The newly trained soldiers demonstrated different skills in special operations tactics.
While officiating at the ceremony the RDF Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Jean Bosco Kazura congratulated the newly trained officers and other ranks for their milestone achievement, commitment and discipline during the training.
The CDS urged the graduates to use the special skills acquired to protect the sovereignty of Rwanda and its people.
During the ceremony different awards were presented to recognise the best students.
2Lt Emmanuel Kanyamugenge was awarded the overall best student award followed by 2Lt Emmanuel Kwizera Nkangura who was second overall best student.
He delivered the message after visiting Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi during his visit to Rwanda.
I&M Bank works with AEGIS Trust, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) which manages Kigali Genocide Memorial.
Sarit said that visiting the memorial is of great significance as it helped him to learn from the Rwanda’s bitter history that saw over 1 million Tutsis killed on the basis of their identity.
He highlighted that I&M Bank joins Kigali Genocide Memorial located in Gisozi to honour fallen victims and empathize with survivors of Genocide against the Tutsi and assured the lender’s continued support.
Among others, Sarit disclosed that he learnt a lot from Rwanda’s dark history during his visit to the memorial, most importantly, striving for harmony in the society.
As history shows, Sarit said, Rwandans lived in harmony before colonizers divided them which led to the atrocities. He underscored that the reoccurrence of Rwanda’s tragic history can only be avoided if people strive for a peaceful coexistence.
Incorporated in 1963, I&M Bank (Rwanda) Plc is the oldest Bank in Rwanda. It is today one of the leading players in the industry with a strong footprint across the country.
The Bank is also a subsidiary of I&M Group PLC, a leading regional financial services group in Eastern Africa with a presence in Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as a joint venture in Mauritius.
I&M Group has a long history in banking and has established a wide network of correspondent banks across the globe and enjoys a strong relationship with leading international Development Financial Institutions.
Among other reforms, this financing will support the roll out of a new dynamic social registry which will ensure that critical social sector programs are targeted to those most in need and can be responsive to losses of livelihood or income when households face a range of crises. This foundational reform is also expected to improve efficiency in the spending of public resources and contribute to poverty reduction.
“This policy and institutional reform program has been the anchor of our support to the Government of Rwanda on human capital development, which has already yielded robust results on a large scale in health care, education, nutrition, and social protection,” said Rolande Pryce, World Bank Country Manager for Rwanda.
“Collaborating with the Government of Rwanda and working in step with other partners to bring about these reforms will lay a solid foundation for human capital being a key driver of Rwanda’s socioeconomic transformation and will help ensure no one is left behind,” she added.
The series has registered strong results despite the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, coverage of critical gender, child, and nutrition sensitive safety net schemes benefiting poor and vulnerable households under the Vision 2020 Umurenge Program has increased from 19 percent in March 2020 to 46 percent in September 2022. The proportion of young children now receiving a minimum package of integrated early childhood development services in accordance with national standards has expanded from 17 percent in 2020 to 62 percent in 2022.
Health sector financing reforms have ensured that over 86 percent of the target population has been covered by community-based health insurance as of May 2022, up from 69 percent in 2020. Teachers are being recruited more efficiently because of an increase in transparency of teacher management and recruitment policies, leading to better quality of teaching and teacher wellbeing.
The series has also been responsive to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of September 2022, 135,081 households, largely reliant on informal work, received emergency cash support to help tide over losses of income during the pandemic. About 59 percent of these recipients are women. With reforms in education, the sector prepared itself for more resilient service delivery, and managed to return about 99 percent of students to school after prolonged COVID-19-related closure.
“We expect that this series of development policy operations will have lasting benefits in Rwanda, including through the new social registry, a financially sustainable community-based health insurance scheme, and strengthened workforce management in both health facilities and schools,” said Kavita Watsa, World Bank Senior Human Development Operations Officer and Task Team Leader for this operation. “Going forward, Rwanda can also respond more flexibly to crises that affect poor and vulnerable households.”
