Kagame conveyed the message on Sunday 4th July 2021 as Rwanda celebrated the 27th Liberation Day.
RPA soldiers started the liberation struggle on 1st October 1990, considered the foundation for Rwanda’s transformational journey.
With dedication to common cause to reinstate dignity for Rwandans deprived of their rights, RPA soldiers including men and women endured tough days and nights and selflessly kept soldiering on until the liberation of Rwanda on 1st July 2021.
Kagame who led the liberation struggle has said that Rwandans worked together to make Rwanda a great nation, an achievement to be proud of.
“Twenty-seven years ago, Rwandans joined hands to liberate our country. Ever since we have worked together every day to renew our society and make Rwanda the best it can be for each one of us. I want to thank you for this,” he said.
“Today, Rwanda is not just a place on the map. For us, it means something that we can all identify with and be proud of, and in which we feel valued. Rwanda means hope. It means that we care for one another,” added Kagame.
After stopping the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, RPA Inkotanyi soldiers installed non-divisive leadership promoting unity, reconciliation, and inclusive development among Rwandans under the championship of President Paul Kagame.
Rwanda experienced serious economic collapse but has today become a resilient country with impressive transformations in various aspects of life that it is seen as a role model for many countries.
Kagame explained that the work for ‘Rwanda’s economic and social transformation must continue and accelerate’.
Over the past 27 years, Rwanda has promoted bilateral relations where it has representation to 147 countries.
Kagame has highlighted that Rwanda seeks to continue strengthening cooperation other countries. “Beyond our borders, we want to continue fostering mutually respectful and beneficial cooperation with our neighbours, with the region, and globally,” he affirmed.
In the past, researchers have blamed humans for hunting these animals to extinction thousands of years ago. But new research suggests that climate change is the likely culprit in the demise of prehistoric mammoths, mastodons and early elephants rather than overhunting by early humans at the end of the last Ice Age.
Waves of extreme global climate change chipped away at the proboscideans over time, eventually causing most of them to go extinct in different parts of the world between 2 million and about 75,000 years ago, the researchers said.
The study was published on Thursday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
The international group of palaeontologists created a detailed data set analyzing the rise, evolution and fall of the 185 different proboscidean species, which took place over the course of 60 million years and began in North Africa. In order to track these elephants and their ancestors, the researchers studied global fossil collections and focused on traits like body size, skull shape, tusks and teeth.
“Remarkably for 30 million years, the entire first half of proboscidean evolution, only two of the eight groups evolved,” said Zhang Hanwen, study coauthor and Honorary Research Associate at the University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences, in a statement.
“Most proboscideans over this time were nondescript herbivores ranging from the size of a pug to that of a boar. A few species got as big as a hippo, yet these lineages were evolutionary dead-ends. They all bore little resemblance to elephants.”
That all changed 20 million years ago, when a migration corridor that opened up at the Afro-Arabian tectonic plate pushed into the Eurasian continent. This allowed elephants and their predecessors to live in new environments, first in Eurasia and then North America by crossing the Bering Land Bridge — a strip of land that once connected Asia and North America.
Moving out of Africa exposed the elephants to habitats, changing climates and the need for adaptation.
“The aim of the game in this boom period of proboscidean evolution was ‘adapt or die,’” Zhang said. “Habitat perturbations were relentless, pertained to the ever-changing global climate, continuously promoting new adaptive solutions while proboscideans that didn’t keep up were literally, left for dead. The once greatly diverse and widespread mastodonts were eventually reduced to less than a handful of species in the Americas, including the familiar Ice Age American mastodon.”
As Earth experienced ice ages, the elephants had to adapt: The woolly mammoth, for example, had giant tusks that could plow beneath snow in search of food and a thick, shaggy coat.
“We discovered that the ecological diversity of proboscideans increased drastically once they dispersed from Africa to Eurasia 20 million years ago and to North America 16 million years ago, when land connections between these continents formed,” said Juha Saarinen, study coauthor and postdoctoral researcher in the department of geosciences and geography at the University of Helsinki.
