Following the resignation, President Paul Kagame named Dr. Kalinda as his successor on 6th January 2023.
Dr. Kalinda was elected as the Senate President after swearing-in on Monday 9th January 2023.
His candidature to the position was proposed by Senate Vice President, Esperance Nyirasafari.
“I know him for over 25 years. He holds a PhD in Law , spend long time serving as a lecturer at the University of Rwanda- School of Law, taught many who are currently assuming different duties, and I am pretty sure that he taught many present in this room including me,” she said.
“He is an honest man, who was and is still appreciated by all students from their respective locations. They commend him for integrity and having shared with them knowledge that served as the cornerstone helping them to fulfill their responsibilities,” added Nyirasafari.
She explained that Dr. Kalinda is not new in parliament as he served as a member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) for the past seven years and requested all the 26 senators to vote him.
Senator Niyomugabo Cyprien proposed the candidature of Umuhire Adrie describing her as a woman with virtues, knowledge and expertize in politics and governance. She serves as the Chairperson of Senatorial Standing Committee on Social Affairs and Human Rights.
Senator Umuhire said that the senate has a large number of women serving as chairpersons of different committees and asked the President of the Republic to accept the withdrawal of her candidature to allow for gender balance.
After withdrawing her candidature, Dr. Kalinda was unanimously elected by all 26 senators.
Dr. Kalinda was born in Kitabi Sector of Nyamagabe District. He holds a PhD in Business Law acquired from Ottawa University in Canada.
He pursued undergraduate and Master’s courses at the National University of Rwanda.
In 2015, Dr. Kalinda was elected to represent Rwanda in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) replacing Parliamentarian Céléstin Kabahizi who had resigned.
He once served as a lecturer and Dean of School of Law at University of Rwanda.
The changes went into effect from Monday 9th January 2023.
Despite the development, the rank insignia on office or ceremonial dress will remain on the shoulders.
This style is already adopted other countries including the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US)’s armies.
Military experts highlight that placing the rank insignia at the chest is better for concealment as the enemy can hardly identify the commander of troops during insecurity or fighting.
According to the Agency, the former driver for a Guest House in Kibuye, who has appealed his conviction, was referred to the investigative division of the Paris Court of Appeal, which ruled on 30th November that the extension of his pre-trial detention did not appear to be “essential either for the needs of the proceedings pending the hearing, or as a security measure”.
Muhayimana was released from detention on 21st December and placed under judicial supervision pending his appeal.
“I find this decision wise and particularly justified, since we have no idea when the appeal will be held,” said his lawyer Philippe Meilhac, stressing that his client had “remained free during most of the investigation, without ever posing a problem.
Muhayimana who became a naturalised French citizen in 2010, is accused of having transported gendarmes and Interahamwe militiamen, the armed wing of the Hutu genocidal regime, to the sites of massacres of Tutsis between April and July 1994 in Kibuye and the surrounding hills, where tens of thousands of people were killed.
In December 2021, he was found guilty by a majority of votes of complicity in genocide and complicity in crimes against humanity in the hills of Karongi, Gitwa and Bisesero over the period from 7 April to the end of June 1994, and of complicity in crimes against humanity in July in the hills of Bisesero.
Muhayimana is released at a time when Genocide survivors in Karongi have been expressing dissatisfaction with the sentence handed to him.
In 2020, RIB received 33 cases involving 36 human trafficking victims (seven male and 29 female).
The number increased in 2021 where RIB registered 17 cases involving 66 trafficked individuals including 22 men and 44 women.
In 2022, the number dropped as RIB recorded 48 human trafficking victims (six men and 42 women) in 33 cases.
The Bureau has also revealed that 68 of the 150 human trafficking victims were aged below 18, 68 were aged between 18-30 while the remaining 14 individuals were aged above 30.
In 2020, human trafficking victims aged below 18 were 15, 17 were aged between 18 and 30 while four were aged above 30.
