Your source for credible news Issue no 002
July, 2020
Deo Nyirigira, a “pastor” that would work for the Devil
NEWS
Rwanda to quadruple annual tourism revenue by 2024 Page 3
OP-ED
Boonabana and Nuwamanya use CMI terrorism to silence businessman Page 7 REGIONAL
FLN obtained ammunition and supplies from Burundi’s Gen Agricole Ntirampeba
Page 12
A “Pastor” committed to no Christian ideals – Deo Nyirigira in Uganda.
When Deo Nyirigira fleeced his flock of millions of Rwandan francs in the late 90s even the most jaded cynic wouldn’t have guessed that the so-called man of God would end up serving Kayumba Nyamwasa’s RNC. Page 2 French version of Judi Rever’s book comes as life becomes harder for fugitives
FDLR big fish flushed out by military action in Kalehe, South Kivu
A French publishing house, Max Milo éditions, has announced that it is going to publish a French language translation of “In Praise of Blood”, a book by Judi Rever the Canadian journalist that has sealed her credentials as “one of the world’s leading revisionists of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.” Page 4
A top member of the FDLR terrorists known by the nickname Col. Bolingo Christophe has been captured by FARDC soldiers on 13 June this year in Kalehe, South Kivu Region, together with his escort and three weapons, two AK47s and one PKM riffle, according to highly reliable sources.
Page 4
Get a free copy of our e-paper www.virungapost.com
SPORTS
26 years of sports development to unite Rwandans Page 13 CARTOON
Issue no 002 July 2020
News
2
Deo Nyirigira, a “pastor” that would work for the Devil hamstring Nyamwasa. Nyirigira has always been loyal to only one thing, however – his own stomach. Senior RPF cadres recall how during the RPF struggle in the early 90s Nyirigira stole goats contributed by Rwandan refugees in Uganda – meant as their contribution to the struggle, to be taken to the frontline for the RPA troops. While other Rwandans were busy committing to the liberation cause, Nyirigira saw a chance at eating.
A “Pastor” committed to no Christian ideals – Deo Nyirigira in Uganda.
By Robert Rutoma When Deo Nyirigira fleeced his flock of millions of Rwandan francs in the late 90s, even the most jaded cynic wouldn’t have guessed that the so-called man of God would end up serving Kayumba Nyamwasa’s RNC. Nyirigira had defrauded thousands, but when he went to Uganda he worked with RNC and Ugandan Military Intelligence, CMI – one of the closest thing to agents of the Devil in the Great Lakes Region (at least if you talk to one of it’s numerous victims tortured in the dungeons of Mbuya). But who truly is Nyirigira, a man that was living far beyond his means in Nyamirambo, enjoying luxuries like Mercedes Benzes, suits from London, and the like? The first answer is that he was a “returnee” – a Rwandan citizen that had lived for a whole generation in exile, until the collective efforts of Rwandans to liberate themselves from obscurantist regimes, brought him back home. Then he set up a church, AGAPE Nyamirambo where he started embezzling members’ funds. Then when the agencies of law began investigating him, he ran back to Uganda, to begin bad-mouthing Rwanda that “the government was very bad!” That is how these people roll. Be
the author of your own problems through greed, blame Rwanda! But now, years after working with Nyamwasa, the spotlight is on an ongoing rift with his erstwhile boss. Their conflicts have culminated into a bitter split that has inadvertently exposed more cracks in the fabric of the terrorist organization. With the recent formation of a new armchair terror group – Rwanda Alliance for Change, RAC – led by Jean Paul Turayishimye, Nyamwasa’s former escort, there are reports of efforts to break away RNC support in Uganda. The efforts are led by “Pastor” Deo Nyirigira, to benefit Turayishimiye’s group. All these activities show Deo Nyirigira has been more a preacher on behalf of the terrorism “gospel” anything else. Until the ongoing turmoil hit RNC, Nyirigira was the leader of the so-called “RNC Uganda Province”. It has been an open secret that his Agape Church, the same name he took from his former church in Nyamirambo, based in Uganda’s Mbarara District has never been a platform for spiritual nourishment. The ‘church’ has always been a recruitment and mobilization base for terrorism, for RNC. This website has reported before that RNC fugitives frequently
meet at the church under the guise of prayers and to draw up lists of young Rwandans to recruit into rebel activities. But also come up with lists of innocent Rwandans deemed “hostile” to the RNC agenda. What this in reality means is those Banyarwanda in Uganda that refuse to join RNC (and the Ugandan regime) in anti-Rwanda terrorism. Innocent Uganda-based Rwandans that refuse to be part of any treasonous activities against their country are peremptorily labeled “spies for Rwanda”. Those on these lists are often abducted, incarcerated in unknown locations, and subjected to Gestapo-like torture. But now, in an astonishing turn of events Nyirigira is in the crosshairs of CMI. He has fallen out very badly with Nyamwasa after the former accused the RNC head of “having lured his daughter Jackie Umuhoza into RNC activities”, even when Nyamwasa allegedly promised Nyirigira – before the pastor join RNC – that he would never do that. But late last year Rwandan authorities presented news that Umuhoza was involved in treasonous acts of terrorism, and she was arrested – lawfully with warrants – to facilitate investigations. Now Nyirigira is doing his best to
Nyirigira has always been loyal to only one thing – his own stomach. It takes a very high degree of greed and selfishness for anyone to do what Nyirigira did, laughed one cadre. In hindsight, this kind of behavior was a precursor of his corruption while still a church leader in Nyamirambo, until fed-up Church members took the course of reporting him to the authorities. The AGAPE Church congregants rose up to demand accountability, which made Nyirigira flee to Uganda. That is where he metamorphosed overnight into “a political oppositionist!”, joining Nyamwasa into terrorism. But now, years later, Nyirigira might find himself to be in a special kind of trouble: he is working for Turayishimye, but CMI is determined to arrest anyone working against RNC. It remains to be seen how this drama finally plays out.
