They also provided awareness campaigns on malaria preventive measures to 115 residents.
Blog
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Chairman of National Electoral Commission, Prof. Kalisa Mbanda passes on
The Executive Secretary of NEC, Charles Munyaneza has told IGIHE that Prof. Mbanda was not sick for long as he had gone to work two days ago.
He explained that Prof. Mbanda visited his farm on Friday and went to the hospital where he breathed the last on his return.
Prof. Mbanda was named the Chairman of NEC in 2012 for five-year term that was renewed. He replaced Prof. Chrysologue Karangwa at the time.
He has been also serving as the Chancellor of Kigali Independent University (ULK).
Prof. Mbanda held different positions where he once served as an Expert for Eco-development and Community-Base Projects, in charge of Planning and Monitoring between 1990-1995 and Consultant for Regional Rehabilitation and Development Plan (1998-99) at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
He also spent long time in the education sector as he served as the Dean of Faculty of Agriculture at the National University of Rwanda between 1995-1998, National Expert for Strategic Planning, in charge of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Sector 2000-2003 and Rector of the Higher Institute of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry from 2003 to 2007.
He later worked as a consultant with different institutions including the ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), Rwanda Local Development Support Fund (RLDSF) and Genocide Survivors Fund (FARG) among others.
In 2006, Prof. Mbanda was the Chairman of Kigali City Council. He holds a PhD in Biology obtained from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. Prof. Mbanda also graduated as Tropical Agriculture Engineer at the same university.
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Kagame meets with Rwandan members of EALA
Rwanda’s representatives in the fifth EALA include Fatuma Nyirakobwa Ndangiza, Kayonga Caroline Rwivanga, Harebamungu Mathias, Musangabatware Clement, Dr. Nyiramana Aisha, Uwumukiza Françoise, Rutazana Francine, Iradukunda Alodie and Bahati Alex.
The EALA parliamentarians who met with President Kagame on Friday 13th January 2022, were all sworn-in during a ceremony held in Arusha, Tanzania on 19th December 2022.
Upon their election, Fatuma Ndangiza said that they have achieved a lot in the previous term and expressed readiness to work with colleagues to do more.
Representing citizens’ interests, passing the law in favour of single EAC currency and overseeing project’s implementation by different governments are among those achievements.
Article 49 of the EAC Treaty establishes EALA as the legislative organ of the Community. Like most legislatures EALA has as its core functions legislating, oversight and representation.
The Assembly may also perform any other functions as are conferred upon it by the Treaty. As noted above, EALA is empowered to make its own Rules of Procedure and to constitute Committees. EALA maintains seven standing committees: Accounts; Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources; General Purpose ;Commission; Legal, Rules and Privileges; Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolution; and Trade Communication and Investment.
EALA may also appoint Select Committees as needed. The composition and leadership of each of these Committees is equally shared among the Partners States.
There are 45 Members of EALA indirectly elected for a five-year (renewable) term by their respective National Assemblies (although not from within the National Assemblies), and five ex-officio Members.
Article 50 of the Treaty requires that EALA’s Members “represent as much as it is feasible, the various political parties represented in the National Assembly, shades of opinion, gender and other special interest groups in that Partner State”. As such, EALA members come from diverse backgrounds such as business, NGOs, retired civil servants and Members of the National Assemblies.
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RDF soldiers graduate in Military Band Music Courses
The event was held at Kanombe Military Barracks on Friday 13th January 2022.
Maj Gen A Turagara, Commandant Kanombe Military Barracks, officiated at the ceremony on behalf of the RDF Chief of Defence Staff.
He congratulated the graduates for successfully completing the training and urged them to use the skills acquired during the course to further their professional careers for the Rwanda Defence Force and the country in general.
Maj Gen A Turagara also thanked the RDF leadership for their continuous support and empowerment to Military Band Regiment in terms of equipment and capacity building.
