The event which took place on Saturday 27th April 2019 was attended by over 150 participants of whom the majority are Rwandans living in North Dakota and their friends. It was preceded by a walk to remember held in Dickson State University and marked by lighting the flame of hope and reflecting of Rwanda’s resilience experience over the past 25 years after the genocide.
Eric Baziga, one of Rwandans living in North Dakota, shared a talk on preparation and execution of genocide and urged participants to desist genocide ideology.
Dr. Steven Doherty who represented Dickson University hailed the courage of Rwandans after genocide and promised that history of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi will be introduced among courses at the school so that the future leaders become fully aware of consequences of discrimination.
The president of Rwandan diaspora in North Dakota, Théodore Havugimana requested Rwandans not to drown in sorrow but strive for self-dignity and rebuild the country.
Mr. Frank Kayijuka, the First Counselor at the Rwandan Embassy in USA reflected on Rwanda’s bad history that led to genocide and thanked the bravery of RPF Inkotanyi soldiers for stopping genocide.
He also tasked everyone to scale up efforts to resist genocide denials and trivialization.
The incident took place yesterday midnight as the young man, 22, forcibly pulled a Tecno phone from a man walking on foot.
The Executive Secretary of Gitega sector, Gabriel Mutuyimana has told IGIHE that the suspect was shot as he tried to stab with a knife the phone’s owner.
“Security officials shot the suspect as they saw him after grabbing the phone and getting ready to stab him with a knife,” he said.
Mutuyimana explained that the man whose phone was robbed fled soon as he heard gunfire. The suspect had no identifications.
The phone and the knife of the thief were taken to Nyarugenge police station.
The incident took place today morning in the wee hours in Cyimo village, Keza cell of Masaka sector in Kicukiro district to the home of Captain Pascal Gapasi.
The police spokesperson in Kigali city, CIP Marie Gorette has told IGIHE that the thief was shot attempting to hack the policeman with a knife.
“Policemen who were on patrol passing nearby the home of Capt Gapasi saw a thief piercing the house. The thief was shot dead as he attempted to stab one of them who went to seize him,” she said.
“We always appeal to citizens to install security lamps outside the house and switching it on all the night. Policemen saw the thief because the lamp was on. They should close doors properly before sleeping and alert police for suspected security hazards,” added Gorette.
The nine Rwandans released on Saturday join a large number of Rwandans deported from Uganda after enduring torture in prisons on unfounded accusations.
As they narrate, some of those Rwandans deported to Rwanda on Saturday through Kagitumba border in Nyagatare district were ferociously tortured and forced to join Kayumba Nyamwasa’s rebel group.
The nine deportees include women incarcerated with their husbands and children, young men among others who were tortured in Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI).
Simon Bakoreyebusa, 27, born in Ruhango district went to Uganda in March 2018. He was arrested by Kinyarwanda speaking soldiers in Mbarara on 4th April 2018 where he was working in an enterprise processing juices.
He narrates how he was taken to CMI barracks in Makindye and transferred to the main headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala.
Bakoreyebusa said he was jailed with other 28 Rwandans who were all tortured.
Bakoreyubusa reflected how he was on several occasions forced to acknowledge that he was a spy of Rwanda to be granted refuge or taken to the rebel group of Kayumba Nyamwasa which he declined.
“I endured extreme sufferings from beatings asking me to accept that I am Rwanda’s spy which I repeatedly denied. They asked me to accept on condition that it could give me a chance to get refugee status or recruit me to the army of Kayumba. They told me ‘If you don’t accept we shall kill you’. I replied that I would rather die than accepting uncommitted offenses,” he narrated.
Bakoreyubusa said, he was never taken to court but would face intense torture whenever he asked about his allegations.
Eric Hakorimana is another Rwandan who was arrested by soldiers speaking Kinyarwanda in Mbarara in February 2019. He had gone to Uganda in 2014 for milk businesses.
He was taken to Mbuya after arrest where he was tortured to accept that he was Rwanda’s spy.
Hakorimana was seriously beaten with sticks burnt with electricity until he was taken to the hospital in critical conditions.
He was discharged from the hospital within two weeks and interrogated again for similar cases.
“One poured water on me and beat me asking why we are in Uganda. He said ‘It can take us a few minutes to seize your preferred leader Kagame.’ I maintained silence while he talked and beat me until he stopped and walked away,” he said.
Hakorimana revealed that he was once asked his ethnicity and beaten as he responded that he is Rwandan.
He was asked names of Rwanda’s soldiers or others who might have escaped Rwanda’s army.
