The newly appointed Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) Service Chiefs have assumed duties during a handover ceremony which took place on Saturday at RDF Headquarters, one day following their appointment on 4th June 2021.
Lt Gen Muganga has been serving as RSF Division Commander for RDF Eastern Province and Kigali.
The changes in RDF leadership also saw President Paul Kagame and the Commander in Chief of Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) appointing the former Air Force Chief of Staff, Major General Emmanuel Bayingana as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence.
The latter handed over duties to Lt Gen Mupenzi appointed Air Force Chief of Staff.
The project launched on Friday 4th June 2021 as Rwanda celebrated the World Environment Day which is marked on 5th June globally.
The plant is expected to buy plastic wastes at a cost of Rwf 90 per kilogram.
The Minister of Environment, Dr. Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya has explained that the project comes in handy to complement existing environment preservation efforts and benefit people collecting plastic wastes.
“We shall sensitize people to collect plastic wastes for the recycling plant. The project will discourage Rwandans throwing plastic materials but rather to use them to generate activities while reducing threats to biodiversity in the ecosystem,” he said.
Dr. Mujawamariya explained that implementation phase of the project is expected begin towards the end of 2021.
“Private investors will join hands for the project to materialize,” she noted.
Companies requiring single-use plastic materials in daily activities have already contributed funds to begin the project. These include Inyange Industry, Sulfo Rwanda, Bralirwa and Ese Urwibutso among others.
PSF Chairman, Robert Bapfakurera has said that some members of the private sector who understood the relevance of the project contributed over Rwf 9.6 million and encouraged others to support the initiative.
“You know that people use plastics for various purposes. We need to raise more funds than contributed Rwf 6.9 million to implement the project,” he noted.
This year’s World Environment Day is celebrated under the theme “Ecosystem Restoration”.
The first celebration took place in 1974. In the following years the World Environment Day has developed as a platform to raise awareness on the problems facing environment such as air pollution, plastic pollution, illegal wildlife trade, sustainable consumption, sea-level increase, and food security, among others.
The development announced yesterday through joint statement following discussions between Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International cooperation, Dr. Vincent Biruta and his counterpart of South Africa Dr. Naledi Pandor comes after seven years of tensions.
Rwanda and South Africa have been hit by diplomatic tensions where Rwanda accused South Africa to grant refuge to fugitives intending to threaten Rwanda’s security like Kayumba Nyamwasa who escaped justice and currently heading RNC terror outfit.
In March 2018, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the problem of Rwandans being denied visas to South Africa would soon become history after holding talks with President Paul Kagame. However, up to now, Rwandans still struggle to get visa to travel to South Africa.
Rwanda has at different times explained that actions of convicted people or fugitives should not blur bilateral relations.
During discussions with Dr. Biruta who was on working visit in South Africa, both ministers committed to restore bilateral relations to normal following discussions between President Paul Kagame and Cyril Ramaphosa held at different times.
The statement released yesterday by South Africa’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads that the two ministers met to assess the current state of bilateral relations and iron out challenges.
They recalled good bilateral relations that existed between the two countries prior to events that led to the straining of relations in 2013 and reiterated commitment to bring the situation to normalcy.
“In open and frank discussions, both ministers confirmed their determination and commitment to normalize diplomatic relations as expressed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Paul Kagame, following bilateral meetings,” reads the statement in part.
The ministers agreed that full cooperation between the two countries in a number of areas and sectors will support increased socio-economic development.
It was agreed that mutual actors and measures would be taken to direct bilaral relations along a new path for the benefit of the Government and people of South Africa and Rwanda.
The ministers agreed on a roadmap that will support the normalization process, predicated on agreed timelines whereby both countries must value and respect international laws and regulations that govern relations between countries including territorial integrity and international sovereignty.
Among others, the meeting agreed on the establishment of a Joint Mechanism led by minister Pando and Biruta, to guide and manage the normalization process.
It is expected that senior officials from both countries will serve as the Technical Committee of the Mechanism. The latter will be required to engage the entire spectrum of issues affecting bilateral relations and report to ministers.
The move follows discussions between both heads of state on 18th May 2021 in France ahead of the Summit on Financing African Economies.
The three-month pilot phase launched on Friday 4th June 2021 at Kigali International Airport, is a result of partnership with the Germany Embassy in Rwanda.
The launch of the project was presided over by the Deputy Inspector of Police (DIGP) in charge of Operations, Felix Namuhoranye and RBC Director General, Dr Sabin Nsanzimana.
Police officers under the Canine Brigade were trained as dog handlers.
