Rwandan President Paul Kagame, re-elected for a fourth term, took the oath of office on Sunday before receiving a number of world leaders who had come to witness his inauguration. The meetings focused on strengthening bilateral relations, especially with countries in conflict.
In his meeting with Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of Congo, Kagame reviewed the “state of excellent relations” between their two countries. Similarly, his exchange with Gabon’s interim president, Brice Oligui Nguema, underscored the importance of consolidating cooperation between Kigali and Libreville.
The Rwandan president also met General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese military junta, whose leadership is being contested by General Mohamed Hamdane Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a dispute that has degenerated into civil war since April 2023. Despite the chaotic situation in his country, General Al-Burhan made the trip to Kigali, although the content of his discussions with Kagame was not revealed.
Kagame then received Abdoulaye Diop, Mali’s foreign minister, representing the country’s transitional president, Colonel Assimi Goïta. Mali, which is engaged in a relentless fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel, seems to see Rwanda’s military expertise as a model to follow, despite the fact that Kigali is facing criticism for its intervention in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Rwandan leader also received a Senegalese delegation led by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, representing President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. According to the national daily Le Soleil, this meeting could “pave the way for future cooperation in several strategic areas” between Dakar and Kigali.
Paul Kagame, 66, won the presidential election last July with an overwhelming 99.18 percent of the vote.
The inauguration ceremony, held in a packed 45,000-seat stadium in Kigali, was attended by dozens of African heads of state and dignitaries. Many of the participants wore the colors of the Rwandan flag (green, yellow, and blue), a sign of the importance of the event to the nation.
ODL/te/lb/abj/APA