The financing approved on 22nd December 2022, is part of broader ongoing support by the World Bank for health, education, and social protection in Rwanda.
The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives.
IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 76 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.6 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $21 billion over the last three years, with about 61 percent going to Africa.
The course held at the Rwanda National Police (RNP) General Headquarters at Kacyiru, was conducted in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
The Commissioner for Training at the RNP, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Berthélemy Rugwizangoga thanked the UNITAR for the partnership to develop the capacity of the RNP officers.
This year, in partnership with UNITAR, officers have been trained in different areas such as Training of Trainers (TOT), Women Commanders Training, Protection of Civilians and Individual Police Officers (IPO) course.
ACP Rugwizangoga reminded the trainees of the tasks ahead.
“The acquired knowledge and experience should help you to accomplish the mandated tasks to protect the vulnerable people in armed conflict or under any threats,” ACP Rugwizangoga told the officers.
He added: “This was a package for you to understand the international principles on the protection of civilians and to enhance your operating capacity in protecting vulnerable people affected by armed violence and conflict. Share the knowledge and skills with your fellow peacekeepers, who did not participate in this training.”
ACP Rugwizangoga said that training and capacity building is among the key priorities of the RNP to ensure that police officers continue to be well prepared for any law enforcement duties.
The PoC course looked at the international principles on the protection of civilians in war-torn zones, including special consideration for conflict-related sexual violence and child protection.
He made the disclosure during an interview with Jeune Afrique in which he talked about regional security problems and process to strengthen ties with other countries including Rwanda.
President Ndayishimiye who also serves as the current Chairperson of the East African Community (EAC), has responsibilities to oversee the implementation of regional agreements to restore peace through Luanda and Nairobi processes among others.
Negotiations to de-escalate tensions between Rwanda and DRC held recently in Luanda left participants of the meeting asking M23 to cease fire, and withdraw from occupied areas but was allowed to remain on the country’s territory.
It was also resolved that M23 had to respect the decision and return to its initial positions not beyond along the line Sabyinyo Volcano in the areas of Bigega, Bugusa, Nyabikona, Mbuzi, Rutsiro and Nkokwe on the side of DRC.
It was agreed that the areas previously captured by M23 will be controlled by joint EAC forces after withdrawal of M23.
It is a great milestone reached for the first time by DR Congo as a country that had ignored the reality sounding alarms that M23 rebels are Rwandans who must return to Rwanda.
President Ndayishimiye said that achieving lasting peace cannot come by accident noting that trust and patience needed for M23 to lay down arms as requested have not yet been developed.
“As we requested M23 to withdraw, we also asked regional forces to prepare for deployment in those areas to protect citizens. During a meeting held in Washington, we discussed the issue again, reviewed reasons behind failure to implement resolutions and agreed again that M23 has to withdraw,” he said.
Ndayishimiye expressed confidence that M23 will respect Luanda resolutions as they are where Kenyan troops will be deployed in previously captured areas.
If M23 lies, he said, the situation will be assessed because regional forces won’t be able to occupy designated areas of operations without withdrawal of the rebel group which might lead to confrontations.
Ndayishimiye disclosed that the region does not need conflicts noting that sources make him believe that M23 are willing to stop fighting and go through a peaceful process.
The head of state makes the utterance at a time when some countries from the United States and Europe are ceaselessly releasing statements accusing Rwanda of being behind M23 rebel group and demanding the country to stop backing it.
On the other hand, the EAC has not yet accused Rwanda of supporting the rebel group but Ndayishimiye said that DRC does not know who the members of M23 are.
“The Government of Congo does not really know who the members of M23 are. In case they are brought together, disarmed and reintegrated, the process to assess their nationality would begin,” he said.
“Today, no one knows who the members of M23 are. Confusion remains. Before the beginning of the process, it will be hard to know who they are and determine everyone’s strength,” added Ndayishimye.
