The suspended are Dr. Joyce Musabe who has been the Head of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Resources Department, Dr. Michael Tusiime Rwibasira Head of Examinations, Selection and Assessment Department; Peter Mujiji, Head of Corporate Division, Francis Karegesa Director of Finance and Rutaha Bagaya who had been the Head of Procurement Unit.
The changes in REB follow February 14th removal of former Director General, Ismaël Janvier Gasana replacing him with Dr. Irenée Ndayambaje.
Mujiji, former head of Corporate Division served in the position only for two months as he was also appointed on February 14th this year.
Speaking to IGIHE, REB Director General Ndayambaje said that they will have the affected offices temporarily occupied by current staff until substantial appointments are made.
Asked whether there is a crisis in the institution that could be behind such dismissal, Ndayambaje said that there is nothing unusual.
The decisions were approved by Cabinet Meeting which convened at village Urugwiro Yesterday.
“The Cabinet meeting approved the Prime Minister‘s Order determining modalities of transfer of 463 personnel and assets related to criminal investigation from Rwanda National Police (RNP) to Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB),” reads the statement of cabinet decisions.
The transfer of Police Officers follows the appointment of the Secretary General of RIB, Col. Jeannot Ruhunga and Vice-Secretary General, Isabelle Kalihangabo early this week.
Both heads of new investigation body were appointed Monday by President Paul Kagame and sworn in on Tuesday.
RIB has the mission to prevent and pre-empt criminal acts by identifying and investigating all kinds of physical or cyber-attacks.
It also the body has the mission to conduct an investigation intended to identify, stop and dismantle existing or emerging criminal acts and cartels whose activities threaten or may threaten the country, people and properties.
Among other decisions, the cabinet meeting that was chaired by President Paul Kagame approved the Ministerial Order on secondment of 320 Non-commissioned Officers and Police Constables of Rwanda National Police (RNP).
The Cabinet meeting also approved a Ministerial Order promoting 10159 Non-commissioned Officers and Prison Warders of Rwanda Correctional Service.
Zimbabwe media have reported that the government is keen to learn from Rwanda’s development model.
Akamanzi, arrived in Harare on Monday at the request of President Mnangagwa to share Rwanda’s experience
According to media, Hategeka was expected in Zimbabwe yesterday.
“Akamanzi is set to address Cabinet members, the private sector and civil servants on how Rwanda managed to attract huge foreign direct investment within a short space of time,” The Herald reported.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and East African Community of the Republic of Rwanda presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Zimbabwe and, with reference to the letter dated 29th March 2018 from His Excellency President Emmerson D. Mnangagwa, has the honour to confirm the visit of the top officials of the Rwanda Development Board, the chief executive (Ms Clare Akamanzi) and chief operating officer (Emmanuel Hategeka) during the week of 09-13 April,” reads part of the letter written to Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.
{{How Zimbabwe President was impressed by Rwanda’s development model
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Speaking to The Herald on Monday, presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba said President Mnangagwa was impressed by the strides made by Rwanda on the economic front.
“When we went to the extraordinary summit for the signing of the Continental Free Trade Area in Kigali, one key question we raised bilaterally was, ‘How have you been able to raise so much FDI in so short a time and so successfully?’ and President (Paul) Kagame said, ‘I have an institutional home where investors arrive and are received and that is called the Rwanda Development Board and you are free to interface with its CEO’, and for a good two hours the President had a whole meeting with the CEO of the Rwanda Development Board,” he said.
“We discovered that this Rwanda Development Board is led by a CEO ‘deceptively’ because in reality this is a man or woman who is of Cabinet status and that person reports straight to Cabinet. The person has executive powers to provide answers and decisions to an investor regardless of fiscal consequences.
“He or she can decide to grant a waiver or tax holiday. He or she can give an environmental impact assessment there and then because Rwanda has done a national environmental impact assessment, which is enterprise based such that you don’t trigger the environmental impact assessment upon request.
“If they give you an area to operate from, before you start business, the land is available to you on 99-year lease; secondly there is electricity; three, there is internet facilities; fourth, there is water and a factory shell, which is designed to your requirements and you only move in with your capital, machinery and skills to set up shop under those conditions.
“All this was explained to the President and the ministers who accompanied him. The President went back to Kagame and said, ‘I have heard what your official has said, except, you have convinced the President and a few ministers’”.
“‘I want this person to come to Zimbabwe to address my Cabinet, private sector, parastatals, civil servants and everyone. President Kagame’s reaction was; ‘If I don’t give you this person you end up poaching, so, I will rather give you. You have requested for few days, but she will be in your country for two weeks during which she will have a soaking interface with your various echelons’.”
