Friends are looking carefully at the government’s bill to keep Rwanda safe for another day on Wednesday.
The government wants to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, but the Supreme Court said they can’t do that. Now the government is trying again with a new bill.
The Lords started arguing on Monday. Some people criticized the government for acting like “dictators”.
However, Lord David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said it would be “incorrect” for members of the House of Lords to “block” the plan.
The new law in the UK would say that Rwanda is a safe place. It would also let government officials ignore urgent court orders so they can start sending people back to Rwanda.
The new law being discussed in Parliament is trying to stop more court cases against the one-way flights. The Supreme Court said the flights were not allowed in November, but most MPs in the Commons supported them last month.
The prime minister has made it a top priority to stop people from crossing the Channel in small boats.
On Wednesday, there will be a second day of discussions in the House of Lords about a new law. Members will go through the details of the proposed law very carefully. They have almost 100 changes to think about.
After making changes to the bill, peers will get a chance to take a final vote before sending it back to MPs for more discussion.
On Monday, Baroness Chakrabarti, a member of the Labour party, said the bill is a danger to the laws within the country and the international rules that countries follow.
Lord Howard, who used to lead the Conservative party, said that the Supreme Court’s decision was just an opinion and that the government can ignore it if needed.
Tory peer Lord Tugendhat, who is related to security minister Tom Tugendhat, said that what we are being asked to do is similar to what dictators and autocratic leaders do, not what a well-established democracy like ours should do.
Lord Alton of Liverpool said that just because a law says Rwanda is safe doesn’t mean it really is.
Calling a dog a cat doesn’t make it a cat. It’s what you think, but it’s not right.
During a visit to Scotland, Lord Cameron said that Rwanda is a safe country and has made a lot of progress in recent years. They also take good care of many refugees in Rwanda.
We have to pass this law in Parliament and send some of these flights away to show that our country won’t tolerate a lot of illegal immigration.
Tag: rwandan
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Friends to continue to review Rwandan bill
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Rwandan pact addresses legal issues – Cleverly
The person in charge of keeping the UK safe says a new agreement with Rwanda solves the problems the UK’s highest court had with the government’s plan, which the court said was not allowed last month.
The court said that the plan to send migrants to Rwanda could cause problems with people’s rights.
James Cleverly said that Rwanda had promised to keep people safe when they come to the country.
The policy is part of the government’s plan to stop migrants from coming to England by crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that stopping the boats is one of the five most important things for his government before the next general election.
The plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, announced in April 2022 by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has been delayed many times because of legal problems. No asylum seekers have been sent to Rwanda yet.
The highest court in the UK said no to the policy because they were not sure if the Rwandan government would follow a law called non-refoulment.
The rule says that a country cannot send back people seeking asylum to their home country if it would be dangerous for them.
After the decision, Mr. Sunak said his government will make a new agreement with Rwanda and create new laws to show that the country is secure.
The new law is expected to be brought to Parliament this week.
Legal worries in a courtroom.
Mr Cleverly went to Kigali and signed a new important agreement with Rwanda’s foreign affairs minister Vincent Biruta on Tuesday.
He is the third person in charge of the home department to visit Rwanda, after Priti Patel and Suella Braverman.
The British government says the new agreement makes sure that people moved to Rwanda are safe and won’t be sent back to a place where they could be harmed.
The agreement creates a new group of judges from different countries who are experts in asylum cases. They will listen to and decide on individual cases.
The government says a committee will watch over Rwanda’s asylum system. This committee will have more power to enforce the rules.
The government says a committee will create a way for people who have moved and their lawyers to report problems.
At a press meeting, Mr Cleverly said that Rwanda is a safe country. He also stated that he believes the treaty satisfies the concerns of the judges in the Supreme Court.
He said that this would be shown in the country’s laws very soon.
The asylum policy has already cost the UK government at least £140 million. Cleverly said the UK has not paid Rwanda any extra money for the new treaty.