{{What is the origin of M23?}}
The eastern part of DRC is among regions with a large number of Kinyarwanda speaking citizens or Rwandophones. They are part of M23 rebel group’s members who arrived in the country many years ago.
Rwandophones currently make up 5% of the entire Congolese population. They mainly reside in eastern Congo in South and North Kivu provinces.
History shows that these citizens found themselves in DRC following border delimitations set out in Berlin Conference held on 15th November 1884 to discuss the partitioning of Africa.
Before the date, the areas of Goma, Masisi, Rutshuru and Idjwi Island were on Rwandan side.
They were joined to Congo-Belge through agreements between Germany and Belgium on 14th May 1910.
The partitioning also saw other parts of Rwanda in Northern and Eastern Provinces added to Uganda
It is under these circumstances that Rwanda lost a large number of citizens through the partitioning who found themselves in other countries but upheld their culture and language.
Apart from the large number of Rwandans left in Congo under the border delimitations, there is another group of citizens relocated to Congo between1937 and 1954 under an arrangement called ‘Mission Immigration Banyarwanda’ (M.I.B).
The changes introduced by colonizers was a revenge to Rwanda as a country that was benefitting from having a large number of people at the time with a belief that they can be sent to other countries with a small number of people to explore and exploit them.
Under the M.I.B, Rwandans were settled in Northern Kivu Province mainly in Masisi (Gishari, Mokoto, Muvunyi, Bigiri and Bafuna) and Rutshuru (in Mushari and Bwito).
BioNTech announced the development considered as a great milestone towards the production of vaccines in Rwanda on Wednesday 21st December 2022.
The facility will be built on 30,000 square kilometers in Kigali Special Economic Zone. It will have two BioNTainers made up of assembled containers.
“BioNTech SE reached the next milestone in the establishment of scalable mRNA vaccine production in Africa. The six ISO-sized shipping containers for the first BioNTainer have finished construction in Europe, underwent quality checks by BioNTech experts and are being prepared for shipment to Kigali, Rwanda, where they are expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2023,” reads part of the statement released by BioNTech.
The development comes at a time when, BioNTech continues to develop and build its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Kigali, Rwanda, following the groundbreaking in June 2022.
The facility will be housing the first BioNTainers and is expected to become a node in a decentralized and robust end-to-end manufacturing network in Africa.
BioNTech also expects to ship BioNTainers to Senegal and potentially South Africa in close coordination with each respective country and the African Union.
Vaccines to be manufactured in this Africa-wide network will be dedicated to people residing in member states of the African Union, with the aim to support access to novel medicines.
In addition, BioNTech is advancing mRNA-based vaccine candidates to address malaria and tuberculosis, based on the company’s mRNA platform. The vaccine candidates are expected to enter first-in-human trials in late 2022 or early 2023.
{{About BioNTech}}
Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) is a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases.
The company exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals.
Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bi-specific checkpoint immuno-modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and small molecules.
Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline.
BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global pharmaceutical collaborators, including Genmab, Sanofi, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Regeneron, Genevant, Fosun Pharma, and Pfizer.
The circumstances of his death have created confusion as he had gone to work the previous day with sound health.
His death was first announced in the morning of Wednesday 21st December 2022.
It is said that his colleagues realized that he missed work without known reasons and liaised with local leaders that went to his home, broke the door and found him dead inside his house.
The executive secretary of Murama Sector, Pauline Mutuyimana has told IGIHE that colleagues thought that he might have stayed at home over feeling exhausted and later decided to go to his home to see what happened.
“As they arrived at home, they looked through the window and saw him on his bed. They broke the door and found him dead,” she said.
Mutuyimana said that the man suffered from epilepsy where it is suspected that he might have died of the disease.
However, his body was taken to Rwinkwavu Hospital for postmortem.
He observed that private security firms are a force multiplier to Rwanda National Police and play a role in the overall security in the country; but added that security threats keep changing shape following trends of other activities, thus proactive and modern measures to always be ahead of evil-minded people are required.
