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Rwanda Governance Scorecard 2018 indicates that citizens are satisfied with Abunzi services at 88.54% rate with some voices raised on some who take bribes.

Citizens say that bribes given to Abunzi are given different slangs including inyoroshyangendo that can be loosely translated as ‘that which eases the journey’, umuti w’ikaramu ‘the ink of the pen’, guhagurutsa inteko ‘rising up the committee’ among others.
In a press conference on Friday, the President of the Supreme Court said that information on the Abunzi who take bribes is known at the Supreme Court level.

“It is true, some citizens say Abunzi don’t do their work adequately and there is too much corruption among them. We always sensitize the Abunzi to never engage in corruption but some don’t understand us. Those will be punished like all the other criminals,” he said.
Rugege added they will keep sensitizing citizens about their entitlement without involving bribery.

“In the judiciary, we are unrelentingly fighting corruption among workers in the justice sector. We urge citizens never to give bribes or entice workers to receive it. This drive will continue among the Abunzi and punishment awaits the errant ones,” Rwanda’s Chief Justice Rugege added.

In May this year, the President of the mediation Committee Abunzi in Nganzo Cell, Muhanga Sector of Muhanga District, was arrested over attempting to bribe an official of the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB).

The mediation committee member allegedly attempted to bribe the RIB staff after he falsified documents of a judgment he had presided over and had an effect on the case trials in higher court processes.

Abunzi is a Rwandan homegrown solution, where persons known within their communities for integrity – in traditional Rwandan society – are given powers to mediate in the event of conflict.

This was during a handover ceremony, presided over by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Patrick Nyamvumba, at the Rwanda Defence Force headquarters in Kimihurura, Kigali.

Maj Gen Aloys Muganga was appointed by HE Paul Kagame, the President and Commander-in-Chief of Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) on Tuesday 20th November 2018.
In his address, Gen Ibingira congratulated the newly appointed Ag RFCOS who has been the Commandant of Rwanda Military Academy-Gako.

“I would like to thank the leadership and the entire MoD/RDF family for the support extended to me in executing the duties as Reserve Force Chief, and I wish the incoming RFCOS success,’’ said Gen Fred Ibingira.

Both Gen Fred Ibingira and Maj Gen Aloys Muganga thanked the President and Commander-In-Chief for believing in them. Maj Gen Muganga in his address promised cooperation and to always work as a team player.

On his part, the new Ag RFCOS, Maj Gen Muganga appreciated his predecessor for leaving a lasting legacy.

“I’ll forever be indebted to the Commander in Chief and the President, MoD/RDF family for the trust and giving me the opportunity to serve my country in this capacity,’ Maj Gen said Gen Muganga said pledging to always seek counsel from his predecessor.

The incoming Chief of Staff holds a master’s degree in project management from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and is a graduate of the United States of America War College (USAWC – 2007). His other previous postings include Mechanized Division Commander, Defence Liaison Officer for Rwanda at EAC – Arusha among other RDF command and staff responsibilities.

Rwandans in diaspora wishing to participate in the national dialogue have been requested to start registering at their respective embassies by sending their names, the country they live in, passport number and their email.

Umushyikirano is an annual event chaired by the President of Rwanda. It gives Rwandans from all walks of life the opportunity to ask questions directly to their leaders. The event is attended by members of the Cabinet and Parliament, representatives of the Rwandan community inside and in the diaspora, local government, media, the diplomatic community and others invited by the President.

Individuals unable to attend in person can participate via telephone, SMS, Twitter and Facebook as well as follow the debate live on television and radio.

The constitution of the Republic of Rwanda stipulates that decisions taken at the National Dialogue Council are transferred to government agencies in charge of implementation with the ultimate aim of improving Rwandans’ welfare.

The first National Dialogue Umushyikirano took place on June 28, 2003, attracting only Rwandans resident in the country until 2007 when the diaspora started participating.
Last year’s National Dialogue Council attracted over 2000 Rwandans who convened at Kigali Convention Centre with other guests including ministers from Congo, Liberia, Chad among others.