The home secretary said he doesn’t see any good reason to doubt Rwanda’s ability to handle asylum cases. He wants the program to start as soon as possible.
He said Rwanda is known for being kind and was not happy about the way people were criticizing Rwanda.
Rwanda’s foreign affairs minister said that the UK may have blocked the asylum policy because of their own political issues.
But Biruta said that there is always a way to make any system made by people better, whether it is from Rwanda or Britain.
“We worked on this treaty because of this reason. ” To ensure we can make our asylum system better and have a fair and clear asylum system in place.
Conservative members of parliament who have strong beliefs are pushing Mr Sunak to stop boats carrying migrants from coming into the country.
In 2022, over 45,700 people came to the UK by crossing the Channel, the most ever recorded.
The UK government is being asked to reduce the number of people coming to live in the country, as it has reached a record high of 745,000 in 2022.
The Conservatives have promised many times to reduce the number of people coming to live in the UK since they started running the country in 2010. They also want to have more say over who can come into the UK after the Brexit vote.
On Monday, the government said they will make it harder for skilled foreign workers to come to the UK by raising the minimum salary they must earn from £26,200 to £38,700.
Mr Cleverly said that last year, 300,000 people who could have come to the UK will not be able to come in the future. -
Kabuga of Rwanda ought to be freed – UN court
Félicien Kabuga, a suspect in the Rwandan genocide, has been ordered to be urgently assessed for release, and the war crimes trial against him has been temporarily halted by UN appeal judges.
Although Mr. Kabuga’s dementia rendered him unsuitable to stand trial in June, judges at a UN war crimes court recommended that alternate processes be used instead.
Judges in the appeals court now reject this proposition.
The judges claim that the UN war crimes tribunal committed “an error of law” in June when it decided that Mr. Kabuga should be tried using a different, more straightforward method despite his condition.
Additionally, a lower trial chamber has been instructed to begin working on his release.
The 80-year-old businessman and owner of a radio station was one of the final suspects pursued by the tribunal investigating crimes committed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
He is accused of inspiring the assassins who slaughtered more than 800,000 people in just 100 days and inciting hatred through his radio programme.
After 20 years on the run, Mr. Kabuga was captured in Paris in 2020 and entered a not guilty plea.
The court acknowledged that this most recent ruling will be upsetting to the genocide victims and survivors, but added that justice could only be carried out with the utmost respect for the rights of the accused.
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Rwandan genocide suspect arrested in S. Africa after years on the run
After years on the run, authorities say the most sought fugitive suspected of taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide has been captured in Paarl, South Africa.
According to a statement, Fulgence Kayishema was apprehended on Wednesday in a combined operation involving South African law enforcement and a UN team tasked with tracking down the remaining fugitives.
Kayishema initially denied being him when he was apprehended, according to the investigators. At night’s end, he did, however, confess to them, saying, “I have been waiting a long time to be arrested.”
Investigators said he used multiple identities and forged documents to evade detection.
“The arrest was the culmination of an intense, thorough and rigorous investigation,” a senior official at the prosecutor’s office involved in the case told CNN.
“Family members and known associates were exhaustively investigated. That ultimately led to identifying the right location to search and finding the critical intelligence that was needed.”
Kayishema allegedly orchestrated the killing of more than 2,000 Tutsi refugees – women, men, children and the elderly – at Nyange Catholic Church during the genocide. He has been on the run since 2001.
“Fulgence Kayishema was a fugitive for more than 20 years. His arrest ensures that he will finally face justice for his alleged crimes,” said Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz of the United Nations’ International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).
“Genocide is the most serious crime known to humankind. The international community has committed to ensure that its perpetrators will be prosecuted and punished. This arrest is a tangible demonstration that this commitment does not fade and that justice will be done, no matter how long it takes,” Brammertz said.
In recent years, the IRMCT prosecutor has complained about the lack of cooperation from South African authorities and there have been a series of near misses capturing Kayishema. But on Thursday, Brammertz lauded the cooperation and support of the South African government.
