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Ex-premier says he won't flee

    NAIROBI

    Former prime minister Pierre-Celestin Rwigema has explained he resigned on Monday due to summonses by the national assembly to explain various actions and the resulting "unpleasant words". According to his resignation letter, he said that consequently "there was no conducive atmosphere for one to work, especially as prime minister". On 17 February, the assembly
    voted to establish a commission to investigate Rwigema's alleged
    harassment and intimidation of Stanley Safari, the first vice-president of his Mouvement democratique republicaine (MDR), the Rwanda News Agency (RNA) reported. Safari had played a leading role in a probe of Rwigema's alleged mismanagement of public funds while he was education minister.

    "Which funds? I was not managing any funds," Rwigema told the BBC's Kinyarwanda service on Monday. He said he was still leader of the MDR party until its political bureau considered whether he should continue or be replaced. He stressed he would not be following the example of the former speaker of parliament, Joseph Kabuye Sebarenzi, who was forced to resign on 6 January and subsequently fled the country. "My plan is to live
    in my house, with my wife and children. I am still here, I will go nowhere and there is no reason for me to leave the country," Rwigema added.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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