Thirdly, the foundation seeks to conduct research on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in collaboration with relevant organizations through organizing conferences and seminars on the Genocide against Tutsi, archiving the history of the genocide and promoting the culture of reading and writing about the Genocide against Tutsi.
Speaking on the objective of this foundation, Yolande Mukagasana President and founding member said: “The ideology and the denial of the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi is still topical, especially in journalistic and academic sectors influenced by the perpetrators of the genocide and their friends. With the evolution of the media that gave birth to social media which give an easy audience to the most weird statements in the name of freedom of expression. As keepers of memory, we cannot accept the distortion of the history of Rwanda and of the genocide in particular”.
The Foundation was founded by different people; Rwandans and foreigners of all categories in age, education, skills and experiences with different backgrounds, majority being young people who want to rebuild Rwanda, and build on differences. The Foundation will also denounce genocide denial and revisionism.
“We must know that our differences do not make us enemies, but the riches on which we must all rebuild. The genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi is the history of Rwandans, it is the history of humanity. To fight against the ideology and denial of genocide is to fight against hate. Hence, it’s everyone’s duty to get involved in this fight “added Yolande Mukagasana.
Yolande Mukagasana Foundation is open to anyone, to any institution, both national and international, sharing the same vision.
{{About Yolande Mukagasana}}
The genocide against the Tutsi has left Yolande Mukagasana widowed and childless. Since 1995, she has been confronted with the Denial and Revisionism of this genocide in the West. Her struggle began in 1995 in Europe where she spent 16 years talking and testifying about the Genocide against Tutsi, justice, peace and living together despite her wounds.
She has travelled around the world to bear witness to what happened in Rwanda in 1994. She has received various awards including the Honorable Mention of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education, recognition by the American Jewish Community and many others.
Yolande Mukagasana is also the author of seven books translated into different languages and such are the reasons why Yolande Mukagasana’s commitment to promote the culture of reading and writing about the genocide against the Tutsi, hence keeping the memory alive.
Yolande Mukagasana believes that “There will be no humanity without forgiveness, there will be no forgiveness without justice, and there will be no justice without humanity.”
The decision to repossess the land went into effect on 1st January 2021.
The decision raised mixed reactions despite Government’s repeated reminders to the public on registration deadline.
The Director of Land Administration Unit at RLMUA, Jean Baptiste Mukarage has told IGIHE that the land will be registered to the Government temporarily as they wait for owners to get them registered.
“The Government has taken over a total of 1,499,845 plots of land. These include 31, 997 in Kigali City; 503 274 in Southern Province, 399, 305 in Western Province; 303,383 in Northern Province and 261 886 in Eastern Province,” he said.
Mukarage explained that such lands remain unregistered for various reasons whereby some owners don’t value the activity, try to evade tax while others don’t have identities or lack basic documents to have lands registration.
Other reasons include people exploiting Government’s lands for free fearing to get them registered and others unwilling to expose their wealth.
Mukarage revealed that owners will continue to utilize their unregistered land before the Government communicates further decision.
“People will continue to register their lands presenting ownership documents obtained from cell’s land committees in collaboration with sectors’ officials,” he said.
Mukarage has underscored that deeper analysis will be conducted to understand why each plot of land is not registered before taking further decisions.
He said that the Government might take full ownership of unregistered lands if concerned people continue to keep quiet without claims to complete the registration process.
The Government of Rwanda launched land registration in 2009 completed 2013 but some people have not yet registered their properties.
In January 2020, RLMUA released a statement informing the general public that everyone should have registered his/her land within six months.
The deadline set on 30th June 2020 was extended to 30th December 2020 due to COVID-19. The institution revealed that unregistered land would be considered abandoned properties after the deadline.
Commenting on the deadline that was set towards the end of December 2020, the Director General of RLMUA, Esperance Mukamana explained that Rwanda has no gain in taking over people’s land and encouraged land owners to rush for registration.
“The Government has nothing to gain from taking over anyone’s property. We want people to do the necessary to register their land. If you fail to do so, the Government will temporarily takeover the land and return it when you have had it registered,” she said.
Mukamana explained that people registering the land temporarily owned by the Government will not be subject to fines and pointed out advantages of land registration.
