They arrived at Kigali International Airport around 9:00 p.m. onboard Royal Air Force’s plane.
Upon arrival in Rwanda, they were welcomed by different officials including Rwanda’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Johnston Busingye and British High Commissioner to Rwanda, Omar Daair and UK Minister of State for South and Central Asia, UN and the Commonwealth, Tariq Ahmad.
Prince Charles is visiting Rwanda for the first time. During his stay in Rwanda, he is expected to visit Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi.
He will also visit a school at district level to witness how students enrolled in vocational courses acquire skills paving the way for creation of jobs and contribute to national economy.
Prince Charles will be representing Queen Elizabeth II at the meeting which was postponed two times in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 related restrictions.
The first born of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, was designated as her successor in 2018.
Prince Charles has attended similar meetings five times since 1997.
CHOGM is usually held in a different country every two years.
The last country to host CHOGM in 2018 was the UK and the host country for CHOGM 2024 will be announced at this week’s summit.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2022 takes place from 20-25 June in Kigali, Rwanda under the theme “Delivering a Common Future : Connecting, Innovating, Transforming”.
The official opening of CHOGM takes place on Friday 24th June and is followed by the main high-level meetings of Heads on Friday 24th to Saturday 25th June. These events are preceded by four forums, ministerial meetings, side events and other activities.
The Head of State delivered the message as he participated in a Fireside Chat the opening of the Commonwealth Business Forum in Kigali.
Kagame was the guest honour at the event that was also attended by the Prime Minister of Bahamas, Philip Davis; Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland and Jonathan Marland, the Chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council.
The CEO of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Clare Akamanzi has said that participants of the forum will in the next three days discuss on the future of work and economic recovery from effects of COVID-19 among others.
She highlighted that they will also seek together how technology can be leveraged to create innovations and solve problems facing Commonwealth and the world at large.
The Commonwealth comprises of 1.2 million people. Akamanzi has said that leaders attending the forum have responsibilities to create job opportunities.
Jonathan Marland thanked Rwanda for earmarked efforts for the event to happen.
Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland revealed that the bloc presents huge opportunities noting that investment between countries has increased by 27% since 2015.
Meanwhile, the combined GDP of Commonwealth countries in 2021 was US$13.1 trillion and is estimated to reach $19.5 trillion in 2027, almost doubling in ten years from $10.4 trillion in 2017.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the CEO of African Development Bank (AfDB) has said that common future goes hand in hand with good governance.
“As the Secretary-General said, the size of the economy of Commonwealth is about us$13 trillion but the issue is that it concentrated in five countries. These include UK, Australia, Canada, India and Nigeria. It must be well shared,” he said.
President Kagame has emphasized that Commonwealth needs to be a bloc comprised of countries with a shared vision to lift each other along the economic growth.
“With the commonwealth, we already have many things in common indeed. Be it the language, be it different systems, financial systems that would enable us to make investments, trade with each other altogether. There is a starting point that it more less, I would say, good enough.
But we need to make it better. We need to keep making sure that when we talk about the Commonwealth, we actually mean the Commonwealth. Not just being common to a few of the main 54 countries,” he said.
The Head of State called for more efforts to ensure that no country member is left behind.
“[…] this is why I said, it keeps being work in progress. We keep having to engage one another, finding out what we can do to bring that balance to the extent that everyone in the Commonwealth, the family of nations feels, they are part of it and no one is left behind,” he noted.
“I think this is what we have to focus on so that those at the low level, like it was said earlier; the small and developing nations, feel not left behind. Uplift everyone, move towards that and fulfill that obligation to the commonness that we aspire to in this family of nations whether it is trade or investments,” added Kagame.
The President also pointed out an example of COVID-19 pandemic where some countries struggled to access vaccines. He observed that there have been efforts to foster cooperation noting that it is still possible to make improvements.
“But the pace at which things move, need to be increased so that we give more value to the Commonwealth and the feelings of the people of Commonwealth,” he said.