Issue no 002 July 2020
News
3
Rwanda to quadruple annual tourism revenue by 2024 said. For more than ten years tourism has been identified as a priority sector in which the government has invested resources with the target of increasing its annual revenue from US$200 million in 2010 to US$800 million by 2024 in a bid to achieve Rwanda’s development goals.
Mountain Gorillas: Rwanda projects millions of dollars in her tourism sector.
By Kabaka James On 17 June 2020, Rwanda Development board, RDB, announced the reopening of tourism activities as well as the resumption of international travel for charter flights. Since the 21st of March, tourism activities were temporally closed as part of the measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic that has shaken the world since the end of 2019.
Belise Kariza, the chief tourism officer at RDB, assured all travelers and tourism operators on their well-being and safety while travelling to Rwanda. “Rwanda’s tourism industry is adapting to create a safe environment for travelers and operators, in order to thrive in these unprecedented times. We encourage all travel enthusiasts and nature explorers to take advantage of this unique opportunity to venture out and experience the beauty and adventure that our country has to offer,” she
Recently efforts have been placed in the visit Rwanda campaign where, among other efforts, Rwanda has partnered with giants in the world of sports to increase her visibility, signing contracts with the English top club Arsenal and with Paris Saint Germain, the most successful French club in history. The country is now benefiting in different ways including to showcase Rwanda’s brands at a week-long event in Paris and the exclusivity in supply of coffee and tea at Parc des Princes, PSG’s home stadium. Official statistics indicate that the country is getting a return on investment. In 2018, over 1.7 million people visited Rwanda, an
increment of 8% from 2017. Out of this, the number of people visiting Rwanda for leisure increased by 38%, while MICE revenues jumped by 31%. Further, the annual gorilla naming event known as Kwita Izina has become an international event, it brings together high-ranking government officials, renowned guests from around the world as well as Rwandans from all walks of life. It is a window to visit Rwanda and get to know the country’s culture and lifestyle of Rwandans. In November 2017, President Paul Kagame received the world tourism award where the organisers honoured “his visionary leadership through a policy of reconciliation, sustainable tourism, wildlife conservation, and economic development attracting major hotel investment, resulting in the remarkable turnaround that has led to Rwanda’s rise as one of the leading tourism destinations in Africa.”
Rwanda sets to fully meet her cement needs Milbridge Group, through its local firm Prime Cement Ltd, has invested Rwf63.6 billion to establish a plant for the production of cement that will be operational effective next month in Musanze District-based industrial park.
that it will be having the production capacity of 600,000 tons per annum in the first phase which is expected to increase to 1.2 million tons during the second phase. The plant will be using volcanic rocks among its key raw materials so as to alleviate the gap in cement demand.
Fancesco De Martino, the Chief Executive Officer of Milbridge Group recently said that Rwanda’s political stability and good leadership were among other aspects that pushed the group to invest in country. “Rwanda is a stable country with a very stable political situation, the economy is growing very impressively and we were supported by local authorities such as the Governor, and even the President,” he noted
The new state-of-the-art plant will give a major boost to cement supply which will significantly bring about stability in cement availability and thus boosting export revenues. The development means that Rwanda will soon be producing enough cement to support infrastructure development and thus grow export revenues thanks to this new cement plant that sets to enter the market with a new cement brand made in Rwanda.
Information from the management of the new plant indicates
CIMERWA, the country’s sole cement marker also has the
By Blessing Agahozo
capacity to produce 600,000 tonnes per annum at its $170 million Rusizi plant while the country’s cement needs stand at 800,000 tons annually. Therefore, the combined production will greatly support Rwanda’s export sector and help ease cost of cement locally. For instance, the new cement plant comes with a promise to sell the cement at relatively lower price with a sac going at Rwf 9000 compared to Rwf 12,000 and above currently. Encouraging the growth of industries that produce construction materials such as ceramics, steel and Iron, cement and a packaging materials plant, is one of the economic transformation pillar of the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) in its fourth priority meant to promote industrialization and attain a structural shift in the export base to High-value goods and services
www.virungapost.com
with the aim of growing exports by 17% annually. Another cement player on the local market is likely to accelerate infrastructure development, including the current government commitment to construct over 22,000 classrooms countrywide by September 2020 and the construction of Bugesera Airport among other mega projects that the country puts forward.
All is set for Rwanda’s second cement plan.
Issue no 002 July 2020
News
4
FDLR big fish flushed out by military action in Kalehe, South Kivu By Moses Gahigi A top member of the FDLR terrorists known by the nickname Col. Bolingo Christophe has been captured by FARDC soldiers.
News surfacing only now is that it was on 13 June this year in Kalehe, South Kivu Region, then the FDLR man was nabbed and disarmed. “Col.” Bolingo was arrested together with his escort and three weapons, two AK47s and one PKM riffle, according to highly reliable sources. Bolingo appears on the list of the most wanted anti-Rwanda terrorists of FDLR still roaming in the jungles of eastern DRC.
FDLR’s ‘Col’ Bolingo (left) and his escort were captured by the Congolese soldier in Kalehe.
According to the coordinator of Kalehe Civil Society, Delphin Birimbi, Col Bolingo, and his escort were intercepted by the Congolese soldiers on patrol in Rutare, Batayo village, in Ziralo, within Kalehe territory. “These rebels were arrested by our soldiers and we are very certain our region will soon be free from armed insurgencies,” said Birimbi. “These elements have been
killing our people for decades but their end is very near.” Read: Revealed: FDLR personality behind social media hate propaganda “Donat Gapyisi” Among the atrocities Bolingo and his men are known for are killings, looting and rape. The FDLR units he’s led recently assassinated the head teacher of a primary school in Rutare, and a yet to be identified woman. They also abducted a village chief and her aid. “We are convinced that the others will surrender,” said James Musanganya, coordinator of the Kalehe-based Human Rights Protection and Defense Network (RDPH). In recent times FDLR, FLN, and RNC – all of the “P5 coalition” – have faced very hard times in DRC, suffering a series of military routes in mid 2019 that saw them
lose a lot of fighters and territory. “Anti-Rwanda militias faced it particularly rough as they lost their ragtag fighters, and their leaders, the likes of Gen Sylvestre Mudacumura of FDLR, Lt Gen Wilson Niyitegeka of FLN and General Musabyimana Juvenal of RUD-Urunana – have bewn killed. Between December 2019 and January 2020, DRC has repatriated an estimated 2000 members of the terrorist militia groups and their dependents to Rwanda. Some of these are people that have committed crimes and atrocities of genocide while very many were involved in different subversive activities against Rwanda. “But the days of groups like these in DRC are numbered,” remarked an observer.