Some of released Rwandans are accused of illegal entry to Uganda like Ezechiel Muhawenimana, 36, and his wife Espérance Dusabimana, 35, from Rubavu district.
They were arrested from the car in Rubanda area in July 2018 as they visited they aunt in Mbarara to be jailed Ndorwa prison in Kabale.
Dusabimana who was pregnant gave birth within two months in prison.
As she explained they were many Rwandans in the prison who never had access to justice.
Dusabimana narrated that one Rwandan woman with her delivered baby died from such hazardous conditions. Later on, another child belonging to Rwandan woman died in the same prison.
A total of 900 Rwandans were reported illegally detained in Uganda towards the end of March 2019.
The Government of Rwanda has recently advised Rwandans not to travel to Uganda for their security until the situation comes back to normal.
Rwanda accuses Uganda of conspiracy with rebel groups intending to destabilize state security.
This comes into effect following the announcement that the carrier is set to launch flights to Kigali. The maiden flight saw EgyptAir taking off from Cairo in the night of 27th April 2019 to land Kigali International Airport on 28th April morning.
EgyptAir shall be flying from Cairo on Thursdays and Saturdays and from Kigali on Fridays and Sundays.
The aircraft was welcomed by Rwanda’s Minister of State in charge of Transport, Eng. Jean De Dieu Uwihanganye and Egypt ambassador to Rwanda, Ahmed El Ansary.
After welcoming the aircraft, Minister Uwihanganye said in a tweet: “We are very happy to receive EgyptAir maiden flight at Kigali International Airport this morning. This is the 8th airline operating in Rwanda.”
Other airlines operating in Rwanda include Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Brussels Airlines, Turkish Airlines, KLM, EgyptAir and South African Airways.
The new flight is expected to ease travels between Egypt and Rwanda as passengers from Kigali had to travel with Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines which landed in Kenya and Ethiopia before reaching Egypt.
The launch took place in an event held at the hotel’s Filini Italian Restaurant, on Wednesday.
The event brought together various people including clients of The Wine Club and others who were there to taste and acquire knowledge on Santa Christina range Red, White, and Chianti Wine brands.
The Manager of the Wine Club operating in Radisson Blu Hotel, Mauro Pavesi told IGIHE that the drive to launch the wine knowledge program was to educate people with knowledge on wine and to know more about its brands.
“We thought about this activity as we wanted to teach people much about wine. We don’t intend to teach people to drink it more as it is unhealthy when one takes more than needed, but instead we want to share knowledge to those who drink it not knowing them that they may know so much about them,” Pavesi said.
Mauro Pavesi added that wine is very vital to the human body as it helps in food digestion.
The wine knowledge sharing event will be held on a weekly basis for the next six months, on every Wednesday from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Wines for which knowledge will be shared are made from Italy and sold at Filini Italian Restaurant operating Kigali Radisson Blu hotel.
The concession agreement will see Imizi develop and operate an exclusive chimpanzee and primate trekking experience under the Wilderness Safaris brand, while RDB will oversee ecology and conservation initiatives including ranger presence, law enforcement, science, engagement of community cooperatives, human-wildlife conflict resolution, research, and monitoring.
Following the signing of the concession agreement, the RDB Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Emmanuel Hategeka, observed how valuable the new project in Gishwati-Mukura National Park was going to be for Rwanda’s Tourism sector.
“We expect this new project in Gishwati-Mukura National Park to offer another unique world-class tourist experience, and draw even more visitors in Rwanda. It will be a valuable addition to other popular destinations including the Volcanoes National Park home to the rare Mountain Gorillas, Nyungwe National Park and the Akagera National Park home to the Big Five, that receive tens of thousands of guests every year,” he said
“Imizi’s investment in Gishwati-Mukura National Park reinforces further Rwanda’s pole position as a high-end sustainable tourism destination and benefits the residents living around the park. The unique Gishwati-Mukura National Park chimpanzee and primate trekking experience is one more great reason to visit Rwanda, the safest destination in the region but also ranked fifth safest and most secure country globally”, Hategeka concluded.
Wilderness Safari CEO, Keith Vincent commended the agreement and noted that it would push forward Rwanda’s High-end ecotourism experience.
“The signing of this agreement is an exciting development in our overall strategy to help take the Rwanda high-end ecotourism experience and its positive impacts on conservation and rural communities far beyond the gorilla experience. We envisage extended stays in the country where tourists are exposed to more of Rwanda’s unique attractions,” he said
“The potential of Rwanda is undeniable and we feel privileged to partner with the Rwanda Development Board to unlock this in Gishwati-Mukura and elsewhere’’, Vincent concluded.