Meanwhile, 27 individuals aged below 18 were trafficked in 2021, 32 were aged between 18 and 30 while seven were aged above 30.
As for last year, RIB indicates that 26 victims were aged below 18, 19 were aged between 18 and 30 while three were aged above 30.
RIB indicates that 41 victims have been repatriated (19 in 2022, 11 in 2021, and 11 in 2020) and sent back from different countries in Asia, the Middle East, and West Africa. Meanwhile, 24 victims were intercepted at airports and borders heading to Asian countries, the Middle East and West Africa.
Speaking to The New Times, RIB spokesperson, Thierry Murangira, disclosed that some people repatriated, or intercepted, “change tricks to find their way to those countries again.”
He said that these victims are counseled when they are brought back because “some feel that RIB is against their chances” and end up finding other ways to go back.
Commenting on tactics used by perpetrators to con the victims, Murangira mentioned promises of a better job, and internship, among others.
Murangira said the number is not alarming and that there are measures in place to fight human trafficking, seen in the decreasing number.
RIB urges people to be very careful and conscious whenever someone approaches them with job promises, internships, and marriage abroad, and inform authorities whenever they come across such people.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Théophile Mbonera, recently told IGIHE that the issue of human trafficking requires strict measures even though it is not alarming.
“The issue of human trafficking has existed for long but is currently manifested with new tricks that it is difficult to be detected. Testimonies from victims narrating their ordeal convince us that the problem exists and requires us to take action,” he said.
The appointment has been announced through a communiqué released by the Office of Prime Minister this Friday.
Dr. Kalinda was born in Kitabi Sector of Nyamagabe District. He holds a PhD in Business Law acquired from Ottawa University in Canada.
He pursued undergraduate and Master’s courses at the National University of Rwanda.
In 2015, Dr. Kalinda was elected to represent Rwanda in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) replacing Parliamentarian Céléstin Kabahizi who had resigned.
He once served as a lecturer and Dean of School of Law at University of Rwanda.
Dr. Kalinda joins Rwanda’s Senate replacing Dr. Augustin Iyamuremye, the Senate President who resigned recently on 8th December 2022 citing sickness reasons.
It is said that the four-star hotel located in Remera of Kigali City will have 88 rooms.
Initially, construction works began in 2015 with expectations to have it completed in 2016 at a tune of US$4 million (approximately Rwf4 billion) raised from two main sponsors including FIFA and the Moroccan football federation.
Construction works resumed on 21st August 2021, four years after suspension due to financial constraints. At the time, the first phase comprised of 40 rooms was expected to be completed by June 2022.
However, the project stalled again for six months waiting for shipment of some materials used by a Chinese firm which constructed the hotel.
Today, construction the first phase nears completion pending light works to clean the exterior, interior parts of the building and beautify the surrounding garden.
Among others, stout bars and ceramic tiles are being installed respectively on the front and back sides of the building.
The Assistant Spokesperson of FERWAFA, Jules Karangwa has told IGIHE that all works are to be completed this month and hand over the hotel to the local football governing body.
He further disclosed that the hotel’s management is going to be discussed where it will be operational before the upcoming FIFA Congress due in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda on 16th March.
The first section of the hotel built by China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC Rwanda Ltd) was estimated to cost US$2.6 million. It has a ground floor and four more upper storeys.
The ground floor comprises a reception, two conference halls, two Presidential suites and two restaurants.
Construction works resumed in August 2021 after FERWAFA secured US$2.5 million from FIFA and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).
The US denounced the collaboration through a statement released on Wednesday 4th January 2022, few days after the publication of the report of UN Group of Experts on security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The report pointed out different things fueling insecurity in eastern DRC including the collaboration between FARDC and armed groups like FDLR and hate speeches against Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese among others.
FDLR is a terrorist group formed by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The UN group of experts’ report released on 30th December 2022, pointed out the collaboration between FARDC and FDLR during a fighting with M23 at different times.
