Tag: HomeHighlights

  • A trip to Nyungwe: Falsehoods demystified

    Those who say Nyungwe National Park is not secure nowadays base it on armed
    attacks carried out in the areas surrounding the forest since July last year and which
    were neutralized by the Rwandan army.

    In July last year, assailants attacked Nyabimata Sector of Nyaruguru District, looted belongings of the population but they were repeled by the Rwanda Defence Force.

    In December, last year again, other assailants killed two people and injured eight in Kitabi Sector of Nyamagabe District after setting a passenger car on fire. The RDF
    later confirmed to have killed three of the gunmen responsible for the attack after others fled back to Burundi.

    On March 18, this year, other gunmen killed one person in Karambi Sector of
    Nyamasheke District before the RDF intervened and stopped the attack.

    Visitors hail the safety in Nyungwe

    On Saturday at 3:30am IGIHE’s team of journalists arrived at One &Only Nyungwe House Hotel, a five star eco lodge located in Bushekeri Sector of Nyamasheke District that is a three minute drive from the forest.

    Some visitors who had spent the previous night in the hotel had already woken up ready to go and explore the beauty of the park.

    Victor Dizon, a tourist from the Philippines and his wife were back to the hotel from the park where they had enjoyed looking at primates of colobus species.

    Dizon told IGIHE that it had not been long since he arrived in Rwanda but he found the country more secure than all the other 15 African countries he has visited.

    “All I can say is that Rwanda is the safest of all the African countries I have been to. When we were in Kigali, we would leave our bags inside the cars, of course having closed the doors, but you can’t do that in South Africa or Kenya. Your Government (of Rwanda) has done a very good job to secure the nation,” Dizon said.

    Dizon emphasized that he met some security agents which- instead of worrying him- assured him of his safety inside the park.

    “We visited different parts of the park. I know we are near the border with Burundi. I saw soldiers here which didn’t scare me but assured me that I am safe,” he added.
    Victot Dizon and his wife smiling after exploring the beauty of Nyungwe National Park. They hail security in Rwanda
    Residents of Kitabi Sector near Nyungwe Forest say it is safe
    The aerial view of Nyungwe Forest

  • Kagame receives Tshisekedi, Africa CEO Forum kicks off

    Tshisekedi comes to Rwanda at a time when both countries are enjoying vibrant
    relationships. Both countries’ delegates last week signed agreement opening airspace
    that will see RwandAir flying to Kinshasa and Congo Airways vice versa to go into effect mid-April 2019.

    The forum is an opportunity for Tshisekedi to present his economic transformation agenda for a country whose economy mainly depends on mining.

    Tshisekedi who took on in January 2019 will present policies in other areas of the country’s economy like agricultural infrastructure, measures to reduce unemployment
    and promoting trade and investment as well.

    Togolese president, Gnasingbe who will also attend the forum is expected to present his country’s development agenda within the next five years.

    Among other guests who have arrived to Kigali are; Ethiopian prime minister Sahle-Work Zewde and Ivory Cost Prime Minister, Amadou Gon Coulibaly.

    The two-day forum that kicks off today at Kigali Convention Centre is the 7th of its kind and brings together around 1800 participants from 70 countries including four heads of states , 30 ministers and 700 CEOs.

    Discussions will focus on regional integration including the implementation of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). It will be held under the theme: “Open Africa: From Continental Treaties to Business Realities”.

    Different CEOs, heads of governments and potential investors are expected to benefit from a networking platform during the Forum. This will help them identify opportunities.

  • BBC freelancer Ndayizera had plans to set Kigali city on fire, RIB discloses

    This was unveiled yesterday during an interactive session of police with the media where RIB was asked why it doesn’t immediately inform relatives of arrested suspects.

    Ndayizera was paraded to the media in November last year at the headquarters on RIB in Kimihurura after his family had reported him missing.

    RIB Secretary General Jeannot Ruhunga explained that the institution normally alerts relatives immediately when a suspect is arrested but it couldn’t be possible with the case of Ndayizera.

    “Ndayizera had a plan to burn Kigali city which he admitted. What do you think was more urgent between the rights of Kigali residents and knowing where Ndayizeye is detained? And he had accomplices who were to detonate the bombs,” he explained.

    “Ndayizera had 10 accomplices at the time of his arrest. If his arrest was disclosed immediately it could not lead to the arrest of those accomplices,” added Ruhunga.