DIGP Namuhoranye made the remarks on Wednesday, December 21, while addressing over 100 heads of private security companies as well as those charged with security at different key premises, in a meeting held at the Rwanda National Police (RNP) General Headquarters at Kacyiru.
“We are here today to strengthen cooperation and collaboration to ensure security at premises under your protection and the country in general. Take measures to prevent incidents and prompt response to any unlawful acts through timely information sharing,” DIGP Namuhoranye said.
He observed during the festive period, criminals tend to take advantage of people, who are enjoying the festivities, to commit crimes like theft.
“We are starting the festive season, when crimes like theft, assault largely caused by drunkenness, cybercrime and narcotic drugs tend to increase. Beware, ensure proper supervision of your deployed personnel and give them enough training to be professional in their security duties,” DIGP Namuhoranye said.
The Deputy Police Chief reiterated that as the country experiences fast development in all aspects, such as public infrastructure, hotels, commercial buildings, schools and modern markets; this comes with security challenges.
As the RNP partners in security, he added, private security firms should also evolve with the trend to contribute to the country’s safety and security and to follow the standard operating procedures.
Currently, there are 16 private security companies in the country with a total of 25,856 staff.
An assessment conducted between August and October this year, revealed that some private security service providers were using either using unregistered or untrained staff; lack of the required equipment and drunkenness, among others.
Max Uwiragiye, the chairman of the Rwanda Private Security Industry Association (RPSIA) said that such a meeting provides a platform to review their security performance, take measures to address the identified challenges and to discuss ways to further enhance partnership with the Police to fight and prevent crimes.
The government issues the statement following accusations by DRC that it supports the aforementioned rebel group, an accusation which Rwanda has repeatedly denied and asked DRC to stop collaboration with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
FDLR is a terrorist group formed by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
It has been reported in collaboration with the Congolese Army (FARDC) and other groups operating in the eastern part of the country, hunting Tutsi, abusing their rights and killing them.
The United Nations Special Advisor on Genocide Prevention recently condemned the escalation of violence in eastern DR Congo, saying that it was a “warning sign” in a region where genocide happened in the past.
The coalition has seen bombs shelled on Rwandan territory at different times leaving people injured and properties destroyed.
Instead of responding to Rwanda’s concerns to stop the collaboration, DRC continues to externalize its problems to make Rwanda ‘a scapegoat’.
DRC’s accusations have been digested by different countries including the United States and France urging Rwanda to stop supporting M23, despite provided clarifications.
According to Rwanda, absorbing the false allegations sidetracks the attention to find a lasting solution to insecurity in eastern Congo.
In a statement released today, Rwanda has brought to light all circumstances of the situation and maintained that putting a blame on it, reflects lack of willingness on the part of the international community to deal with the root causes of conflict in Eastern DRC, and to demand true accountability from the state and non-state actors who are responsible for the resulting legacy of failure.
{{Below is the full statement:}}
Accusing Rwanda of support to the Congolese armed group M23 is wrong and distracts from the real cause of continued conflict in Eastern DRC, and its impact on the security of neighbouring states, including Rwanda.
It is a mistake to conflate the measures that Rwanda has put in place to guard its borders with support for any particular armed group in DRC. This tired old blame game undermines ongoing efforts by regional leaders to find lasting peace, particularly the Nairobi and Luanda initiatives, to which Rwanda is fully committed.
Like all states, Rwanda has a right to territorial integrity and reserves the right to defend its borders and citizens against cross-border attacks. Rwanda’s territorial integrity has been consistently violated over the years by both the FARDC and FDLR, including a brutal attack in October 2019 in Kinigi, a tourist area in Northern Rwanda, that killed 14 innocent villagers; several cross-border rocket shelling incidents earlier this year; incursions into Rwanda by soldiers of the Congolese armed forces; and an airspace violation by a Congolese fighter jet in November. This is in addition to the targeting of Rwanda’s border areas by FDLR as they fight alongside the FARDC against other armed groups in Eastern DRC.