While diversity initially increased after these events, that began to fall between 3 and 6 million years ago as the global climate cooled.
“The ecologically most versatile proboscideans, mostly true elephants which were adapted to consuming various plant resources, survived,” Saarinen said.
The extinction peaks for proboscideans started around 2.4 million, 160,000 and 75,000 years ago for Africa, Eurasia and the Americas, respectively, according to the researchers.
“It is important to note that these ages do not demarcate the precise timing of extinctions, but rather indicate the points in time at which proboscideans on the respective continents became subject to higher extinction risk,” said Juan Cantalapiedra, lead study author and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Alcalá in Spain, in a statement.
These times don’t line up with when early humans began to branch out and hunt giant herbivores, because it largely predates such advances.
“We didn’t foresee this result,” Zhang said. “Conservatively, our data refutes some recent claims regarding the role of archaic humans in wiping out prehistoric elephants, ever since big game hunting became a crucial part of our ancestors’ subsistence strategy around 1.5 million years ago.”
Chris Widga, paleontologist and head curator at the Gray Fossil Site and Museum at East Tennessee State University, believes this research points to how important it is to track the evolutionary history of animal groups over longer time scales. Widga was not affiliated with this study.
“Those of us who study extinctions are usually most concerned with when and where the last of a certain species blips out,” Widga said. “In order to understand whether the final extinction of some of these proboscidean groups was significant, we need to know something about ‘background’ extinction rates that occur in response to global ecological and climate changes. This paper shows how proboscideans responded to broad-scale climate changes and how they diversified ecologically to fill new niches. And because proboscideans have such an outsized impact on their surroundings — this is a big deal.”
This research also suggests that while 185 different proboscidean species have been identified with more than 2,000 fossil locations around the world, there may have been more.
“As if we needed more encouragement to find and describe more fossil proboscideans,” Widga said.
The study authors note that overhunting by humans “may have served as a final double jeopardy” after proboscideans already suffered harsh, changing climates long before.
“This isn’t to say we conclusively disproved any human involvement,” Zhang said.
“In our scenario, modern humans settled on each landmass after proboscidean extinction risk had already escalated. An ingenious, highly adaptable social predator like our species could be the perfect black swan occurrence to deliver the coup de grâce.”
The Tunisian Red Crescent told The Associated Press and Reuters that about 127 migrants had left the coast of Libya via boat Friday in an attempt to reach Italy.
Mongi Slim, the head of the Tunisian wing of the global humanitarian aid organization, said that among the group of migrants were 46 people from Sudan, 16 Eritreans and 12 Bengalis, according to the AP.
While Tunisian Defense Ministry spokesman Mohamed Zekri said that local fishermen rescued 84 of the migrants, he did not confirm the death toll reported by the Red Crescent.
The incident comes as international officials and human rights organizations have called on countries to do more to ensure the safety of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, many of whom depart from Libya.
A surge in attempted crossings has been reported in the past few weeks as more migrants from North Africa and the Middle East look to make the dangerous voyage amid the warmer weather during the summer months.
In the coastal city of Zarzis, Tunisia, a “Garden of Africa” was recently constructed to serve as a “burial ground” for hundreds of unknown men, women and children whose have bodies washed up on the country’s shores in recent years.
Those buried at the grave site include seven bodies that were found on an island off the southern coast of Tunisia last week.
In May, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called on Libya’s government and the European Union to take more action to protect migrants.
“Every year, people drown because help comes too late, or never comes at all,” Bachelet said at the time. “Those who are rescued are sometimes forced to wait for days or weeks to be safely disembarked or, as has increasingly been the case, are returned to Libya which, as has been stressed on countless occasions, is not a safe harbour due to the cycle of violence.”
Tensions and fighting in Libya have continued to escalate since a NATO-backed uprising removed former leader Moammar Gadhafi a decade ago.
Richard Norland, the U.S. special envoy for Libya, said last month that Washington was in talks to withdraw foreign forces from the North African country before its December elections.