Rwanda becomes the first African country to rollout the use of sniffer dogs in detecting COVID-19 positive cases.
Dr. Nsanzimana said five sniffer dogs will be used in the three-month pilot phase. He added that the use of sniffer dogs will save time that was being spent to produce laboratory test results.
“It is a pilot project but soon, we will be using these sniffer dogs in areas that receive many people. These sniffers will speed up the testing process and easy to identify COVID-19 positive cases. The current lab process takes at least two days for people can receive their results, but these sniffers will be able to detect positive cases instantly,” said Dr. Nsanzimana.
The dogs are trained to recognize a distinctive odour produced by people with the virus, but undetectable to the human nose.
According to Dr. Nsanzimana, there will be no contact between dogs and people.
“It will be just a cloth used on the person, put in a marked container for the dogs to sniff out Coronavirus,” Dr. Nsanzimana said.
According to experts, dogs can have up to 100,000 times the smelling ability of humans and have long been used to sniff out drugs and explosives.
Dr. Nsanzimana observed that there are people, who were complaining or not contented with the nasal and mouth swab Covid-19 test coupled with delays in getting results, which will be eased with the use of sniffer dogs.
Prof. Leo Mutesa, a researcher and lecturer at the University of Rwanda, said the dogs are trained for over 400 hours before they start sniffing out Covid-19.
The sniffer dogs’ COVID-19 detection capability, Prof. Mutesa said, is at 94%. One dog, he added, has the capacity to produce results for at least 200 people in a space of two minutes.
The five dogs will be used to screen and test at least 1000 people in the pilot phase.
New changes were announced on Friday 4th June 2021.
Among other appointments, Lieutenant General Jean Jacques Mupenzi has been appointed Airforce Chief of Staff while Major General Emmanuel Bayingana became a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence.
Lt General Muganga has been the RDF Division Commander for Eastern Province and Kigali.
Muganga replaces Lt Gen Jean Jacques Mupenzi appointed Airforce Chief of Staff.
Lt Gen Muganga is among soldiers that liberated the country and stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
In 2012, he was elevated from the rank of Brigadier General to Major General. He was the commander of RDF Fourth Division before leaving for studies overseas.
Upon return, he was appointed Commander of First Division.
Lt Gen Muganga is also the current Chairman of APR Football Club (APR FC), a position held since January 2021.
{{Lt Gen Jean Jacques Mupenzi}}
Lt Gen Jean Jacques Mupenzi was born in 1968 and previously served as the RDF Army Chief of Staff (ACOS). For the last 30 years of his military career the Gen has commanded Battalion, Brigade and Division both during peace time and war time.
He has been the Commandant of the Rwanda Defence Force Senior Command and Staff College and the Commander Mechanized Division.
The Gen has attended military courses both within Rwanda, Region and Abroad. He is a fellow of National Defence College (Karen-Kenya), Joint Passed Staff College (UK), Passed Staff College (Nigeria) and Army High Command Course (China).
Lt Gen Jean Mupenzi is a holder of Masters Degrees in Defence Studies and International Studies from Kings College London (UK) and Nairobi Universities respectively. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration.
He has served as the Rwandan Battalion Contingent Commander in Darfur in the AMIS and the Sector Commander in the UNMISS. The Gen has attended and participated in several Regional Field and Command Post Exercises intended to operationalize the African Stand-By Force (ASF) as well as Eastern African Stand-By Force. He has attended high level conferences/ seminars/ Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (USA) and Regional Senior Mission Leaders Course at International Peace Support Training Centre (Kenya).
The Gen is happily married and his hobbies include Jogging and reading military history books.
{{Who is Major Emmanuel Bayingana? }}
Major General Emmanuel Bayingana appointed PS in MINADEF has been serving as Airforce Chief Of Staff since September 2019.
Prior to that, he had been serving as Chief Executive Officer of Zigama CSS. Major General Bayingana joined the military twenty-nine years ago and was part of the force that engaged in the war for liberation of Rwanda on 1st October 1990.
After the military victory of 4th July 1994, he served in several appointments including: Member of the Military High Court, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Chief Instructor Rwanda Military Academy Nyakinama, Director for Plans at RDF HQs and Chief of Staff of the Ceasefire Commission under UNAMID.
Major General Emmanuel Bayingana is a graduate of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Accra Ghana and the United States Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, USA.
Madam Vuniwaqa made the remarks on Thursday, June 3, while visiting FPU-3 camp, in Juba, where she met and briefed officers of the contingent.
