The Rwandan State Minister for Regional Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, who is well known for shooting from the hip and disparaging Uganda and its officials, has been sacked.

The firing of Nduhungirehe, who in the past described South Africa’s foreign minister as a “prostitute”, was announced at midnight by Prime Minister Eduardo Ngirente.

“Today, 09th April 2020, the President of the Republic has removed from office Amb Olivier Nduhungirehe for consistently acting based on personal opinions over government policies, while serving as Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in charge of East African Community,” said Ngirente.

The development confirms earlier reports that President Kagame had personally warned Nduhungirehe against his reckless remarks in vain.

In the international community, Nduhungirehe is considered an amateur in diplomacy.

His sacking didn’t seem to surprise many, with some Rwandans welcoming the development.

“We are not surprised, in fact it’s long overdue -that man had brought shame and disrepute to the position he held,” said a one Fred Ganza.

“A man who engaged in twitter wars/ arguments, threw around insults like a child in a playground. It was often embarrassing to accept he held role of authority. Bye bye.”

Nduhungirehe is known for being abusive, disrespectful and divisive – explaining why Kagame decided to get rid of him.

Many saw Nduhungirehe was partly responsible for the escalation of the Kampala-Kigali conflict as he fueled daily attacks on Ugandan officials.

His removal from office will be seen as a big step in restoring bilateral relations between Uganda and Rwanda.

AP