The events in Nyanga, Rwanda, were one of the most brutal of the genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed over the period of 90 days.
The tribunal alleges that Kayishema directly participated in the “planning and execution of this massacre.” The indictment says he bought and distributed petrol to burn down the church while refugees were inside. Kayishema and others are also accused of using a bulldozer to collapse the church following the fire, while refugees were still inside.
The office of the IRMCT says the investigation spanned multiple countries across Africa and in other regions.
A reward of up to $5,000,000 was offered by the US War Crimes Rewards Program for information on Kayishema and the other fugitives wanted for perpetrating the Rwandan genocide.
Kayishema is due to be arraigned on Friday in a Cape Town court.
The Rwandan genocide saw Hutu militias and civilians alike murder vast numbers of members of the Tutsi ethnic minority: men, women and children, many of whom had been their neighbors before the conflict began.
The killings finally came to an end 100 days later, when Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) troops, led by Paul Kagame, defeated the Hutu rebels and took control of the country.
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DR Congo expels Rwandan officers from regional force
The military in the Democratic Republic of Congo says it has expelled Rwandan soldiers attached to the command of the East African Community Regional Force based in the eastern town of Goma.
The Rwandan soldiers were expelled from the force “for security reasons” and “have already left Congolese soil”, the military said.
The regional force consists of soldiers from several East African countries who have joined the Congolese army, with the support of UN peacekeepers, in fighting rebel groups in eastern DR Congo.
The Congolese army claimed that Rwanda had in response recalled all its officers from DR Congo, but the authorities in Kigali have denied the claim.
“It is not Rwanda that has recalled the officers. It is DRC that has expelled them,” Rwanda’s army spokesperson Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga told the BBC on Tuesday.
DR Congo had denied the involvement of Rwandan troops in the regional force that was deployed last year to the mineral-rich North Kivu province.
But it allowed a few Rwandan officers to be part of the force’s command as well as a security verification team.
Tensions between Kigali and Kinshasa worsened last week after Rwanda shot at a Congolese fighter jet near Goma airport.
Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the M23 rebels, which the latter has consistently denied.
Source: BBC
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DR Congo expels Rwandan ambassador as M23 rebels seize towns
Kinshasa orders Ambassador Vincent Karega to leave the country within 48 hours after accusing Kigali of supporting M23 rebels.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government has ordered Rwandan Ambassador Vincent Karega to leave the country within 48 hours after accusing Kigali of supporting M23 rebels, who have seized two towns in the DRC’s east, raising tensions between the two countries.
Saturday’s announcement by government spokesman Patrick Muyaya came after a meeting of the defence council, presided over by President Felix Tshisekedi, in the wake of rebels seizing control of Kiwanja and Rutshuru in the province of North Kivu.
DR Congo has repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the rebels, an allegation Rwanda has repeatedly denied. The decision to expel Karega is expected to further ratchet up tensions between the two countries whose relations have been fraught for decades.
Muyaya said that in recent days “a massive arrival of elements of the Rwandan element to support the M23 terrorists” against DR Congo’s troops had been observed.
“This criminal and terrorist adventure” had forced thousands of people to flee their homes, he added.
Rebel advance
The latest advance by rebel fighters prompted the UN peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, to increase its “troop alert level” and boost support for the army.
Fierce fighting erupted on Saturday morning between the Congolese army and M23 rebels in Kiwanja, which is 70km (43 miles) from the North Kivu capital, Goma.
John Banyene, a local civil society leader, later told The Associated Press that the rebels now controlled both Kiwanja and Rutshuru Centre. AFP, quoting unnamed officials, said the rebels had seized control of the towns.
“As we speak, we confirm that the M23 rebels and their allies control the town of Kiwanja, but the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo are not giving up,” Banyene told journalists in Goma.
There was no immediate confirmation from Congolese authorities or the military on the reported seizure of the two towns.
