Tag: MainSlideNews

The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRA) announced on Wednesday, October 03, 2018 that it rejected Ntuyahaga’s asylum application but he said he will appeal this decision.

Ntuyahaga was convicted by a Belgian court in 2007 for the murder of ten United Nations peacekeepers (MINUAR) who at the time, protected Prime Minister Agathe Uwiringiyimana at the start of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

He was released in 2018 and went to seek asylum in Belgium where he is held in jail in Caricole Transit Center, Steenokkerzeel in Belgium since June 1st. Ntuyahaga’s asylum application has caused fury among many Belgians because the asylum seeker was convicted of murdering their fellow Belgian soldiers.

Ntuyahaga contended that when a court in Brussels sentenced him to 20 years in prison in 2007 for the murder of members of the armed forces of Belgium in Rwanda, he lost the chance for his safety as provided by the Geneva Convention in 1951.
Belgian media published that the 66 year-old fears that “if he comes back to Rwanda his life will be in danger”.

Towards the beginning of October 2018, family members and friend of the 10 UN troops killed in Rwanda on April 10th, 1994 complained about Ntuyahaga’s asylum request in a country he killed its citizens.

There are also reports that Ntuyahaga wants to go to Denmark where his wife and children live.

In June 1998, Ntuyahaga surrendered himself to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ITCR) in Arusha, Tanzania. In September of that year, the ICTR issued an indictment charging him with: conspiracy to commit genocide; genocide or complicity in genocide; war crimes; and two counts of crimes against humanity to which he pleaded not guilty.

However, on 18 March 1999 the ICTR dropped its charges. In the face of public outcry and official outrage from the Rwandan Patriotic Front government of Rwanda, deputy prosecutor Bernard Muna explained that the ICTR counts only carried a moderate prison sentence and that they hoped Tanzania would extradite Ntuyahaga to Belgium, which could hold a trial over the murders of the peacekeepers.

However, Rwanda stated that Ntuyahaga should be extradited to the country, which would try him over the murder of the prime minister. On the same day, the ICTR dropped its charges, Tanzanian authorities arrested Ntuyahaga for entering the country illegally. The following years saw a complicated set of legal procedures, including an application by Ntuyahaga for asylum as a refugee in Tanzania and Tanzania adjusting its charges against Ntuyahaga to fall under its extradition treaty with Rwanda.

This eventually ended when Tanzania denied Rwanda’s request for extradition in favor of Belgium. In March 2004, Ntuyahaga, of his own free will, flew to Belgium, accompanied by a Belgian diplomat. There, he gave himself up and was put in prison on demand. He was charged with handing over the Belgian soldiers to the Rwandan soldiers in the Kigali military camp of which he was an officer, without taking any measures to prevent their massacre; of celebrating with the soldiers implicated in the massacres of the Kigali Tutsi civilian population, and allowing these soldiers to use his residence as its headquarters.

On 7 September 2006, the trial chamber referred the case to the Court of Assise. The trial began on 19 April 2007.

On 4 July 2007, the court came back with the verdict that Ntuyahaga was guilty in the murder of the peacekeepers and an unknown number of Rwandan civilians. He was found not guilty in the murder of the prime minister and the killing of an unknown number of civilians in Butare. The public prosecutor asked for life imprisonment, but the following day the jury sentenced Ntuyahaga to twenty years’ imprisonment.

Two weeks away from the Yerevan summit, where the position of Secretary General of the OIF will be nominated between incumbent Secretary General Michaelle Jean who seeks re-election and Rwandan Foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo; Lemoyne has approved France’s support towards the latter.

Here below are some excerpts;

{{France’s support towards Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo has been very surprising. Why this choice?
}}

{{Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne:}} You know, above all, the candidature of Louise Mushikiwabo was supported by the African Union and the African continent. And it is true that France— as the President of the Republic repeatedly said, considers Africa as the center of gravity of La Francophonie, today. So, having, as we prepare to celebrate 50 years as an organisation in 2020, an African woman at the head of the International Organization of La Francophonie, would make a lot of sense.