French version of genocide revisionist Judi Rever’s book comes as life becomes harder for fugitives By Jean Gatera A French publishing house, Max Milo éditions, has announced that it is going to publish a French language translation of “In Praise of Blood”, a book by Judi Rever the Canadian journalist that has sealed her credentials as “one of the world’s leading revisionists of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.” Rever’s work – denounced by such respected researchers of the Genocide as Linda Melvern as “an integral part of a network of lies that has been working tirelessly to try to tie culpability upon the RPF” – is of the genre that peddles the “double genocide” theory. “The double genocide theory having long been exposed as a hoax, the decision by Max Milo to go ahead with publishing Rever’s book reveals how powerful in the West certain deniers of the Genocide against the Tutsi are,” a Kigali-based researcher remarked. “The truth matters far less than dissemination of the
ideology,” he remarked. Rever’s book has suffered much rejection, “but never underestimate the strength of the coalitions of deniers; sooner or later a third-party publisher would be found,” said a Diaspora source. Canadian Rever, for instance, mounted what was seen as a harassment campaign against publishers that refused to print the translated text of “In Praise of Blood”, a book whose English print-run she self-published. In May 2019, Rever sent out a series of angry tweets announcing that she would sue one France-based publishing house, Fayard, for its refusal to have anything to do with her. According to renowned genocide scholar Tom Ndahiro, the decision such as Max Milo’s to publish the revisionist book means the publishing house “is just part of a lobby in support of genocidaires, and clearly against Rwanda. No person under the sun can find sense in Judi Rever’s book unless you are pro-Interahamwe!”
Rever herself makes no secret of her revisionism. On a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio show on April 2018, she casually said: “Am I a revisionist? I guess I am” as she pushed her claims that the killings in Rwanda in 1994 were “bidirectional”. One of the most dismaying things, according to researchers that strive to show the world the real facts, is how the blatant trivialization of the Genocide against the Tutsi is tolerated. “When someone like Rever, with no academic credentials whatsoever and without a shred of evidence, writes about a ‘double genocide’, she is not prosecuted for Genocide denial. That has to change!” many have implored. Recently, however – to the shock of the likes of Rever – bilateral relations between Rwanda and France are showing “signs of real improvement.” French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Rwanda on its 26th Liberation anniversary on the 4th of thismonth and promised cooperation
www.virungapost.com
Judi Rever: her genocide revisionist work has made her a darling of Interahamwe.
in bringing to justice genocide fugitives sheltering in France. In May this year the world of the genocide fugitives “narrowed” (in the words of Melvern) when Felicien Kabuga was arrested outside Paris. “These last few days have been brutal for the genocidaires and their allies, and matters will only get worse for them. Ultimately even people like the Revers will end up losers,” said our Diaspora source.
Issue no 002 July 2020
NEWS
5
Rwanda celebrates liberation by catering for the most vulnerable By Jason Muhire As part of the celebrations marking 26 years since the liberation, President Paul KAGAME inaugurated Gishuro Model Village where 64 families were resettled in the Eastern Province, more precisely in Tabagwe Sector in Nyagatare District. The model village is equipped with an early childhood development center, a school with smart classrooms, and a health center. President Kagame thanked all those who contributed to the liberation struggle. “The values that characterized our liberation struggle are still important today. In our work, our common national interests should take precedence over individual interests” he said. Over the past year alone the RDF has built “14 model villages
which benefitted 318 families and 286 housing units for Genocide survivors which benefitted 561 families. 20 bridges were built across 8 districts as well as 400 kilometers of roads across 15 districts and 11 medical facilities,” according to Lt Col Innocent Munyengango, the RDF Spokesperson. Although these were part of the activities of the RDF’s annual Citizen Outreach Program, the symbolic link between liberation and providing decent shelter was not lost on anyone present.
RDF. The same year, the RDF had constructed 22 model villages across the country in which 2,080 families were resettled.
has remained coherent and consistent: “to build an inclusive society where everyone is their brother and sister’s keeper.”
On the 3rd July last year, President Kagame inaugurated Karama Integrated Model Village where 240 households were relocated from high-risk zones around the City of Kigali. On the 4th July 2018, President Kagame inaugurated Horezo Model Village in Muhanga District, with modern infrastructure, built by the
The symbolism in choosing the date of inauguration is not trivial. It carries a message which has been constant throughout the journey of liberation: “Don’t leave anyone behind.” As a mantra, this message has been repeated several times by President Paul KAGAME. Since the first days of the liberation struggle, an idea
Rwanda’s Vision 2024 intends a proportion of at least 70 % of households living in rural areas to settle in integrated viable settlements. Over the last decade, thousands of Rwandan families have been resettled into model villages either through government supported programs or community-based initiatives.
A model village built in Nyagatare that was commissioned by the Head is State as per of the 26th liberation day celebrations.
Smart classes and improved connectivity; the building of a knowledge-based economy in Rwanda ing on financing possibilities and facilitate partnerships with internet providers. It is an opportunity for Rwanda to speed up her already existing efforts to digitalize schools.