“Land registration has played a critical role in solving land related disputes. For instance, land dispute cases taken to court have reduced. Moreover, land owners can use their land documents to acquire bank loans,” noted Mukamana.
The article 20 of the Law No 43/2013 of 16/06/2013 determining land use in Rwanda shows that land registration is obligatory.
Figures from RLMUA show that 9,965,648 plots of land have been registered since 2009 when the land registration exercise began that remaining ones without registration equal to 1,561,201 across the country.
The new development has been revealed by NEC Executive Secretary, Charles Munyaneza during a talk show aired on Rwanda Television.
The budget that was prepared before Coronavirus pandemic might however be increased because there were no considerations for some expenses like hand sanitizers at every polling station, water to wash hands, and others related to the prevention of Covid-19.
“Citizens’ participation during elections increases as years pass by. The higher number of voters should correspond to increased budget but it should not be a burden to the country which has other areas of focus to promote citizens’ progress,” he said.
“The budget was prepared in 2019. We didn’t know that Coronavirus would emerge. Thus, the budget might increase due to measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 given that polling rooms will be increased from 16,000 of 2016 to almost 17,000,” added Munyaneza.
At least 1.3 million contenders are expected to participate in upcoming elections while 600 are set to vote for the first time.
As Munyaneza explained, the budget is estimated at Rwf 3.5 billion down from Rwf 5 billion of parliamentarians’ elections in 2018.
NEC is set to start receive candidatures for aspirants to join districts’ advisory committee.
NEC Chairman, Prof Kalisa Mbanda revealed that applications will be submitted online to contain the spread of COVID-19.
He highlighted that Coronavirus preventive measures will also be observed during local leaders elections scheduled on 20th to 22nd February 2021.
“Our team has recently visited different sites countrywide to assess if polling stations have enough spaces or need more rooms. Usually, people would interact being closer to each other but we have taken measures enabling voters to respect social distancing to contain the spread of Covid-19,” said Mbanda.
NEC timetable shows that villages’ advisory committees will be elected on 20th February 2021 while cell and sectors’ advisory committees will be elected between 20th and 22nd February 2021.
On 5th March 2021, there will be elections for districts’ advisory committees and executive committees (mayor and vice mayors).
Only Rwandans aged 18 years without particular restrictions are eligible to vote.
Those eligible to vote should not have been served more than 6 month-sentence, should not be pinned to murder cases, not involved in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Among others, an individual sacked from public service is not allowed not vote.
NEC figures show that a total of 6, 469, 037 voters participated in 2016 local leaders elections while 2018 parliamentary elections attracted 7, 172,612 voters.
So far, 7,856,406 voters are registered on the provisional list of elections scheduled from 20th to 22nd February 2021.
Capt Rusine who was once enrolled in Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) and Col Irombe were arrested on 7th January 2021 through Congolese Special Forces known as ‘Hibou Special Forces’.
Rusine joined FLN in 2018 after dismissal from RDF over conviction for robbery crimes. He was sacked at the rank of Lieutenant.
Col Irombe was heading FLN military court. He was born in 1967 in former Commune Tare currently in Gakenke district. He studied secondary school at Rwesero Junior Seminary.
As RPF soldiers stooped genocide, Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) fled to DRC where Irombe pursued Laws at Lubumbashi University.
He once served as Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) Judiciary Commissioner and personal secretary of Col Bigaruka. The arrest of the two men follows the death of Lt Col Butera Didier, former FLN advisor killed during FARC operations.
The week-long fight between FARDC and CNRD/MRCD rebel groups in Muzimu and Kigoma of Uvila in Southern Kivu saw 36 FLN fighters killed. The rebel group’s headquarters has also been captured by FARDC.
FLN has been on the brink of defeat since top leaders have been arrested. These include the spokesperson, Nsabimana Callixte Sankara and his successor, Herman Nsengimana as well as the Chairman Paul Rusesabagina who are detained in Rwanda.
Recently arrested leaders are additional to other members of the terror groups extradited to Rwanda including Major Habibu Mudathiru along with rebels who had joined the coalition of armed groups allied to RNC that intended to destabilize Rwanda’s security and FDLR tope leaders like Ignace Nkaka, alias LaForge Fils Bazeye, Lt Col Jean-Pierre Nsekanabo FDLR arrested and facing justice in Rwanda.