{{Yes, but in May 2018, it is still at the Elysee Palace that Paul Kagame and Emmanuel Macron announced the candidacy of Louise Mushikiwabo.
}}

Once again, France comes in support of a candidacy that has already declared itself. We have evolved from games that perhaps, once made the happiness of a certain relationship between France and Africa. France wants to support a vision where education of young women and languages are at the heart of the organization.

{{For 8 years, French has been replaced by English at the Rwandan public school. So concretely, what is La Francophonie going to do today in Rwanda?
}}

Precisely, the Rwandan authorities are committed to bring back the French language in public education.

{{Yes, but English will remain the main language taught in schools, right?
}}

There are many states of La Francophonie that are bilingual states. Look at Canada, as an example.

{{Four former ministers of Cooperation -Charles Josselin, Pierre-André Wiltzer, Hélène Conway-Mouret and André Vallini, said that Louise Mushikiwabo had no place at the head of the OIF, especially because Rwanda is not a good example when it comes to democracy and human rights.
}}

I will not comment on the forum as such. What I see is actions and facts. A few weeks ago, some convicts were released in Rwanda, I also note that Rwanda, is at the forefront of the fight for equality between women and men on the continent. I was also able to discuss with Louise Mushikiwabo on climate issues and I could see how much she was mobilized on these subjects. She also wants to ensure that youth issues and employment are at the heart of her mandate.

{{The release of the 2,000 prisoners, including the opponent Victoire Ingabire, is this an effect from La Francophonie ?
}}

It’s not for me to comment on how this is done. What I know is that these releases were made and that it’s a good sign. La Francophonie is not an international organization that built itself from giving others lessons. I think it has a lot do with mediation and diplomacy, where President Abdou Diouf made some progress, during his mandate.

RGS publishes findings on the state of governance in Rwanda. It also serves as a practical tool that drives policy reform in the domain of governance through the identification of areas of improvement and actionable recommendations.

Among eight pillars of the survey, safety and security scored highest at 94.97 % up from 92.62 % in 2016.

Pillar for rule of law scored 83.68 % up from 79.68 % last year while the right and freedom of citizens is at 83.83% up from 81.83%.

Participation and inclusiveness of citizens in government policies scored 76.79 % down from 77.01 % in 2016 while investing in human and social development is rated at 75.55 % up from 74.88% in 2016. Findings rank control of corruption, transparency and accountability at 83.72% down from 86.56%.

Quality of service delivery is at 74.25% up from72.93%, while economic and corporate governance is at 78.04% up from 76.82 %.

Rule of Law pillar is the most improved pillar with an increase of 4%, while the least performing pillar is the quality of service delivery with 74.25%.

RGB announced that what made control of corruption, transparency and accountability pillar to slow down are the low scores of how citizens are satisfied by the way corruption is controlled in local government institutions which is at 60.95% down from 83.5% in 2016. Citizens have also shown that they face corruption when they seek services, among others.

Minister for Justice Johnston Busingye said that before Rwanda embarked on its own governance survey, no one knew where things were done badly or well. He compared it to living without the hope to wake up alive the next day.

He said that it was done by foreigners for their own purposes while the government of Rwanda would take a lot of time explaining itself.

“We were defending ourselves for the research you did not contribute to, and it happened a lot like every three or six months in different institutions.” he said.

However, Busingye noted that since it was introduced, Rwanda Governance Scorecard has been very useful because it enables the country to know what goes wrong or well earlier.

“We have now found our own mirror. It is difficult to look at oneself in other people’s mirror every time. When you have the mirror in your own house, you are able to know the shape of your hair, you get to know everything,” he said.

Indicators of governance in Rwanda are based on information given by Rwandans from all walks of life including citizens, government institutions, non-governmental organizations, researchers and private entities.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team led by Emre Alper and Laure Redifer, visited Kigali from September 20 to October 2 to conduct discussions on the tenth and final review of Rwanda’s Policy Support Instrument (PSI) -supported program.