Kagame said that there is optimism to do more based on the fact that participants seem to understand very well what they need to do.
On empowering the youth, Kagame said that young people should be involved in decision making to get the best outcomes.
“We also need to be thinking about what we do more with them than for them because they know what to do as well. It is about having access to different things they don’t have access to. We also need to get them involved. There are certain decisions that have to be made at different levels and the more they get involved in these decision making processes, the better we get the best outcomes,” he said.
“We must look at the society as a complete thing and allow different players to do their part,” he added.
The forum brought together government leaders, captains of industry and business executives, leaders of global and regional development institutions, young entrepreneurs and representatives of trade and investment organizations from across the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF 2022) is the first and largest in-person gathering for governments and businesses across the Commonwealth since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing together over 1,500 delegates from Commonwealth member states.
It addresses the CHOGM theme – ’Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming’, with a focus on “A Global Reset”, dealing with the impact of the pandemic and the Commonwealth’s role in rebuilding and reinvigorating the global economy.
Throughout the 3-days of the forum, participants will explore topics such as financing future growth, trade and regional integration, sustainability, inclusive and resilient food systems and the future of work.
There will be several sessions with discussions that shape agendas, generate insights and share best practice knowledge on strategies businesses in the Commonwealth can apply as they build back post-pandemic.
The building is expected to be the tallest in Rwanda.
Dr. James Mwangi, the Group CEO of Equity Group Holdings has said that the bank was the smallest in Kenya when it was inaugurated 30 years ago but has registered tremendous growth over the years.
Today, the group has become the largest in Central and East Africa by assets where it has hit US$13 billion and registered 17 million clients.
Dr. Mwangi has revealed that the group continued to expend much effort to maintain a leading role while expanding cooperation with other institutions including the International Finance Corporation (IFC) affiliated to the World Bank.
IFC is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries.
Dr. Mwangi has said that the group has cemented its presence in Rwanda with a wide range of services including loans for execution of mega projects like the construction of Kigali Marriot Hotel.
He underscored that the time has come for the group to expand activities.
As part of expansion plans, Dr. Mwangi revealed that they decided to support Rwanda along its vision to become financial and business hub by setting up state-of-the art infrastructures.
He said that the US$100 million project will see two identical tall skyscrapers (Twin Tower) erected in Kigali.
The eco-friendly building is expected to be completed in 24 months.
One section will be comprised of 24 floors that will house offices while the second will be a 20-floor building comprised of a hotel and residential structures.
“We are hoping this building will attract investment banks, finance companies, Africa regional offices and others,” said Dr. James Mwangi.
Marc Allchin, the Managing Director of Equity Holding and Venture Capital Rwanda has said that the building can serve different purposes.
During night hours, the building will have displays conveying different messages, some of which aligning with the development of Kigali City.
Taking an example of different hotels constructed on loans provided by the bank including Marriott Hotel and others; the CEO of RDB, Clare Akamanzi has said that the contribution of Equity Bank in Rwanda’s development is self-evident.
President Kagame commended Equity Group highlighting that the project is in the interests of Rwandans.
“This project is also about the future of our people and our most valuable asset that is our people. Over the years, we have created meaningful partnership that contributed to our development. I think it will be the same for Kigali International Finance and Business Square,” he said.
Kigali Financial Square will be built in the plot between Kigali City Hall, Ecobank building.
It will be the tallest skyscraper in Kigali followed by Kigali City Tower (20 floors) inaugurated in 2011. The latter was completed at a tune of US$20 million (approximately Rwf 20 billion).
Mathias Havugwintore was born in former Commune Kayove in 1940 in the current Kayove Village, Nyakarera Cell of Ruhango Sector in Rutsiro District, Western Province.
He did primary studies in Murunda and pursued secondary studies at Nyundo Junior Seminary.
He had aspirations to become a priest but ended up becoming a senior military officer at the regime of former Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana.