    As Ndayizera was paraded before the media, RIB displayed dynamite he was caught with in Nyamirambo which the suspect intended to use to antagonize security.

    Terrorism is punished under article 19 of the antiterrorism law. It stipulates that any person who attempts, takes part or supports terrorism acts commits a crime and upon conviction, he shall be liable to a penalty of not less than 15 years of imprisonment but not more than 20 years.

  • Premier Ngirente receives Qatar deputy PM

    Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani arrived in Rwanda Thursday for two-day working visit.

    Discussions with Premier Ngirente revolved around assessing achievements from Rwanda-Qatar relations, needed efforts for improvement and different issues concerning Africa.

    Following discussions, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Richard Sezibera highlighted that both country’s relations are on a good note.

    “Cooperation between Rwanda and Qatar is on good progress, Africa, Qatar cooperation is vibrant too. The visit was meant to pave way for strengthening existing relationships,” he said.

    Dr Sezibera explained that they held talks concerning investment in agriculture, transport, aviation, irrigation and mining yesterday.

    Rwanda, Qatar have a long-standing relationship.

    Last year, President Paul Kagame made a two-day visit to Qatar and held talks with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on improving economic cooperation.

  • Kagame concludes visit to Angola

    He revealed this in a press conference alongside President João Lourenço concluding the visit as indicated on the twitter account of Rwanda Presidency.

    “There are many things that bind our two countries, through history, culture and ideologically. What we believe in is developing our people and doing everything we can for the transformation of our people,” he said.

    He highlighted that Rwanda and Angola can achieve more through investment with and in each other.

    “In the level of relationship we have developed between Angola and Rwanda, we have looked at areas where we can cooperate and learn from each other, across sectors. There are no limitations to what we can do together or how much we can benefit from each other,” he said.

    President Kagame thanked Angola for warm hospitality received since he arrived in Angola.

    Rwanda and Angola have existing bilateral ties in different areas including air transport, security, justice, free movement between both countries’ people, ICT, and governance.

    The visit follows recent agreements in February this year where both countries signed cooperation agreements fostering security and public order in the interest of their citizen.

    The two governments last year signed a Bilateral Air Service Agreement under which the national carrier, RwandAir, and Angola’s national airline TAAg got seven frequencies a week on either side.

    Rwandan citizens traveling to Angola are not required to have visas to enter Angolan territory.

  • Special commission to investigate problems in implementation of agriculture programs

    The dissatisfaction was expressed yesterday as she responded for the second time to the summon of parliament that was not satisfied with provided explanations.

    Following unappealing answers last time, Dr Mukeshimana returned to the parliament yesterday with a written response to the 28 questions she had been asked.

    The responses were in relation to; inadequacy of multiplied seeds, malfunctioning milk collection centers, agribusiness produce lacking market and irrigation problems where farmers lament over expensive irrigation equipment.

    She was asked to provide clarifications on poor implementation of post-harvest handling leading to poor quality produce, lack of market over poor quality standards, high taxes paid by rice farmers in rehabilitated marshlands among others.

    Minister Mukeshimana tried to answer some of these questions though parliamentarians were not satisfied.

    Concerning ineffective performance of milk collection centers, she explained that most of the matter was caused by inadequate electricity supply that they are working with other institutions to address.

    Concerning irrigation problems, Minister Mukeshimana said that Rwanda has 36 500 irrigated hectares in marshlands and on hillsides and designing a master plan to identify areas of priority.

    She explained that they are going to work with concerned institutions to fix the issue of high taxes charged to rice farmers in marshlands. These taxes range from Rwf 80,000 to 100,000.

    Concerning expensive irrigation equipment, Minister Mukeshimana said that they have introduced Nkunganire program catering for 50% of the cost spent to such equipment.

    She revealed that the ministry is putting in much effort to multiply seeds locally . Currently, the country imports 50% of seeds.
    Parliamentarians were however not satisfied with the explanations.

    “ The first commission pointed out problems, the auditor general indicated that agricultural services don’t benefit farmers, RGB report indicated that citizens are satisfied with such services at below 50% yet you have provided explanations proving how the situation is better. What can we take as the truth?” wondered MP Euthalie Nyirabega.