President Mnangagwa has set Zimbabwe on a developmental path that includes attracting foreign investors, hence his popular mantra “Zimbabwe is open for business”.
The incident happened shortly after the aircraft took off from Boufarik military airport near the capital Algiers in the morning.
Most of the dead are army personnel and their families, according to the defence ministry. Ten crew members were also killed.
It is not yet clear what caused the crash.
The army’s chief of staff has ordered an investigation into the crash and will visit the scene.
It is the deadliest plane crash since July 2014, when all 298 people on board Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 died when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine.
It is also the second-deadliest plane crash since 2003.
The authorities are working to identify remains of those killed. Footage from the scene shows smoke coming off wreckage in a field.
The plane, an Ilyushin Il-76, was travelling to Bechar in the south-west of the country.
Among the dead are said to be 26 members of the Polisario Front, seeking independence from Morocco for Western Sahara and supported by Algeria.
Four years ago a plane carrying military personnel and family members crashed in Algeria, killing 77 people.
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When the genocide began on April 7, over 3000 Tutsi from Kicukiro sought refuge at a former technical school, Ecole Technique Officielle de Kicukiro (ETO), in the belief that they would be protected by the United Nations peacekeeping forces for Rwanda (MINUAR) that was based there.
MINUAR would however desert them a few days later, despite the tension that had built up as the Interahamwe militia and government soldiers had surrounded the school.
Following the departure of the UN troops, government soldiers and Interahamwe took control of ETO Kicukiro.
In the school, Tutsi were taken by government soldiers and Interahamwe to Sonatube to be murdered there but the then mayor of the city, Lt. Col. Tharcisse Renzaho, ordered that they instead be taken to Nyanza and killed from there because Sonatube was too visible was along the road to the airport.
The Tutsi were then forced to march back, all the way to Nyanza, amid a heavy downpour. Many had not eaten for a couple of days. Those too weak to walk were killed on the way. When they arrived at Nyanza, the militia asked them to present their IDs to ensure that no Hutu were among the group.
Mass killings then began and many of them were killed using machetes. The next morning, as the killers attempted to finish off those who were still alive, the Rwandan Patriotic Army soldiers arrived and rescued the few who had survived the massacre.
The major highlight of the event was a testimony by Josephine Murebwayire, a 64-year-old widow who lost all her six children, a husband and two brothers during the 1994 massacres.
“On the night of 6th April 1994 when the plane that was carrying President Habyarimana was shot down, two soldiers and two Interahamwe came to our home. They demanded for money and before they left, they said that those coming to finish us were on their way,” she said.
On 7th of April, Murebwayire and her family sought refuge at Ndera Seminary school and this is where almost all her family perished.
“On 11th of April 1994, hundreds of Interahamwe militias descended on us butchering us aimlessly, all my six children, my husband and two brothers died on spot. As I was socked in a pool of blood with wounds all over my head, killers left me thinking that I was dead. A few days later, RPF soldiers came to my rescue, took me to their base in Byumba for protection and treatment,” Murebwayire recalls.
Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Kenya Ambassador James Kimonyo thanked United Nations for recognizing what happened in Rwanda in 1994 as genocide against a particular group.
“I take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the United Nations General Assembly for finally adopting resolution recognizing that what happened in Rwanda between April 7th and July 1994 was Genocide against the Tutsi,” he expressed.
The envoy challenged members of diplomatic corps to act more swiftly in fighting against genocide denial and bring perpetrators to book.
“Many perpetrators who committed this heinous crime in Rwanda are still at large in your respective countries. Rwanda has done its part by sending the indictments to different countries seeking their extradition. If we are really serious about our collective pledge of fighting the culture of impunity, I humbly call on you to support us in making these individuals face justice by either extraditing them to Rwanda or at least take them through domestic prosecution though we would prefer the trials to take place in Rwanda where crimes were committed,” he said.
“I would like also to mention the issue of trivialization and denial of genocide. I know many European countries have enacted stringent laws to fight holocaust denial. Without comparing the magnitudes of the two crimes, we call upon these countries to enact same laws to fight the denial of other genocides including the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda,” Kimonyo added.
Speaking at the event, Kenya’s Amb. Macharia Kamau, Principal Secretary in the ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade who was also chief guest lauded Rwandans for their fortitude and resilience after the tragedy that befell the country 24 years ago.
“On this day of remembrance, Kenya joins People of Rwanda to honour the memory of the victims who perished in the genocide, and, salute people of Rwanda especially the survivors for their tremendous courage and resilience in their unyielding journey of healing, reconciliation and national recovery. We laud Rwanda’s astute leadership and resolute political will which has been at the centre of the transformed governance and socio-economic fabric of the Rwandan Society,” Macharia said.