Havugwintore joined the army in 1962 after graduating from Nyundo Junior Seminary in 1962.
Havugwintore served in different positions as a military commander in different provinces. He also worked in the then Ministry of Defence.
He had attended training in Europe at the same military school where former president Habyarimana studied.
Speaking to IGIHE, Havugwintore has revealed that he often met with Habyarimana to update him on security situation in areas under his command.
He served a forces commander in the prefectures of Cyangugu, Kibungo and Gisenyi.
{{His arrest}}
In 1988, Colonel Mayuya who served as the Commander of Kanombe Military Camp was shot dead by unidentified people. It is said that the man was betrayed by the then First Lady Agathe Kanziga Habyarimana who wanted to get dominance in the functioning of Akazu, a small elite group that orchestrated the Genocide against the Tutsi.
It was however announced that Col Mayuya was killed by Major Mathias Havugwintore in collaboration with Col Ndibwami and Lt Col Nkwiriyekubona.
The trio was immediately arrested and detained at Nyarugenge Prison commonly known as 1930. Havugwintore said that individuals prepared to provide testimonies used to visit the prison regularly to identify who they had to accuse ‘because they didn’t know us and had to provide false testimonies pinning us’.
Major Havugwintore revealed that individuals behind the death of Col Mayuya sanitize themselves by accusing the three suspects.
They falsified evidences and brought a manipulated sorcerer who testified that Major Havugwintore and co-accused consulted him to be sure if their intentions would be successful.
“Those who incarcerated us are the ones knowing the reality. We were astonished to be taken behind bars yet we were not aware of circumstances under which Mayuua died,” he said.
The suspects spent six months in Nyarugenge Prison. They were later transferred to different prisons separately. One stayed at the prison, another was taken to Muhanga Prison in Gitarama while Havugwintore was taken to Ruhengeri Prison (Musanze).
Havugwintore has explained that the Prosecution used to visit the prison where they destroyed their detention files regularly and replaced them with new ones to conceal information about the exact time spent in prison.
Havugwintore and co-accused spent three years in prison without anyone visiting them because it was considered a provisional detention pending further investigations.
{{Inkotanyi came to their rescue}}
In the wee hours of 23rd January 1991, inmates were about to wake up and go for bath.
At the time, Havugwintore revealed, they heard heavy gunfire and suspected that it could be an attack by Inkotanyi.
“We had heard rumours that Inkotanyi could plot an attack. Inmates were extremely overwhelmed with joy at the moment. Inkotanyi forced their way inside with gunfire to unlock padlocks because they didn’t have keys. They asked us to step out and return home,” he noted.
As inmates stepped out, some returned home while others went with Inkotanyi to help them during the liberation struggle.
“They told us that they were going to burn the prison and asked all of us to move out. However, they were lying because they never set it on fire. We told others that they burnt the facility,” he said.
The old man who was 51-year old at the time has disclosed that he did not follow Inkotanyi lest he would be remorseful for having betrayed colleagues detained in other prisons.
He also observed that returning home in Kayove would provide loopholes to definitely confirm him as the mastermind behind the death of Col Mayuya.
“Others returned home but I stayed there because I had not yet been tried. Where should I go? Only convicted inmates went back home. I could not do it yet co-accused colleagues were still in prison. One in Muhanga and another in Kigali. That would be stupidity as they would consider it among reasons proving that I am guilty,” observed Havugwintore.
He walked through Nyakinama to Vunga along with other inmates who did not want to return home where they spent the whole day in a bus that had to take them to another prison in Gitarama.
Major Havugwintore explained that the bus departed during the night lest Rwandans would suspect that the situation has worsened.
“They sheltered us in a chapel where we spend a night recounting what happened to other inmates. I met with my colleague Lt Col Nkwiriyekubona in the next morning,” said Major Havugwintore.
It is said that Habyarimana didn’t believe that Maj Havugwintore reported himself and sent his guards to the prison for confirmation.
