said during an interview.
He said that as they are focusing on regional peace in Africa, their key interest will be mainly learning from Rwanda’s experience on peacekeeping activities.
During their tour, they visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial and Campaign against Genocide Museum.
The delegation will also visit Zigama CSS, Military Medical Insurance, Rwanda Military Hospital, RDF Command and Staff College and few other Government and private institutions.
At least 53 percent of road accidents registered between January and June this year, across the country, involved motorcyclists and cyclists. Some 98 people died and other 46 sustained serious injuries during the same period.
Most accidents resulted from speeding, dangerous maneuvers, holding onto moving trucks on hilly roads, overloading, cyclists operating at night, riding when intoxicated, violating traffic lights and other traffic rules.
On Monday, October 2, Rwanda National Police (RNP) extended the road safety awareness to about 2,500 cyclists operating in the Northern districts of Rulindo, Gakenke and Musanze.
The Northern region Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Edmond Kalisa, while speaking to about 1,300 commercial cyclists from Rulindo and Gakenke districts, at Base, urged them to value their lives by riding safety on the road.
“The Northern province comes second in regions with the highest record of road accidents and most of which are caused or involve cyclists.
When you leave your homes in the morning, know that you are going to work and you have to go back home safe. You are not leaving your homes to go to the hospital or worse still, to die on road because of your recklessness,” ACP Kalisa told the cyclists.
The cyclists were reminded to stop holding onto moving vehicles, avoid speeding downhill, stop operating beyond 6p.m and riding in middle of the road; to respect pedestrian walkways, not to transport heavy luggage sometimes impeding traffic flow; and to respect traffic control signposts.
Cyclists are required to operate not beyond 6p.m.
The same campaign was held in Musanze where the same message was delivered to about 1,200 cyclists.
Sibomana’s family is one of the 48 families resettled in Munini Model Village. They previously lived in poor conditions and in hazardous areas.
“Before, I lived in a dilapidated house that leaked, sharing space with cows and goats. Here, it’s different. I live in a place that doesn’t leak; I’m not drenched by rain,” he said.
In addition to modern houses, Munini Model Village introduced a unique initiative: each family received a gestating sow to help them sustain themselves after being resettled.
These houses, pigs, and other amenities were gifted by the government to uplift impoverished citizens. Unlike other villages built previously, this was the first time pigs were distributed as livestock. Initially, 48 pigs were given out, which multiplied to 226 in nine months.
Dieudonné Dusabimana, a veterinarian in Munini Sector, told IGIHE that this project is special because its benefits are already evident in the residents’ lives.
“Living conditions have improved, and you can see that the children are healthier. The village is thriving compared to the time when they were scattered across the hills, suffering from hunger,” he said.
Residents of Munini Model Village have formed a pig farming cooperative. When a resident’s pig farrows, the piglets are placed in a designated pen and cared for collectively.
The cooperative provides food, medicine, and other necessities for these pigs and pays the caretakers. Every six months, the pigs are sold at a market price set by the authorities, and the owner receives 50% of the sale proceeds. The rest is deposited into the cooperative’s account to cover ongoing expenses.
Placidia Mukanyarwaya, who has benefited from this pig farming initiative, shared that within one year, she has sold two pigs.
“I’ve sold two pigs and still have nine that will be six months old soon, ready for sale in October. I expect to make around Rwf900,000 from the sale, half of which will stay in the cooperative’s account, and the rest will be mine,” she said.
Mukanyarwaya plans to buy a cow for Rwf300,000 to provide manure for her farming.
Sibomana also dreams of buying a cow, having already earned Rwf180,000 from selling his first pigs. He used this money to buy potato seeds and is preparing to buy a cow once his remaining pigs mature.
Dusabimana emphasized that the pig farming in Munini Village is unique due to its strict hygiene, disease control, and care practices. Before entering the pig pens, individuals must step into a disinfectant to prevent infections. The pigs are also insured, so in case of death, the insurance company compensates the owner.
“We encourage farmers to invest in livestock insurance because it provides peace of mind and prevents financial loss from any cause of death. If a pig worth Rwf500,000 dies, it would be challenging for the farmer to afford another one. With insurance, there’s no worry about feed as funds are available. Initially, we started with medicine provided by the government, but now we can sustain ourselves with the 50% savings,” Dusabimana said.