By Jason Muhire On July 13, Christine Niyizamwiyitira, Head of the ICT-in-Education department at REB, announced that connectivity in secondary public schools will reach 62% at the end of this year. This is in a bid to implement the National Strategy for Transformation which provides for universal internet connectivity in public schools by 2024. “The aim is to improve the connectivity of secondary schools from 52% to reach 62% at the end of this fiscal year 2020-2021. The cost to connect the outstanding 48% is estimated at 4 billion Rwandans francs,” she said. Rwanda’s choice to invest in space technologies is part of the broader mission to bridge the digital divide by providing equal digital opportunities to rural and remote communities. In that sense, Rwanda and Telecommunication Company One Web launched in February 2019 the
Rwanda chose smart classes and connectivity towards building a knowledge-based economy.
“Icyerekezo” satellite -named by students from Nkombo Islandwith the aim to connect remote schools to the internet. Moreover, Rwanda launched the One Laptop Per Child program (OLPC) in June 2008 with the proposed target of providing all students from P4 to P6 access to laptops. According to information from the ministry of education, the OLPC Project favors a community-access approach that enable schools to share the internet cost with various public and private entities that can help fund the cost of operations, repair and maintenance of the internet
access routers. In addition, capacity building of head of schools, teachers and local technicians has been a crucial priority in this endeavor. Thus, these different programs comprised a massive capacity building exercise for teachers on both basic ICTs but also on the methodology of teaching using digital content. It is worth to highlight that Rwanda was selected last month to lead the “Giga initiative” that aims to connect every school in Africa by 2030. The initiative has several objectives such as mapping connectivity demand, advis-
www.virungapost.com
The Rwandan government, through all these initiatives, intends not only to minimize the costs of instruction materials but also to improve the quality of education for students of less privileged backgrounds – while familiarizing them with a constantly evolving environment- by bridging the existing disparities in access to knowledge between public schools and private schools. The end goal of the 7 Years Government Program and the National Strategy for Transformation is to establish Rwanda as a globally competitive knowledge-based economy. Investing in technology to improve the quality of education for the less privileged is part of the process of building an inclusive, knowledgeable and innovative society.
Issue no 002 July 2020
NEWS
63
New technologies improving Rwanda’s health sector
Rwanda’s approach to fight COVID-19 paying off.
By Blessing Agahozo In the last two months, UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, donated to Rwanda’s Ministry of health 5 high-tech robots with the capacity to screen 50 to 150 people per minute to be used in COVID-19 treatment centers. Acquired through ZoraBots Africa Ltd, the five anti-epidemic robots – given the Rwandan names of Akazuba, Ikirezi, Mwiza, Ngabo, and Urumuri – have the ability to recognize the face, screen body temperature, deliver food and medication to patients’ rooms, monitor their status and alert officer on duty when there is a need for a human presence in the room. “Medics and other front-liners visit patients’ rooms many times
to deliver medication, meals, carry out tests, among other things and this may pose a risk of contracting the virus, so the idea of using the robots is aimed at reducing exposure of health workers to possible Covid-19 infection” said Dr Daniel Ngamije, Minister of Health, speaking to media. COVID-19 calls for technological innovations due to the contagious nature of the pandemic. The smart mobile robots improved the rapidity and quality of services provided to patients infected by coronavirus and allowed healthcare providers to follow-up several patients at once as the numbers of cases continue to rise. Rwanda had also introduced high-tech initiatives like drones that were used to raise awareness on the coronavirus pandemic in local communities during the
lockdown. All these efforts and many more are put together to enhance efficiency in handling the pandemic and provide quality healthcare to Rwandans and residents of Rwanda, one of the pillars of the country’s Vision 2050 “quality of life”. Using new technologies in the health sector is not new in Rwanda. The country has been using drone technology by Zipline ever since 2016 to deliver urgent blood supplies to hospitals, cutting down delivery time from hours to minutes. In today’s developing world, access to lifesaving and critical health products is hampered by what is known as the last-mile problem, which is the inability to deliver needed medicine from a city to rural or remote locations due to lack of adequate transportation and/or communication. In Rwanda, postpartum haemorrhaging was among the leading
www.virungapost.com
causes of death for women. However, the use of innovative technology, like drones, has been a key factor in the success of the health sector, as it has contributed to the drop in maternal mortality ratio to 210 deaths per 100,000 live births. Coronavirus, a viral pandemic that since early this year has affected millions of lives and created a challenge for the global community, has also been a reminder that technology can be a great tool to save lives. New technologies used in the health sector are expensive and some of them may take time from being implemented, but in countries like Rwanda well known for their desire for innovation, and willingness to develop solutions to complex development challenges, sacrifices, no matter how big, were made to save people’s lives.