There has been no accountability for the failure of the DRC Government to deal with the over 130 armed groups on its territory, the serious abuses against civilians committed by the Congolese armed forces and its auxiliary armed groups, including the genocidal remnant militia FDLR, which has been preserved for decades in the DRC. Authorities in DRC have also given license to virulent anti-Rwandophone and anti-Tutsi hate speech, public incitement, mob killings, and targeted violence, as detailed in reports of the UN and other regional and international organizations.
Rwanda is host to over 80,000 Congolese refugees living in camps, many for over 20 years. The international community should have the decency to address the persecution of a group of Congolese citizens, as well as how refugees of the same group can exercise their right to return safely to their country instead of languishing in refugee camps permanently.
Attempting to manage complex situations by simply repeating and amplifying false allegations of the DRC government cannot lead to solutions. Notably, the sensationalized “Kishishe massacre”, a fabrication of the DRC government that it attributed to M23, has quickly spread without any investigation of the facts by any credible entity, despite indications that the incident was in fact an armed confrontation between M23 and illegal armed groups allied to FARDC. This is symbolic of how the mess in the DRC has been encouraged and sustained for decades.
It is worth recalling that a United Nations peacekeeping operation, currently under MONUSCO, has been present in Eastern DRC for more than 22 years, at the cost of over US$1 billion a year, with little tangible results. Blaming Rwanda reflects an unwillingness on the part of the international community to face up to the root causes of conflict in Eastern DRC, and to demand true accountability from the state and non-state actors who are responsible for the resulting legacy of failure.
Some relatives can be a little bit traditional when it comes to gender roles, especially when it comes to hosting, but you don’t want the family gathering to be a battleground over who does what and who gets to do what.
So, how can you promote gender equality at your family party during this holiday season?
It can seem a bit unnecessary to have these conversations, especially if you assume that everyone is happy with their roles in the family but unless you ask you might never know.
In a recent conversation with my friend, she mentioned how she dreads the preparation for the annual Christmas party.
This aversion has nothing to do with how she feels about her family but with the load of work that awaits her.
Getting up early to clean the whole house while the preparation begins, cooking a large amount of food for guests, and not being able to sit down to converse or eat with others since she must attend to everyone and do all the cleaning after they leave.
While her brothers will be sound asleep that morning, sitting, eating, and socializing as she cooks and tends to the guests.
The gender roles she grew up in do not allow her to get along well with her brothers because to her it is unfair but she can’t say anything because her mother considers her lazy.
For any little activity her brothers do there is praise, but if she does the same it is considered her duty.
Most families who behave in the same way get it from a deeper place, an old auntie or grandma who will shame mothers for not ‘raising better’ their daughters.
This results in mothers putting more pressure on their daughters, overworking them because they believe that the more work she does, the more praise they will get for raising them as such.
If you pay close attention, you might discover that during family functions, your own family might unconsciously be promoting gender roles.
These gender roles can have a profound impact on the way members of the family interact with each other.
It’s important to be aware of these gender roles and the way they can affect family dynamics so that we can work to promote gender equality even during this season.
Here are a few adjustments you can start with to promote gender equality this festive season:
{{1. Share the work evenly}}
This might not be as hard as you think, you can start by asking everyone to name a chore that they enjoy doing.
You can also anonymously give the chores, or let everyone take turns doing chores so that everyone is active.
{{2. Encourage everyone to speak out when they feel they are being unfairly treated}}
Create an open space for everyone to feel safe so that they can voice out their issues instead of bottling them up which can result in outbursts or avoiding family gatherings.
{{3. Put into practice what you preach}}
Children and young people act as they see their parents or grown-ups do, so if you are encouraging boys that they should share chores with their sisters, make sure that as a father or a male guardian you lead by example.
Achieving gender equality at family parties during festive seasons is not an easy task but girls also need to sit and eat with the rest of the family without feeling guilty that they are being lazy or shaming their mothers.
