The National Consultative Forum of Political Organisations (NFPO) has strongly condemned the arrest of Lt Gen Emmanuel Karenzi Karake, the head of National Intelligence and Security Service. 

Gen Karake was barred by the UK immigration officials from boarding a flight back home, about three weeks ago, in connection with a highly controversial indictment by a Spanish judge over alleged war crimes.

Reading the statement signed by representatives of 11 political parties in the country, Dr Alvéra Mukabaramba, the chairperson of Party for Progress and Concord, said Gen Karake’s arrest was unlawful.

Dr Mukabaramba, who is the minister of state for social affairs, was speaking at the NFPO quarterly general meeting in Kigali, yesterday.

"The NFPO general meeting strongly protests against Gen Karake’s arrest that relied on an unreasonable indictment by a judge who has never been to Rwanda (to conduct) for research and this contradicts international justice. We, therefore, call on the UK for his immediate and unconditional release,” reads part of the statement.

"The informants to the judge are the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi and criminals eluding justice. That is Genocide denial by those criminals to shape false allegations against people who stopped the Genocide.”

NFPO commended the African Union (AU) for rallying behind Rwanda in Gen Karake case and appealed to the United Nations to Western countries to respect the sovereignty of Rwanda and Africa as guaranteed in international statutes.

An emergency meeting of the AU’s Peace and Security Council held in Ethiopia, two weeks ago, termed the arrest as a "blatant violation of the principle of international jurisdiction by some non-African states against African officials.”

Alphonse Mukama Kayiranga, the spokesperson of NFPO, told journalists that Gen Karake’s arrest was a result of Western contempt.

He said the NFPO would take their message to concerned embassies.

Meanwhile, the meeting also discussed the forum’s budget.

NFPO has drawn a budget of Rwf672.8 million in 2015/16 financial year, reflecting an increase of 19 per cent compared to 2014/15 financial year budget, according to Oswald Burasanzwe, the NFPO’s executive secretary.

Burasanzwe told the forum that the government’s allocation to NFPO current budget is Rwf400 million, while the remaining part will be donation from the United Nations Development Programme.‘Government not idle’

Prior to the forum discussions, Francois Kanimba, the minister for trade and industry, tipped the participants on the government initiatives in boosting investment in rural areas.

"The government has put in place maize warehouses across the country to help in conservation and trading of the produce. Milk collection centres exist across the country and we have linked them to Inyange Industries. Irish potatoes collection centres are emerging in the areas where they are most grown and a wholesale market will soon start operating in Kigali,” he said.

"These initiatives are in line with the organisation of commodity value chain, reducing the supply chain and avoiding the middlemen who have been fleecing farmers off by buying their produce at give-away prices,” he said.

Kanimba insisted on the National Employment Programme (NEP), which seeks to create 200,000 off-farm jobs per year, saying cooperatives are playing a vital role, having invested over Rwf134 billion, last year, in rural areas.

Kanimba added that a lot has also been done to increase access to finance by young entrepreneurs across the country.

"Umurenge Saccos have significantly boosted access to finance but they still have a challenge of limited resources which do not meet loans demand and some people do not reimburse contracted loans, impeding loans performance,” Kanimba said.

The minister noted that lack of skills is another threat to the success of many young entrepreneurs. But, as a solution, government has decentralised Business Development Fund and engaged it in refinancing Sacco loans.

"We have deployed at least two Business Development Advisors at the sector level, among others,” he said.

The investment is mainly going to real estate and agriculture, according to Kanimba.

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