The discussions focused on sustainable development to be achieved through the seven-year National Transformation Strategy.

As he launched the dialogue, President Paul Kagame shared with Rwandans the national status which he said was good but a lot needed to be done to accelerate the needed national development targets.

President Kagame requested that Kinyarwanda should be taught to young, embrace a culture of time management and fighting drug abuse that is affecting the youth all over the world.

The 15th National Dialogue Umushyikirano 2017 passed eight resolutions centered on education, health, economy, and culture.

{{The Resolutions are as follow:
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1. Take necessarily measures and changes aimed at improving the quality of education, increasing the number of technical schools and fighting causes of school drop-outs.

2. Increasing health infrastructures, and capacity building of medical personnel, putting more efforts in fighting against epidemics, and improved service delivery.

3. Sensitizing parents about giving their children a balanced diet, child development, cleanliness and promoting early childhood education.

4. A continued partnership between the government and the private sector in providing more power plants which will increase access to electricity to more citizens at an affordable price and improve ease of doing business.

5. To sensitize more Rwandans on the culture of saving and to support the three components of Made in Rwanda, namely; made in Rwanda, Start in Rwanda, Grow in Rwanda and Beyond in order to create more jobs and to bridge the trade imbalance gap.

6. To keep and protect values of the Rwandan culture and inculcate them among children both in Rwanda and diaspora.

7. To enhance partnership among government institutions, the civil society, and religious organizations in teaching Kinyarwanda in families, schools and media programs, bearing in mind that all Rwandans should learn and know Kinyarwanda and use it well.

8. Youth Camps should be adopted allowing youth to work together in developing the country.

In his first press conference since he became Rwanda’s top diplomat, Dr. Richard Sezibera on Tuesday told reporters that Rwanda wishes to improve the relationship with Uganda so as to end mistreatment that Rwandans face in the country.

“The relationship is not good, we want it to be better. There are problems you know. The problems of Rwandans going to Uganda and facing mistreatment, the problems of other people who want to disturb Rwanda’s security […] those are the problems we want to resolve to make our relationship better. These issues do not come from us, they emanate from elsewhere,” he said. His Ugandan counterpart, Sam Kuteesa, recently came to Rwanda and met President Paul Kagame with a message from President Yoweri Museveni in relation to misunderstandings between the two countries.

Dr. Sezibera declined to disclose to the media what was contained in Museveni’s message to Kagame.

“What I can tell you is the issues have not been resolved yet, and we are trying to solve them,” he said.

Dr. Sezibera, further said that regarding the relationship between Rwanda and Burundi, there are no new developments because the existing problems are not caused by Rwanda.
“It is not good. The causes of misunderstandings do not emanate from Rwanda. Burundi has its own problems that, at times, it tries to blame on Rwanda but the problems in Burundi are for Burundians,” he said.

He replaces Gen Fred IBINGIRA who has been holding the position since 2010 according to a press statement released on the website of the Ministry of Defense.

Aloys Muganga was promoted to the rank of Major General from the rank of Brigadier General with other 11 officers on January 12, 2018.

The other brigadier generals who were then promoted to the rank of major general include Charles Karamba, Eric Murokore, Emmy Ruvusha, Emmanuel Bayingana, Joseph Nzabamwita, Andrew Kagame, Charles Rudakubana, Ferdinand Safari, Albert Murasira who was appointed Minister of Defense on October 19 this year, Jean-Jacques Laurent Mupenzi and Innocent Kabandana.

The outgoing Fred Ibingira was also promoted to the rank of full General on the same date becoming the country’s fourth top officer with the rank of General after Gen. James Kabarebe former Defence Minister, (now Senior Presidential Adviser on security matters), Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba (Chief of Defence Staff) and Gen. Marcel Gatsinzi (Rtd).