The event was characterized by testimony, songs and poems.
Speaking to IGIHE, Gasabo District Vice-mayor in charge of social affairs, Languida Nyirabahire said that they started searching for the bodies after information from the owner of the plot where the pit is located. She said remains of about 100 victims have been found.
“The plot had been sold three times. The third buyer is the one who informed us; others might have got information about it and decided to resell. Searching for other remains is ongoing,” she said.
“There is a big pit which people are still digging searching for remains, but there are others which we are not sure about where victims were thrown. The person who informed us is not sure about where they were thrown, but we are still searching,” Nyirabahire explained.
Nyirabahire said that it is terrible to have bodies which are not yet found 24 years after the genocide.
“We always encourage people to inform us about where genocide victims were thrown for them to be given decent burial,” she added.
In the lead-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London on 19-20 April, Queen Elizabeth II – as Head of the Commonwealth – is rewarding inspirational volunteers across the 53 Commonwealth nations for the difference they are making in their communities and beyond.
By sharing these stories of service, the Heads of Government meeting will celebrate inspirational acts of volunteering across the Commonwealth and help inspire others to make their own contribution to tackling some of the greatest social challenges of our time.
Mary Balikungeri is s a devoted activist for women and girls’ rights especially those affected by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. She is the director and founder of ‘Rwanda Women’s Network’ and an activist for the rights of women and girls, particularly those affected by war and conflict. The network is dedicated to improving the welfare and rehabilitation of women in Rwanda, working with over 52 grassroots associations across 13 districts of the country to support 4,000 women. Mary supports the psychological, social and medical needs of over 500 female survivors of sexual violence each week.
She also raises awareness of gender-based violence through community initiatives which have been replicated in four centres around Rwanda, impacting over 11,000 people.
“I am deeply honored and humbled for this outstanding recognition by Her Majesty the Queen and the Commonwealth. I am extremely grateful for all the people who have made this journey worth acknowledging. I therefore dedicate this award to the many women of Rwanda who have trusted me with their vulnerability to help rebuild their lives; funding partners and the ‘Rwanda Women’s Network (RWN)’ staff for working tirelessly to support our vision and transform the lives of women and communities. I hope that our work continues to inspire people from different walks of life to make a different in their respective communities.” said Mary Balikungeri
Jo Lomas, British High Commissioner to Rwanda acknowledged Mary Balikungeri’s outstanding volunteerism and dedication to helping vulnerable women following the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis.
“The Queen is recognizing Mary’s devotion to helping over 50 grassroots associations across Rwanda, catering for over 4,000 people. Mary’s efforts have also contributed to the establishment of 20 Women’s Safe Spaces around Rwanda which provide for over 500 women per week, including victims of gender based violence. The British High Commission in Rwanda is proud to present this award for her tireless and noble work. ”
Each Commonwealth Point of Light will receive a personalized certificate signed by The Queen as Head of the Commonwealth. The award for Mary Balikungeri will be presented later this month during a reception at the British High Commission in Kigali.
Muhigirwa lives in Nyakabungo Village, Karama cell of Ntongwe Sector. He is the security chief in the village and vice-president of Ibuka in the cell.
Speaking to IGIHE, Muhigirwa said that he is worried about his security.
“We are in a country that is secure, but I’m worried of my life due to different acts I’ve been experiencing at my home at different times. Three months ago I found a cross at the entrance of my house. The suspect ran away. Today I found a grenade at the same place,” he said.
The Police Spokesperson in Southern Region, CIP Emmanuel Kayigi told IGIHE that they are still investigating the case.
The ceremony took place at the Kigali Genocide memorial site where over 250,000 bodies of the Tutsi, including most of the members of PSF, all victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi, are buried.
The Chairperson of PSF in Kigali City, Bitwayiki André, said that commemorating is an event aimed at rendering dignity and value to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
“This is our way of honoring and paying tribute to what the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi had begun and achieved in our city,” He said
The PSF Chairman Robert Bapfakurera called upon private sector members to actively engage in building the country as opposed to those who helped destroy the country and to make sure that genocide ideology doesn’t creep into their families.
“I thank you for your contribution to the society in supporting Genocide survivors. With the zeal and courage that you show, I am certain that our country will reach greater extents,”Bapfakurera said. .
The Vice Chairman of the Association of Microfinance Institutions in Rwanda (AMIR), Kayumba Charles outlined the importance of commemoration to ensure that what took place 24 years ago never happens again.
“It is our responsibility to remember our fellow businesspersons who were killed in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and to ensure it never happens again”, he said.
PSF is yet to publish statistics of its members who lost their lives in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