“Habyarimana sent his guard at the prison to confirm if it was me. He did not however disclose the reason for his visit. He said that he wanted to check on me,” he noted.
Havugwintore spent nearly four months in Muhanga Prison. Relevant authorities continued to make a new file every month so that he would be considered an inmate in one-month of provisional detention yet he had spent three years in jail.
On 5th April 1991, court officials went to the prison for their release from Muhanga Prison. As they saw them arriving, Maj Havugwintore stayed inside because he was used to seeing them there to follow up their case on 6th every month.
Lt Col Nkwiriyekubona who stepped out to meet them was given a certificate of release and asked to inform his colleague.
“It was around 4:30. He met me in a chapel where I was seated praying. He told me that I declined to go out yet they came for our release. I run fast so that they could not leave without giving me the certificate. They mocked at me saying that I finally came. I replied that someone lied to me that you want to release me,” he said.
Maj Havugwintore who had been married on 1st January 1966, was released and went back home to stay with her wife and children.
During the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Maj Havugwintore said that he fled along with neighbours.
He commended the leadership of Rwanda under the stewardship of Inkotanyi for having fast tracked national development.
“It is apparent that the country is moving fast along the development journey unlike the slow pace of the former regime. We had never dreamt seeing Rubavu-Rusizi road being constructed but it has been possible. There are many more infrastructures evidencing the country’s fast progress,” observed Maj Havugwintore.
Maj Havugwintore also urged the youth to remain vigilant and stand against whoever tends to distract them.
“Access to education has been made easy. Those unable to pursue formal education can attend vocational trainings; enroll in a driving school to become a driver or motorcyclist. There are many opportunities that the youth can tap into instead of dedicating their time to those distracting them,” he observed.
Rtd Maj Havugwintore spends part of his retirement life reading books including religious ones. One of co-accused lives in Europe while another one died.
He has disclosed that he never met them face to face after their release.
The are coming to Rwanda for Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2022 taking place in Kigali.
Clarence House has revealed via Twitter handle the they will land in Kigali in few hours.
Prince Charles will be representing Queen Elizabeth II at the meeting being held in Rwanda.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2022 takes place from 20-25 June 2022, in Kigali, Rwanda under the theme “Delivering a Common Future : Connecting, Innovating, Transforming”.
Commonwealth leaders will travel to Rwanda to reaffirm their common values and agree actions and policies to improve the lives of all their citizens. Decisions taken at CHOGM also guide the work programme of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The official opening of CHOGM takes place on Friday 24th June and is followed by the main high-level meetings of Heads from Friday 24th to Saturday 25th June.
These events are preceded by four forums, ministerial meetings, side events and other activities.
Charles Philip Arthur George is the first born among four children of Queen Elisabeth II. He was designated as her successor in 2018.
His siblings are; Andrew Albert Christian Edward (Prince Andrew), Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise (Princess Anne) and Edward Antony Richard Louis (Prince Edward).
Prince Charles was born at Buckingham Palace on 14th November 1948. One month later, he was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury Diocese, Dr. Geoffrey Fisher.
As the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Prince Charles is the longstanding heir apparent to the British throne. Under public scrutiny his entire life, Charles graduated from Trinity College before embarking on a military career which culminated with him commanding the HMS Bronington.
He married Diana Spencer in the summer of 1981 to huge media fanfare, though the couple would eventually divorce in 1996 after years of gossip and scandal. Charles later wed longtime love Camilla Parker Bowles some time after Princess Diana’s death.
He is the father of Princes William and Harry and is also a grandfather. Among his many philanthropic and environmental endeavors are the Prince’s Trust and the Prince’s Rainforest Project.
[{{Click here to read more about the biography of Prince Charles}}->https://www.biography.com/royalty/prince-charles#:~:text=Prince%20Charles%20was%20born%20Charles,King%20George%20VI%20in%201952.]
Makolo’s appointment is one of resolutions of the 78th IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM held in Doha, Qatar on Monday 20th June 2022.
