During his visit on 29th March 2023, the was received by the Rwanbatt-1 Contingent Commander, Lt Col Gilbert Ndayisabye, Contingent Commander Rwanda Aviation Unit, Lt Col Dan Musafiri and Staff Officers.
He was briefed on current security situation in South Sudan and nature of operating environment before he got to interact with troops.
Maj Gen Vincent Nyakarundi conveyed a message from Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and Commander-in- Chief of the Rwanda Defence Force and the entire RDF leadership thanking them for fulfilling their tasks, discipline and professionalism portrayed while in mission area.
He further briefed them on current security situation in Rwanda and current relations between Rwanda and neighbouring countries.
Maj Gen V Nyakarundi urged the force to maintain discipline and remain determined in accomplishing their daily tasks.
Currently, Rwanda deploys three contingents under the UN mandate in different parts of South Sudan and an Aviation Unit (RAU).
According to Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence, they were warmly received by the commander of the Rwandan Security Forces Joint Task Force, Maj Gen E Nkubito, who briefed them on the current security situation in the area of responsibility of the joint Mozambique and Rwandan Security Forces.
Amb. Antonino Maggiore praised the outstanding collaboration between the joint forces in their efforts to pacify Cabo Delgado province.
He also lauded their provision of social services, including medical assistance to local residents and pledged to advocate for NGOs to provide additional humanitarian aid to the people who are returning to their homes.
As per reports by USA newspapers, the incident which occurred on Thursday, March 30th, claimed the lives of nine people who were participating in the training exercise at the time of the accident.
The victims’ identities had not yet been disclosed, by press time, pending notification of their families.
The military authorities have confirmed that their planes were responsible for the collision, and an investigation has been launched to determine the precise circumstances surrounding the accident.
The tragic incident has shocked the nation, and the military community is mourning the loss of their comrades.
At the same event, the Chinese medical team and Rwandan doctors also held a virtual meeting on anesthesiology with doctors from the People’s Hospital in northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to share ideas and best practices on administering anesthesia and managing pain during surgical procedures.
The free clinic provided much-needed medical care to those who may not have had access to it otherwise. Hundreds of local patients turned up for the free clinic, where they received medical care, including blood pressure checks, glucose and cholesterol screenings, as well as consultations with healthcare professionals on their health concerns.
“We celebrated China Anesthesia Week with the goal of educating the local people in Rwanda on different types of anesthesia and how to manage pain, particularly for mothers in labor and those undergoing surgery. This will help them effectively minimize pain on a large scale,” Zhao Shangjun, chief of the Chinese medical team, told Xinhua in an interview.
He said the free clinic was attended by local patients who had medical checkups to determine their overall health and identify potential risks for diseases they may not be aware of.
“Our healthcare professionals were available to answer questions about health, painless delivery, and anesthesiology to help our patients receive the best care possible,” added Zhao.
He also said the anesthesia week was celebrated to educate local doctors on pain management techniques and painless delivery options for pregnant mothers.
According to him, the Chinese medical team is determined to help Rwandan doctors know various anesthesiology techniques.
“I came here for medical treatment and noticed the free exercise of measuring blood pressure among patients. Since I have chronic high blood pressure, I decided to take measurements. It’s a great initiative that has enabled us to know our health status,” Gisele Cyubahiro, one of the patients who attended the free clinic, told Xinhua.
“The free clinic has been a great opportunity for specialist doctors like the Chinese medical team to help us understand our health status,” she said.
Speaking to Xinhua at the event, Lambert Nzivugira, an anesthetist and physicist at Masaka Hospital, said the free clinic and the anesthesia week are a great opportunity for the local doctors to learn more about Chinese medical technology.
“Today, we are participating in an activity organized by the Chinese medical team to celebrate China Anesthesia Week. As local doctors working with the Chinese, we are also celebrating the week by conducting a free clinic that offers consultations to patients,” Nzivugira said. “We greatly appreciate the partnership between the two sides. The Chinese medical team has been very helpful in many ways, they are our friends, and we work together in a good working environment, sharing skills through daily work and training.”
Through the partnership, the local doctors have learned many things in their careers, acquired knowledge and skills, and the patients are pleased with activities like the free consultations provided, said Nzivugira.
Over the years, Chinese doctors have treated local people, relieved their illnesses, exchanged ideas with Rwandan counterparts, and disseminated experience and technology.