“This is an important FPU for the UNPOL component; we had challenges of the COVID-19 including the recent surge at the beginning of the year. Thank you very much for the contributions… the work that you have been conducting as a contingent amid these challenges,” Madam Vuniwaqa said.
She added: “I know this is not an easy time to be deployed in any peacekeeping mission, largely due to the challenges of COVID-19 that we are going through, apart from other usual challenges of peacekeeping. You left your loved ones and families back home to come and assist the youngest nation here in South Sudan.
I know at this time, we also worry about our families and loved ones back at home because of the challenges of Covid-19, but I know you are professional peacekeepers, that despite the challenges we are facing, we are here to give 100% in terms of our contribution to United Nations mission here in South Sudan.”
At the camp, the Police Commissioner was received by the FPU-3 contingent commander, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jeannette Masozera, who briefed her on the various peacekeeping operations the contingent conducts as well as other human security activities conducted with the local Police and communities.
“I have been briefed on the various activities that you have been conducting ever since you came to this mission and the individual implored Umuganda.
Thank you for bringing to South Sudan the concept of cleanliness from your country. I have visited Kigali in a beautiful country… thank you for sharing these good practices with the people of South Sudan,” the Police Commissioner said.
She urged them to “continue with the good work until the very last moment” when they return back home.
“I wish you all the best, enjoy your deployment, and I know that with all the support you will get from the leadership here in UNMISS, you will be able to deliver successfully until the very end of your mission.”
SSP Masozera thanked the Police Commissioner and the entire UNMISS leadership for the support, which she said helps them to deliver.
She said that the contingent remains dedicated to its UNMISS mandate and always ready to take up any assigned tasks to restore peace and security for the people of South Sudan.
Kagame delivered the message on Wednesday as he attended COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) Summit.
COVAX, a global initiative aimed at working with vaccine producers to provide countries worldwide with equitable access to safe and effective vaccine.
During the summit, Global leaders and private sector companies pledged US$ 2.4 billion to the COVAX Facility to accelerate access to 1.8 billion COVID-19 doses for lower-income economies. The pledges exceed the original US$ 2 billion target and bring the total raised to US$ 9.6 billion.
Japan demonstrated its commitment to ending the acute phase of the pandemic by pledging US$ 800 million at the Summit, making their total contribution to the COVAX AMC US$ 1 billion. Their leadership made way for other donors to help COVAX fulfill its financial ask.
Kagame thanked donors who continue to support the initiative and urged them to redouble efforts to defeat COVID-19.
“We must redouble our efforts, and also diversify the sources of vaccine available to COVAX, even as we work to build Africa’s vaccine production capacity for the future. The COVAX Advance Market Commitment, led by Gavi, is the financing mechanism that ensures vaccine access for low- and middle-income countries. Now is the time to ensure COVAX has the funds to keep saving lives and help bring the Covid-19 pandemic to an end,” he said.
The President stressed that COVAX initiative saved many people’s lives including Rwandans through distribution of vaccines.
“The COVAX initiative has already saved many lives, including in Rwanda. Our country has received more than 500,000 doses via COVAX, allowing us to vaccinate nearly 3 percent of our population,” he noted.
The President, however, said that billions of people are still exposed to the dangers of Covid-19 where ‘the shortfall in Africa is particularly acute’ and emphasized that it is time ‘to ensure COVAX has the funds to keep saving lives and help bring the Covid-19 pandemic to an end’.
The funds raised will enable Gavi to secure 1.8 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for lower-income countries participating in the COVAX Facility.
The vaccines, to be delivered in 2021 and early 2022, will enable COVAX to protect almost 30% of the population in 91 AMC economies.
In addition, five countries made new commitments to donate more than 54 million vaccine doses to lower-income countries, including through COVAX, to bridge short-term supply challenges. This brings the total number of doses shared to more than 132 million
The statement released yesterday shows that these two vaccination hubs allow Games participants who will be unable to be vaccinated in their home countries in advance of travelling to Japan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 to get inoculated.
The two hubs will both offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, in line with the IOC announcement on 6 May 2021 of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE to donate doses of the companies’ COVID-19 vaccine to Games participants from National Olympic and Paralympic Committees around the world.
The IOC is in contact with a few NOCs whose athletes are not yet able to access vaccination programmes and who would therefore be eligible to travel to either the hub in Doha (Qatar) or Kigali (Rwanda). They have been set up respectively by the Qatar Olympic Committee and the Rwanda Olympic Committee in relation with the relevant government and medical authorities in their regions and with Pfizer’s support. Concerned NOCs can apply for travel support from Olympic Solidarity should they need it.