“In keeping with our goal of self-reliance in all important aspects, we are working to build our capabilities to manufacture vaccines and other medications in Rwanda. This will reduce our dependence on supply sources that are unpredictable or dependent on other interests,” Kagame said in a televised video message on Sunday to mark the 27th Liberation Day.
Rwanda marks the Liberation Day every year on 4th July 2021 when the Rwandan Patriotic Army, during the liberation struggle, stopped the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi that claimed over 1 million lives.
“This year, we could not celebrate Liberation Day in the usual manner. This is why we must continue our fight against the current surge in COVID-19 cases,” said Kagame.
It is now more important than ever to follow the measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, he said, adding that fighting and overcoming COVID-19 is a continuation of the work of liberation.
As part of the celebrations, Rwanda inaugurated a model village constructed in Kinigi sector, Musanze district of Northern Province to accommodate 144 families from informal settlements.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 42 585 people have been tested positive of whom 27 606 have recovered, 14 509 are active cases, 61 are critically ill while 470 have succumbed to the virus.
A total of 391 954 people have been vaccinated since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation programme on 5th March 2021.
Rwanda’s liberation is celebrated every year on 4th July. It reflects transformations shaping the future of the country driven by the unity and development of all Rwandans.
The inauguration ceremony held on Sunday was attended by various officials including the Minister of Local Government, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi and Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Albert Murasira among others.
Located in 12 kilometers away from Musanze town, Kinigi Model Village was constructed by Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).
It is made of six three-storey blocks with 24 homes each. A home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room, with ready furniture, beds, mattresses and a television set.
The model village also has poultry houses for 8000 chickens and sheds for other livestock, nursery school, health post, business center workshop, playgrounds and kitchen gardens among others.
Construction activities were completed at a cost of Rwf 26, 611, 466, 699 of which Rwf8, 047,653,297 was allocated for construction of homes, Rwf1, 589, 619, 026 for health center while Rwf3,350, 166, 058 was utilized to build a school and Early Childhood Development Center at the village.
Among others; Rwf1, 874, 637, 199 was utilized to buy 102 cows and 8000 chickens for resettled residents; business center workshop, garden preparation and planting fruit trees cost Rwf1, 874, 637, 199 while the remaining activities including tarmac road, electricity installation and expropriation took Rwf11 billion.
Speaking to IGIHE, beneficiaries expressed delight for the support turning them into smart residents with access to basic infrastructures.
“We have left poverty behind for good. The Government of unity overseeing citizens’ interests has relocated us from risky zones that we are optimistic for better life. I am now living in a beautiful house I had never expected to own. Being among beneficiaries of these homes is a testament that President of the Republic takes care and understands our needs along the development journey. I am grateful for the decent home where I will enjoy comfort during my advanced ages,” said Assiel Ndayambaje.
Other beneficiaries who spoke to the media as the relocation exercise began few days before Rwanda’s Liberation Day also voiced appreciation to the Government for inclusive development policies.
“I am very excited to receive the new home equipped with all basic equipment. It has furniture, smart television, cooking gas among others. Our special thanks go to President Paul Kagame who oversees for us and relentlessly promotes our wellbeing,” said Ismael Izabiriza.
Another beneficiary, Fidèle Ntirenganya, 72, has revealed that residents resisted the relocation but were gradually convinced and changed mindsets.
“At the beginning, local leaders convened a meeting to communicate the resettlement which we resisted. We were against the decision to relocate us until we toured these homes and changed mindsets due to their magnificence. It is a great pleasure that I am among lucky residents that have received homes at the model village,” he said.
The Minister of Local Government, Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi has revealed that residents expressed delight for resettlement in the new village with aspirations for prosperous future.
As he explained, beneficiaries are from different categories including vulnerable residents who did not have own homes and other who previously lived in dilapidated structures.
“They are resettled to lead decent life in a smart village with all basic services. I would like to extend sentiments of gratitude to President of the Republic for setting framework for such activities. He visited the area, identified areas of improvements and called for action. This is the true liberation,” he noted.
In a televised video message on Sunday to mark the 27th Liberation Day, President Paul Kagame said that Kinigi model village is among projects evidencing Rwandans’ solidarity.