She is expected to assume duties in June 2023, replacing Mehmet Tevfik Nane who served on the Board of Governors since 2019.
Makolo will be chairing the Board of Governors including bosses of world’s renowned airlines including Michael Rousseau, the CEO of Air Canada; Benjamin Smith, the CEO of Air France – KLM Group; Douglas Parker, the CEO of American Airlines, Mesfin Tasew Bekele of Ethiopian Airlines and Pieter Elbers of KLM.
Headquartered in Canada, IATA is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 290 airlines from 120 countries. It provides support in many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.
Makolo becomes the 81st person elected as Chair of IATA Board of Governors.
Yvonne Manzi Makolo was appointed RwandAir’s CEO in 2018. She joined RwandAir in April 2017 as the Deputy CEO in Charge of Corporate Affairs.
Previously, she worked with MTN Rwanda as the Chief Marketing Officer for ten years.
The meeting is expected to resolve on the deployment of join regional force to restore peace in eastern DRC as requested by Kenyatta who is the incumbent Chairperson of East African Community (EAC).
Rwanda’s Presidency has revealed that Kagame attended the conclave on the security situation in eastern DRC along with Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan and Felix Tshisekedi of DRC.
Tanzanian President, Samia Suluhu Hassan has been represented by her country’s ambassador to Kenya, John Stephen Simbachawene.
The meeting takes place at a time when tensions continue to escalate between Rwanda and DRC.
The latter accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 rebel group in its clashes with Congolese Army (FARDC) but Rwanda has repeatedly refuted the allegations.
Kenyatta recently called for urgent deployment of regional force to fight rebel groups based in eastern DRC.
Rwanda says that it is willing to contribute to the joint operation but DRC boycotted the support insisting that it doesn’t want Rwandan troops to participate.
Meetings begin in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda on Sunday 19 June with four forums – covering youth, women, business and civil society – culminating with the official Retreat for leaders at the Intare Conference Arena on Saturday 25 June. At the Leaders Retreat – unique to the Commonwealth – Heads of Government meet privately to discuss collaboration on global and Commonwealth priorities.
Commenting on the development; Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland said: “Since the last time the Commonwealth family came together for CHOGM in 2018, the onset of COVID-19, new and ongoing conflicts, and the accelerated impact of climate change have fundamentally altered the global landscape and tested our resilience.
This succession of events has changed lives, livelihoods, communities and economies. We know that in times of crises, the poor and most vulnerable are disproportionately affected. Many development gains, likewise, have been thrown off track, while others have regressed.
“That’s why with eight years to go until the Sustainable Development Goals ‘endgame,’ leaders at CHOGM are committed to harnessing lessons learned, working together and taking inspiration from the innovative solutions that we’ve seen emerge over the past few years.
“The Commonwealth is a bedrock for member states, rooted in a shared history, collective aspirations and progressive solutions. At a time when multilateralism is under serious strain, CHOGM offers a vital forum to deliver the objectives of member states and an opportunity to draw upon all the talents of the member states to deliver a smarter, more resilient, prosperous, confident and sustainable Commonwealth.”
A Ministerial Meeting for the Commonwealth’s 32 Small Island Developing States is scheduled for Wednesday 22 June at which economic vulnerability, climate action and access to finance and debt sustainability are expected to top the agenda. The Commonwealth has a long history championing the needs of Small States, which face unique challenges related to climate change and external economic shocks.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group – which assesses countries at risk of breaching fundamental political values , will also meet on 22 June.
On Thursday 23rd June, Foreign Ministers will convene ahead of the main CHOGM sessions to review the leaders’ agenda and receive outcomes from the four forums for consideration by Heads. The traditional Commonwealth Sports Breakfast, also on Thursday 23 June, will showcase preparations for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which begin on 28 July.
Several side meetings will take place during CHOGM and cover topics including violence against women and girls, climate change, access to justice and sustainable ocean protection and economic development.
