President Paul Kagame Asks Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe to Apologize to Journalist Mutesi Scovia
President Paul Kagame has asked Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe, to apologize to journalist Mutesi Scovia following a public exchange between the two.
The disagreement between Nduhungirehe and Mutesi Scovia took place in May this year.
The dispute stemmed from a discussion that Scovia and her colleagues held on Mama Urwagasabo TV, where they analyzed a post by Nduhungirehe on X in which he disputed claims made by the Office of the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Those claims said that President FĂ©lix Tshisekedi had participated in discussions during the Africa Forward Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya.
Farah Muamba Kayowa, the DRC Presidency’s Director of Communications, wrote on X that her country had “participated in the discussions” at the summit, which brought together African and French leaders under the theme of cooperation in innovation and economic development.
She said that on May 12, after attending Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony, Tshisekedi joined the discussions and called for respect for international cooperation in resolving conflicts, condemned what she described as “Rwanda’s aggression,” and advocated reforms to the United Nations Security Council.
However, Nduhungirehe responded on X, calling those claims “outright lies.” He argued that the DRC had not participated in the summit’s actual discussion sessions.
He explained that the Africa Forward Summit consisted of three major discussion sessions led by Kenyan President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to Nduhungirehe, heads of state and government representatives contributed during those sessions, but “the DRC’s seat remained empty throughout every discussion.”
He added:
“For that reason, Kinshasa neither requested anything nor accused Rwanda during the summit. President Tshisekedi only appeared during the closing ceremony.”
The Rwandan Foreign Minister further accused the DRC Presidency of engaging in propaganda to create the impression that Kinshasa had played a significant role at the summit when, according to him, that was not the case.
Nduhungirehe Criticizes Mama Urwagasabo TV
When Scovia Mutesi and her colleagues discussed his post, Nduhungirehe accused them of creating confusion and suggested they consult someone who speaks French well before interpreting his statements.
He wrote:
“Ms. @ScoviaMutesi, your discussion is creating confusion among Rwandans. My statement was written in clear language. Next time, find a journalist who speaks French well to translate such texts properly before discussing them. If necessary, ask me.”
He continued:
“Furthermore, the Africa Forward Summit event in Nairobi had nothing to do with the Heads of State Summit because it took place after that summit had ended. Therefore, you could not ask Sherrie Silver, who organized the event, to confirm what I wrote about the Heads of State meeting—she was not there. Rwandans who follow Mama Urwagasabo TV deserve clear and accurate information that does not mislead them, especially when it is based on documents written in foreign languages.”
Scovia Fires Back
Scovia Mutesi refused to let the criticism go unanswered. On X, she urged Minister Nduhungirehe to have his office also publish his statements in Kinyarwanda so that people who do not understand French could follow them.
She wrote:
“Honorable Minister @nduhungirehe, you said we translated your message incorrectly. We ask you to have your office also publish it in Kinyarwanda because your audience is not only in Paris, Kinshasa, or Brussels, but also includes Rwandans in Kiyombe, Mushubati, and Kinigi.”
She added:
“We will continue to be patient until your office—and you personally—begin communicating these matters directly to Rwandans in Kinyarwanda. Thank you, and have a good weekend.”
Nduhungirehe Told to Apologize
On Monday, during President Paul Kagame’s press conference with journalists, Kagame asked Mutesi Scovia, before she asked her question, to first explain what had happened between her and Minister Nduhungirehe.
After hearing that the dispute centered on an imperfect translation from French, President Kagame said that if the journalists had conveyed what the minister said in the language they understood best, there was nothing wrong with that. He emphasized that the situation would only have been serious if they had falsely attributed statements to him.
Scovia denied that she and her colleagues had ever altered what Nduhungirehe had said, though she admitted that they might have expressed it in what she jokingly described as “French that wasn’t exactly perfect.”
She said:
“The Minister said we needed to go back and study French, and it’s true that I don’t know it well. But my colleagues tried their best. I think that’s where the misunderstanding came from. Later, I apologized because perhaps I wasn’t in a position to respond to a minister as a journalist. Even now, I still apologize.”
Kagame: “He Should Be the One Apologizing”
President Paul Kagame told Scovia that she should never have apologized and said that Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe is the one who should apologize to her instead.
He remarked:
“Why were you apologizing? Oh no, no, no! That’s not acceptable! He should be the one apologizing to you.”