As a demand-side solution, it can complement supply-side approaches including improved regulation and consumer protection which ensure that investors are protected, well-informed, and treated fairly. It may also be used as a means of encouraging formal savings for those excluded from financial services.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN), through the Capital Market Authority (CMA) in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MINAFFET), started a new public education and awareness program targeting the Rwandan communities living abroad to consider saving and investment opportunities available back home through the Rwandan capital markets.
So far, Rwandans living in 30 diplomatic missions from across Africa, Europe, America, Asia, and the Pacific are being reached out progressively through this particular campaign.
These sessions are being conducted virtually under the theme: “Promoting the savings and investment culture through the Rwandan capital market within the Rwandan community living abroad.” and among facilitators include the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE), Rwanda National Investment Trust (RNIT), BK Capital and stock brokerage firms.
With the continued development of the capital market industry, some Rwandan companies have started enjoying the benefit of considering the Rwandan capital market as a venue to raise long-term funding for their businesses. The ongoing education and awareness programme will, among others, contribute to increased participation of the Rwandan investor base in different available capital market products.
Magnifique Migisha, the Coordinator of the ongoing public education and awareness programme at the Rwanda’s Capital Market Authority, stressed that the capital market helps to tap into savings from Rwandans living abroad communities looking for local investment opportunities, and it is the best place for them to invest in the future.
“When you buy a share of stock, you are actually buying ownership into a living company. Over time, these companies will release more products, gain more customers, increase earnings, acquire other companies, and grow,” explained Migisha.
Migisha added that “We encourage the Rwandan community living abroad to embrace the savings and investment culture by growing the country’s economy through participating in long-term investments through the Rwandan capital markets.
CMA has committed to running education and awareness campaigns motivating the Rwandans living abroad to save and invest through Rwanda’s capital market, whereby the public education initiatives are meant to bridge the financial literacy gap to facilitate an interactive and educative forum to enable them to start saving and investing through the local capital market.”
The National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) puts emphasis on increasing domestic savings and positioning Rwanda as a hub for financial services while promoting investments through financial sector development.
Sandrine Maziyateke Uwimbabazi, Director of Rwanda Community Abroad (RCA) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MINAFFET) noted that “The Rwandan Community Abroad (RCA) Department facilitates in encouraging all Rwandans living abroad to contribute to program implementation through MINAFFET by liaising with embassies and High Commission and RCA associations representatives.”
“The Government of Rwanda realized the important role that the Rwandan Community Abroad (RCA) can play in the development of the country. Besides the well-known role of remittances, they can act as a catalyst in bringing innovation, creating businesses, trade, and Investment as well as skills and knowledge transfer which can be an added value to the national economy,” stressed Uwimbabazi.
She added that “It is fundamental and important for the Ministry to engage and organize sustainable strategic programs and mechanisms to facilitate our RCA who are willing to contribute to their homeland in the social economic transformation journey. This focus is usually recognized on economic contributions, however, there is also increasing evidence of non-economic contributions to image building, good governance, knowledge transfers, and capacity building.”
Eric Sangwa who resides in New Zealand and participated in this campaign, noted, “We are so glad to learn a lot about Rwanda’s capital market through this campaign. Investing in the Rwandan market helps to maintain connections and ties to our mother country.”
He added, “Investing in the Rwandan capital market can provide diaspora communities with a way to support economic development in their home countries, as well as a way to potentially earn financial returns on their investments.”
The private domestic savings rate is projected to increase from 12.1% in 2017 to 23.9% by 2024.
The introduction of innovative savings mobilization schemes is one of the enablers to achieve the anticipated target. Currently, there are two collective investment schemes: “RNIT Iterambere Fund” operated by Rwandan National Investment Trust (RNIT), and “Aguka Unit Trust Fund” operated by BK Capital.
He was arrested in Rugenda I village, Rubona cell by traffic officers, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) René Irere, the spokesperson for traffic and road safety department, said.
“The forged driver’s license indicated that he had category A for a motorcycle and B for a vehicle. However, traffic officers realized that the photo on his license and that on the the national identity card were not matching, but again, when we checked in the system, we found that it was not registered, leading to his immediate arrest over forgery,” SSP Irere said.
Article 276 of the law determining offences and penalties in general states that any person, who in any manner, forges or alters documents by forged signature or fingerprint, falsifying documents or signatures or impersonation, forging agreements, its provisions, obligations, or discharged obligations, commits an offence.
Any person who, with fraudulent intention, produces a false written document, causes to write false statements or produces a conflicting declaration, is considered to commit the offence of forgery.
Upon conviction, he/she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than five years but not more than seven years and a fine of not less than Frw3 million and not more than Frw5 million or only one of these penalties.