“The Kinigi Model Village being launched today, and other community projects that our armed forces have delivered, in partnership with other institutions, is a demonstration of our Rwandan solidarity, and we have made it a habit,” he noted.
A total of 2,580 projects are to be inaugurated in context of celebration of the 27th Liberation anniversary. These include schools, over 22,000 classrooms, roads, over 110 storage facilities for agricultural produce, distributing water and electricity across the country.
Another model village was inaugurated last year in Tabagwe sector, Nyagatare district as Rwanda marked the 26th Liberation Day.
A total of 82 model villages have been constructed since Rwanda began the program to relocate residents from informal settlements in 2016.
Some of these model villages including Rweru, Kazirankara-Nyundo, Horezo-Kanyenyeri, Karama and Gishuro were officially inaugurated by President Paul Kagame.
In City of Kigali, 12 people were on Sunday, July 4, at 4:15pm, found gathered and drinking at Mojo Palace Motel located in Uwabarezi Village, Rubirizi Cell, Kanombe Sector of Kicukiro District.
In Huye District, 17 people were caught on Saturday at about 7pm, at the restaurant-turned-bar belonging to one Anatole Nshimiyimana located in Nyarurembo Village, Gitwa Cell, Tumba Sector.
The violators were showed to the media on Sunday, July 4.
Bars are still closed and all social gatherings including celebrations of all kinds are prohibited both in public and private settings under the government directives to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Eric Ndoli, 30, the manager of Mojo Palace motel, who was also arrested, while speaking to the media, could not explain as to why they opened the bar to customers even when they well knew that it was prohibited.
“I know it is prohibited and what we did was in violation of the government directives. I ask for forgiveness,” said Ndoli
Adalbert Rukebanuka, Kicukiro District Deputy Executive Administrator (DDEA) said that people must swallow their pride and jokes over the deadly virus and respect the directives.
“Twelve people were found seated drinking in this motel which is prohibited under the Covid-19 prevention directives. We have closed this motel and the manager alongside with clients will be fined,” said Rukebanuka
He added: “The directives are very clear and known to everyone. We have all experienced the wrath of Covid-19 with people still dying. People should wake up, see and understand how deadly this virus is, and observe the directives.”
RNP spokesperson, Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera said that the violators were arrested due to the information provided by the local residents.
“Police received information at about 4pm that a group of people was gathered at Mojo Palace motel drinking. When Police officers arrived, they found 12 people congested in a small room of the motel drinking,” CP Kabera said.
“You might think that where you are there is no Police and you can flaut the directives, open your bar or any other prohibited services and events or hide your clients in rooms. However, remember that there are people around you who are observing what you are doing and feel the responsibility of reporting such deliberate violations to save lives,” he added.
“What we expect from everyone is maximum compliance with the directives. If you want to drink, buy your drinks and take them from your home but do not expose people or yourself to the virus by engaging in such gatherings.”
He equally called upon the youth especially students who have returned for their holidays, to stay home, avoid unnecessary movements and any practices that can expose them to Covid-19.
The violators in Kigali were taken to Kicukiro stadium. All the 29 violators in Kicukiro and Huye were also tested for Covid-19 at their own cost and handed administrative fines.
The statement released last night shows that 889 people have caught the virus. The majority of new cases were found in Kigali: 309, Musanze: 99, Gicumbi: 63, Bugesera: 56 and Rubavu: 52.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 42 585 people have been tested positive of whom 27 606 have recovered, 14 509 are active cases, 61 are critically ill while 470 have succumbed to the virus.
A total of 391 954 people have been vaccinated since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation programme on 5th March 2021.
Coronavirus symptoms include coughing, flu, and difficulty in breathing. The virus is said to be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
Rwandans are urged to adhere to COVID-19 health guidelines, washing hands frequently using soaps and safe water, wearing face masks and respecting social distancing.
The bus plate number RAE 440N was being driven by one Daniel Ndayisaba, 35, with five passengers on board.
