Latest news with #Kagame
Zawya
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Zawya
Why Rwanda is quitting ECCAS – again?
Rwanda is accusing Kinshasa of instrumentalising regional and international organisations to sanction Kigali over the war in eastern Congo, despite several initiatives seeking peace and a solution to the Congo crisis.'It's unbelievable and unacceptable to note that, whereas President Tshisekedi met President Kagame in a fruitful meeting in Doha, Qatar, on March 18, 2025, whereas (Foreign) Minister (Thérèse) Kayikwamba and myself signed a Declaration of Principles in Washington on April 25, 2025, and whereas Rwanda and DRC are actively engaged, over the past month, into promising US-facilitated negotiations for a historic peace agreement, the DRC, nonetheless, is still whining around in all regional and international organisations accusing Rwanda for its own turpitudes, not to mention crying out for sanctions' Rwanda Minister of Foreign Affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe posted on social media platform X. This came after Kigali issued a statement announcing its decision to pull out of the regional bloc, Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) over its 'instrumentalisation' by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), 'with the support of certain member states.''This distortion of the organisation's purpose was once again evident during the 26th Ordinary Summit held today in Malabo, where Rwanda's right to assume the rotating Chairmanship, stipulated in Article 6 of the Treaty, was deliberately ignored in order to impose the DRC's diktat,' Rwanda Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in. a statement Saturday. Kigali said it had written to the Chairperson of the African Union denouncing its 'illegal exclusion' from the 22nd Summit held in 2023 in Kinshasa under the DRC's presidency.'The silence and inaction that followed confirm the organisation's failure to enforce its own rules. Rwanda denounces the violation of its rights as guaranteed by the constitutive texts of ECCAS. Consequently, Rwanda sees no justification for remaining in an organisation whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles and intended purpose," Kigali said. Rwanda, an ECCAS founding member since 1983, is not quitting the bloc for the first time. It only returned in 2016 after eight years. It quit the organisation in 2007 'to concentrate on its membership in other blocs such as East African Community and Comesa.'When it returned, it said it wanted to widen its business and economic horizons, and reposition itself for political and diplomatic gains. But, as relations between Kigali and Kinshasa collapsed, owing to DRC's accusations that Rwanda has been backing M23 rebels bent on removing the establishment in Kinshasa. This latest development underscores the bad blood the two neighbours despite several ongoing arbitration processes. Although there has been a thaw in hostilities in eastern DRC following engagements between the rebels and DRC leadership, the war is still long from over. The US and Qatar meetings have brought a reprieve, and the mineral deals the US dangled seemed to attract interest from both countries, but the engagements are yet to bring tangible outcomes. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Morocco World
4 days ago
- Politics
- Morocco World
Rwanda's Sahara Position: Algeria Caught Again Fabricating Misleading Facts
Rabat – Algeria's regime has again been caught red-handed disseminating false information regarding Rwanda's alleged support for the Polisario Front's separatist agenda in Western Sahara. The regime's mouthpiece media echoed disinformation in which the separatist group claimed that President Paul Kagame had reaffirmed Kigali's support for its self-determination and referendum claims in recent comments. Pro-Polisario websites, including Algeria's regime press agency, claimed that the comments came while President Kagame and his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, exchanged views on tensions and conflicts in Africa. During that exchange, they claimed, both leaders stressed their allegedly shared'support for the Sahrawi people and their right to self-determination through a free, fair, and transparent referendum.' Yet these claims were clearly and directly refuted by Kigali merely hours after the Polisario press and Algeria's news agency had run their reports, once again dealing another setback to Algeria's besieged and increasingly exposed narrative on the Sahara dispute. In stark contrast to the statement reported by the Algerian state media, Kagama's official website published a communique detailing his remarks with no explicit or implicit mention of Rwanda's support for the Polisario. To Algeria's dismay, this reflects a direct contradiction to the Algerian regime's disinformation campaign seeking to challenge Morocco's territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces. The embarrassing move further exposes Algeria's growing desperation to derail Morocco's deepening momentum on the Sahara dispute. The Moroccan Autonomy Plan has gained massive international backing over the past few years and months, with a growing cohort of countries applauding the Moroccan proposal as the most serious and credible political roadmap to end the dispute over Western Sahara. The latest such backing came from one of the UN Security Council's Permanent members, the UK, which on Sunday expressed its support for Morocco's autonomy plan as the most viable path to a lasting and politically realistic resolution of the lingering territorial dispute. While Rwanda is one of the few countries that still recognizes the self-styled SADR, the country does not embrace Algeria's consistently combatively anti-Moroccan narrative and attitude. In fact , following