Karongi, 28 September 2026 — Rwanda has launched a five-day Inter-Cluster Multi-Hazard Simulation Exercise (SIMEX) in Karongi District to test and strengthen the country’s capacity to anticipate and respond to flood and drought risks before they escalate into emergencies.

The exercise, officially opened by ACP Egide MUGWIZA, Director General of Response and Recovery Operations at the Ministry in charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA), brings together around 60 participants from national emergency clusters, district authorities, government institutions, UN agencies, international and national organisations, and humanitarian partners. The exercise is being conducted in collaboration with FAO, WFP, IFRC and Rwanda Red Cross under the Anticipatory Action ECHO Great Lakes Project.

The SIMEX is taking place as Rwanda prepares for the September–December 2026 rainy season, for which forecasts indicate above-normal rainfall across much of the country, while some areas, particularly in the Eastern Province, may experience relatively lower rainfall and potential water stress. The anticipated El Niño conditions present a dual risk, with increased potential for floods, landslides, erosion and damage to crops and infrastructure in wetter areas, while areas receiving less rainfall may face dry spells and related impacts.

Speaking at the opening, ACP Egide MUGWIZA said the exercise provides an opportunity to ensure that forecasts and early warnings are translated into concrete actions before disasters occur.

“This simulation exercise is timely and necessary to ensure that forecasts are not only produced, but translated into actionable triggers that enable anticipatory measures to be taken before hazards escalate.”

The five-day exercise is designed to rigorously test Rwanda’s Flood and Drought Anticipatory Action Frameworks, including hazard thresholds, trigger activation procedures, coordination pathways, early warning dissemination and the operational feasibility of anticipatory actions. It is also assessing how information moves from monitoring and forecasting institutions through decision-making structures to the actors responsible for delivering assistance and protective measures at community level.

Through practical scenarios, participants are testing the full chain from monitoring and risk analysis to early warning, decision-making and anticipatory action. The exercise seeks to validate the thresholds used to determine when action should be triggered, test institutional roles and interfaces, and assess whether decisions can be made and implemented quickly enough to reduce the impacts of anticipated hazards.

For Rwanda, the exercise provides an opportunity to strengthen the link between early warning and early action, ensuring that risk information is used not only to understand potential hazards, but also to support timely decisions and measures that can protect lives, livelihoods and communities before impacts become severe.

ACP Egide MUGWIZA called on participants to use the exercise as a collective learning opportunity and to contribute to strengthening Rwanda’s disaster management architecture.

“This is not about individual performance, but about collective system learning. I encourage all participants to challenge assumptions, share your views openly, and identify the gaps that need to be addressed so that our frameworks, coordination mechanisms and anticipatory actions become stronger and more effective.”

The exercise is expected to produce practical outputs, including validated triggers and thresholds, improved understanding of institutional roles, simulated executive decision orders, tailored early warning messages, resource-matching approaches and recommendations for strengthening the operationalisation of the Flood and Drought Anticipatory Action Frameworks.

The exercise will conclude with an After-Action Review, documenting lessons, operational gaps and recommendations to improve coordination, communication, decision-making and the timely delivery of anticipatory actions.