The PSI is an instrument of the IMF designed for countries that do not need balance of payments financial support.

Laure Redifer who led the IMF visiting team said that while Rwanda’s economy grew by 8.6 % in the first half of 2018, there is hope for Rwanda to achieve its projected 7.2 year growth.

“After rising to 6.1 percent in 2017, real GDP growth averaged 8.6 percent in the first half of 2018, consistent with the projected end-year growth rate of 7.2 percent in 2018. Robust growth in 2018 reflects strong industrial activity, notably construction. Inflation remains low, in part reflecting favorable food price developments, and is projected to average around 2.8 percent in 2018,” he said.

Redifer explained that inflation is expected to remain close to the medium-term inflation target because the Central Bank of Rwanda kept the monetary policy stance unchanged in September, maintaining the policy rate at 5.5 percent through 2018.

Redifer said “Rwanda’s external buffers remain strong. The authorities have undertaken policies to improve Rwanda’s competitiveness, diversify production, promote exports, and contain imports.”

“With export growth of 17.9% in the year to August 2018, and import growth of 7.4%, the trade balance has continued to improve,” he said.

Laure Redifer said Rwanda met targets of PSI.

“Implementation of Rwanda’s PSI-supported macroeconomic program has been strong. All quantitative targets for the tenth and last review were met, and structural benchmarks are expected to be completed. The PSI-supported program has been successful in supporting Rwanda’s overarching objective of sustaining inclusive growth and poverty reduction,” Redifer revealed.

Rwanda’s Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana said that according to the economic growth projections Rwanda had in the past five years, Rwanda’s GDP will keep growing.

Anna has served as Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate since January 2013, the first woman to hold this office.

Maria Luise Anna Malu Dreyer is also the Deputy leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), a position she was elected to in 2017.

She is accompanied by a delegation of 31, including Doris Ahnen, the Minister of Finance of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate; four Members of the State Parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate including the Vice President of the State Parliament as well as staff from the State Government.

{{Rwanda- Rhineland Palatinate partnership.
}}

Over the last 36 years, nearly 2000 projects valued at €100 million have been implemented in Rwanda in the fields of education (school construction and provision of scholastic materials, students and teachers exchanges, vocational training collaboration through IPRC); health (construction of health centers and health posts as well as provision of medical equipment), youth, and museums (cultural exchange).

This year partnerships were extended to the fields of governance, business promotion and local economic development through the exchange of experience and knowledge.

This fiscal year partnership agreements were signed between five districts in Rwanda and five German municipalities; Ngoma District with the municipality of Landkreis, Gisagara District and the municipality of Hachenburg, Karongi District and the municipality of Bad Kreuznach, Nyamagabe District and the municipality of Birkenfeld, and Ruhango District with the City of Landau.

As he officially opened Westerwelle Startup Haus Kigali, a German NGO that aims at supporting local entrepreneurs to improve their business and promoting SMEs for job creation, on October 1, Rwanda’s Minister of Trade and Industry, Hon. Vincent Munyeshyaka described the Rwanda-Rhineland-Palatinate partnership as a win-win relationship.

“I would like to take this opportunity to appreciate the partnership we have between Rwanda and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a very long-lasting one for now 36 years. What I like from it: it is a people to people partnership but also business to business partnership,” he said.

A statement released by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and the company, Ultimate Developers Ltd (UDL) that is in charge of the project development, says that this opportunity is for public servants.

The statement further says as a prerequisite, beneficiaries and their spouses should not have owned another house before. They will be allowed to purchase apartments with two, three or four rooms at reduced prices.

A two-room apartment will be sold at Rwf63,000,000 down from the market price of Rwf108 million while a three-room apartment will be sold at Rwf94 million down from Rwf163 million. A four-room apartment will be sold at Rwf108 from Rwf187 million.