Imizi is a subsidiary of Wilderness Safaris, a premier conservation organization with a presence in seven African countries, and which operates Bisate Lodge (Volcanoes National Park) and Magashi Lodge (Akagera National Park).
The memorial shelters over 1000 victims killed in former Zoko, Kavumu and Mutete sectors currently merged in Mutete.
After receiving explanations on killings of Tutsi in the area, Oxfam Rwanda employees donated Rwf 500,000 to support the maintenance of the memorial and house built to Antoine Ntagwabira, 82, an old genocide survivor whose house was recently destroyed by the storm and donated basic domestic equipment as well.
Oxfam Rwanda Country Director, Alice Anukur Uwase said it is their responsibility to contribute to the resilience of the country especially supporting genocide survivors.
“Oxfam has been working with the Government of Rwanda to uplift Rwandans livelihoods especially those affected by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. We assure continued support,” she said.
“During this commemoration period, we want all Rwandans to play a role in the rebuilding process and striving for unity and reconciliation,” added Uwase.
Oxfam-Québec which turned into Oxfam International also built over 150 houses for vulnerable genocide survivors in 1997 that had no decent accommodations in a village of Mutete sector.
The president of IBUKA, an umbrella of genocide survivors in Gicumbi district, Anastase Kamizikunze lauded Oxfam for the increasing role in the rebuilding of Rwandans.
Antoine Ntagwabira, 82, who received the new house said the decent home enables him, improved life in advanced age.
Ntagwabira survived with one daughter after losing 3 children and his wife killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The official launch of Mexico Honorary Consul in Rwanda took place yesterday in Nyarutarama, Kigali city.
Mexico will be represented by Aimable Rumongi approved as Mexico Honorary Consul in Kigali by the cabinet meeting held in January 2014.
Mexican honorary consulates support embassies in regions which are far from their offices.
The consul is meant to foster travel and business, issuance of travel documents to Mexico and protecting the people of Mexico.
Today, Mexico has 80 embassies and over 100 Honorary Consuls worldwide.
Francisco Ernesto Romero, the Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Mexico in Kenya thanked Rumongi for accepting to represent the country in Rwanda.
He explained that it will foster bilateral relations and friendships between their people.
“The inauguration of the Honorary Consul in Rwanda is evidence to deepening relations and friendships between Mexico and Rwanda. It is a great milestone leading to broader relations,” he said.
Aimable Rumongi, Mexico’s Honorary Consul to Rwanda said the move reflects how Rwanda values relationships with other countries.
He explained that Rwanda recognizes the importance of international relations which led it to overcome dark past after the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi to become a resilient country.
“Rwandans have repute in the region and across the continent which they didn’t realize alone. The country opened borders, attracted friends from different corners for collaboration to overcome challenges,” he said.
He explained that Rwandans have many chances to maximize opportunities from technology in agriculture, tourism, education, healthcare, culture and industry among others.
“Through the Mexican consulate, supported by the Mexican embassy in Nairobi, we seek to facilitate these exchanges and connections, assist citizens with travel and business, ultimately deepening the friendly relationship between the people of Mexico and the people of Rwanda. We request Rwandans to visit Mexico and Mexicans should come to Rwanda vice versa,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Trade and Industry, Mr. Michel Sebera said opening Mexico Honorary Consular in Kigali is a milestone to both countries relations and opportunity to grow mutual benefiting cooperation.
Rwanda and Mexico established diplomatic ties on 21st January 1976. Rwanda maintains a presence in Mexico through its ambassador to the United States of America, whereas Mexico named an ambassador to Rwanda for the first time in 2007 with residence in Nairobi.
The move comes 25 years after remains of victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi were laid in existing sub-standard Muhoza memorial lacking all necessary requirements including coffins among others to accord decent burial to victims.
The majority of those victims are from different districts of Northern Province who were killed in former Ruhengeri court where they had sought refuge.
Musanze district had decided to relocate the remains of genocide victims from Muhoza to Busogo Genocide Memorial in 2018 but didn’t go into effect because the latter was proposed for upgrading too.
The mayor of Musanze district, Jean Damascène Habyarimana has said that Muhoza memorial will be built in a new place enabling the district to own a state of the art memorial
“We have no memorial preserved efficiently at the district level. We have held discussions with collaboration with CNLG and IBUKA which came up with a consensus on relocating the memorial in Kigombe cell of Muhoza sector,” he said.
“The funds to build the first phase of the memorial will be allocated within the next fiscal year. We will also seek how to renovate other memorials,” added Habyarimana.
Muhoza genocide memorial shelters over 700 victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
