Given Gen Muhoozi's close ties to Rwanda's President Paul Kagame this operation looks to be a pre-emptive move to protect borders and trade routes...
He then vowed to visit his ‘big brother' Félix Tshisekedi Congo-K's president and called Rwanda's Paul Kagame his ‘uncle' and a ‘man of peace' a reference to the collapsed peace talks between the two over the Kigali-backed M23 militia's incursions in eastern Congo-K...
This was the background to President Emmanuel Macron's attempt to reconcile with Touadéra at their summit in Paris in August last year which was mostly about repairing Macron's damaged ego and giving further room to Paul Kagame's continental ambitions...
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Kenya's President William Ruto has telephoned Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame to invite then to an emergency summit in Nairobi on 29 January as M23 militia fighters backed by troops and artillery from neighbouring Rwanda seize control of Goma the capital of the mineral-rich Kivu-Nord province in eastern Congo-Kinshasa...
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But the political record of President Paul Kagame's government – the growing critiques of its human rights abuses and backing for the M23 militia in Congo-Kinshasa – could still undermine that growth record which has been heavily fuelled by western aid flows...
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The prospects are not good following the cancellation of a summit designed by Angolan President João Lourenço to bring Tshisekedi and President Paul Kagame face to face to negotiate a ceasefire plan (Dispatches 17/12/24 Dispute on M23's status derails latest peace talks)...
On 15 December another attempt by Angola's President João Lourenço to mediate between Kinshasa and Kigali failed when Rwanda's President Paul Kagame insisted that Tshisekedi should negotiate directly with the M23 leadership...
Russia has been trying to capitalise on anti-French sentiments driven by the close ties between Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Tshisekedi's nemesis Paul Kagame (Dispatches 8/10/24 Macron fails to broker Kinshasa-Kigali talks at Francophone summit AC Vol 65 No 15 Kinshasa urges sanctions on Kigali citing damning UN report & Vol 64 No 20 Security threats multiply ahead of polls)...
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The cancellation came just hours before the meeting between Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame was due to be held in Luanda on 15 December Instead Angolan President João Lourenço held a private meeting with Tshisekedi...
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Vol 65 No 25 |
- FRANCE
- AFRICA
Both presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame were present – and he held lengthy private meetings with each (Dispatches 8/10/24 Macron fails to broker Kinshasa-Kigali talks at Francophone summit)...
Belgium last year refused to accredit Vincent Karega as Rwanda's new ambassador with Rwandan President Paul Kagame retaliating by vetoing the EU's Belgian nominee for the Great Lakes envoy (AC Vol 65 No 16 EU envoy to great lakes)...
Kigali's aggressive security stance is accentuating the sour relations between Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa...