The disclosure was made by Wang Di, the Director of the Department of West Asian and North African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China during a recent press conference.
He said that his country is ready to assist in solving conflicts in different countries including tensions between Rwanda and DRC.
Wang Di was responding to a question on the country’s mediation efforts to end tensions between countries in conflicts particularly on the African continent.
He said that his country will make possible efforts to restore trust between both countries in case one of concerned parties demands intervention.
“China is always ready to be a good and reliable mediator. For any issues around the world, China’s position is that we support dialogue and consultations. For all issues, we are ready to play a constructive role as soon as the conflicting parties demand intervention. China is ready to contribute to resolving those issues,” noted Wang Di.
He however explained that China cannot intervene in tensions between Rwanda and Congo without call for support.
Wang Di highlighted dialogue is the best option to solve clashes instead of military action.
Rwanda and DRC have been experiencing strained relations related to reciprocal accusations.
Congo accuses Rwanda of backing M23 rebel groups during a fighting against Congolese Army (FARDC).
Rwanda has repeatedly rejected the claim and blamed the neighbouring country of working with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a terrorist group formed by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which harbours intentions to threaten its security.
To calm the tensions, dialogues have been initiated on the mediation of different countries including Angola, France and Qatar.
The ceremony took place on Wednesday 15th March 2023. The sporting facility which previously carried the name of Kigali Stadium has been inaugurated after undergoing renovation.
The official inauguration was also characterized by a football match between veterans as part of events on agenda of the 73rd FIFA Congress held in Kigali.
Renovation works that began on 4th January 2023 include replacement of turf on the pitch and roof, renovation of the dressing room and spraying new paints on different sections among others.
The stadium was renamed as after the death of Brazilian football legend, Pele who died last year.
Speaking at the event, President Kagame thanked Gianni Infantino for being part of the event and providing the opportunity bringing together delegates at the launch of Kigali Pelé Stadium.
He said that the life of Pelé is an inspiration for many people with aspirations to do great things.
“Pelé brought the whole world together, a man from humble beginnings who rose to the level of excellence. That is an inspiration to many in the world with such backgrounds. That gives them hope that they can do things that bring them to the same level,” noted Kagame.
He said that the stadium is a facility where young women and men will come together to play and draw inspiration from Pelé.
Gianni Infantino said that the event was a great occasion that saw representatives from across the world convening in Kigali. The stadium is located in Nyamirambo.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento Pelé is Brazilian footballer whose extraordinary talent and unmatched achievements made him a global icon.
Widely considered the greatest footballer of all time, Pele is the only player to win the World Cup three times, having lifted the sport’s most prestigious trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
His celebrated career included 732 goals in 792 games for club and country.
Pelé died at the age of 82 on 29th December 2023 succumbing to natural cause.
The development emerged from a report released by RDB during the recent Invest Rwanda Forum indicating the country’s top 100 investment opportunities.
Construction, manufacturing and agriculture were identified among top investment opportunities.
It has been two years since a Ministerial Order was gazetted in June 2021, providing a framework for responsible and secure cultivation, processing, distribution and use of cannabis in the country.
Figures show that cannabis production is projected to increase and generate US$197.7 billion in 2028 from US$28.3 raked in 2021.
The report reads that ‘this represents a significant opportunity that can be further explored by Rwanda’.
Overall, investment worth Rwf19 billion is needed but might increase depending on demand at the local and global market.
Key products with potential medical cannabis include industrial hemp, edible products as well as cannabis oils.
RDB indicates that cannabis is among highly profitable crops where US$10 million can be generated from a hectare. The amount is way higher than the US$300,000 that can be raked from a hectare of flowers.
The United States, Canada and Europe are the biggest potential markets for cannabis to be produced in Rwanda.
{{Strict measures}}
In March 2022, the Government of Rwanda announced that it had designated 134 hectares for cultivation of cannabis.
It is expected that RDB will work with government institutions including Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA), Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA) and Rwanda National Police to ensure compliance with safety guidelines during the production of cannabis.
The CEO of RDB, Clare Akamanzi recently told APA News that, there will be no way that cannabis can leak out of the farm to go to the domestic market or to the wrong users.
“The crops will be in a designated place, and there will be very strong measures, whether it is CCTV cameras, watch towers, street lights, and human security. So it is going to be extremely secure,” she said.
Apart from medicinal and research purposes, Cannabis is classified as a very severe narcotic drug in Rwanda.
Anyone convicted for dealing in severe narcotic drugs faces a sentence of between 20 years and life imprisonment, and a fine of between Rwf20 million and Rwf30 million, under article 263 of the law determining offences and penalties in general.
The two leaders were conferred the award during CAF President’s Outstanding Achievements Award Ceremony on the sidelines of the 73rd Congress of the World’s Football Governing Body (FIFA) taking place in Kigali.
The event took place at Kigali Serena Hotel on Tuesday 14th March 2023.
It was attended by President Kagame, representative of King Mohammed VI and Minister of National Education and Sports Chakib Benmoussa, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Presidents from a number of Confederations, Football Presidents from the 54 CAF Member Associations and CAF Executive Committee members.
A number of top African legends were in attendance including Black Stars’ Asamoah Gyan, Cameroonian legend in women’s football Gaelle Enganamouit, South African record-breaking women footballer Portia Modise and compatriot Amanda Dlamini, Senegal’s Khalilou Fadiga, DR Congo’s Herita Ilunga, Indomitable Lion’s Pierre Webo, former South Africa captain Lucas Radebe, Ghana’s Kwadwo Asamoah, Nigeria’s Super Falcons legend Perpetua Nkwocha.
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino said that the awards are bestowed to the two leaders as outstanding personalities for their incredible contribution to the development of football.
The award for the King of Morocco was received by Minister Chakib Benmoussa
who revealed that his country will partner with Spain to host the World Cup in 2030.
President Kagame expressed deepest thanks for the award which is among things people receive unexpectedly.
The Head of State said that football was among things that played a significant role in the country’s history even during the Liberation Struggle.
“This country for which you are honourable guests has had its history. We have been able to draw a lot of lessons from that history. One of the things that helped us to go through those extremely challenging circumstances was football,” he noted.
Kagame explained that few months before the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, there was a lot of fighting and sectarianism where sports, particularly football was ‘one of the things that people clung to that kept bringing them together.
“I remember when we had ceased fire, and the fighting parties had ceased to do that, one of the things that were immediately thought about was football,” he noted.
The President observed that progress has been done for the development of football in Rwanda but insisted that there are still areas of improvements.
He however expressed optimism that Rwanda will do more on the support of FIFA and CAF.
“We are still not yet where we want to be but with your presence here, the efforts and promises made through CAF and FIFA an fall friends around, we should be very soon where we want to be and we are following in the footsteps of these other brothers and sisters of our Africa who already making it to that high level of global standing,” said Kagame.
The Head of State congratulated Morocco for its performance which reached semi-finals of the last FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar.
Morocco lost to Croatia 2-1 in the fight for third place in the World Cup.
“Africa has talent, there’s no doubt about that. But our best players should not always need to move abroad to unleash their full potential. We should work towards making sure that what takes them out there, can be achieved while here. That is why the work being done in Africa by CAF and FIFA is so important,” said Kagame.
“Morocco at the World Cup was a good example of what is possible. So, we should be able to emulate that and it should inspire us to do better, all of us who play and like football. Citizens of our countries are inevitably part of this and we want to make them feel happy and also benefit from that,” he added.
President Kagame receives the award at a time when the 73rd FIFA Congress is taking place in Kigali City. During the congress, FIFA President Gianni Infantino will be elected to extend presidency on 16th March 2023.
The votes were held on Sunday following votes held in Manama, Bahrain at the 146th IPU General Assembly.
As proceedings of the assembly began, Congolese Parliamentarian, André Mbata Mangu made a request to include the call for Rwanda to stop backing M23, stop aggression, occupation and massive human rights violations in DRC emergency item in the Assembly agenda.
Before the voting process began, Senator Esperance Nyirasafari who led Rwanda’s delegation attending the IPU assembly was given floor for comments.
She explained that the concerns raised by Mbata are baseless claims aimed at covering the weakness of his country to solving its problems.
Nyirasafari further told parliamentarians that DR Congo is home to over 120 armed groups threatening security in the region.
She highlighted that DRC should take responsibility to solve internal problems that mired the country due to bad leadership instead of being stuck in blame games and putting them on the shoulders of Rwanda.
Nyirasafari urged DR Congo to stop spreading hate speeches and killings targeting Kinyarwanda-speaking communities in the country, particularly of Tutsi ethnicity.
She underscored that the country should consider political solution instead of military action.
The United Nations (UN) experts recently indicated that DRC work with armed groups including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) during the ongoing fighting against M23.
DRC formed the coalition despite being fully aware that the group was formed by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi which claims lives of over 1 million victims.
Nyirasafari disclosed that durable peace cannot be achieved in the region yet DRC is not willing to decimate FDLR which also poses threat to Rwanda’s security.
She further clarified that Rwanda supports regional mechanisms to achieve sustainable peace noting that the country cannot remain silent when its security concerns are overlooked.
The remarks were followed by votes where 705 voted against the request, 88 supported it while 700 abstained.
The results saw the request which required endorsement by three thirds of voters rejected.
The IPU Assembly runs from 11th to 15th March 2023.
The first batch comprised of six ‘BionTainers’ arrived at Kigali International Airport where they were received by government officials and diplomats accredited to Rwanda from Germany, France and the European Union.
The facility being set up in Rwanda will bank on mRNA technology to manufacture vaccines for COVID-19, Malaria and Tuberculosis.
In a message posted on his Twitter handle, President Kagame expressed delight for the progress made to manufacture vaccines locally.
“Historic milestone today as the first BioNTech Group BioNTainers arrived in Rwanda, exactly 3 years since the first case of Covid-19 was detected in our country. This system will allow end-to-end mRNA vaccine production in Africa for the first time,” he tweeted.
The Head of State thanked the team from Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech), particularly Uğur Şahin, Özlem Türeci, Sierk Pötting and other partners for their support that led to this milestone possible.
On Monday evening, Kagame received BioNTech Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Sierk Pötting; Dr. Thomas Gersdorf, BioNTech Chief of Staff and the Chairman of Kenup Foundation, Holm Keller.
The vaccine manufacturing facility is expected to begin operations towards the end of 2023.
Construction activities are overseen by BioNTech, a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases.
It is mostly renowned for the production of COVID-19 vaccine in collaboration with Pfizer.
Rwanda is the first African country to host such facility using mRNA technology.
Upon arrival of the shipment, Rwanda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana said that reaching the milestone is a fruit of good leadership and developed partnership between Rwanda and other countries.
He explained that the project is relevant for the country to bring solutions expected to tackle emerging diseases.
The facility will bank on mRNA technology to produce vaccines for Malaria, COVID-19 and Tuberculosis.
It will be built on 30,000 square kilometers in Kigali Special Economic Zone. It will have two BioNTainers made up of assembled containers.
The six BioNTainers arrived in Kigali in the afternoon of Monday 13th March 2023.
They were received by government officials including the Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana; Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana and the Director General of Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA, Dr. Emile Bienvenu among others.
Also present at the event was Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Sierk Poetting and diplomats accredited to Rwanda from Germany, France and the European Union.
Rwanda was the first African country to host such facility.
Minister Nsanzimana has said that reaching the milestone is a fruit of good leadership and developed partnership between Rwanda and other countries.
He explained that the project is relevant for the country to bring solutions expected to tackle emerging diseases.
Dr. Nsanzimana said that the vaccine manufacturing facility is expected to contribute to education and research where students will be capacitated to bring solutions in the area of vaccine manufacturing in Africa.
He expressed optimism that the partnership will help Africa to increase its contribution in scientific output from 2% to 10% globally.
Dr. Sierk Poetting said that the facility being set up in Rwanda will have the capacity to produce 50 million vaccine doses per year but the production will be based on demand.
BioNTech is a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases.
The company exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals.
Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bi-specific checkpoint immuno-modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and small molecules.
Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline.
BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global pharmaceutical collaborators, including Genmab, Sanofi, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Regeneron, Genevant, Fosun Pharma, and Pfizer.
Gen Kabarebe made the disclosure as he delivered a talk on values the youth can pull from the Liberation Struggle.
He was addressing over 600 young people representing their colleagues in the City of Kigali during dialogues dubbed ‘’Rubyiruko Menya Amateka yawe’ aimed at helping them to get deep understanding of the country’s history and learn how they can learn from it to build the nation.
The youth visited Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi and the Campaign Against Genocide Museum in Kimihurura.
These include porters, commercial cyclists and motorcyclists, bartenders, hotel employees, airtime vendors and banks’ agents among others.
Gen Kabarebe told the youth that tragic history witnessed at the memorial and the Campaign Against Genocide Museum in Kimihurura is a product of bad leadership.
“You may have learnt a lot beyond what you already knew in this country. There are people, Rwandans in this country whose actions led to the dreadful history you have witnessed,” he said.
“The tragic history pushed RPF Inkotanyi to take action to change the situation for Rwandans to live in peace and rest assured of in their country,” added Gen Kabarebe,” added Gen Kabarebe.
29 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was stopped, Gen Kabarebe said, the country is safe and Rwandans live in harmony.
“All these achievements stem from the youth’s values instilled during the struggle to liberate our country. […] Military action was not enough. It required values and foundational principles,” he disclosed.
“Today, the country still banks on values instilled among Inkotanyi soldiers during the Liberation Struggle to make progress,” he added Gen Kabarebe.
{{Values instilled by President Paul Kagame}}
When Maj Gen Paul Kagame (current President of Rwanda) joined RPA soldiers during the Liberation Struggle, Gen Kabarebe disclosed, they were tired and had withdrawn from captured areas.
As he explained, Maj Gen Paul Kagame took over as the commander and advised them not to give up until they claimed victory because they were fighting for a noble cause.
“The situation was difficult to manage by the time he joined. He realized that the fighting against the enemy, former government which committed the wrongdoings, was not enough. He found it necessary to introduce new tactics,” said Gen Kabarebe.
Values that characterized RPA soldiers played a critical role during the Liberation Struggle and the country continues to build on them to meet its development aspirations.
Gen Kabarebe said that the first value is ‘patriotism’.
“The first value was about patriotism and pay sacrifice so that, when you succumb to gunshots, the other survivor will recognize that you died fighting for the right cause,” he noted.
“When you love a country you die for it. The opposite is betrayal. So, he instilled the value of patriotism among Inkotanyi soldiers who understood him well,” added Gen Kabarebe.
He revealed that RPA soldiers were in a small number at the onset of the Liberation Struggle with inadequate resources.
“Soldiers of the government which committed the wrongdoings were strong. A government has an established army and is backed by partners. That is why partner countries of Rwanda came for reinforcement at the time. These include Belgians, French soldiers and others from Zaire who came and attacked Inkotanyi,” noted Gen Kabarebe.
“Inkotanyi soldiers would not win the battle alone. They drew strength from core values. When the President of the Republic came, Inkotanyi soldiers were exhausted. They had withdrawn and abandoned captured areas.
When he arrived, he said that it is not possible. He told us that the enemy cannot defeat us because we are fighting for a noble cause to liberate the country, change history, and regime in Rwanda, eliminate refugee status, oppression, promote Rwandans’ unity and national development. These reasons do not qualify us for a defeat. We have to fight until we win the battle,” he added.
Gen Kabarebe disclosed that selflessness was another helpful value that characterized soldiers.
“There is no consideration of individual gains. He also instilled among soldiers the spirit of sacrifice and selflessness where you understand that you are fighting for something beyond individual benefits,” he said.
The other value is heroism. According to Gen Kabarebe, someone can be trained on heroism as is the case for cowardice.
“Everyone can become a hero. A well-trained individual can become a hero and another trained to be coward can be so. Those who committed what you witnessed, killing babies, children […] and more, exhibited cowardice and they were trained for that,” he noted.
“Leaders sat in front on the youth like we are seated here, brought machetes and gave them instructions on what to do. The youth digested the ideology and put into action. So, patriotism, sacrifice and heroism were instilled. Inkotanyi soldiers were trained on heroism. Those who joined the Liberation Struggle were people like you,” he stated.
Hadn’t it been the heroism, Gen Kabarebe disclosed, young people would not have left their families to join the battle.
“It was a mix of people with diverse backgrounds including commercial cyclists, students, casual workers harvesting tea and coffee and herdsmen. It was not an easy task to bring together those people and convince them that they have to embrace patriotism and sacrifice themselves,” he affirmed.
Endurance was another important value because the struggle lasted long from 1st October 1990 to July 1994.
“Four years on battle are very long counting Christmas festivities passing, living in a forest, trenches, eating cons, vulnerability to attacks, getting sick and enduring rain among others,” he said.
“All these challenges required the value of endurance, day and night and to remain dedicated to goals despite spending many restless days. Somebody with those attributes is assured that he/she is stronger than those with ammunition and large number of soldiers,” added Gen Kabarebe.
He highlighted that they would spend three to four days without food but never gave up and kept soldiering on.