The UN Group of Experts (GoE) Midterm report dated 23rd December 2020, claimed that Rwanda sent troops for military operations in Eastern DRC.
In a statement released on Friday, Rwanda has explained that such allegations are unfounded.
“The Government of Rwanda refutes allegations from the UN Group of Experts (GoE) Midterm report dated 23rd December 2020, and reiterates that there were no Rwandan troops on the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo and that there had been no recent Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) joint operations with the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC),” reads the statement in part.
Rwanda enjoys cordial bilateral relations with the DRC, and there are several existing bilateral cooperation engagements, including military cooperation.
However, the statement further reads that, such cooperation is exclusively limited to intelligence sharing on various armed groups operating in Eastern DRC that are a common threat to both countries.
The Government of Rwanda also reiterated its commitment to promote national and regional natural resources governance mechanisms in the fight against illegal exploitation and trade of minerals in the region.
It is against this background, and in a spirit of cooperation and goodwill, that in February 2020, during the last visit of the UN GoE to Rwanda, they were shown various anti-smuggling efforts in place, and witnessed minerals that had been seized by authorities.
“The Government of Rwanda regrets the shortcomings of the UN GoE report, and the lack of good faith demonstrated by the experts. Despite being granted access to various Government institutions, facilitated in meeting witnesses and provided with responses to all issues raised, the UN GoE report omitted key information and clarifications provided by the GoR,” adds the statement.
The Government of Rwanda has concluded by expressing its deepest concerns towards ‘the lack of rigor from the UN GoE in the fulfillment of its mandate, raising serious concerns about the independence of its reports’.
He succumbed to complications stemming from COVID-19 which he had contracted in October 2020. The priest, who died at the age of 66, was renowned for divine healing prayers, psychiatric as well as unity and reconciliation initiatives.
At the beginning of 2020, Father Rugirangoga traveled to U.S.A for usual mission of spreading the gospel and healing prayers. He had to return in April, the same year but was stuck there as flight travels were suspended due to emerging COVID-19 pandemic.
As flights resumed, Father Rugirangoga caught the virus in October 2020. He recovered from the virus but later suffered from complications stemming from the disease until his demise.
He is said to have succumbed to lungs complications.
The Bishop of Gikongoro Diocese, Hakizimana Célestin who also oversees Cyangugu Diocese has told IGIHE that Father Rugirangiga belonged had read a mass at the hospital where he was admitted on 7th January 2021. It was his first mass after recovering from COVID-19.
Few hours later, caretakers called the brother of Rugirangoga (Révelien) telling him that his elder brother was critically ill. One hour later around 11pm of U.S.A time zone , Father Rugirangoga breathed the last.
IGIHE has spoken to Rugirangoga’s acquaintances who have described him as a kind person who strived for a peaceful society.
Father Rugirangoga has been a priest for 35 years.
His Eminence, Cardinal Antoine Kambanda has said that he was with Rugirangoga by the time he read the first ever mass as he was ordained priest.
Cardinal Kambanda was ordained priest on 9th September 1990 by Pope Jean Paul II during a ceremony that took place at Nyandungu in Kigali. Kambanda read the first mass next day at Junior Seminary Saint Vincent de Paul.
Antoine Cardinal Kambanda has recounted great memories with Father Rugirangoga who attended his mass coming from Cyangugu Diocese where he was accomplishing his pastoral duties.
“The next morning on 10th September 1990, I read the first mass in presence of Father Ubald who had visited us. He was staying at the seminary given that I was living with his friend, a priest with whom they studied together [late Emmanuel Gasana],” he revealed.
After the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Father Rugirangoga played a big role to Rwandan community in divine healing prayers that saw many recovering from incurable diseases and contributed to the country’s unity and reconciliation efforts.
“We have been liaised by the mission of promoting unity and peace and rebuilding Rwandan community. We have been particularly, working together at justice and peace commission in Rwanda’s Catholic Church,” he said.
“We are deeply moved on by his death. We still needed his contribution to this mission of uniting Rwandans. May his soul Rest In eternal Peace,” added Cardinal Kambanda.