“These are continuous operations to enforce traffic rules and regulations and to particularly arrest anyone holding a forged road traffic related document,” SSP warned.
The deployment was confirmed during the Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the EAC Chiefs of Defence Forces/Staffs (CDF/CDS) held on 23rd March, 2023 in Bujumbura, Burundi.
The meeting was called to review the implementation of the Heads of State Directives of the 20th Extra-Ordinary Summit held on 4th February, 2023, and to evaluate the security situation in Eastern DRC.
The EAC Partner States’ Chiefs of Defence Forces confirmed that the EAC Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (EAC-MVM) has already been deployed to Eastern DRC to monitor and verify the ceasefire and withdrawal by all Armed Groups.
The deployment of the EAC Regional Force and EAC-MVM is a significant step towards ending the conflict and restoring peace and stability in the region.
The EAC has through released statement, welcomed the full deployment of the EAC Regional Force and commended the deployment of the EAC-MVM to monitor and verify the ceasefire and withdrawal by all armed groups.
The EAC Secretariat reiterated its support for the restoration of peace and stability in Eastern DRC, urging all parties to the conflict to continue implementing the ceasefire directive, observe the withdrawal timelines, and join the political process as directed by the 20th Extra-Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State.
The conflict in Eastern DRC has been ongoing for years, with armed groups fighting for control of resources and territory.
The deployment of the EAC Regional Force and the EAC-MVM is a significant milestone towards ending the conflict and restoring peace and stability in the region.
According to media reports, Rusesabagina arrived in the US on Wednesday.
As per established protocol, Rusesabagina departed from Rwanda to Qatar early this week before heading to the United States.
Rusesabagina’s daughter, Carine Kanimba, has also confirmed her father’s return to the US in a post on Twitter.
Kanimba expressed her gratitude to everyone who worked to bring her father home, and announced that their family is finally reunited.
Rusesabagina is a US legal resident with dual citizenship in Rwanda and Belgium.
Rusesabagina was released from prison on Friday last week after his sentence was commuted by President Paul Kagame. The commutation came after he asked Kagame for a pardon in an October 2022 letter.
“If I am granted a pardon and released, I understand fully that I will spend the remainder of my days in the United States in quiet reflection,” he wrote in part. “I can assure you through this letter that I hold no personal or political ambitions otherwise. I will leave questions regarding Rwandan politics behind me.”
The US Presidency, White House recently conveyed their appreciation through a brief statement that acknowledged Rusesabagina’s release and thanked the Rwandan and Qatari governments for facilitating it.
Commenting on the development after the presidential clemency granted to Rusesabagina, Stephanie Nyombayire, the Press Secretary for the Office of the Presidency, disclosed that Rusesabagina’s release is the outcome of a joint effort to reset the relationship between the United States and Rwanda.
Rusesabagina, the former President of the MRCD-FLRN terror group, was sentenced to 25 years in 2021 for terrorism charges.
Along with Nsabimana Callixte, alias “Sankara,” who served as the FLN’s spokesperson, and 18 others linked to the same case, he was released on presidential clemency last Friday. Rusesabagina had been arrested in 2020.
More 358 individuals convicted of various offences were also granted collective commutation on the same day.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Epimaque Rwandenzi , the executive secretary of Nkingo cell in Kamonyi District, explained that they work beyond normal working hours, including weekends, to attend to residents’ needs.
He emphasized that meeting their request would further prioritize cells’ service delivery to citizens, and expressed optimism that the government would address their concerns gradually, depending on available resources.
The Minister of Local Government, Jean Claude Musabyimana, acknowledged the critical role played by cells in the implementation of government programs and affirmed the need for adequate staffing and resources to enhance their efficiency.
He assured that the government will continue to build capacity for these leadership levels.
In response to the request to increase staff, President Kagame emphasized the need to assess the reason for the increase and its impact on productivity. He also emphasized the need to match salary increments with efficient performance to avoid wasting resources.
The announcement was made on 29th March 2023 by RDF through a statement that highlighted the immediate effect of the promotions.
Rwanda’s army is well known internationally for its professionalism, discipline, and ability to work in challenging environments.
The promotion of military officers is a critical aspect of military management, and it serves to motivate officers to work harder and achieve better results.
It also provides an opportunity for the military leadership to identify and reward exceptional performers while at the same time, ensuring a structured career progression for the officers.
It also underscores the importance of investing in the country’s human capital, especially in the area of defence, which plays a crucial role in safeguarding the nation’s security.