So far, pigs sold in Munini Village have generated Rwf17 million. Emmanuel Murwanashyaka, the Mayor of Nyaruguru District, stated that Munini Model Village has shown many that decent living conditions are achievable.
“This village has shown that good living conditions are possible. It’s equipped with all necessary services, including a school, an Early Childhood Development Center, a workshop, advanced pig farming, and a market,” he said.
Mukanyarwaya hopes this living and farming model can be extended to others. “I urge the government to help others who are still living in poor conditions. If they lack housing, they should be provided with homes and support, just as we have received,” she said.
The Rwanda Housing Authority reports that 253 IDP Model Villages have been built across the country to improve living conditions. These villages are home to nearly 30,000 families.
This tragic incident occurred in Butare Cell, Gihombo Sector, on 2nd of March 2023, around 11:30 a.m.
The two victims have been identified as Ndahimana Jonathan, aged 57, and Bizimana Phanuel, aged 18.
Athanasie Mukankusi, the Nyamasheke District Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs has told IGIHE that the injured victims have been promptly transported to Mugonero Hospital for immediate medical care.
“A group of ten individuals was constructing a stone wall when the slope unexpectedly collapsed. Tragically, two people lost their lives instantly, while the remaining eight survivors sustained minor injuries and are currently receiving medical treatment,” she stated.
Mukankusi further speculated that the collapse might have been triggered by recent heavy rainfall, saturating the soil and weakening the slope’s stability.
While the South African National Taxi Association (Santaco) has indicated that it intends to continue its operations as usual, the African National Congress (ANC) withdrew its support for the shutdown on Sunday, expressing opposition to any form of shutdown.
As per media reports, the decision to organize this shutdown comes in the wake of violent taxi strikes by operators and associations in August, primarily in response to the impounding of taxis.
Wandile Kasibe, the EFF’s provincial spokesperson, stated that they would present a memorandum during the protest. The memorandum demands the immediate release of all unjustly impounded minibusses, expeditious issuance of taxi operating permits and licenses by the city, and the elimination of excessive fines imposed on taxi drivers.
On the other hand, ANC provincial spokesperson Neville Delport discouraged their members from participating in the shutdown, emphasizing that the initial intention was for this to be a multi-party march against the unjust impoundment of taxis rather than a shutdown led by a single political party. Delport cited mixed messages in the media as a reason for the ANC’s withdrawal of support.
Kasibe expressed no surprise at the ANC’s decision and emphasized that their primary concern is addressing the issues affecting the local population.
City mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, confirmed that the city was aware of the planned protest and noted that the EFF had applied for a peaceful protest permit. The permit includes specific conditions, such as refraining from intimidating City staff, not entering the Ndabeni pound, and excluding taxis from the procession. Smith also mentioned that the city has an operational plan in place to address any potential violence or traffic disruptions during the protest, utilizing technologies like drones and CCTV for effective response.
Jacques Moolman, President of the Cape Chamber, expressed hope for a peaceful protest. He acknowledged that the chamber shares many of the concerns outlined by the EFF, particularly regarding the energy crisis and the rising cost of living.
Moolman also raised concerns about the strained dialogue between the City and the taxi industry, which he believes contributed to the disruptive protests in various parts of the city. However, he expressed deep concern that the EFF’s protest might display a disregard for law and order, citing previous statements by party leader Julius Malema.
Through their groundbreaking findings, which have fundamentally changed the understanding of how mRNA interacts with the human immune system, the laureates contributed to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times, the committee said in a statement.
“Through their discoveries that base modifications both reduced inflammatory responses and increased protein production, Kariko and Weissman had eliminated critical obstacles on the way to clinical applications of mRNA,” the statement said.
“The impressive flexibility and speed with which mRNA vaccines can be developed pave the way for using the new platform also for vaccines against other infectious diseases,” the statement added, stressing the prospects for the technology to be used to deliver therapeutic proteins and treat some cancer types.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, announced the winners at the Karolinska Institute. He said both scientists had received the news.
Kariko expressed being “so overwhelmed” and Weissman said he was “enormously grateful to receive the prize,” Perlmann said.