The coalition of FARDC and FDLR also shelled rockets on Rwandan territory at different times, which injured civilians and destroyed properties.
The US has denounced the collaboration and called on all armed groups to lay arms down.
“We denounce the collaboration between elements of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) and armed groups, including FDLR, as outlined in the report. We strongly condemn attacks by multiple armed groups against UN peacekeepers, as well as the reported acts of torture, rape, and attacks against civilians by multiple armed actors which contributed to massive displacement,” reads part of the statement.
The country has also accused Rwanda of supporting M23 as highlighted in the report, and requested it to cease all support to M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC.
Rwanda has repeatedly refuted the allegations and called the fighting with M23 an internal problem of DRC which resulted from failure to implement peace accords signed in 2013.
For several months, Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese have been facing violence, torture while others were killed accused of being allies of M23.
The US has underscored concern about the worrying escalation of xenophobia and hate speech inciting violence against the Rwandophone community in the DRC which was highlighted in the report.
“We urge DRC officials to continue speaking out to condemn such discourse and to hold accountable those who employ violence,” adds the statement.
The United States also commended African-led diplomatic efforts, including the Nairobi and Luanda processes, to promote peace.
“Recognizing the leadership of the Heads of State of the East African Community and Angola, we urge Great Lakes leaders and armed actors to expedite implementation of multiple commitments to end the conflict, especially those agreed at the November 23 Luanda Mini-Summit on Peace and Security,” reads the statement.
“We expect the UN-sanctioned March 23 Movement [M23] to withdraw to the locations specified in the November 23 Luanda communiqué, and we call for all armed groups, including M23, to cease all hostilities, lay down their weapons, and join the East African Community-led Nairobi Process consultations between the DRC government and armed groups,” adds the statement.
Nairobi talks led to different resolutions including the call for armed groups cease hostilities, need for establishment of a joint committee between DRC, EAC and armed groups to expedite peace efforts.
M23 recently reiterated its commitment to withdraw from occupied areas. It has so far handed over Kibumba to the East African Regional Force (EACRF).
They also consider the situation as Genocide and estimate the number of civilians who lost lives throughout the 26 years of insecurity. Some of them estimate the number of victims to be between six and ten million.
The heated debate was triggered by the resurgence of M23 rebel group towards the end of 2021, which continues to capture different areas in DRC.
Opinion leaders in DR Congo rushed to accuse Rwanda of backing the rebel group, and took the advantage of it to blame the neighboring country for lives lost over the past years based on the fact that Rwanda is among countries that supported AFDL of Laurent Desire Kabila in 1996 to overthrow Mobutu Sese Seko.
Since then, Congolese have been blaming Rwanda for their country’s security problems claiming that it should be held accountable for the deaths of civilians in the country which is home to over 130 armed groups.
In June 2022, DRC’s Representative to the United Nations, Georges Nzongola Ntalaja told the UN Security Council that there is a US agency dubbed ‘Internal Rescue Committee’ which indicated that over six million Congolese died since 1998 due to Rwanda’s invasion.
The report pointed out by Nzongola, focused on civilians who died during conflicts that mired DRC from 1998 to 2007.
However, it did not indicate that the civilians were killed by Rwanda. As it was reported in 2020 by La Liberation, a news medium based in French, the figures were largely disputed over applied methodology.
{{Falsehoods on the numbers of civilians killed in RDC}}
It is no doubt that there is a large number of civilians who died since 1998 under what is considered as the second Congolese war. As of today, consequences of the chaos still lead to the deaths of many in eastern part of DRC through armed groups.
DR Congo registers more than 130 armed groups operating in eastern part of the country. They are either run by Congolese or foreigners and are responsible for killings of civilians in controlled areas.
Even though a large number of civilians lost lives during the unrest, claiming to know the exact number of deaths would be a mistake because DRC itself does not know the precise number of its population.
DR Congo which is among the largest African countries, conducted the latest population census in July 1984 during the leadership of Mobutu Sese Seko.