{{Below is a profile of the new RDF Reserve Force Chief of Staff
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Before Major General Aloys G. Muganga’s appointment as Ag. RFCOS, he was the Commandant of Rwanda Military Academy. His other postings include Mechanized Div Commander, Defense Liaison Officer for Rwanda at EAC, Arusha among other RDF command and staff responsibilities.

{Formal and Military Qualifications:
}

-* United States of America War College (USAWC) in 2007
-* Senior Command and Staff Course – (KDF CSC)—PSC, Kenya and other professional
Military Courses
-* Masters Degree in Project Management, Maastricht University, Netherlands

Major General Aloys G. Muganga is a recipient of the National Liberation Medal, Campaign against Genocide Medal, Command Service Medal, Combat Action Medal, Foreign Campaign Medal, Presidential Inauguration Medal, Peace Support Operations Medal and Community Service Ribbons among others.

Aloys G. Muganga is married and has a family of four children.

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Kagame made the remarks as he addressed 80 members of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), a global network of business leaders with more than 26,000 members in more than130 countries.

President Paul Kagame, who is the Chairman of the African Union (AU) and who in 2016 was mandated by his fellow African Heads of States to watch over the African Union institutional reforms, expressed his pleasure in the role Rwandans have played in the AU reforms and said a lot more can be achieved by the Continent and through partnerships.

“It is a great pleasure for us as Rwandans to be part of it [AU reforms] and play our role, however little, trying to achieve results for everyone’s benefits. There is so much we can do as a continent and there is, even more, we can do with partnerships,” he said.

On Rwanda’s progress, Kagame said: “We are convinced that we have had in our past is not what we deserve, what we deserve is in our future. We all go together and we don’t want to leave anyone behind, that is more or less like a religion for us.”

To get the future the country deserves, Kagame urged the YPO members to ‘act ahead of the actual time you are in.’

Kagame said: “I am no longer worried about the past or the future, the sustainability of what we are building is what I spend my days and nights on. We have to keep thinking ahead, and sometimes acting ahead of the actual time you are in.”

“We need to sustain the kind of politics, activities that ensure Rwandans value one another so we don’t go back to the history where one looks at a neighbor, a workmate as an enemy. There is no basis for that,” he added.

The Chairman of the African Union highlighted the mental problem as the biggest challenge that delays Africa’s transformation stressing some cases where Africans beg from others what they already have.

“In Africa, we tend to lower our standards. In some cases, Africans even beg to be given what they have. Some ask for others to spend on them when they have the resources to spend on themselves. It is a mentality problem,” Kagame said adding that, “What is lacking is being able to say, we have all the means & the intellectual ability to think. There is no continent with more resources than ours. The question is what is missing to produce what we need, to take ourselves to the level where we need to be.”

On the AU Peace Fund that was launched during the AU Extraordinary Summit last weekend in Addis, Ethiopia, Kagame said: “The idea was to create a fund and grow it so that we can prevent conflicts on our continent without having to beg NGOs or others to do it for us.”

1. The Cabinet Meeting approved the minutes of the Cabinet Meeting held on 24th October 2018.

2. The Cabinet Meeting was briefed on:

– Rwanda’s Performance in the Doing Business Report 2019The Implementation Progress of Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) Programme;

– The launch of the new approach to fast-track graduation in the implementation of social protection programs.

3. The Cabinet Meeting approved:

– The revised Rwanda National Payment System Strategy (RNPS);

– The revised Intellectual Property Policy;

– The National Quality Policy (NQP);

– The National Agriculture Insurance Scheme;

– The establishment of the Water Resources Board;

– Rwanda’s Membership to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Centre.

4. The Cabinet Meeting approved the following draft laws:

– Draft Law approving the ratification of the Grant Agreement signed in Kigali, Rwanda on 19 September 2018, between the Government of the Republic of Rwanda and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), relating to the grant of two billion six hundred and thirty-five million Japanese Yen (JPY 2,635,000,000) for the project for the improvement of substation and distribution network (phase 3);

– Draft Law approving the ratification of the Financing Agreement signed in Kigali, Rwanda on 05 November 2018, between the Republic of Rwanda and the International Development Association (IDA), relating to the credit of fourteen million three hundred thousand special drawing rights (SDR 14,300,000) for public finance management reform project;

– Draft Law approving the ratification of the grant agreement signed in Kigali, Rwanda on 19 September 2018, between the Republic of Rwanda and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development acting as trustee of the trust fund for the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, relating to the grant of twenty-six million three hundred thousand American Dollars (USD 26,300,000) for the sustainable agricultural intensification and food security project;

– Draft Law approving the ratification of the financing agreement signed in Kigali, Rwanda on 16 November 2018 between the Republic of Rwanda and the International Development Association (IDA), relating to the credit of eighty-nine million six hundred thousand Special Drawings Rights (SDR 89,600,000) for the second Rwanda Energy Sector Development Policy Financing;

– Draft Law approving the accession of Rwanda to the Vienna convention on civil liability for nuclear damage concluded at Vienna on 21 May 1963;

– Draft Law approving the accession of Rwanda to Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, adopted at Arusha, in the United Republic of Tanzania, on 6 July 2015, within the Framework of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).

5. The Cabinet Meeting approved the following orders:

– Presidential Order on secondment of one Senior Officer (SP Rank) and 34 Junior Officers to be seconded to the Rwanda Forensic Laboratory (RFL).

– Prime Minister’s Orders determining mission and functions, organizational structure, salaries and fringe benefits for employees of:  Office of the Prime Minister (PRIMATURE);  Ministry of ICT and Innovation (MINICT);  Ministry of Environment (MoE);  Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINIEMA);  Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA);  Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI);  Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC);  Ministry of Education (MINEDUC);  Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MINAFFET);  Ministry of Health.

– Prime Minister’s Order establishing the Bugesera Special Economic Zone (BSEZ). – Prime Minister’s Order granting a leave of absence for a non-specific period to Mr. KATANISA Peter who was Advisor to the Minister in the Ministry of Environment);

– Prime Minister’s Order granting leave of absence for a non-specific period to Dr. MURINDAHABI Ruyange Monique who was the Director of Prevention Unit in Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC);

– Ministerial Order on secondment of 15 Non-Commissioned Police officers of Rwanda National Police to the Rwanda Forensic Laboratory (RFL)

– Ministerial Order appointing Lt. Moses NDOBA and SSGT BIHEZANDE Bernardin Magnus as Clerks in the Military Tribunal;

6. The Cabinet Meeting approved the agrément of Ms. BURCU CEVIK as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey to the Republic of Rwanda, with residence in Kigali;

7. The Cabinet Meeting approved Mr. RICHARD MUGISHA as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of Rwanda with residence in Kigali.

8. The Cabinet Meeting made the following appointments:

In the Office of the Prime Minister (PRIMATURE)

– NGUGABE Chris: Economic Advisor;

– KARUHANGA Wilson: Macroeconomic Policy Analyst.

In the Ministry of Education

– KAGERUKA Benjamin: Head of Department of Basic Education and Quality Assurance;

– RUGAZA Julian: Director General of Corporate Services;

– BAGUMA Rose: Director General of Education Policy and Planning.

In RwandaTransport Development Agency (RTDA)

MUNYAMPENDA Imena: Director General.

In Road Maintenance Fund (RMF)

SIBOMANA Mathias: Director General.

In High Education Council (HEC)

NTUKANYAGWE MICOMYIZA Michelle: Head of Policy, Planning, Scholarship & Fund Management Department.
In Food and Drugs Authority (FDA)

– KABATENDE Joseph: Head Food & Drug Assessment and Registration Department;

– GISAGARA Alex: Head of Department Food and Drugs Inspection and Safety Monitoring Department ;

– BERWA Françoise: Chief Finance;

– IRASABWA Clarisse: Drug and Health Technologies, Assessment and Registration Division Manager;

– MUSANGWA Desire: Food Assessment and Registration Division Manager;

– MUNYANGAJU Edouard: Drug and Food Inspection and Compliance Division Manager;
– NTIRENGANYA Lazare: Pharmaco-Vigilance and Food Safety Monitoring (PV & SM) Division Manager;

– MUKUNZI Antoine: Quality Control Lab (QCL) Division Manager.

In Rwanda Polytechnic (RP)

– Dr. UWAMARIYA Valentine: Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Trainings, Institutional Development & Research;

– Dr. RUBERWA Alexis: Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administrative.

In Rwanda Education Board (REB)

NGOGA James: Head of Department of Teacher Development and Management.

In Workforce Development Authority (WDA)

– GATABAZI Pascal: Director General;

– INGABIRE Winfred: Head of Qualifications Standards & Accreditation Departement.

In Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centers (IPRCS)

– NDAYAMBAJE Fortunate: Head of Corporate Services Division, IPRC Kigali;

– RUDAHIGWA Oswald: Head of Corporate Services Division,

IPRC Ngoma;

– Senior Superintendent KABUYE David: Principal,

IPRC Gishari;

– INGABIRE Dominique: Vice Principal in Charge of Academic Affairs,

IPRC Gishari;

– KAYITSINGA Jean Marie Vianney: Head of Corporate Services Division,

IPRC Gishari;

– Dr. NSABIMANA Ernest: Principal,

IPRC Karongi;

– Eng. UMUKUNZI Paul: Vice Principal in Charge of Academic Affairs IPRC Karongi;

– MUSABE Liliane: Head of Corporate Services Division, IPRC Karongi;

– Major Dr. TWABAGIRA Barnabé: Principal, IPRC Huye.

In Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB)

– BATETA Jeanne: Inspector;

– BANYUNDO Dieudonné: Inspector;

– MUKARUGINA Valerie: Inspector;

– MBABAZI Modeste: Communication Analyst;

– UMUHOZA Marie Michelle: Investigation Analyst;

– KAMARAMPAKA Consolée: Chief Investigator at Provincial Bureau;

– RUZAYIRE Prosper: Chief Investigator at Provincial Bureau;

– MUKAMANA Belline: Chief Investigation at Provincial Bureau;

– GASIRABO Félicien: Chief Investigator at Provincial Bureau;

– RUTARO Herbert: Chief Investigator at Provincial Bureau.

In the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN)

– TUYISENGE Faustin: Director of Central Government Internal Audit Unit;

– KUBWIMANA Gratien: Director of Local Government Internal Audit Unit.

9. AOBs.

– The Minister in the Office of the President informed the Cabinet Meeting that the 2018 Anti-corruption week will be organized from 4th to 9th December 2018 while the International Anti-Corruption Day will be celebrated on 9th December 2018.

– The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning informed the Cabinet Meeting that:

. From 22nd – 23rd November 2018, Rwanda will be hosting the 11th Annual Policy Makers’ Conference under the chairmanship of RSSB as the incoming Chair;

. The 22nd meeting of the ICE of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) – Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA) will take place at the Kigali Convention Center (KCC) from 20th – 22nd November 2018.

– The Minister of State in Charge of Social Affairs/Ministry of Local Government informed the Cabinet Meeting that Rwanda will celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on the 3rd December 2018 in all districts and at the national level in Masaka Sector, Kicukiro District. The National Celebration will be preceded by a Disability week starting from 24th November 2018.

– The Minister of Justice/Attorney General informed the Cabinet Meeting that:

. Rwanda will join the rest of the World to celebrate the International Human Rights Day on 10th December 2018. The world will also be marking the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At the national level, the celebrations will be preceded by a week-long (from 1st -9th December) awareness campaign on the principles of Human Rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

. The National Human Rights Commission was accredited with status “A” for the 4th time. The status is conferred to National Human Rights Institutions that fully comply with the Human Rights principles;

. The Judiciary in collaboration with the National Public Prosecution Authority is organizing a Judicial Week from 26-30 November 2018.

– The Minister of Youth is informing Cabinet Meeting that :

. Youth Connekt Holiday Program will be conducted from 24th November to 20th December 2018 at Cell Level. At the national level, this program will be launched in Gicumbi District, Kageyo Sector in Kageyo Cell and will be marked by the planting of trees during the monthly community work, Umuganda. This Youth will continue to participate in the Youth Connekt Convention and the National Umushyikirano Council from 12th -14th December 2018.

. Itorero Urunana rw’Urungano 3rd edition, 2018 will take place from 5th – 11th December 2018. It will bring together 616 youths aged between 21-35, including 200 Rwandan Youth living abroad.

– The Minister of Trade and Industry informed the Cabinet Meeting that the Africa Industrialization Day will be celebrated on 20th November 2018 at the Kigali Special Economic Zone.

– The Minister of Environment informed the Cabinet Meeting that the Coalition Building Conference for Peace and Security and shared Natural Resources Management in the Greater Virunga Landscape and the GVTC Council of Ministers meeting will be held at Kigali Serena Hotel on 26th and 27th November 2018 respectively.

– The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion informed the Cabinet Meeting that election of Children Forum committees shall be held from 4th to 07th December 2018. Elections will be preceded by a briefing of local leaders (District, Sector, Cell and Village) on the election of children forum committees from 26th to 30th November 2018. Children Committees with 104,622 elected representatives will be in place at all levels in the whole Country.

This Statement was signed by Marie Solange KAYISIRE The Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister in charge of Cabinet Affairs

In March this year, the 76-year-old Bishop Thadee Ntihinyurwa wrote to the Pope requesting to be allowed to go in retirement due to advanced age.

According to the Catholic Church’s doctrine, a bishop can request for retirement when he reaches 75 years of age. The Pope approves the retirement and appoints the new Diocese’s Bishop.

Bishop Ntihinyurwa turned 75 on September 73, 2017.

Shortly after his appointment as Kigali Archbishop, Bishop Antoine Kambanda told IGIHE that he is ready to serve duties with the help of God.

He said: “It is true; Rome has announced it. They are heavy duties but we are enabled by God. What follows is to relocate to Kigali and take over duties from my predecessor. I have not yet learned of the handover date because it has not been long since the news broke out,” said Kambanda as he talked to IGIHE’S reporter on phone shortly after his appointment.

Bishop Kambanda was born on November 10, 1958, in Nyamata Parish of Kigali Archdiocese.

He did his primary studies in Burundi and Uganda and continued with his secondary studies in Kenya. He completed his theology studies at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary of Nyakibanda.

He was ordained priest on September 8, 1990 by Pope John Paul II at Mbare, Kigali Archdiocese during the late Pope’s visit to Rwanda.

Upon his priesthood ordination, Bishop Kambanda started his mission as teacher doubling as the in charge of studies at Ndera Minor Seminary in Kigali.

Between 1993 and 1999, he went to continue with studies at the Alphonsian Academy in Rome, where he obtained a doctorate in moral theology.

From 1999 to 2005, Kambanda served as Director of CARITAS of Kigali Archdiocese, serving also as the Chairman of Justice and Peace Commission in the Archdiocese. He was also a teacher at Nyakibanda Major Seminary.

Between 2005 and 2016, Antoine Kambanda was the Rector of Kabgayi Major Seminary before he was once again appointed as Rector of Major Seminary of Nyakibanda, a position he left when he was appointed the Bishop of Kibungo Catholic Diocese on May 3, 2013 replacing Monsignor Kizito Bahujumihigo who had resigned from the position in 2010 amid financial troubles.

Monsignor Antoine Kambanda’s motto is “Ut vitam habeant’’, translating as, “That They May Have Life.”

Mgr. Kambanda replaces outgoing Thadee Ntihinyurwa who was appointed the Archbishop of Kigali Diocese March 9, 1996, a position he held after serving as Bishop of Cyangugu Diocese for a 16 year spell.