Ongoing fighting
The M23 was formed in 2012, claiming to defend the interests of Congolese Tutsis, a group sharing the ethnicity of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, against Hutu armed groups, seizing Goma, the largest city in DR Congo’s east, the same year. After a peace deal in 2013, many M23 fighters were integrated into the national military.
The group resumed fighting in late 2021 after lying dormant for years, accusing the government of having failed to honour an agreement over the demobilisation of its fighters.
It has since captured swathes of territory in North Kivu, including the key town of Bunagana on the Ugandan border in June.
Since May, M23 has waged its most sustained offensive in years, killing dozens and forcing at least 40,000 people to flee in only a week’s time. Nearly 200,000 people had already been displaced over the past year even before the latest surge in violence.
The M23’s resurgence has inflamed regional tensions and spurred deadly protests against the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC, which civilians accuse of failing to protect them.
Rwanda denies the charges and counters that DR Congo works with the Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a notorious Hutu rebel movement involved in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis, which Kinshasa also denies.
In August, a report by UN experts said they had “solid evidence” that members of Rwanda’s armed forces were conducting operations in eastern DR Congo in support of the M23 rebel group.
Rwanda, though, has repeatedly denied the allegations and has accused Congolese forces of injuring several civilians in cross-border shelling.
Source: Aljazeera.com
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Cedi touches new low amid record 37% inflation
The IMF expressed increasing support for the economic recovery in Africa this week at its annual meetings in Washington.
The IMF wants to hasten the implementation of long-delayed debt restructurings in Zambia and Chad by the end of the year.In Zambia, the abolition of customs tariffs and a combination of stricter fiscal and monetary measures have reduced inflation from 21% over the previous year to 9.9%.
The Kwacha has been Africa’s best performing currency, rallying around 18% year to date, after Zambia secured a $1.3bn bailout package from the IMF. Prospects remain positive given the debt restructuring plans to be concluded this year in addition to improved global consumption for the copper producing country.
Debt restructuring should also help spur recovery for Chad amid a pick-up in oil and agricultural output. In other news from the IMF meetings, the Fund is seeking to include clauses in future debt contracts that will allow borrowers to suspend debt servicing commitments in the event of a climate shock.
Meanwhile, Rwanda is set to become the first African country to benefit from a $40bn Resilience and Sustainability trust fund set up by the IMF to help countries deal with the impact of climate change.
A $310m staff-level agreement reached with the IMF will enable the Rwandan government to integrate climate-related considerations into its overall fiscal reforms.
The Rwandan franc has contracted by about 5% in the past year to RWF 1065 per dollar, against a backdrop of inflation soaring to 23.9% this year amid continued dependence on Russian wheat and fertilizer. A combination of the country’s economic reforms and an agreed IMF climate change related support programme could be a long-term boost for the currency.
Naira weakens as Nigeria considers debt restructuring
The Naira continued its slide against the dollar this week, trading at 734 from 722 at last week’s close, as Nigeria’s government said it was considering options to restructure its debt.
Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed said the country has appointed a consultant to look at ways to ease its debt burden, such as extending repayment periods, according to Bloomberg.
Nigeria’s oil output continues to decline amid rising oil theft and vandalism, with the country now Africa’s fourth biggest crude producer behind Angola, Libya and Algeria, having started the year as the continent’s largest.
That is piling further pressure on the Naira given that oil revenues are by far the biggest source of FX for the central bank. We expect further depreciation in the unofficial market in the short term as demand pressures continue to weigh heavily on the local currency.
Cedi touches new low amid record 37% inflation
The Cedi depreciated against the dollar again this week, trading at 10.58 from 10.45 at last week’s close, having briefly touched a record low of 10.63 on Tuesday. Annual inflation hit a record high 37.2% in September, up from 33.9% in August.
Ghana’s interest rate is currently at 24.5%, its highest level since 2017 following last week’s 250 basis point hike. Given that inflation is being driven mainly by the supply side, the bank’s rate hikes are not proving as effective in curbing rising prices.
