Rwandan President Paul Kagame is in Zambia on a state visit aimed at advancing bilateral ties and expanding substantial cooperation with the Southern African country, an official source confirmed to APA in Kigali on Monday.
It is the first visit by President Kagame to Zambia since veteran opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema won the presidential election in August last year.
Kagame was upon arrival received by his Zambian counterpart President Hichilema at the Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport.
The two leaders will hold a tête-à-tête followed by a bilateral meeting alongside their respective delegations.
Following the bilateral talks, representatives from both delegations will sign seven Memorandums of Understanding (MoU).
Rwanda’s relations with Zambia have been somewhat troubled since former Zambian President, Edgar Lungu was accused in July 2020 of backing Rwandan rebels fighting to remove Mr Kagame from power.
According to Maj. Callixte Nsabimana a.k.a Sankara, Rwandan rebel spokesperson who is currently standing trial in Kigali, Lungu had already made a down payment of US$150,000 towards the rebel outfit’s cause.
Nsabimana who was arrested in Comoros and extradited to Rwanda in April 2019 accused Lungu of allowing his rebel group space to operate inside Zambia in their bid to overthrow the Rwandan government.
Zambia’s government under Lungu had rejected claims that he had bankrolled any Rwandan dissident group.
CU/as/APA