Issue no 002 July 2020
OP-ED
73
CARTOON OF THE WEEK
In leaked audio, Boonabana invokes Museveni’s name to intimidate businessman after she stole his money By Alex Muhumuza In a Soundcloud audio circulating on social media, RNC agent Prossy Boonabana is heard loudly threatening Henry Mugisha – a Kampala businessman that she and her henchman Sulah Nuwamanya robbed of US$ 37,500, then set agents of Ugandan military intelligence agents (CMI) on him when he demanded to be paid his money. In the recording, Mugisha – who has been demanding his money from Boonabana since 23 March this year – is heard complaining about an armed man that Boonabana has brought to his business premises. “What’s that man doing here?” a worried Mugisha asks, probably thinking he is going to be shot. “This is a business, what is that man doing here?!” Then Boonabana in a loud, domineering voice says: “That man was given to me by the president of this country to guard me!” The businessman, clearly taken aback, asks: “so why do you work with a person that threatens?!” People that know the activities in Uganda of RNC – the group led by Kayumba Nyamwasa whose goal is to destabilize Rwanda through terrorism – are not surprised that the Ugandan ruler gives its agents armed guards. It is already well known that Museveni long ago assigned CMI, under (Maj. Gen. Abel
Kandiho), to work with RNC and facilitate it in all possible ways – recruiting, mobilizing, setting up cells in different parts of Uganda, even abducting and torturing innocent Rwandans that refuse to be part of RNC, or to betray their country. “But to hear RNC agents using the same policemen or guns that Museveni gives them to facilitate private criminal acts; to utilize them in criminal, self-enrichment schemes, such as Boonabana intimidating Mugisha whose money she stole – even in Uganda this is a bit surprising, but again it is not!” knowledgeable, social media commentators were saying. The Soundcloud audio has come to light after the businessman – who runs a successful forex bureau, Lloyds FX on Lumumba Avenue in the Ugandan capital – dragged Boonabana to court earlier this week with proof that she and Nuwamanya together with an armed policeman, Godfrey Chebet, broke into his office and stole documents and US$ 2,500. “They broke into my office to steal receipts, and signed documents that indicate Boonabana already owed me US$ 35,000,” Mugisha told Kampala’s media outside Buganda Court Road on the morning of Thursday, this week According to the lawsuit that Mugisha lodged on 10 this month (which one of our sources saw) it was not long after Boonabana’s threats that “she had been given
a guard by Museveni”, that she and Nuwamanya were back at Lloyds FX offices with more CMI agents, to hurl accusations at Mugisha that “he is a Rwandan spy that has been involving himself in Uganda’s internal affairs!” They even alleged that Mugisha had a gun and eavesdropping gadgets in his office. Such are the connections of the RNC agents with CMI that CMI operatives abducted the businessman away at Boonabana’s orders then she, Nuwamanya, and Chebet (the armed man that they utilized to threaten Mugisha) broke into his office to then steal the documents and the money. Mugisha, a Ugandan citizen who has nothing to do with politics or “spying” spent nine days in Kireka CMI Police Station in April this year, “just because he had dared demand his money!” Luckily for him, he must have had powerful connections that were able to get him out of “CMI’s illegal detention”, as his lawsuit said. It has long come to light that many Rwandan nationals in Uganda, or even Ugandans with Rwandan roots have fallen prey to the intimidation, and thieving of Boonabana and Nuwamanya. Usually it is enough for Boonabana or Nuwamanya to bark at a scared Rwandan, someone with money: “your days are numbered you! Do you know who we are?” Boonabana and Nuwamanya like to brag. “You ask; we even meet the president. He knows us and gives us soldiers!”
www.virungapost.com
Usually a threat such as, “we are going to report you that you are a Kigali spy!” will follow. Any Rwandan will be so frightened they will just give these people any money one has. Very many Rwandans that have been abducted on different false charges have ended up in different dungeons, or ungazetted places of detention and illegally detained, incommunicado, while CMI or RNC agents inflict on them “torture of the kind silence them forever,” a few lucky survivors of it have said. This website has talked to Rwandans that left Uganda after such experiences. It isn’t only Boonabana or Nuwamanya exploiting Kampala’s anti-Rwanda hostility for criminal self-enrichment, it has long been known. “It is a whole network of crooks in Uganda’s security corridors,” said a former victim that has now settled back in Kigali. “They are drunk with impunity!” he exclaimed. This is why other observers are certain that though Mugisha has managed to drag the two RNC agents to court, “nothing will happen to them. They will not be locked up or punished in any way, because they enjoy the protection of Museveni, and the protection of CMI!” They even brag about it!
Issue no 002 July 2020
Profile
8
Dr. Sam Ruvuma, the embezzler that eluded Justice by joining RNC By Robert Rutoma When in December 2017 an infamous incident involving 46 recruits of the RNC terrorist group erupted at Kikagati on the border between Uganda and Tanzania, few people had ever heard the name Sam Ruvuma. Before long, however, that name was being whispered as one of the masterminds of an RNC recruitment operation in Uganda – backed and facilitated by Ugandan Military Intelligence, CMI. The 46 RNC recruits – lured by RNC agents in conjunction with CMI, which also was providing them transportation and fake travel documents – were intercepted by immigration officers at Kikagati as they were about to transit through Tanzania and Burundi, enroute to their final destination in DRC, in RNC training camps in Minembwe. Their cover story was that “they were going to Burundi for a bible fellowship”. It did not take long before Uganda Police – whose border officers had fought tooth and nail to arrest the 46 when it was discovered they were travelling with fake documents, only for disguised CMI officials to try to intervene to help the RNC recruits proceed – filed charges of terrorism against them. The acts of the Ugandan regime have, since the 1990s, revealed a deep vendetta against Rwanda. That, analysts have long pointed out, is because Kigali has never accepted to cede an inch of its sovereignty to take orders from Kampala. Since then Kampala adopted Kayumba Nyamwasa’s RNC as the main proxy group in Kampala’s plots to destabilize Rwandan security. Sam Ruvuma, a cousin of Museveni – and brother to Col. Gideon Katinda of the UPDF – has been a willing, zealous, part of that effort. He has been a mastermind of the recruitment drive, and had personally escorted the group to
RNC terror operative Ruvuma – he, like Nyamwasa and others, have a lot to answer for.
make sure they crossed the border without detection. Too bad for him, however, as the plan to smuggle the 46 into Tanzania (and onto their way to Burundi then DRC) unraveled, Ruvuma who was at the Kikagati Border Post watching. He quickly fled the scene, alongside his accomplice Felix Mwizerwa, son of “Pastor Deo Nyirigira another RNC big fish in Mbarara. Their terrorist plan was completely busted.
Butare. That was in 1995. “It wasn’t the last incident of Nyamwasa abusing his trust to do things for personal gain, or for the gain of his Ugandan friends,” remarked the retired RDF officer.
Ruvuma’s loyalty to Nyamwasa goes way back when the latter still was a colonel in the Rwandan military in the 1990s. By then Nyamwasa already was clandestinely working for Museveni, as a fifth columnist “very practiced in the arts of deception,” says a now retired officer of the RDF.