Those who need loans will be charged 11% and the loan will be repaid in a period of 20 years. According to the statement, those who wish to buy the houses will have to submit their application letters between 16th -31st October 2018. Selection of eligible bidders will be done between 1st -21st October 2018.

The CEO of the Bank of Kigali which accepted to give loans to potential buyers, Dr Diane Karusisi said this is the beginning of BK’s long-term program to help Rwandans of all statuses to own a house. We are calling this program a new way of giving loans on houses,” she said.

In the aftermath of 1994 against the Tutsi, over 50% of the teachers were non-professional as many had been killed; others had fled into exile while many were being held for participating in the genocide.

The government, however, has retooled teachers the Government entities rebuilt themselves, the education sector also rebuilt itself that today 98% of the 63,000 teaching practitioners in primary and secondary studies have teaching certificates.

Most of them have got the teaching certificates from the Government’s programme known as ‘Iyakure’ which was initiated in 1998 while others acquired government sponsored scholarships to pursue bachelor degrees in education.

Speaking exclusively to IGIHE, Ndayambaje said that plans are underway to have 100%of primary and secondary teachers equipped with pedagogical skills.

“When assessing the quality of education, you first assess those who provide it, the teachers. REB will therefore expend immense efforts and resources to improve the professionalism of teachers,” Dr. Ndayambaje said.

In a bid to give more value to the teaching profession in Rwanda so as to adhere to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) standards and the special statutes governing teachers in Rwanda, Dr. Ndayambaje said that improving teachers’ skills will be given more emphasis.

“Whatever intelligence he or she may have, if someone is teaching while he never studied education, he has to sit for a pegodagical programme that enables him get a teaching certificate. Our government put in place a pedagogical programmed that was pursued by teaching practitioners and they now have got a post graduate certificate in education. Others got bachelor degrees in education from the former Kigali Institute of Education (KIE), now College of Education,” Ndayambaje added.

“There are others who got their bachelor degrees in education from the private universities,” Dr. Ndayambaje noted.

According to REB Director General, Rwandan rural areas have the largest number of the non professional teachers in primary and secondary education. This is due to the fact professional teachers apply for the teaching jobs mostly in urban areas.

Dr Ndayambaje said, “When there is a vacant teaching job in the urban area, about 500 to 1000 people will apply for only 10 positions, for example, meaning that there are professional teachers in urban areas.”

Both national and international students pursuing bachelors degrees in Science and Technology at the University will have to part with tuition of Rwf2 million beginning academic year 2019/2020.

In 2017/2018 academic year, students from Rwanda and the other East African Community member states in the science and technology faculties paid Rwf1,500,000 while other foreigners paid Rwf1,800,000.

In the same academic year, Rwandan and EAC students who studied in faculties other than Science and Technology paid Rwf600,000 while other foreigners paid Rwf720,000.

According to the announcement made by the University of Rwanda last week, students in the College of Science and Technology (CST), the College of Health and Medical Studies (CMHS) whether government-sponsored or privately sponsored will pay a tuition of Rwf2,000,000 per year.

Students pursuing their bachelor degrees in science and technology at the College of Education will pay Rwf2 million while the privately sponsored will pay Rwf1,600,000.
All other students doing other studies which are not science and technology at the College of Education will pay Rwf800,000 as tuition fees per year.

Government sponsored students pursuing science and technology faculties at the College of Agriculture, Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine (CAVM) will pay Rwf2 million while the privately sponsored will pay Rwf1,600,000 per year as tuition fees.
Both government and privately sponsored students at the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS), College of Education and College of Business and Economics will pay Rwf800,000 per year.

However, privately sponsored students doing humanities in Nyagatare and Rusizi campuses will pay Rwf530,000 while the government sponsored students at those campuses will pay Rwf800,000.

The University of Rwanda has almost doubled the registration fees, from Rwf35,000 to Rwf65,000.

