One month after appointing Jean-Damascène Bizimana, as the Minister of the newly created Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), the cabinet has now appointed executive directors of its different departments. These include Julienne Uwacu who is the ministry’s Executive Director of the Community Resilience Department. She was the Head of FARG—the genocide survivors fund—which was phased out alongside other institutions after the creation of MINUBUMWE. The new ministry will also harmonize the functions of the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG) and National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) as well as the National Itorero Commission (NIC). Also appointed is Assumpta Muhayisa, who will be the ministry’s first Executive Director of Memory and Genocide Prevention Department as well as Maurice Mugabowagahunde, the Executive Director in charge of Research and Policy Development. Muhayisa is a psychologist and was lecturer at University of Rwanda while Mugabowagahunde is a researcher and historian who previously worked at the Huye-based National Museum of Rwanda. According to officials, the new ministry will be built on four key pillars: national unity and citizenship education; research and policy development; memory and genocide prevention; as well as community resilience. It will be under these pillars that functions for the four institutions will be absorbed. The ministry’s structure will be announced soon. What I can tell is that the ministry will cover all duties that were previously under the all phased out institution,” said Bizimana. Last month he re-assured the beneficiaries of FARG, saying they will continue to receive support.