Upon graduation, and by then perceived as a Rwandan, thanks to Kayumba Nyamwasa’s machinations, the newly graduated Dr. Sam Ruvuma was able to serve in the Rwandan civil service, and quickly rose to be the Director of Gisenyi Hospital. Yet even then Ruvuma’s true character – same as the character of Nyamwasa, or that of the latter’s clandestine masters in Uganda – quickly showed itself. After barely one year with Ruvuma at the helm of Gisenyi Hospital management, an internal audit unearthed gross embezzlement of the hospital’s funds.
Virunga Post understands that Ruvuma’s brother, Col. Katinda currently of the UPDF Military Court, is a longtime friend to Kayumba Nyamwasa – with the men having known each other since their school days in Uganda. “It was through this friendship that Nyamwasa, a senior member of the Rwandan military, trusted by peers to do the right thing, instead used his power to help Ruvuma fraudulently acquire a government scholarship, to study medicine at the Rwanda National University,
Realizing that was about to be asked hard questions, Ruvuma (who by then staff had nicknamed Ruvumwa, the cursed one) fled to Uganda. “A complete audit would certainly have led to his arrest and prosecution for corruption,” said a former colleague of his that requested anonymity. Even then, in Ruvu ma’s absence, a financial audit was conducted. It confirmed Ruvuma had grossly embezzled funds, but, the man having run away, another person paid the price. The director of finance at
www.virungapost.com
Gisenyi Hospital was arrested. Wanted by the courts in Rwanda, Sam Ruvuma decided to convert his fear of Rwandan justice into anger and hostility. “That is when he naturally joined Kayumba Nyamwasa’s RNC in the mission to perpetrate anti-Rwanda terror. He started spending much of his time at Pastor Nyirigira’s AGAPE church in Mbarara, described as the epicenter of the RNC mobilization and recruitment operations. Ruvuma has been a constant in RNC activities since then, most remarkably participating in the abduction and disappearance of Benjamin Rutabana – the RNC “commissioner of capacity building” that fell out with Nyamwasa. “This Ruvuma is the man whose phone Rutabana – upon landing at Entebbe from Brussels via Dubai on 5 September last year – used to call his wife to tell her he was safely in Uganda,” a source said. “Among the people that have to tell the world where Rutabana is, Ruvuma too is answerable.” Ruvuma will be equally answerable for lots of other crimes that RNC has perpetrated. It’s just a matter of time.
Issue no 002 July 2020
REGIONAL
39
A double whammy of international reports heavily implicate Uganda in Ituri violence, and smuggling conflict minerals By Melodie Mukansonera A new report by the International Crisis Group has singled out Uganda as “a key player fueling the upsurge of violence in the Ituri Province” in the north east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 37-page report – released on 15 this month under the title, “DR Congo: Ending the Cycle of Violence in Ituri” – presents a chronology of the events that led to this upsurge in fighting. It also analyses “the conflict’s cyclical nature and its underlying causes,” and identifies its main actors in order to understand why it persists. The report partly states that, “Uganda has played a bigger role in fueling the Ituri region violence through different means, including hosting those that are commanding the conflict in the province. “Several Congolese actors who were active in previous Congo wars are involved in the
conflict in Ituri and operate from Uganda,” the report states. “Among these different actors, include former members of the Congolese Rally for Democracy, the Kisangani Liberation Movement (Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie Kisangani/Mouvement de Libération) who are playing a leading role in the conflict,” reads the report. Also implicated is the predominantly Nande group, led by former rebel leader Mbusa Nyamwisi “staunchly supported by Uganda”, that controlled parts of North Kivu and Ituri. “Some of its members are still based in Uganda, in plain view of the authorities, and maintain contact with armed groups active in North Kivu and Ituri,” says the report that holds back no punches. Among those that the report names operating with such impunity with the support of Kampala are Yves Mandro Kahwa Panga (known as “Chief Kahwa”), who
Two international reports heavily implicate Uganda in conflict and atrocities in the
Ituri region (above and below right), as well as smuggling of conflict minerals (below left).
has been moving back and forth between Ituri and Kampala. This rebel chieftain is considered to be posing one of the more serious threats to the situation in Ituri, as stated by the International Crisis Group report.
Based on the nature of the Ituri conflict and Uganda’s involvement, the ICG has recommended that the Ituri conflict be put on the agenda for the next Quadripartite Summit, which will bring together Angola, the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda. Meanwhile, the International Crisis Group’s report comes in the wake of another one published by the United Nations last month about conflict minerals whereby Uganda again is strongly implicated. That report indicates that about US$ 100 million of Congolese conflict gold is trafficked through Uganda monthly. The UN estimates that at least 1.1 tonnes of gold were smuggled out of Ituri province alone in 2019. “More than 95 percent of gold exports from Uganda in 2019, which totaled just over 25 tonnes, were not of Ugandan origin. The estimate was based on 2018 production, and 2019 exports data,” said the Reuters news agency, quoting the UN report.
www.virungapost.com
Issue no 002 July 2020
REGIONAL
10 3
Ugandan misinformation that Rwandans “seek medical services in Uganda” is dead on arrival, officials By Patience Kirabo Ugandan government-sponsored propaganda and misinformation outlets, watchdoguganda.com and Chimpreports this Tuesday, July 14, have published an identical story claiming that “Rwandan patients have been overwhelming Ugandan health centers along the Uganda, Rwanda border.” They go on to claim “this was before Kigali barred her citizens from crossing into Uganda.” A cursory examination of the article shows that it was, word for word, the same in both Watchdoguganda.com and Chimpreports, two websites known to be under the control of Ugandan Military Intelligence (CMI) deputy director in charge of counterterrorism, Brig. CK Asiimwe. “It was clear the writer of this piece of misinformation was one, probably sitting in a CMI office before sending it to the editors of watchdog and Chimpreports,” laughed a media analyst. The article quoted Darius Nandinda, the Kabale RDC saying that “before Rwanda closed the border with Uganda ‘Rwandans living with HIV would cross to Uganda to receive their ARV’s from their Health Centers’.” According to analysts of the CMI-overseen campaign of propaganda and smears against Rwanda, the first sign of the dirty nature of this campaign is the deliberate use of HIV/Aids as a smear against Rwandan citizens. “We all know what the Ugandan propagandists are doing with this false but deliberate tarnishing of Rwandans. “They are even shameless, HIV has largely been tamed as a disease, so it is very cheap of these Ugandans – whose country has been one of the hardest hit in the past – to imagine they are ‘shaming Rwandans’ with such lies,” said a reader. On the other hand, it is a matter of record that Rwanda is a country with a healthcare system that is envied throughout Africa. “It shows how badly hit by border
A “hospital” in Western Uganda. Observers find it very laughable that some NRM official has claimed in Kabale that “Rwandans were seeking medical services in Ugandan border area health centers”.