On this important development, IOC NOC Relations and Olympic Solidarity Director James Macleod said: “We cannot thank enough the two NOCs, their national governments and Pfizer for their generosity and great show of willingness and support. The progress in preparation of work on the ground has been outstanding, and these additional vaccination opportunities are enabling the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to be safe and secure not only for the participants, but also for the Japanese people.”
H.E. Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, expressed delight to be a part of ‘this excellent initiative and to contribute to safe Olympic Games Tokyo 2020’.
“We are grateful to our colleagues in Japan and the IOC for their tremendous efforts in ensuring the Games can go ahead safely. We all have a responsibility to repay this hard work by doing everything we can to protect the health of the Japanese people and all Games participants,” he stated.
The Doha vaccination hub comes in addition to the Qatar Olympic Committee’s confirmation that it will also host the Refugee Olympic Team in early July in a training camp in Doha prior to the team travelling to Tokyo.
Meanwhile, IOC Member in Rwanda Felicite Rwemarika explained the rationale behind the decision to create a hub in Rwanda: “We were also driven to join this initiative in solidarity with our friends at the Japan Olympic Committee, who have constantly supported our NOC by generously hosting training camps for our athletes.”
This is yet another example of the spirit of solidarity that has been witnessed between NOCs, and one that the IOC is supporting in every possible way. From the outset, the IOC has underlined the importance of solidarity in the fight against the virus, and to see this become a reality is testament to the commitment of Olympic Movement stakeholders to making the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 safe and secure for all involved.
Currently as many as 75 per cent of the residents of the Olympic Village are already vaccinated or have secured vaccination; and there is good reason to believe that this figure will be well over 80 per cent at the time of the Games.
The new machines donated by the Government of Japan through the World Health Organization (WHO) were handed over to Rwanda on Wednesday 2nd May 2021.
As he received these machines, the Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Ngamije they will assist to do more tests in a faster way.
“These machines boost our capacity to do tests easily and faster because they are equipped with advanced technology whereby we can obtain test results with no delays. It capacitates us to do more tests per day. The Government of Rwanda has put forward plans to restore the economy and bring the situation to normal. Doing tests for people attending different activities is part of responsibilities of the Ministry of Health. It will be better finding us with capacity to do tests in a faster way,” he said.
After acquiring the new equipment, Rwanda will be capable of doing at least 3,000 from the current 1,000 PCR tests per day.
The Ministry of Health has revealed that the two machines will be used at Kigali International Airport and the National Referral Laboratory in Kigali city.
The Acting WHO Country Representative, Dr. Ndoungou Salla Ba said that Rwanda is among leading countries with much effort through different initiatives to defeat COVID-19 pandemic adding that received machines will help the country to cut the time that people spend waiting for test results.
“We continue our partnership with the Government of Rwanda along the journey to defeat the pandemic,” he noted.
Masahiro Imai, the Ambassador of Japan to Rwanda also emphasized that the support seeks to realize high-level test results and strengthen Rwanda’s national response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Presidency has via Twitter handle revealed that discussions took place at Village Urugwiro but didn’t point out areas of discussions.
Senator James ‘Jim’ Mountain Inhofe, 86, who led the delegation has been representing Oklahoma State since 1994.
In 2018, he presented President Kagame’s outstanding achievements including the liberation struggle to stop Genocide to US Senate. Inhofe is also known for his interest in African affairs.
At the time, Inhofe said that he has friendship with many leaders on African continent including Head of States and Prime Ministers noting that there are special reasons pushing him to dedicate time to talk about one particular individual who is President ‘Paul Kagame’.
He started with the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi that took lives of over 1 million victims who were heinously killed within 100 days.
Senator Inhofe said that UN troops deployed in the country abandoned victims while the international community remained silent including Bill Clinton who was leading America at the time.
“It stopped because of one man who is Paul Kagame along with a group of Rwanda refugees from Uganda whose parents fled the country’s mass violence three decades before,” he said.
He explained that there were two choices after stopping Genocide including revenge or forgiveness and reconciliation but ‘he chose the last option’ for Rwandans to have a common future.
During his recent visit to Rwanda, he commended Rwanda’s cleanliness, registered development in terms of infrastructure, growing of tea, coffee, security and steadfast economy.
Senator Inhofe explained that Kagame has changed Africans’ mindsets to foreigners not because he doesn’t want to work with them but encouraging them to develop home grown solution towards achieving self-reliance.
Inhofe visited Rwanda at different times and held talks with President Kagame.