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Relations between Rwanda and China to grow further in 2023 – Minister Biruta
He made the disclosure on Thursday evening, 12th January as the Chinese community in Rwanda, in partnership with the Embassy of People’s Republic of China in Rwanda celebrated the New Lunar year of 2023.
The New Year which was named ‘The year of Rabbit’ will be observed in China and abroad from 22nd January 2023. It will be followed by a series of festive season celebrations where families, relatives and friends meet and celebrate while planning for the New Year.
As he delivered remarks, Minister Biruta wished Chinese people a prosperous new year, that will keep Rwanda-China relations growing after 52 years of existence.
“Rwanda considers China as a strong partner that has contributed to the socio economic development of our country in various sectors that are key to priority areas including new infrastructure, health, energy, education, to mention a few,” he said.
In 2022, the value of imports and exports between Rwanda reached close to US$1 billion.
China also funded some big infrastructure in Rwanda at different times such as Masaka Hospital in Kigali, new Prime minister’s office, roads, bridges among others.
“As we continue to implement various agreements , I wish to reiterate Rwanda’s commitment to work closely with the Government of China to find solutions to global challenges,” added Dr. Biruta.
The Ambassador of China to Rwanda, Wang Xuekun said that 2022 has been a tremendous year for development in China, with 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) which ended with new leadership as Xi Jinping at the top.
“The coming year, is the year of rabbit. Rabbit symbolizes wisdom, kindness and longevity in China. May it bring out the kindness and wisdom to our long lasting contributions to China – Rwanda relations and to the peace of the world,” said Xuekun.
Lunar New Year celebrations have been held in China and other parts of Asia for more than 3000 years. In mainland China, the first seven days – from January 21st to 27th 2023, will be public holidays.
Other countries where Lunar New Year celebrations will take place include Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore and Brunei.
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Rwanda, Bangladesh sign Bilateral Air Service Agreement
The agreement was signed in a formal ceremony at the High Commission of Bangladesh in New Delhi on 12th January 2023, by Ms Jacqueline Mukangira, High Commissioner of Rwanda to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh with residence in New Delhi, and Mustafizur Rahman, the High Commissioner of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh accredited to India.
The signed BASA has created a basis upon which, airlines of the two countries can operate air transport services, which is the fastest mode of transport, that can facilitate the movement of people, cargo and mail, in the context of strengthening business bonds and promoting tourism between Rwanda and Bangladesh.
The signing of this agreement followed consultations of officials of Civil Aviation Authorities and diplomatic interactions between both countries.
The agreement is expected to contribute enormously to the economic growth of both countries, and notably provide the Rwandan private sector with access to a market of more than 160 million people.
Rwanda and Bangladesh are also still negotiating various agreements that will bring their bilateral cooperation to greater heights.
High Commissioner Mukangira is representing Rwanda in five countries namely; India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal. Within the jurisdiction, Rwanda has already entered into Bilateral Air Service Agreements with India, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Rwanda and Bangladesh have been enjoying good diplomatic relations since 2012.
Both countries are among the biggest troop contributors to the UN peacekeeping Missions.
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M23 agrees to continue “orderly withdrawal” in eastern DR Congo
Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, now serving as facilitator for the East African Community (EAC) peace process in the eastern DRC, met M23 leaders in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa on Thursday, where the rebel leaders also agreed to adhere to a strict ceasefire.
“They further agreed to continue to respect and cooperate with the East African Regional Force that has now begun to take control of the areas vacated by the M23,” Kenyatta said in a statement issued Thursday evening.
The M23 rebel group emerged from inactivity in late 2021 and has since captured swathes of territory in North Kivu province, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing in fear.
M23 rebels have also advanced toward Goma, the provincial capital, in recent months.
On Dec. 23 last year, M23 announced its withdrawal from Kibumba, a town about 20 kilometers from Goma, a commercial hub of over 1 million people, which it had briefly overrun in 2012.