The Bishop of Gikongoro Diocese, Bishop Hakizimana Célestin has said that Rwanda’s Catholic Church and Rwanda community loses an important person.
As he explained, Bishop Hakizimana also lived with Father Rugirangoga in Kigali shortly after Genocide.
“He used to say that we didn’t carry out our mission appropriately. Then, he started promoting unity and reconciliation journey in Mushaka Parish which was extended countrywide,” he said.
“We know that he used well his spiritual talent that he toured the entire country praying for patients some of whom fully or partly recovered. He was God’s gift to Rwanda,” added Bishop Hakizimana.
Ubald was the head priest at Mushaka Parish had requested his Bishop to be assigned in a parish where he could easily pray for mass public and help them along unity and reconciliation journey.
Bishop Hakizimana said, he appointed him to head the organization dubbed ‘Ikigo Ibanga ry’Amahoro’ (The Secret to Peace) located in Nkanka Parish, Rusizi district, Western Province.
“He had traveled to America for fundraising to upgrade activities of the organization. So far; a church and priests’ accommodations among other facilities have been set up at the center. He was a man of God who dedicated his life to provide psychiatric services, peace, unity and reconciliation,” he said.
The head priest at Mushaka Parish, Rwabugiri Siméon has also highlighted that he started living with Father Rugirangoga during internship.
“He was a humble person, treating everyone modestly and used to dedicate time for everyone with sufferings seeking his help,” he noted. “After Genocide, he has been uniting perpetrators and survivors and helped to mend members of the community involved in different disputes including poison accusation cases that yielded big,” added Rwabugiri.
Father Rugirangoga has prayed for many patients some of whom recovered from sight problems, HIV/AIDS, Diabetis among other incurable or hardly curable diseases.
He always attributed the healing to Jesus.
Speaking to IGIHE in 2015, Father Rugirangoga revealed that he started healing prayers in 1987 when he was a young priest. “Later in 1991, I started seeing visuals and hearing strange voices speaking to me. In the four previous years, I used to pray for people who would come to tell me that they have recovered,” he said.
Niyibizi Verena from Kicukiro district witnessed that he recovered from heart disease in 2015 after attending Ubald’s healing prayers. He had suffered from the disease for nine years that hospitals in Rwanda, Kenya, Belgium and Germany had failed him.
Father Ubald Rugiranoga was born in February 155 in former Rwabidege sector, Mwezi parish in Commune Karengera, Prefecture Cyangugu currently in Rusizi district. He was ordained priest in 1984 at the age of 29. He used to organize different gospel crusades in which many people healed from different diseases.
He has been a priest for over 32 years.
In 2015, Father Rugirangoga was selected Protector of Friendship Pact ‘Umurinzi w’Igihango’ for outstanding contribution to unity and reconciliation initiatives that started in Mushaka Parish and extended countrywide.
News about his death went to public today morning.
The cause of death has not yet been communicated but he was recently battling COVID complications as people managing his social media accounts have been reporting.
The Bishop of Gikongoro Diocese has told IGIHE that Father Ubald Rugirangoga died last night around 11pm of US time zone.
He was receiving treatment at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Through his Facebook account, it was in October 2020 reported that Father Rugirangoga caught coronavirus and was seen on ventilators helping him to breathe at the beginning of this year.
Rugirangoga’s COVID-19 battle began at St. John’s Health Hospital in Jackson before he was airlifted to the larger regional hospital in Utah on Oct. 30 due to declining condition. He initially looked to be recovering and was taken off of a ventilator before his health worsened again.
Before Father Rugirangoga was admitted at the University of Utah Hospital, his friend Katsey Long visited him at St. John’s Health.
Though he was no longer positive for the virus, Long said that his body was dealing with issues stemming from the disease which friends believe he contracted in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he delivered a healing service in early October, 2020.
Doctors are monitoring him for “blood clots, fluids and infections, which are all post-COVID fall outs, and he’s still requiring quite a bit of oxygen,” Long told Jh News, a US based medium.