Born in 1955 in Szolnok, Hungary, Kariko received her Ph.D from the University of Szeged in 1982. Since 2021, she has been a professor at the University of Szeged and an adjunct professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Weissman, born in 1959 in Massachusetts, the United States, received his MD-Ph.D degree from Boston University in 1987. He is the Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and serves as the director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovations at the University of Pennsylvania.
The prize amount is 11 million Swedish kronor (1 million U.S. dollars) and will be shared equally between the two laureates. (1 Swedish krona = 0.091 U.S. dollar).
According to USA Today, this decision comes amid high-profile work stoppages in the state this year.
In a veto message, Newsom cited the state’s financial concerns, as it had already paid over $362 million in interest on a federal loan used to provide benefits during the pandemic, with an additional $302 million in interest due in September.
Newsom explained that increasing costs and incurring significant debt was not advisable at this time. He expressed his respect for workers’ collective actions and his commitment to improving labor conditions in California.
His rejection of the bill followed the conclusion of a five-month-long Hollywood writers’ strike but left other major labor groups, including Southern California hotel workers and Hollywood actors, still on strike, with many workers experiencing months of unpaid work.
The bill had garnered strong support from labor unions, including the California Labor Federation, and Democrats in the state legislature. It aimed to provide weekly benefits to workers on strike for a minimum of two weeks. Labor advocates criticized the veto, arguing that it favored corporations and was detrimental to workers’ rights.
California is facing a substantial unemployment insurance debt, with a projection of nearly $20 billion in debt by the end of 2023. The state’s unemployment benefits rely on the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, funded by unemployment taxes paid by employers and businesses based on employees’ wages.
This amount has remained unchanged since 1984, and the state had to borrow federal funds to provide unemployment benefits during the pandemic when many businesses closed due to social-distancing measures, resulting in a surge in unemployment. The state’s unemployment insurance trust fund is currently more than $18 billion in debt, and unemployment fraud during the pandemic may have added up to $2 billion in costs.
The bill was introduced in August during a period of strikes in various industries in California, as Democratic state lawmakers sought to support labor unions. However, Governor Newsom expressed concerns that expanding eligibility for these benefits could further increase the state’s federal unemployment insurance debt and impose higher taxes on employers.
The proposed legislation would have allowed striking workers to receive unemployment benefits after two weeks of striking, offering checks of up to $450 per week. Typically, workers are eligible for such benefits only when they lose their jobs through circumstances beyond their control.
Labor advocates argued that the bill’s impact on the state’s unemployment trust fund would be minimal, citing that out of 56 strikes in California over the past decade, only two lasted longer than two weeks, according to Democratic state Senator Anthony Portantino, the bill’s author.
Fred Gisa Rwigema is in the category of “Imanzi” heroes.
His tragic demise occurred during the daring incursion of the armed wing of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA), into Rwandan territory.
Comprising over three thousand individuals, mainly young Rwandans in exile, this force aimed to challenge the entrenched regime of President Juvenal Habyarimana. At the time, Habyarimana’s government stubbornly refused to allow Rwandan exiles to return to their homeland.
Rwigema’s loss struck a severe blow to the leadership of the FPR, both within the RPF and its army. The leadership, out of concern that revealing his death would demoralize their troops and endanger their mission, initially classified it as top secret. Rwigema had been the linchpin of the invasion, and his absence weighed heavily on their efforts.
This military campaign was a bold move against Habyarimana’s government, which had declared a state of national saturation, denying the rights of Rwandans in exile to return home. Tragically, Rwigema’s fate was followed by the loss of two other top commanders, Major Peter Bayingana and Major Chris Bunyenyezi, who were killed by Habyarimana’s forces in Ryabega. This further intensified the gravity of their sacrifice.
For a month, the RPF maintained a strategic silence about these critical losses before officially announcing them at a press conference in Brussels.
The reaction from the Habyarimana regime was swift. In Rwanda, supporters of the genocidal regime greeted the news with jubilation, while the RPF, though wounded, regrouped and continued their struggle.
In an exclusive interview with IGIHE, Tito Rutaremara, a key figure in the RPF who currently serves as the Chairperson of Rwanda Elders’ Advisory Forum, reflected on this tumultuous period.