The rebel leaders, in their Mombasa meeting, agreed to continue to respect and cooperate with the East African Regional Force that has now begun to take control of the areas vacated by the M23, a process in line with the decision of an extraordinary meeting of the EAC Chiefs of General Staff on Nov. 8 in Bujumbura, the commercial capital of Burundi.
“The meeting noted that the situation in the North Kivu, which was the most volatile in the conflict in the entire eastern DRC, had achieved progress with increased stability and security over the past four weeks,” Kenyatta said, adding that many people who had previously been displaced from their homes have now begun to return.
The M23 leaders urged Kenyatta to help ensure that there is safety in the DRC and that citizen rights are upheld and recognized, and that all the local and foreign armed groups fighting in the eastern DRC also lay down their arms, cease any fighting or attacks on the M23 and seek resolution of the conflict through peaceful means, the statement said.
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Germany raises alarm over violence against Kinyarwanda-speaking communities in DRC
The pledge was made by the country’s ambassador in DRC, Oliver Schnakenberg after holding talks with Azarias Ruberwa who once served as the Vice President of DR Congo.
Ruberwa is among Banyamulenge activists that have been denouncing killings of Tutsis in DRC and violence against them.
“Stopping the hate speech against Rwandophones and the witch hunt against Rwandophones in DRC! I assured Honorary Vice President Ruberwa of my support and solidarity with the Banyamulenge,” reads a tweet by Germany Embassy.
Hate speeches against Kinyarwanda-speaking communities have been going on for quite some time in DRC where politicians claim that they are Rwandans who must return home.
On 26th May 2022, Police Commander in Northern Kivu was heard mobilizing citizens to take machetes to fight the enemy alluding to the aforementioned ethnic group.
Some Rwandophones have been killed at different times, while others were abused and saw their properties set on fire after the resumption of fighting by M23 rebel group demanding DRC to respect peace accords signed in 2013.
In some territories including Maniema, Tutsis have been hunted for long over being Rwandophones until Congolese killed some of them of torture, chopped off their ears and reproductive organs.
The United Nations recently warned of possible genocide against Kinyarwanda-speaking communities in DRC over the country’s continuous propagation of hate speeches and violence against the ethnic group.
Rwandophones who make up 5% of Congolese population mainly live in Northern and Southern Kivu Province.
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Kagame receives Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs
Çavuşoğlu was hosted at Urugwiro Village in the afternoon of Thursday 12th January 2023 after holding talks with Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vincent Biruta.
Rwanda’s presidency has revealed that their discussions revolved around ways to strengthen existing partnerships between Rwanda and Türkiye.
Meanwhile, discussions between both countries’ Ministers of Foreign Affairs were characterized by the signing of three new cooperation agreements in the fields of General Cooperation, Science and Technology Cooperation as well as Cultural Cooperation Agreements to cement existing bilateral ties.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has via Twitter handle revealed that he conveyed best wishes from Recep Tyyip Erdoğan to President Kagame during their meeting on Thursday.
Rwanda and Türkiye enjoy vibrant relations and are connected through daily flights operated by Turkish Airlines.
Both countries’ bilateral trade volume increased nearly fivefold from US$31 million in 2019 to US$178 million in 2022.
Today, Rwanda registers Turkish investments worth over US$500 million in the fields of manufacturing, construction and hospitality among others.
Some of mega projects executed by Turkish firms include the construction of Kigali Convention Centre, BK Arena and the ongoing renovation of Amahoro Stadium.
After holding talks with Dr. Biruta, Minister Çavuşoğlu commended Rwanda’s development pace despite its dark history which he was taken through during his visit to Kigali Genocide Memorial.
He highlighted that he held productive discussions with his counterpart of Rwanda on many issues of bilateral relations engagements in the economy, investment, energy, defence, culture and education.
“With the general cooperation we have just signed, we will form a joint permanent commission which will be another mechanism where the two countries can assess all aspects of engagement,” he said.
Rwanda and Türkiye have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1980 and opened diplomatic missions in Ankara and Kigali in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
