Browsing: Paul Kagame

• The UK has ramped up pressure on Rwanda over the DRC conflict by suspending aid, limiting trade, and reviewing military cooperation, signaling a major shift in diplomatic relations.
• In response, Rwanda has condemned the measures as biased and insists on security guarantees while reaffirming its commitment to an African-led mediation process.
• As tensions rise, the UK’s firm stance could either push Rwanda towards peace talks or deepen regional instability.

The United Kingdom has escalated diplomatic pressure on Rwanda in response to the intensifying conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In a decisive move, the UK government announced a series of punitive measures targeting Kigali, including suspending financial aid, limiting trade promotion, and reviewing military cooperation with the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF).

This move signals a significant shift in UK-Rwanda relations, tightening the noose on President Paul Kagame’s administration amid growing international scrutiny.

On Wednesday, the UK Foreign, …

• M23 rebels reportedly at Kavumu, about 40km north of mineral-rich Bukavu area.
• UN experts claim the M23 rebels – one of over 100 militias seeking control in DRC’s east – is receiving support from about 4,000 soldiers from Rwanda.
• According to Kinshasa, Rwandan soldiers are pillaging valuable resources from the mineral-rich eastern zone of DRC.

As M23 rebels continue pushing deeper into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after capturing the mineral-rich city of Goma, the city of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, is on the verge of falling under their control.

Media reports show that M23 rebels are threatening to march to DRC capital Kinshasa as they push the government of Felix Tshisekedi on the negotiating table to meet their demands. “We will continue the march of liberation all the way to Kinshasa,” announced rebel leader Corneille Nangaa on Thursday, four days after the group confirmed the …

• Rwanda is fighting accusations of backing M23 rebel attacks in Goma, the most strategic city within the mineral-rich eastern DRC. 
• Already, the UN and other humanitarian agencies have pulled out non-essential personnel out of Goma.
• Early this week protestors in Kinshasa attacked US, Rwanda, Kenya, Belgian and French embassies, demanding decisive counter against M23 rebels.

The war in Goma has sucked in Rwanda with authorities in Kigali increasingly fighting an avalanche of accusations that the country’s military is invading the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in concert with the M23 rebels. According to reports from both local and international media, “The Rwandan army is lining up at the [DRC] border, ready to invade,” an anonymous source privy to official on the ground told media.

“Large numbers of troops from Rwanda have been pouring across the border into the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help rebels seize the regional capital …

• Rwanda and South Africa are at odds over the escalating conflict in the eastern DRC, with President Kagame accusing South Africa of distorting facts and threatening confrontation.
• South Africa defends its military presence as a peacekeeping effort, while Kagame claims SAMIDRC is a belligerent force aiding anti-Rwandan militias.
• The crisis risks further destabilizing the region, with diplomatic efforts needed to prevent escalation.

Tensions between Rwanda and South Africa have escalated following a public spat between President Paul Kagame and President Cyril Ramaphosa over the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Kagame accused South Africa of distorting facts about the crisis and warned that Rwanda is prepared for confrontation if necessary.

Kagame’s statement, made via a late-night post on his X account, was in response to comments by Ramaphosa and other South African officials implicating Rwanda in the violence that has plagued the eastern DRC for decades. …

Rwanda’s economy is one of the fastest growing in Africa. It has a ready market of over 12 million people with a rapidly growing middle class.

• Rwanda’s economy is one of the fastest growing in Africa, with a ready market of over 12 million people and a rapidly growing middle class
• Potential investment opportunities are in agriculture, infrastructure, energy, tourism, information and communication technology
• Rwanda has an array of investment incentives for investors ready to invest in the key priority sectors, including a seven-year tax holiday for those investing over US$50 million

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc (www.UBAgroup.com), is set to celebrate this year’s Africa Day in commemoration of African unity with the third edition of its annual UBA Africa Conversations, headlined by Africa’s international leaders that include  the President of Rwanda, H.E Mr Paul Kagame; Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation(WTO); Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation(WHO) and Mr. Makhtar Sop Diop, Managing Director, International Finance Corporation(IFC). The conversations will be held online on africaday.UBAgroup.com.

At a time of unparalleled African leadership in global organisations, the UBA Africa Conversations provides the opportunity for an African and global audience to hear directly from our distinguished guests on Africa’s relationship with the world, the opportunities and the challenges, and their own personal journeys.

Moderated by Tony O. Elumelu, the Group Chairman, UBA and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, discussions …

Qatar Airways is in talks to buy a 49 per cent stake in RwandAir, its chief executive said.

Qatar Airways is also interested in doubling its holding in LATAM Airlines Group to 20 per cent with an objective of having equal stake with Delta Air Lines in LATAM.

Although no details have yet been revealed, like the amount of money Qatar airways is spending on the stake, the purchase will mean the government of Rwanda will remain with a controlling stake of 51 per cent in the airline.

Industry analysts say for both airlines the deal is a win-win situation and that owning shares in a growing African airline like RwandAir will act as a springboard for Qatar Airways into the African aviation market.

Also Read: RwandAir face competition from Kenya’s budget carrier

Qatar Airways acquiring a stake in RwandAir would widen its reach and potentially help the Airways bypass …

I am confident that Africa will continue to be a leader, in drawing on its historical experience, in building resilient, pluralistic, economically-strong, and environmentally sound communities, rooted in solid values and communal support structures that societies in the West and elsewhere will admire and emulate in years to come.…