Father Rugirangoga was renowned for psychiatric initiatives and healing prayers that encouraged Genocide perpetrators to seek forgiveness and survivors to forgive offenders as a healing process from the wounds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
In 2015, Father Rugirangoga was selected as Protector of Friendship Pact ‘Umurinzi w’Igihango’ for outstanding contribution promoting unity and reconciliation among Rwandans across the country.
He has been a priest for 32 years and dies at the age of 65.
Normally, a Rwandan graduate from foreign schools is supposed to get an academic equivalence certificate to work in the country to corresponding positions.
The issue of graduates at Cavendish University brought mixed reactions recently where they claimed to have been denied jobs in public institutions for failure to possess authentic academic qualifications.
Cavendish university graduates have been serving as teachers and head teachers in different schools in Rwanda but were recently dismissed over failure to present their academic equivalence certificates.
During a press conference yesterday, Dr. Uwamariya explained that these students received Recognition of Academic Qualification but the university where they studied was not licensed.
“It should be understood that we can’t give them ‘Equivalence certificate’ while they studied at unlicensed university. We however requested them to join other universities with faculties of education for support to meet requirements,” she said.
The Higher Education Council (HEC) reveals that Cavendish University recently presented authorization documents as one of accredited universities in Uganda. This prompted HEC to seek truth and wrote letter to Uganda National Council for Higher Education which clarified that the university has not yet been licensed.
Another similar case is reported to students in education department at and Protestant Institute of Arts And Social Sciences (PIASS). They passed teachers’ recruitment exams but were later dismissed because they didn’t carry out internship while at school.
Dr. Uwamariya said that these students used to receive ‘Intermediate Award’ before completion of studies which they used to apply for jobs.
“They were listed as workers who don’t meet requirements because they didn’t complete studies,” she said. MINEDUC says that such teachers dismissed to complete education will start job application from scratch after graduation.
The incident took place last night around 8pm. The school that accommodates students from nursery to ordinary level, is located in Buye village, Butare cell in Ngoma sector of Huye district.
The car hit the students as they crossed the road heading to their dormitories after dining from the school’s refectory. The dormitory is opposite school buildings that students have to cross the road to reach it.
The head teacher of Centre Scolaire Elena Guela, Sister Patricie Mukagahima has told IGIHE that they rushed student to hospital after the incident where one succumbed to injuries.
“We rushed them to health facilities unfortunately one of them died at King Faisal Hospital. Others are attended to at University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB) but four of them have been seriously injured,” she said.
Huye district officials have today morning joining the school’s management to comfort students discomforted by colleague’s accident.
Speaking to IGIHE, some parents with children at the school have expressed worries over restrictions to visit their kids at hospital amidst Coronavirus pandemic but the school’s management has said that parents are getting updates of admitted students’ health via phone.
Police spokesperson in Southern Province, SP Kanamugire Theobald has told IGIHE that the car that hit students has been seized.
“We have seized the car and the driver. It is apparent that the accident was triggered by over speeding. The next step is to make his file and hand him to the Prosecution,” he said.
SP Kanamugire appealed on motorists to drive carefully and abide by traffic rules.
The cabinet meeting held on 4th January 2021 chaired by Prime Minister, Dr. Edouard Ngirente set new COVID-19 preventive measures requiring institutions (public and private) to operate at no more than 30% capacity of staff while others have to work from home.
To further reinforce the directive, MIFOTRA yesterday released a letter requesting public institutions to operate at 15% capacity of staff.
“Pursuant to health guidelines and measures of the cabinet meeting of 4th January 2021, after realizing the rising COVID-19 cases, we would like to inform you that public institutions will continue activities with a requirement to operate at 15% capacity of total staff while others have to work from home on rotational basis,” reads part of the letter.
“ In this context, MIFOTRA also requests public institutions to produce a list of staff to work from home or office and specify when they should rotate that operating at 15% of staff capacity shall go into effect immediately,” adds the letter.
MIFOTRA has requested institutions to make the list public and encourage staff to respect COVID-19 preventive measures.
Rwanda confirmed the first COVID-19 patient on 14th March last year.
As of today, a total of 9,058 people have been tested positive out of 750,081 sample tests of whom 6940 have recovered, 2006 are active cases while 112 have succumbed to the pandemic.
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.