He explained that the media silence was a deliberate effort to preserve troop morale and external support, stating, “Announcing such a loss on the first day would have sown doubt and confusion.”
The post-Rwigema era witnessed the ascent of Major General Paul Kagame, who, at the time, was undergoing military training in the United States. He answered the call of duty and assumed command of the RPA, returning to Rwanda on October 8, 1990, just days after the tragic loss of Maj Gen Fred Rwigema.
In later years, rumors circulated, partly fueled by Major Michael Mupende, who was in exile in the United States, suggesting internal dissent within the RPA as the cause of the “assassinations” of these honorable sons of Rwanda.
General (retired) James Kabarebe, currently the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in charge of Regional Affairs, vehemently refuted this theory, asserting that the deaths occurred in combat, in the face of the enemy. There was no more to it than that.
The memory of Maj Gen Rwigema and his comrades who fell in battle remains etched in the annals of national history. Rwigema was laid to rest on October 1, 1995, with full military honors at the Heroes’ Square in Remera.
Today, the names of men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of a free Rwanda serve as enduring symbols of a struggle that, even in the darkest hours, aimed to restore Rwanda to its unified and sovereign essence.
According to RIB, the arrest of Apostle Yongwe took place on Sunday, October 1, 2023. He is detained at the Kimihurura RIB Station while his file is being processed to be transferred to the Prosecution.
Dr. Murangira B. Thierry, the spokesperson for RIB, has informed IGIHE that the preacher was apprehended on charges related to the fraudulent acquisition of another person’s property.
This action is in violation of Rwanda’s penal code, specifically Article 174, which penalizes the fraudulent acquisition of someone else’s property.
Article 174 of Rwanda’s penal code states that any individual who deliberately obtains another person’s property fraudulently, either through the use of false identities or qualities, with the intent to create hope or fear of harm, and gains a portion or the entirety of their fortune, commits a criminal offense.
If found guilty, the suspect could face imprisonment for a period ranging from two to three years, along with a fine ranging from Rwf3 million to Rwf5 million.
Dr. Murangira has emphasized the importance of the general public being aware of legal provisions in their daily lives and avoiding involvement in criminal activities.
Sources indicate that Apostle Yongwe may have been arrested due to allegations of deceiving many individuals by promising them prayers to solve their problems, despite their situations not improving.
Formerly a follower of the ADEPR church, Yongwe is currently leading the Horebu Church, which is situated in Kagugu, Gasabo District. He has been known to claim that he makes a living from followers’ offerings.
A meeting took place in August, during which the Rwandan High Commissioner to the UK, Johnston Busingye, was also in attendance. The discussions during this meeting covered various aspects of the bilateral relationship between Rwanda and the UK, and according to Makolo, the article contained several factual inaccuracies.
Makolo clarified that Chelgate, owned by Terence Fane-Saunders, mentioned in the article, neither represented nor currently represents the Rwandan government. The government had terminated its contract with Mr. Fane-Saunders’ company over a year ago, and therefore, his comments should be disregarded.
Addressing the broader issues raised in the article, Makolo emphasized Rwanda’s pride in partnering with the UK government to address the challenges posed by the broken global migration system. She underscored the need to protect vulnerable individuals and prevent the empowerment of criminal smuggling networks, highlighting that Rwanda was actively engaged in finding solutions in cooperation with the UK.
In April 2022, the UK and Rwanda entered into a migration and economic development partnership aimed at offering a dignified life to those seeking asylum in European countries. Under this agreement, some individuals would be relocated to Rwanda and supported through various initiatives.
Makolo expressed Rwanda’s deep empathy for those seeking safety and opportunity in a new land, citing the country’s historical context as a driving force behind its approach to migration and asylum issues. She reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to combating discrimination, emphasizing that it is enshrined in the nation’s constitution and upheld through a dedication to the rule of law.
Regarding the Migration and Economic Development Partnership, Makolo stressed that Rwanda and the UK approach their collaboration from a foundation of mutual respect and open dialogue.
She also highlighted the pivotal role played by the Rwandan High Commissioner to the UK in maintaining the strong bilateral relationship between the two nations across various domains, including migration.
