Rwanda's President Paul Kagame. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
President Paul Kagame has dropped Richard Sezibera as minister
of Foreign Affairs, replacing him with long-serving Minister of
Environment Vincent Biruta, in a major Cabinet reshuffle announced
Monday evening.
Mr Sezibera had been undergoing
treatment since July this year and until Monday’s reshuffle, his duties
had been temporarily be assumed by State Minister for Regional Affairs
Olivier Nduhungirehe.
Mr Sezibera had served in Foreign
Affairs having replaced Louis Mushikiwabo, who is now stationed in
France as the head of the La Francophonie.
His
replacement, Mr Biruta, 60, is a seasoned politician who has served in
several ministerial positions, and as president of the senate.
He
is also the president of the Social Democratic Party – one of the many
minor parties in coalition with the ruling party, Rwandan Patriotic
Front (RPF).
He takes over the ministry in the middle
of an ongoing reconciliation process with Uganda, as the two countries
seek to normalise diplomatic relations.
President Kagame also made a major change in the army by
promoting Jean-Bosco Kazura, 56, to a full General and also appointing
him to the Chief of Defence Staff of the Rwanda Defence Forces.
He
replaces Gen Patrick Nyanvumba who served in that capacity since 2013
and will now serve as minister in the newly created ministry of Internal
Security.
Gen Kazura headed the Rwandan Football Federation for two terms between 2006 and 2011.
He
was arrested in June 2010 for being away without leave and for
traveling to South Africa without permission – and released after
spending a month in military detention.
He rebounded
from his debacles later in 2013 when he was appointed Force Commander of
the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in
Mali.
President Kagame also returned Gen Fred Ibingira
as Chief of Staff of the Reserve Force, a position he had previously
held for eight years before being sacked last year.
He has replaced Lt Gen Jacques Musemakweli who is now the Inspector General of the RDF, which is a new office.
President
Kagame also split the ministry of Sports of Culture into different
institutions and appointed a new face, Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju as the
Minister of Sports. This is her first government appointment having
previously served as chief executive of a local insurance firm, Sonarwa.
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