    Veneranda Nyirahirwa observed that there is a need for reforms considering the problems rampant in agriculture yet it is practiced by 70% of Rwandans.

    She however noted that reforms cannot be possible if there is no acknowledgement of existing problems.

    “Based on provided answers, it seems like all problems in the agriculture sector are fixed yet it is not the case. When we visited farmers; they had a serious problem of seeds and fertilizers. The produce cannot be good while they still plant seeds that existed for 11 years like rice,” she said.

    Another MP, Marie Thérèse Murekatete highlighted that ‘the number of cattle and the quantity of milk don’t match. We have the problem of malnutrition among children.’

    Only 26 of 66 MPs who attended the hearing were satisfied with explanations from MINAGRI.

    They agreed on establishing a special commission to investigate problems in agriculture and livestock farming of which outcomes will be reported to the general assembly.
    Explanations by the Minister of Agriculture and Animanl Resources, Dr Gerardine Mukeshimana did not satisfy Members of the Parliament

  • Kagame on two-day working visit to Angola

    Both Heads of State held a meeting before attending a luncheon hosted in honor of President Kagame.

    This visit is expected to be an opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties in different areas including air transport, security, justice, free movement between both countries’ people, ICT and governance.

    Both heads of states are expected to hold a press conference on the second day of the visit.

    In February this year, both countries signed cooperation agreements fostering security and public order in the interest of their citizen.

    The two governments last year signed a Bilateral Air Service Agreement under which the national carrier, RwandAir, and Angola’s national airline TAAg got seven frequencies a week on either side.

    In June last year, Angola unveiled willingness to remove visa for Rwandan citizens traveling to Angola as a result of existing good relations.

    Angola is a central-African country with the total area of 1,246,700 km2 and over 25 million people. It is among African countries rich in minerals.
    kagame_is_in_angola_for_a_two_day_working_visit.jpg
    he-4.jpg
    meeting_with_leaders.jpg
    honoured.jpg
    parade.jpg

  • Museveni’s letter to Kagame triggers funny reactions, raises more questions

    On Tuesday, The New Vision, a Ugandan government owned newspaper, published a letter- dated March 10, 2019- it said Uganda’s President wrote to his Rwandan counterpart over the meetings he held with different people the Government considers as hostile to its people.

    “I am writing to let you know that by accident, I, at last, had a meeting with a Rwandan who admitted to being a member of the group you told me about – Rwanda National Congress (RNC),” reads part of Museveni letter to Kagame.

    However, the letter has triggered so many reactions, many of them funny, due to the time it was published but also people asking how a Head of State can meet people a neighboring country considers hostile ‘by accident’.

    According to sources, the letter was received by Rwanda High Commission in Uganda on Monday evening and it was on its way to President Kagame on Tuesday morning when it started circulating in the Ugandan media, meaning it was published in the media before it reached its recipient President Kagame himself.

    Following what makes the letter; Twitter followers took on Twitter and raised different funny reactions on it in a Twitter thread that goes as #WritelikeMuseveni.

    A Twitter user by the name of Princess from North tweeted: “Rwanda: You are holding meeting with dissidents, why? What’s your motive?

    M7: I accidentally meet them and somehow give them passports”

    “So, FDLR Senior Cadres (Spokesperson Bazeye & Spy Chief Abega ) crossed ACCIDENTALLY to Uganda and met ACCIDENTALLY Ugandan Senior Officials who were sent ACCIDENTALLY by MUSEVENI and they left the country escorted ACCIDENTALLY by CMI to be arrested in DRC! #WriteLikeMuseveni,” tweeted another one called Kambanda Noel.

    Kanangire Christian also tweeted: “Museveni got his presidential letter accidentally leaked to the media before it actually reached its recipient. #Museveni accidentally addressed his letter to the #Media first. #WriteLikeMuseveni,”

    Museveni finally admits he met tycoon Rujugiro

    As he launched the 16th National Leadership Retreat, President Kagame said he had to prove to Museveni who denied knowing Rujugiro, a tycoon owning businesses in Uganda and supporting the Rwanda National Congress (RNC).

    “At first Museveni said he did not know him [Rujugiro], but later on, I proved to him how he knows him,” Kagame said.

    “He (Museveni) told me you guys in Rwanda don’t know how to differentiate business and politics and I said: thank you Sir, but sometimes business and politics has no dividing line. I was trying to mean that if someone is supporting some groups, then there is no dividing line between his business and politics.” Kagame added.

    In his letter, Museveni finally agreed to have met Rujugiro whom he said opposed the idea to sell his businesses in Uganda.

    Mr. Rujugiro also came, separately. He seems to be resisting the idea of selling his businesses, which he had accepted (to do) before. He countered the idea of giving money to Kayumba by saying that even if he sells the factories in Uganda, he still has more lucrative factories in Angola, DR Congo, etc., a total of eight of them. He can send money from those,” Museveni wrote.

  • “I met RNC Official by accident,” Museveni writes to Kagame

    News has been circulating that Museveni has early this month met Charlotte Mukankusi, the Head of Diplomacy in Rwanda National Congress (RNC) a group founded by Kayumba Nyamwasa and that declared war on the Government of Rwanda.

    On Tuesday, the New Vision, a Ugandan newspaper released a copy of a letter President Museveni wrote to his Rwandan counterpart explaining the circumstances under which he met Mukankusi whom he admits asked him for support to RNC.

    “I am writing to let you know that by accident, I, at last, had a meeting with a Rwandan who admitted to being a member of the group you told me about – Rwanda National Congress (RNC),” reads part of Museveni letter to Kagame.

    “This is a lady known as Mukankusi, whom, I am sure you know, but I had never met before. One of my NRM contacts kept telling me that there was a Rwandan lady who had some important information to give me and that she wanted to come with someone called Gasana, who also had important information,” Museveni wrote.

    Museveni also reveals that the RNC official came to seek a support from him which he says he denied saying it goes against the African Union stand.

    “She said she wanted me to know bad things that were happening in Rwanda. She further told me that she had joined the RNC to resist Your Excellency’s Government and she wanted us to support them,” said Museveni in his letter to Kagame.

    In the letter, Museveni said he told Mukankusi that “we could not support them because what was happening in Rwanda was an internal matter of Rwanda. I explained to her that the stand of the African Union is a scientific one and it is correct. Interfering in the internal affairs of sister countries is wrong because, first of all, outsiders cannot understand situations of sister countries well.”

    On Gasana, Museveni said, he had first mistaken him with Gasana who was behind him at Ntare Secondary School and who, for a long time, had worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uganda but later discovered it was a different person when they met.
    According to Museveni, Gasana said he was not involved with RNC, “but that he came to help a white lady, Wolfson, who we had declared persona-non-grata, to come back and continue her charity work.”

    “Some of our people in the diaspora had worked with him “some of our people in the diaspora had worked on it with him (Gasana). He told me that he works with a Jewish Agency and “apparently, they are the ones who support Wolfson,” Museveni adds.
    President Museveni goes on to tell Kagame on how and what the talked with tycoon Rujugiro whom he said resists the idea of selling his businesses which he had accepted before.

    “He (Rujugiro) countered the idea of giving support of giving money to Kayumba by saying that even he sells his factories in Uganda, he still has more lucrative factories in Angola, DR Congo, etc … a total of eight of them. He can send the money from those,” Museveni wrote.

    Museveni adds that Rujugiro denied sending money to Kayumba or being a politician.
    “If, therefore, he is still a problem to Rwanda, the correct option is to use the Courts of Uganda to prove the case of terrorism and then his assets can be frozen,” Museveni suggests in the letter.

  • Minister Busingye reassures Rwandans deported from Uganda

    The minister revealed this yesterday in a press conference on the launch of the judicial week to run from 18th until 22nd March 2019.

    Minister Busingye was responding to a question concerning the support granted to Rwandans expelled from Uganda leaving their properties.

    He explained that Rwanda hopes to reach a solution that shall consider properties of expelled Rwandans in the process of restoring bilateral relations.

    “We hope to find a solution for all those problems (including the one concerning properties) because people have right to properties they sweated for,” he said.

    Busingye explained since properties are listed and registered to each owner with all details including where he/she lived, It will be easy to follow up and recover.
    Rwanda accuses Uganda of supporting rebel groups intending to destabilize its security, torturing Rwandans and tampering their businesses. Rwanda advised Rwandans to suspend travels to Uganda until the situation gets back to normal.

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Richard Sezibera recently told IGIHE that there is no established number of Rwandans killed in Uganda noting however that over 40 were arrested in the country while 986 have been expelled.