The Ministry of Education, in June this year, announced it had asked the University of Rwanda to reduce tuition fees in a bid to keep Rwandan students from enrolling to universities from neighboring countries some of which offer low quality training.

The award was received by Rwanda’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Vincent Karega, on behalf of the first lady during a dinner that took place in Johannesburg.

Jeannette Kagame was recognized for the work she does through the interventions of her organization Imbuto Foundation, which includes educating and empowering women, young girls and the most vulnerable groups in Rwanda.

The High Commissioner thanked the organizers and said Rwanda is reaping from her efforts of promoting women participation in national development programmes. “We have, therefore, committed ourselves to create and continue ensuring a conducive environment for women growth and development through favourable policies and laws.”

“It is safe to say that Rwanda is where it is today mainly due to the fact that we chose to promote the inclusion of women, as we could not leave out over 50 percent of our population and expect sustainable development ,” Karega said.

This year’s awards were co-chaired by the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Ambassador Kwesi Quartey, with a theme: A tribute to the three first iconic recipients of the Living Legends Award “Mama” Winnie Madikizela Mandela, Liberian politician, Ruth Perry and the ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin.

To be very frank, if I could remember how many times I have had discussions with distinguished leaders, in the United States and across Africa were talking about how we could relate to each other. There have been so many meetings over so many years and we always come back to more or less the same thing. We keep asking what is it that we could do and yet we end up not doing much about that.

But Africa has changed tremendously and so has America and the rest of the world. Therefore, it is important to rethink how Africa and the United States relate to each other.

Dr Kissinja, your presence signals the weight and promise of this initiative. The conclusions of your analysis of the central issues of American foreign policy in 1968 are as fresh and relevant as today. I wish to highlight two of them this morning.

First in all advanced countries, political stability was a precondition for industrialization rather than an outcome. Technical economic factors alone cannot offer a sufficient moral foundation for good politics. Business and trade should rightly constitute the depth the subject matter of enhanced relations between Africa and the United States but it should be mistake to avoid the frank exchanges about values.

Second, the core challenge in developing countries is the consolidation of political legitimacy even two generations ago, the futility of a strategy based on transferring or imposing American institutions on others was clear. I was glad, the other day, to hear President trump saying something about it. Imposing on people what others are thinking isn’t going to be very helpful. Yet too often, political structures in Africa are evaluated against abstract notions of process almost on autopilot.

This is done without reference to either the objective outcomes or views of the citizens directly concerned and affected. When innovative forms of democratic stability are undermined, nobody’s interest is served and the tendency to elevate obstructions about democratic process into a precondition for engagement rather than a basis for discussion is counterproductive.

Third, America succeeds whenever it is able to generate willing cooperation based on a sense of sherd purpose. This brings me to recent developments in Africa, particularly on the Continent Free Trade Area that Dr Kissinger referred to earlier. It was signed in March in Kigali. We view this as a historic step that will transform trade within our continent while requiring the world to relate to the fastest growing continent as a single block for trade purposes.

In fact, this consolidates the efforts that have already been underway for continental integration. This agreement should be understood in a wider context the CFTA heralds new political reality in Africa. We also signed an agreement on the free movement of people within Africa, for example, as part of that. Africa is currently undertaking coordinated action in the United Nations Security Council to use UN assist contribution to fund necessary African union mandated peace support operations that the United Nations cannot conduct on its own.

In addition, we have made major reforms to the financing and institutional functioning of the African Union. The United States initially responded to this obviously positive development sometimes by the discussion that involved whether this was a new financial levy that wired trade organisation that violated or contravened the provisions of the World Trade Organisation. We have had discussions back and forth.

I think most of the misunderstandings have been found to be inaccurate and therefore done away with, but the confusion served to highlight the need for improved dialogue about how Africa and the United States can better collaborate because this is the main objective to enhance each other’s prosperity.

The New Africa Dialogue can be an effective platform for these efforts. I look forward to working with you on this matter. Once again, thank you very much for inviting me and for listening.