Fitch Ratings has warned that a sovereign debt default is a real possibility, with any kind of domestic restructuring likely to severely impact the local banking sector. Against that backdrop, we [AZA Finance] expect the Cedi to continue weakening towards the 11 level in the near term.
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Risk-off drives Rand lower as planned power cuts ease
The Rand weakened against the dollar, trading at 18.18 from 18.04 at Friday’s close as risk-on sentiment of last week was snuffed out amid concerns about global growth and an escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine. On the domestic front, planned power cuts are expected to ease this week.
A workers’ strike at freight company Transnet has seen South African coal exports slow to the lowest level in a year, causing coal prices to jump higher.
Europe’s increased dependence on South African coal amid the ongoing energy crisis is likely to provide some support to the Rand in the months ahead. For the near term, we expect the Rand to continue trading in line with global risk sentiment.
Egypt Pound at record low as banks limit FX withdrawals
The Pound edged to a fresh low against the dollar, trading at 19.69 from 19.66 at last week’s close.
Egyptian banks have been taking steps in recent days to limit the withdrawal of foreign currency to protect against a scarcity of dollars in the country. The central bank is also considering allowing non-deliverable forwards so companies and investors can hedge exposure to large swings in the Pound.
Meantime, annual inflation climbed to 15% in September from 14.6% a month earlier, pushed higher by rising food and transportation costs.
We expect the Pound to weaken further in the coming days, although Egypt’s hosting of next month’s UN climate change conference COP 27 could help drive FX inflows with increased visitors.
Shilling slides as Kenya reserves hit 7-year low
The Shilling depreciated against the dollar, trading at 120.80/121.00 from 120.70/120.90 at last week’s close—just shy of a record low—due to increased dollar demand by importers in the oil, energy and manufacturing sectors.
Economic growth slowed for a fourth consecutive quarter, hitting 5.2% in Q2 of the financial year from 6.8% in the previous three-month period as election-related uncertainty and the worst drought in 40 years weighed on activity. To support the Shilling, the central bank sold an unspecified amount of dollars.
Kenya’s FX reserves fell to $7.3bn last week from $7.4bn a week earlier—the lowest level in seven years—amid lower foreign funding, faster import growth and a slowdown in remittances. We expect the Shilling to stabilise in the coming week as the central bank continues to dip into reserves to cushion against volatility.
Ugandan Shilling weakens amid rate hikes
The Shilling weakened against the dollar, slipping to 3831 from 3817 at last week’s close. Uganda said it was working with China, the US and Russia to find potential investors to help develop East Africa’s first nuclear power plant, which the government hopes to have operational by 2031.
Meantime, Uganda’s purchasing manager’s index climbed to 51.6 in September from 50.5 in August, the strongest level in five months. The central bank said more rate rises could be on the cards following last week’s 100 basis point hike.
Uganda’s benchmark interest rate has increased by 350 basis points since June, now at a three-year high of 10%. We expect the Shilling to weaken further in the near term due amid higher import costs.
Tanzania outlook raised at Moody’s as exports soar
The Shilling appreciated marginally against the dollar, trading at 2331 from 2332 at last week’s close.
Moody’s upgraded Tanzania’s credit outlook to positive from stable, affirming its B2 rating, five levels below investment grade, based on lower political risk given the government’s new approach to promoting economic development and engagement with the international community.
Tanzanian exports hit $1.4bn during the 12-months to August, a 75% increase on the previous 12-month period. We expect the Shilling to continue strengthening modestly against the dollar in the week ahead.
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Rwanda arrests four escapees from coronavirus centre
Rwandan police have arrested four people who escaped from a Covid-19 treatment centre at a school in the eastern region.
The four escaped at about 19:30 local time on Wednesday and were arrested the following day.
“Following information that four detainees had escaped, security organs and local leaders worked together to locate their whereabouts,†a police spokesperson for the eastern region said.
“On Thursday, following the release of their particulars and identities, people, who saw them, were quick to call the police,” he added.
Security and health officers are tracing people who they may have come into contact with the escapees to help stop the spread of the virus.