King Mohammed VI's historic visit to Rwanda in 2016, Rabat and Kigali have constantly pledged to strengthen relations at many levels. In particular, discussions have explored the need to expand bilateral ties on agriculture, trade, and high-level political cooperation on a wide range of strategic challenges facing the continent. T he two countries signed several agreements during the royal visit, including a Memoranda of Understanding on a political consultation mechanism, an air service agreement, an agreement on the exemption of visas, and a deal on security cooperation and tourism. In recent years, the two countries have constantly stressed the importance of maintaining or improving their bilateral cooperation at all levels. This new spirit of mutual support was particularly on display when Rwanda supported Morocco's return to the African Union in 2017. This latest fabricated news from the Algerian and Polisario media shows their desperation to undermine Morocco's growing momentum in the Sahara dossier. However, as more and more countries embrace the Moroccan autonomy proposal as the best chance for peace and prosperity in the region, or simply recognise Morocco's historical legitimacy, many observers believe that Algeria's constant attempts to challenge Morocco's growing momentum will not restore the prestige and legitimacy the exposed Algerian narrative once enjoyed. Tags: Algeria and the Western Saharaautonomy plan
Economist
4 days ago
- Business
- Economist
Africa's cynical master of power politics
For the moment there is not much to see in Bugesera, a district replete with verdant bush 45km south of Kigali, Rwanda's capital. But it is the site of what Paul Kagame, the president of the central African country of 14m people, views as a legacy project. If all goes to plan there will soon be an airport complex, financed largely by Qatar, that he hopes will aid the transformation of Rwanda from, in 1994, the blood-drenched scene of a genocide to an African emirate—a hub for commerce and a draw for tourists keen to snap the gorillas that lurk in the country's mountains. Mr Kagame, a fan of Formula One, wants to host what would be Africa's only circuit.
Economist
4 days ago
- Politics
- Economist
Africa's most admired dictator rolls the dice
Back in the 1990s Paul Kagame grabbed global attention as the leader of a rebel group that halted the Rwandan genocide, the worst mass atrocity of the past four decades. In the 2000s and 2010s he became Africa's most admired dictator, turning Rwanda from a graveyard into a case study at Harvard Business School, with one of the fastest growth rates in the world. Those who pointed to his regime's brutal suppression of dissent and assassinations of opponents were ignored. For Western donors, Mr Kagame was the leader who proved that aid could be spent well. For African elites starved of examples of well-run states, he was a role model.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Central Asia gets closer to Africa through Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is actively strengthening its ties with Africa, evidenced by recent high-level visits, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Agreements in critical minerals and increased trade, such as grain shipments to Morocco, highlight this growing partnership. Kazakhstan is developing a strategy for cooperation with African states, reflecting its multi-vector foreign policy and engagement within the African Union. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Kazakhstan is bringing Central Asia closer to Africa. Among the recent visits was that of the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame. It was his second visit to Kazakhstan, with the first in 2015.'Our two countries are good friends and partners, and we want to build on this strong foundation to further deepen our partnership,' said Kagame during a May 28 meeting with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev 'Whether in the fields of trade, technology, or agriculture, our two countries are eager to learn from each other,' he who also addressed the Astana International Forum on May 29, reiterated that Rwanda can 'benefit immensely from Kazakhstan's know-how,' referring to a cooperation agreement on critical minerals signed between the Rwanda Mining Board and Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth big forum was also attended by King Ife of Nigeria Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; Françoise Joly, a special representative of the President of Congo; and Lassina Zerbo, a former prime minister of Burkina continent is taking on an increasingly important role in Kazakhstan's foreign policy priorities, said Aibek Smadiyarov, a spokesperson for the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. The ministry is currently developing a Strategy for Cooperation with African States and the African Union for 2025–2030.'Kazakhstan's growing engagement with Africa is being carried out in line with the President's directive to strengthen cooperation with countries across the continent, as part of the nation's multi-vector foreign policy doctrine,' said Smadiyarov at a June 2 press briefing in Astana.'Over the past two years, Kazakhstan has welcomed official visits from the Presidents of Togo, the Republic of the Congo, and Guinea-Bissau, as well as the foreign ministers of Sierra Leone, Benin, and Rwanda,' he exports to Africa include sulfur, petroleum coke, metal products, agricultural goods, and mineral fertilizers. In May, the first shipment of Kazakh grain in 15 years was sent to Morocco, which, as he puts it, is a 'significant step toward diversifying export destinations.'Since 2013, Kazakhstan has held observer status with the African Union and continues to deepen its engagement with member states through other multilateral frameworks.