The formal Opening Ceremony takes place on Friday 24 June at the Kigali Convention Centre and is followed by closed-door Executive Sessions at which leaders will consider a range of topical issues including post COVID-19 economic recovery, debt sustainability, climate change, trade and food security.
The Women’s, Youth, People and Business Forums will run concurrently at different venues in Kigali. Participants will include Commonwealth leaders, government ministers, members of the British royal family, senior UN figures, business leaders, civil society activists and literary figures.
The Women’s Forum will explore the Commonwealth’s role in achieving gender equality in line with UN aspirations and the crucial role women have to play in politics, business and peace building. The theme for 2022 is ‘Delivering a Common Future: Transforming for Gender Equality’.
The Youth Forum, held under the theme ‘Taking Charge of Our Future’ will bring 350 young people together to network, exchange ideas, build skills, and generate solutions to the most pressing youth-related challenges. These priorities will be cemented in a Youth Declaration at the end of the three-day event and will be presented to leaders The six-point plan will be implemented by the Commonwealth Youth Council and youth-led organisations across the Commonwealth.
The People’s Forum is the single largest gathering of civil society representatives in the Commonwealth. It is aimed at discussing solutions and building solidarity around some of the most pressing issues facing Commonwealth people, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the climate crisis. This year’s forum will address the theme: Our Health, Our Planet, Our Future.
The Business Forum is a unique platform for dialogue, bringing together business and government leaders from across the Commonwealth. Hosted as a partnership between the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) and the Government of Rwanda, the Forum will discuss a range of issues affecting businesses across the Commonwealth with a focus on ‘A Global Reset’, dealing with the impact of the pandemic and the Commonwealth’s role in rebuilding and reinvigorating the global economy.
CHOGM 2022 was originally due to take place in 2020 but has twice been postponed due to COVID-19. The last country to host CHOGM in 2018 was the UK and the host country for CHOGM 2024 will be announced at this week’s summit.
The statement released by Rwanda National Police (RNP) reads that the incident took place on Saturday 18th June 2022.
“This Saturday afternoon at around 14:00 hours, armed thugs, suspected to be remnants of FLN operating from across the border, shot at a public passenger bus on the Nyamagabe – Rusizi road in Nyungwe forest, Nyamagabe District,” reads part of the statement.
The statement further reads that the assailants killed the bus driver, one passenger and injured six other passengers who were evacuated to Kigeme Hospital and teh University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB) for medical attention.
“The Rwanda National Police intervened minutes into the incident. The assailants are being tracked down,” add the statement.
IGIHE has learnt that the killed driver is identified as Ibrahim Issa working with Rwanda Inter-Link Transport Company (RITCO).
The declaration has been communicated through a statement released by the Ministry of Communication and Media dated 17th June 2022.
Tshisekedi files the accusations following a High Defence Council on Wednesday this week which resolved to revoke all agreements signed with Rwanda.
Tensions between Rwanda and DRC escalated after the resurgence of M23 rebel group in clashes with Congolese Military (FARDC).
DRC has been accusing Rwanda of supporting the rebel group but Rwanda repeatedly refuted the allegations maintaining that it has no interest in destabilizing the neighbouring country’s security.
M23 recently captured Bunagana town at the border with Uganda and continues to advance towards Rutshuru.
Tshisekedi has said that the situation continues to worsen because Rwanda wants to occupy its land and exploit minerals.
“The security situation in east of the country continues to deteriorate, and fundamentally because Rwanda seeks to occupy our land, rich in gold, coltan and cobalt, for own exploitation and profit,” he said.
Tshisekedi also called on UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson to exert pressure on Rwanda to withdraw troops from DRC.
Meanwhile, M23 recently denied having any connections with Rwanda highlighting that some of weapons used during the battle have been bought from FARDC soldiers while others were kept in their hideouts long ago.
The Government of Rwanda has reiterated commitment to engage in discussions aimed at mending relations with DRC.
