Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu is scheduled to visit Rwanda on August 2 and meet with her Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, a diplomatic source confirmed on Thursday.
Tanzania’s outgoing High Commissioner,Ernest Mangu confirmed that Tanzanian President will be in Kigali and her delegation is already on ground with preparations for her visit.
In March, Samia Suluhu was sworn in as Tanzania’s first female President after the sudden death of her predecessor John Pombe Magufuli.
Her visit to Rwanda may have been carefully planned because of the existing significant bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
For President Suluhu, her first foreign visit was to Uganda during which she signed multiple cooperation deals including a historic Oil pipeline agreement. She has travelled twice to Uganda and made a two-day official visit to Kenya.
Compared to former President Magufuli whose first foreign state visit was to Rwanda coupled with the signing of major cooperation deals and later maintaining excellent relations, Tanzania under President Suluhu may pursue a different trajectory.
Uganda and Rwanda have since 2019 maintained a closed common border due to unresolved issues especially security, business, sabotage and espionage. The two countries are technically not on good terms.
CU/abj/APA