closure these Ugandans are that everything they say, and every lie they tell has to involve “border closure”, said Theoneste Gatsinzi, a social media commentator. Regarding Nandinda’s claims that Rwandans are crossing to receive free ARVs from Uganda, “why couldn’t the man at least try to find a better lie?” commentators asked. In Rwanda, every health center caters to citizens, who all have the Mutuelle de Santé health insurance, and ARVs are almost free of charge for anyone in need of them. “So, why would anyone need to go to Uganda where health centers or hospitals that appear in the media look very dilapidated and falling apart?” readers asked. In fact, things are the other way round; it is Ugandans from border communities that flock into Rwanda looking for health services. That is documented with facts, rather than propaganda.
In 2014, for instance, residents of Ntungamo Districts issued a loud cry, demanding to “be returned to Rwanda.” The people were saying since it was impossible to get any services in their own country, the best thing for them would be for Ntungamo to become part of Rwanda. “Residents say they have been denied medical, schools, water and agricultural services, yet they can easily access them in Rwanda,” reported the Daily Monitor’s Perez Rumanzi in an article published on 7 February, 2014. “We are tired of paying taxes to the Ugandan Government but never getting anything good from that government!” shouted one after another of the good citizens of Ntungamo. It was reported that Kampala had to deploy heavy military presence in the District to scare the people into silence. One of Nandinda’s other claims is that “when Rwanda closed her borders, ‘citizens couldn’t dare
www.virungapost.com
cross into Uganda as they would be shot dead upon being arrested’.” But this too is another false claim. “The only people breaking the law through use of illegal, ungazetted crossing points while smuggling are Ugandans; so what is Nandinda saying?” a Rwandan border official asked. Analysts say the border issue is a constant pain to Ugandan regime officials and they come up with all these fictitious tales, mainly to make themselves somehow feel better. One of the NRM officials quoted in the Chimpreports, watchdoguganda.com article, Ndorwa Constituency NRM Chairperson Grace Bekunda, is up for re-election, “She uses anti-Rwanda misinformation, that Rwandans are crossing to Uganda for medicine. But it can’t work; people have eyes!” said a source in Kabale, Uganda.
Issue no 002 July 2020
REGIONAL
11 3
Rwandan woman that suffered illegal detention in Uganda worries for her family By Patience Kirabo In the last two months, UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, donated to Rwanda’s Ministry of health 5 high-tech robots with the capacity to screen 50 to 150 people per minute to be used in COVID-19 treatment centers. Acquired through ZoraBots Africa Ltd, the five anti-epidemic robots – given the Rwandan names of Akazuba, Ikirezi, Mwiza, Ngabo, and Urumuri – have the ability to recognize the face, screen body temperature, deliver food and medication to patients’ rooms, monitor their status and alert officer on duty when there is a need for a human presence in the room. “Medics and other front-liners visit patients’ rooms many times to deliver medication, meals,
carry out tests, among other things and this may pose a risk of contracting the virus, so the idea of using the robots is aimed at reducing exposure of health workers to possible Covid-19 infection” said Dr Daniel Ngamije, Minister of Health, speaking to media. COVID-19 calls for technological innovations due to the contagious nature of the pandemic. The smart mobile robots improved the rapidity and quality of services provided to patients infected by coronavirus and allowed healthcare providers to follow-up several patients at once as the numbers of cases continue to rise. Rwanda had also introduced high-tech initiatives like drones that were used to raise awareness on the coronavirus pandemic in local communities during the lockdown. All these efforts and
many more are put together to enhance efficiency in handling the pandemic and provide quality healthcare to Rwandans and residents of Rwanda, one of the pillars of the country’s Vision 2050 “quality of life”. Using new technologies in the health sector is not new in Rwanda. The country has been using drone technology by Zipline ever since 2016 to deliver urgent blood supplies to hospitals, cutting down delivery time from hours to minutes. In today’s developing world, access to lifesaving and critical health products is hampered by what is known as the last-mile problem, which is the inability to deliver needed medicine from a city to rural or remote locations due to lack of adequate transportation and/or communication. In Rwanda, postpartum haemorrhaging was among the leading causes of death for women.
Repatriated Rwandans last month; one lady tells of her harrowing experiences while in illegal detention in Uganda.
www.virungapost.com
However, the use of innovative technology, like drones, has been a key factor in the success of the health sector, as it has contributed to the drop in maternal mortality ratio to 210 deaths per 100,000 live births. Coronavirus, a viral pandemic that since early this year has affected millions of lives and created a challenge for the global community, has also been a reminder that technology can be a great tool to save lives. New technologies used in the health sector are expensive and some of them may take time from being implemented, but in countries like Rwanda well known for their desire for innovation, and willingness to develop solutions to complex development challenges, sacrifices, no matter how big, were made to save people’s lives.