Rwanda has recorded 1,210 coronavirus cases so far, including two deaths.
Source:Â bbc.com
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Rwandan genocide suspect Kabuga appears before French court
Félicien Kabuga, indicted on charges of genocide related to the 1994 Rwandan massacre of some 800,000 people, appeared before a French court on Wednesday, four days after his arrest following a quarter of a century on the run.
Kabuga is accused of bankrolling and arming the ethnic Hutu militias that waged the 100-day killing spree against Rwanda’s Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Rwanda’s most wanted fugitive, was arrested on Saturday in a Paris suburb.
In his first appearance in public in more than two decades, Kabuga was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair, dressed in jeans and a blue jumper and wearing a face mask.
The octogenarian’s voice was weak, but audible, as he confirmed through an interpreter his identity and parents’ names. He gave his date of birth as March 1, 1933.
His lawyers said in a statement ahead of the hearing that Kabuga had the right to be presumed innocent and opposed being transferred from France to a UN tribunal that handles crimes against humanity based in Tanzania.
Defence lawyer Laurent Bayon told the court Kabuga wished to be tried in France.
Prosecutor seeks transfer to UN custody
The court will decide whether to hand Kabuga to the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). The international court is based in the Hague, Netherlands and Arusha, Tanzania.
The IRMCT’s chief prosecutor told Reuters, the court had already requested Kabuga be transferred to United Nations custody.
Kabuga could be held initially in The Hague rather than Africa due to coronavirus travel restrictions, said prosecutor Serge Brammertz.
The French court granted a request by the defence to defer the hearing and set the next date for May 27.
Exiting the courtroom, Kabuga raised his fist as several relatives including one son voiced encouragement.
Genocide ‘financier’
Kabuga’s arrest marked the end of a more than two-decade-long hunt that spanned Africa and Europe.
A one-time tea and coffee tycoon, he is accused of being a main financier of the genocide, paying for the militias that carried out the massacres, as well as importing huge numbers of machetes, according to the UN tribunal’s indictment.
He also co-owned Radio Television Milles Collines, the infamous radio station that fanned the ethnic hatred by broadcasting anti-Tutsi messages.
The United States had placed a $5 million bounty on his head.
Source:Â france24.com
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Rwandan police shoot two people defying virus lockdown orders
Rwandan police shot and killed two people who defied lockdown orders imposed by the government to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The two men in their twenties “attempted to tussle with officers,†Rwanda National Police spokesman John Bosco Kabera said by phone Wednesday.
Rwanda began a two-week lockdown on March 22, restricting travel between towns and cities and asking people to stay indoors. Its measures are among the most stringent in Africa. The East African nation has 40 confirmed Covid-19 cases.
Source: Bloomberg
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Two Rwandan ministers resign from cabinet
The Ministers of State affiliated to the Justice and the Education docket have stepped down.
Evode Uwizeyimana, the Minister of State in charge of Constitutional & Legal Affairs and Isaac Munyakazi the Minister of State in charge of Primary and Secondary Education submitted their resignation letters to the Prime Minister on Thursday, February 6, 2020.
The news was confirmed by Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente’s office through a tweet posted shortly before midnight.
According to the Prime Minister, the letters were to be presented to President Paul Kagame.
Uwizeyinama’s resignation comes only four days after he was seen shoving to the ground a female private security guard who demanded he undergoes security procedures required prior to entry of public buildings in Kigali.
The incident was posted on the social media platform Twitter. The former Minister responded begging pardon.
Some reports have attributed Munyakazi’s reason for stepping down to a case involving last year’s national exams where a school was promoted to the top 10 best performers without merit.
It is alleged that Munyakazi was involved in that process and investigations are ongoing to get to the bottom of the matter and hold to account all those involved.
The Rwanda Investigation Bureau confirmed Tuesday that it was investigating the incident involving Uwizeyimana.
Both Uwizeyima and Munyakazi joined the cabinet in 2016.
Source: allafrica.com