ONE NEW MINISTER APPOINTED, SMALL SHUFFLE OF OTHER

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIGALI 000743 C O R R E C T E D COPY NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL RW SUBJECT: ONE NEW MINISTER APPOINTED, SMALL SHUFFLE OF OTHER SENIOR PERSONNEL Classified By: CDA Cheryl Sim for Reason 1.4 (b) (d) ¶1. (U) On Sunday, October 19, Radio Rwanda announced the appointment of Dr. Richard Sezibera, formerly the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, as Minister of Health. He took the place of Jean Damascene Ntawukuliryayo, who won election to the Chamber of Deputies in September as a Social Democratic Party (PSD) member and is now one of two Deputy Speakers. Ambassador Joseph Mutaboba, formerly Secretary General in the Ministry of Internal Security, took Sezibera's place as Great Lakes Special Envoy. Penelope Kantarama, formerly Western Provincial Governor, replaced Mutaboba at Internal Security. ¶2. (U) In other changes, the Minister of State for Industry and Investment Promotion, Vincent Karega, was transferred to the Ministry of Natural Resources as Minister of State for Environment and Mining. Dr. Agnes Bingawaho, formerly the head of the National HIV/AIDS Commission, became Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, replacing Caroline Kayonga, who moved to the same position in the Ministry of Natural Resources. Finally, Dr. Anita Asiime, formerly head of the Treatment and Research Aids Center in the Ministry of Health became the new head of the HIV/AIDS Commission. In announcing these changes, the Government of Rwanda adopted East African Community terminology for the senior civil servant position in the various ministries, "Permanent Secretary" now replacing "Secretary General." ¶3. (C) Sezibera has been the point man for the Rwandan government on all issues relating to regional integration and relations with the DRC and other neighboring countries sine 2003. His appointment to the Ministry of Health is an intriguing one; although he is a medical doctor, he has not practiced medicine or worked on health issues since the end of the genocide in 1994 (he served as a physician for the Rwanda Patriotic Army, now the Rwanda Defense Forces, throughout the war years). Sezibera has no where near the natural warmth of his predecessor, who readily engaged the Rwandan public on controversial issues such as birth control/family planning. Over the past several months, it has become clear that Sezibera was increasingly fatigued by the "Sturm und Drang" of the Great Lakes portfolio. ¶4. (C) Ambassador Joseph Mutaboba will easily don the mantel of Special Envoy. He has long experience on security issues, as well as serving in senior positions in the Foreign Ministry and as Rwanda's envoy to the U.S. and the U.N. Despite his appreciation for U.S. policy considerations, Mutaboba will not bring a new approach to GOR/DRC relations or be persuaded that a more accommodating approach with the Congolese will deliver benefits to Rwanda. He spent many years in exile in Burundi and the DRC, and held positions with the Peace Corps in Bukavu, although this does not seem to affect his thinking vis--vis Rwanda's neighbors. He is fluent in French and English. ¶5. (SBU) The other shifts of personnel appear to be institutional fine-tuning of the careers and responsibilities of serving technocrats, largely in the health field. SIM