When a bishop retires, he is allowed to do other Church services like heading to a parish he wishes and supports priests or teaches in a school of his choice.

Nduhungirehe was commenting on claims by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Lindiwe Sisulu who recently revealed she had a conversation with Rwandan fugitive Kayumba Nyamwasa, to discuss with him about her country’s plan to normalize relations with Rwanda.

Kayumba Nyamwasa, a former General who also served as the Rwandan Army Chief of Staff, was in 2011 convicted and sentenced by the court to 24 years of imprisonment in absentia.

Nyamwasa was convicted of charges including terrorism, genocide denial and crimes against humanity. He fled to South Africa where he also founded the Rwandan National Congress (RNC), a movement that has declared war against the government of Rwanda and allegedly involved in subversive activities including supporting a terrorist armed group, FDLR, in the DRC jungles.

In 2014, Rwanda and South Africa relations went sour after South Africa expelled three Rwandan diplomats accusing them of a role in the shooting that saw Kayumba Nyamwasa injured. Rwanda also expelled six South African diplomats from its land.

Since then, Rwandans were barred from getting visas to South Africa while South Africans come to Rwanda easily.

In a press conference on Monday in Pretoria, Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said she had met Kayumba to discuss with him about South Africa’s plans to normalize relations with Kigali and added she had been “pleasantly surprised” to discover that he was ready himself to negotiate with the Rwandan government to try to resolve his issues with it.

Lisulu’s remarks raised concerns among Rwandans who consider as ‘strange’ how her country wishes to normalize relations with Rwanda but first consult somebody heading a rebellious movement against Rwanda.

Amb. Olivier Ndughungirehe said Rwanda will never be involved in a negotiation that involves a convicted criminal hiding in South Africa who is apparently not other than Kayumba Nyamwasa.

Nduhungirehe was replying to a tweet by Albert Rudatsimburwa, a Rwandan journalist who described Minister Lisulu’s proposals to negotiate with ‘self-exiled’ Kayumba Nyamwasa as strange and nonsense.

“Strangest attitude from South Africa’s Minister Sisulu in charge of “normalizing” relations with Rwanda, her proposal to negotiate on Kayumba behalf to return to Rwanda does not make a lot of sense. He was never chased away from Rwanda, he is a self-exiled,” Mr. Rudatsimburwa tweeted.

Replying to the tweet, Amb. Nduhungirehe said it is Lisulu or any South Africa official’s right to negotiate with Kayumba Nyamwasa, but Rwanda will never be involved in such a negotiation.

“If any SA [South African] official wishes to negotiate with a convicted criminal hiding in South Africa and leading a subversive movement operating in our region, he/she is free to do so, on his/her own and for him/herself. But he/she should never think about involving Rwanda into this ‘negotiation’,” Minister Nduhungirehe said in a tweet.

Last month, it was reported that the Rwandan Prosecution was considering to issue arrest warrants against Kayumba Nyamwasa in South Africa.

The two Heads of States had last met on September 24 this year as they participated in the 73rd United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

Their talks then focused on how to improve and maintain bilateral relations in different areas particularly the economy, investment, and tourism.

The Emir of Qatar talked with President Kagame about the problems affecting the region and the globe and the role Qatar can play in enhancing the security and safety among the member states of the African Union.

{{Rwanda and Qatar have good bilateral relations.
}}

On February 18 this year, President Kagame met Qatar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdurrahman Al-Thani in Munich, Germany where they discussed how both countries can enhance their relations and how existing challenges can be addressed.
In May last year, Rwanda and Qatar signed agreements to establish diplomatic relations. Qatar Airways carries out flights between Kigali and Doha and other directions including Dubai.

On May 26, 2015, the two nations signed partnership agreements related to fight against drugs. They were signed at the sidelines of Qatar International Anti-Drug Forum that was held in Doha.

The anti-drug partnership agreements were signed at the end of the year 2014. There are drug dealers arrested in Rwanda then after passing at Doha International Airport on their way from Southern America.