The passengers are identified as Dative Uwiringiyimana, 20, Godelieve Manikuze, 35, Isaac Niyikiza, 25, Theodore Nizeyimana Theodore, 22, and Nyirahinyuza, 30.
They boarded the bus from Nyamirambo stadium with each expected to pay Frw7,000 on arrival to Musanze.
One of the passengers, Isaac Niyikiza, who was in company with his spouse, said that they came to Kigali on June, 21, to sell stoves.
This was before movements between districts and between Kigali and other regions, was prohibited.
Niyikiza claimed that the directives found them in Kigali and could not find a way back home in Musanze.
His arguments, however, are baseless owing to the fact that the government gave days for people to return to their home in different parts of the country before the directives could come into force.
“We recently heard that there are vehicles at Nyamirambo stadium facilitating students to go back to their respective homes in different parts of the country. We went to Nyamirambo stadium where we found this bus driver and agreed to transport us to Musanze for Frw7, 000 each,” said Niyikiza.
Godelieve Manikiza, another passenger, also said that it was the driver, Ndayisaba, who told them that he was going to Musanze and was looking for passengers.
The driver, Daniel Ndayisaba, said that he had brought students from IPRC Nyakinama in Musanze District.
“After dropping students, I decided to take passengers on my way back to Musanze, and I apologize for my inappropriate actions” said Ndayisaba.
RNP spokesperson, Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera, said that the vehicle was intercepted by traffic Police officers.
“The recently reviewed directives prohibits movements between districts or between Kigali and other districts of the country. The government gave time for people to go back to their homes. Anyone, who violates these directives will be arrested,” CP Kabera warned.
He further warned drivers and other people abusing or using the movement permits contrary to its original intended purpose and called upon the public to report anyone they see undermining the national Covid-19 prevention directives.
The violators had closed doors to prevent being detected by authorities. Bars are among services that are still closed as part of the national measures to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Besides, social gatherings are also prohibited and everyone is required to be home by 6pm.
Police and local leaders found the group at about 7pm drinking in the bars belonging to Venuste Nsanzimana, 40, and Antoine Majyambere, 48, both located in Gako Village, Sovu Cell in Huye Sector.
It is the second time that Nsanzimana has been arrested over the same violation. He was in March caught operating the bar, educated on the government directives but also fined.
The Southern region Police spokesperson, Superintendent of Police (SP) Theobald Kanamugire said the violators were found in the two bars at about 7pm.
“Area residents called the Police reporting two bars, which were operating and with a big gathering inside closed doors drinking. Police and local leaders went there at about 7pm and managed to arrest 21 people including the owners of the bars,” SP Kanamugire said.
The executive secretary for Huye Sector, Prosper Rwamucyo told the violators that disregarding the measures against Covid-19 is shameful and reckless behaviors which can lead to further spread of Covid-19 and loss of more lives.
“It shocking to see people going against the national directives in such a state where Covid-19 cases and deaths continue to increase. Drinking is not worth your life; if you feel you want to drink, buy your drinks and take them from home where you are at least safe, avoid such social gatherings which put your life and family at risk,” Rwamucyo said.
Rwanda, on Thursday, recorded 865 new Covid-19 cases and record high 10 related fatalities.
Rwamucyo further reminded the public to wash hands as many times as possible, wear face masks and maintain physical distance as one of the shields against the pandemic.
He also called upon the public to continue sharing information on violators including operating bars and social gatherings.
The statement released last night shows that 884 people have caught the virus while no one recovered.
Rwanda confirmed the first Coronavirus case on 14th March 2020. Since then, 40 798 people have been tested positive of whom 27 272 recovered, 13 073 are active cases, 43 are critically ill while 453 have succumbed to the virus.
A total of 391, 888 people have been vaccinated since Rwanda began countrywide inoculation programme on 5th March 2021.
Coronavirus symptoms include coughing, flu, and difficulty in breathing. The virus is said to be transmitted through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
Rwandans are urged to adhere to COVID-19 health guidelines, washing hands frequently using soaps and safe water, wearing face masks and respecting social distancing.