The figures are still considered today. They are reduced or increased depending on various reasons that do not depict the correct numbers of the country’s population.
The country currently indicates that it is populated by 100 million but does not have records of their particulars.
The country does not have a recognized identity card where people are only identified by voters’ cards which are not released in transparency as they are owned by people from different countries.
The only identity card Congolese have ever owned was issued at the leadership of Mobutu Sese Seko and expired and 1997.
The Congolese National Identification Agency (ONIP) also admits that Congolese do not have identity cards and considers it a serious problem.
It was highlighted in September 2021 by the Director General of ONIP, Ilunga Ntumba Richard who disclosed that it is time for nationals to own identity cards.
“As of today, over 100 million Congolese do not have identity cards […] When there are no organized civil registration processes, a person can mature and die without being noticed,” he said.
It is hard to announce the correct figures given that the country has no reliable records of its population, birth places, dates and parents.
The fact that there is no structured system to keep records of all citizens makes it difficult to establish genuine figures of births and deaths.
Grass root leaders in the country register births and deaths but it is important to note that infrastructures including hospitals are scarce. This reduces the number of women delivering at health facilities where new births can be recorded and puts at risk the lives of many who might die at home over lacking access to health services.
Another issue of concern is how DR Congo can confirm the exact number of civilians killed by over 130 armed groups yet most of them operate in forests and other areas out of government’s control?
In 2008, Belgian researchers, Louis Lohlé-Tart and André Lambert conducted a probe on the number of people who might have died in Congo between 1998 and 2004.
It was carried out on the funding of the European Union. At the time, the researchers reported that the number of civilians who lost lives during clashes does not exceed 200,000.
The allegations are additional to others raised by DRC over the past months accusing Rwanda of supporting M23 rebel group, stealing minerals and chimpanzees among others.
During a recent security meeting in Northern Kivu Province led by the Military Governor Lt Gen Constant Ndima, participants raised concerns that Rwanda is manipulating Tutsis in Congo to flee their country.
The meeting held on 2nd January 2023, was also wrapped up with different resolutions.
As he read the resolutions, the region’s military spokesperson, L.Col Guillaume Ndjike Kaiko said: “The committee learned about mass fleeing of citizens to Rwanda, majority of whom being from Congolese Tutsi communities. It was observed that the latter is a result of Rwanda’s manipulation to have them accommodated in camps under the cover of violence by other ethnicities, to justify the presence of Rwandan troops on Congolese territory.”
Rwanda has repeatedly refuted the DR Congo’s allegations as false saying that the country does it to distract the world from its failure to restore peace.
Tutsi communities in DRC have been subjected to violence and killings on accusations of being allies of M23.
The violence was denounced by the United Nations which also warned of Genocide.
Rwanda accommodates over 70,000 Congolese refugees including those who arrived more than 26 years ago.
We used to see the meme: “New Year, New Me” and now the most we get to see is a prayer from a friend asking our Father in Heaven to protect and keep us happy in this new year.
But even with fear, there is still a ray of hope that things will get better, represented by a new year.
People who start their goals on the first day of the week, Monday are most likely to achieve them. And what’s more Monday-ish than the first day of a New Year?
Have you ever felt the energy of a new year start to come from the core of your being? It’s almost like a birthday.
So if you ever feel like a kid on Christmas Eve, never lose sight of that feeling because it will be your fuel to keep pushing towards success in the future.
But even then, it is essential not to get too ahead of yourself. Often, we set out expectations of resplendence and end up with disappointment.
This is like expecting a beautiful sweater as your birthday gift and getting a knitting kit instead.
Both are presents, but they will not give you the same level of excitement.
Similarly, a new year doesn’t mean that you will be able to transform yourself in an instant. Success takes time and effort, so don’t expect too much from yourself all at once!
After all, it is only the beginning of the year. There is no guarantee that things will go perfectly.
But as long as you keep a positive outlook and stay mentally excited for the New Year, you’re on the right track to success.