Issue no 002 July 2020
REGIONAL
12 3
FLN obtained ammunition and supplies from Burundi’s Gen Agricole Ntirampeba By Jean Gatera A senior member of FLN (“Front de Liberation Nationale”) terrorist outfit extradited to Rwanda in March 2020 from the jungles of eastern Congo has revealed how FLN replenished its ammunition and supplies from Burundi, back when Pierre Nkurunziza was president of the country. When the FLN came under fire last year, “Col.” Nizeyimana Marc alias Massamba, second in command of the Kalehe Sector for the militia, says that is was Brig. Gen. Agricole Ntirampeba of State House Burundi “that donated ammunition to FLN.” This particular group suffered a particularly big setback when it’s public face, “Maj.” Callixte Nsabimana was arrested, and extradited to Kigali. During his trial he spilled every FLN secret – including the group’s links with the intelligence security organs of Uganda (CMI) and Burundi.
Congo as he crossed the River Rusizi along with 20 of his escorts. Narrating his arrest, the FLN man told the press how on other days (in the days before they suffered the military rout in DRC) he also sometimes went through Bujumbura to visit FLN fighters in the Burundian Forest of Kibira.
ment – President Nkurunziza’s principal advisor, Brig-Gen Agricole Ntirampeba, as the main donor of guns and ammunition. Nizeyimana in his testimony disclosed that his ties with Ntirampeba go back a long way. “We lived and studied with Ntirampeba in Lubumbashi,” he said.
The Kibira forest crosses into Rwanda into Nyungwe, and has been a route used by the FLN in the past to launch terrorist attacks into Rwanda, and every time they are repulsed by Rwandan security forces, they flee back to Burundi through the same forest.
Gen. Ntirampeba occupied several important positions in the first 15 years of the CNDD-FDD rule under the leadership of the deceased Nkurunziza. Ntirampeba was previously mentioned in a UN Group of Experts report for his role in Burundi’s support of
organization, SNR – was in constant communication with senior FDLR officials like “Maj.” Mazuru. The UN report obtained call records that showed 13 calls between Ntirampeba and Mazuru. “For these reasons the FLN member’s story adds up,” a Kigali security analyst observed. “Under the Nkurunziza’s regime, Burundi was a known terrorist hub and Ntirampeba was mentioned in several reports.” The analyst pointed at other testimony by the likes of Callixte Nsabimana, or other terror suspects facing trial in Rwanda like
Nizeyimana made his particular revelations last Friday when Rwanda Investigation Bureau paraded 57 members of terrorist groups accused of threatening state security. The FLN, the so-called “armed wing” of the MRCD terrorist coalition, mid last year was pushed back over 200 km southwards in a military route to rid Congolese territory of illegal armed groups. The likes of RNC, FDLR suffered even a worse fate, losing top commanders and hundreds of fighters. “We retreated towards Uvira – not far from Bujumbura – and I crossed to Burundi to get the ammunition”, Nizeyimana said. “This is hardly surprising knowing the role of the then president Nkurunziza in propping up anti-Rwanda terrorist groups that FLN too was getting its supplies and replenishments from Burundi,” a security analyst that followed Nizeyimana’s testimony said. The rebel member said after he left Bujumbura he was apprehended on his way back to
FLN rebel Nizeyimana – “we were getting ammunition from Bujumbura”
Narrating back to the time he was in Bujumbura to meet big Burundian officials, Nizeyimana said, “We bought some ammunition, but most of it was a gift from Burundi.” Although he insisted that the support from Burundi was “by individuals,” he proceeded to name a top official of the govern-
anti-Rwanda groups like FDLR. In 2009, the UN Group of Expert (UNGoE) of 2009, S/2009/603, directly named him as a collaborator of FDLR. According to the report, Agricole Ntirampeba – then chief of staff of the country’s intelligence
www.virungapost.com
Maj. Habib Mudathiru of RNC. But observers are cautioning against automatically equating the new administration in Burundi with the old one. “It shouldn’t be forgotten that these events took place in 2019, and before – under Nkurunziza”, one said.
Issue no 002 July 2020
SPORTS
13 3
26 years of sports development to unite Rwandans
Kigali Arena, a 10 thousand-seater sports facility was commissioned in 2019 by President Paul Kagame.
By James Kabaka In line with the government’s seven-year program of promoting sports, president Paul KAGAME launched the 3,500-seater Nyagatare stadium during the celebrations of the 26th anniversary of Liberation Day on July 4. The stadium has been constructed simultaneously with Bugesera and Ngoma stadiums in eastern province. On 28 October 2017, president Paul KAGAME inaugurated Gahanga cricket stadium which is the first of its kind in region, and on 9 August 2019, launched Kigali arena, the biggest indoor facility in the east and central African region.
Sports Hub on at least 35ha in Remera, in which Amahoro National stadium and Kigali Arena are located, the activities to upgrade the area into a Modern Sports center was expected to start this year.
youth level (CAN U20 & U17) in 2009 & 2011 respectively and the 4th African Nations Championships (CHAN) finals tournament which is the Africa’s second biggest football competition in 2016.
The building of new facilities and the development of Rwanda as a regional center for sports creating employment opportunities and make a contribution to the country’s economy. Rwanda has hosted several sports events including the Africa’s football competitions at
Since 2009, Tour du Rwanda has listed into the UCI Africa Tour calendar of races, and last year, tour du Rwanda was upgraded to 2.1 from UCI 2.2 category, becoming only the second African cycling competition with a 2.1 badge along with Gabon’s La Tropicale Amissa Bongo.
In January 2020, Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, Minister of Sports, said that there are plans to turn sports into a revenue-generating sector by upgrading infrastructure and deploying multi-pronged efforts to nurture talent. At the press conference held on 29 January 2020, Amb.Claver Gatete, minister of Infrastructure said that the government has a big project of building the Kigali
Gahanga international cricket stadium
www.virungapost.com
After the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, the government of Rwanda has played an outstanding role in developing the sports industry and since then, sports have not only used to re-unite and reconcile Rwandans but also the government recognized sports as one of the pillars of social transformation and development of people. The nation has promoted sports in all corners of society, women, people with disability and the youth have been given space in the sector.