“Everything is about mindsets. Endurance goes hand in hand with the value of perseverance and developing patience for whatever happening to you. Those values can be helpful throughout your life. […] You also need them today,” advised Gen Kabarebe.
He also told the youth that RPA soldiers were characterized by the value of consistency.
“Spending the first and second year on battle should not change your mindsets. You have to remain committed to your goals. If you are committed to a noble cause, do not give up,” he noted.
Gen Kabarebe said that there are other values the youth can learn from the Liberation Struggle including making the right choice, setting goals, developing positive mindsets and discipline among others.
Rwanda’s Minister of Defence, Maj Gen Albert Murasira, Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) General, senior officers and family members received the body at Kigali International Airport on Sunday 12th March 2023.
RDF has via Twitter handle revealed that burial arrangements will be communicated later.
Gen (Rtd) Marcel Gatsinzi breathed the last on Monday 6th March 2023. He succumbed to natural at a hospital in Belgium where he was receiving treatment.
Gen Marcel Gatsinzi served in various leadership roles for the army and the country including serving as Rwanda’s Minister of Defence from 2002 to 2010, and as the Minister of Disaster Preparedness and Refugee Affairs from 2010 to 2013.
Following his death, a source told IGIHE ‘that Gatsinzi was not critically ill’ but felt unhealthy and went to a hospital where he died shortly after arrival as doctors prepared to attend to him.
He has been living in Rwanda but traveled to Belgium for medical attention.
Gen Marcel Gatsinzi was born in Muhima, Nyarugenge District in 1948.
He attended Primary School at Sainte Famille and pursued secondary education at Saint André where he studied Latin and Science courses.
He later joined the military at the age of 20.
Gatsinzi spent two years undergoing military training at “Ecole Supérieure d’Officiers Militaires (ESM)” where he graduated with the rank of Lieutenant in 1970.
He served as an instructor, and attended different professional training in Belgium between 1971 and 1976 at “Institut Royale Supérieure de Défense”.
During the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Gtsinzi was at the rank of Colonel and was the commander of Non-Commissioned Officers School in Ngoma Commune, current Huye District.
Following the shooting down of former President Juvénal Habyarimana’s airplane on 6th April 1994, Gen Gatsinzi was named Defence Chief Staff replacing Gen Maj Augustin Nsabimana who died with Habyarimana.
He assumed the duties for ten days before dismissal by the then interim government and was replaced by Col Augustin Bizimungu.
By the time RPA soldiers captured Kigali, Gatsinzi had the rank of Brigadier General and was living in Kigeme camp along with other soldiers.
He left the camp for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through Rusizi.
Gatsinzi stayed in DRC for one month before returning to Rwanda where he joined RDF. Upon joining the army, he was given the rank of Colonel.
Gatsinzi served as the Deputy Army Chief of Staff, Commander of Military Police and Headed the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).
He held the rank of Major General at the time.
In 2004, Gatsinzi was promoted to General and became the first soldier to rise to to the rank.
He served as the Minister of Defence between 2022 and 2010.
In October 2013, Gen Gatsinzi was sent to retirement along with five other generals.
The deal signed in April 2022 paves the way for deportation to Rwanda of migrants and asylum seekers staying in the UK illegally.
The UK made the decision to discourage people crossing to the country illegally and reduce the budget spent on them every year.
It is said that Braverman will visit Rwanda towards the end of next week between 18th and 19th March and meet with Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vincent Biruta.
Sources have been disclosing that Andrew Mitchell, UK Minister for International Development and Africa is also planning to visit Rwanda.
Braverman is visiting Rwanda at a time when the country is facing criticisms for the deal to deport migrants to Rwanda.
UK explains that Rwanda is a safe country where migrants and asylum seekers can enjoy a dignified life.
The assessment conducted by the United Kingdom indicated that the first batch of migrants might be deported to Rwanda in 2024.
Through the deal signed between Rwanda and UK in April last year, the latter will provide an upfront investment of £120 million to fund invaluable opportunities for Rwandans and migrants including secondary qualifications, vocational and skills training, language lessons and higher education.
These asylum seekers from African countries and others outside the continent will be treated decently like Rwandans upon arrival. It is expected that those willing to return to their mother lands will be helped to do so.
Last year, over 45,000 illegal migrants crossed into the UK. The number is expected to increase to 80,000 this year.
