Rwanda  : the government strengthen emergency action to boost natural disasters response

The Rwandan cabinet has approved an emergency response plan aimed at reinforcing efforts to provide urgent relief to communities affected by disasters, said a cabinet communique issued by the Office of the Prime Minister.

According to the communique, the extraordinary cabinet meeting that was chaired by President Paul Kagame to discuss the government’s response following the recent floods and landslides that affected parts of Western, Northern and Southern provinces has instructed concerned institutions to implement the plan without delay.

According to the communique, the cabinet also approved the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Policy which seeks to strengthen the legal and institutional framework for the management of disasters and for building the capacity for disaster management at all levels.

Weather-related disasters that hit Rwanda last week have killed at least 131 people in Western, Northern and Southern provinces of Rwanda and displaced more than 9,000 people, according to the latest figures from the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management.

At least 94 others have been injured and more than 5,550 houses, 14 roads and over 50 schools were destroyed and the disasters also destroyed crops, water and power infrastructures.

The Rwandan government needs about 110 billion Rwandan francs (about 98.3 million U.S. dollars) to rebuild infrastructure damaged by last week’s disasters as a result of heavy rains across the country, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure.