KING, OVER 20 LEADERS WITNESS KAGAME’S 4TH INAUGURATION

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BY KING’S OFFICE CORRESPONDENTS

KIGALI, RWANDA: His Majesty King Mswati III, accompanied by Inkhosikati LaMashwama, was among over 20 African leaders who witnessed a 4th inauguration of Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the 45 000-filled Amahoro National Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The King entered the stadium in a Black Range Rover V12 at around 15:08 hours, a few minutes before President Kagame and First Lady Jeannette arrived.

The King and his entourage arrived in Kigali on Saturday night. Among the African leaders who also attended the inauguration were Kenyan President William Ruto, Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Republic of Congo’s Denis Sassou N’Guesso, Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh and Togo’s Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe.

Others are Ghana’s Nana Akufo-Addo, Mozambique’s Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi, Angola’s Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco and Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan, to name a few.

The 67-year-old President Kagame has led Rwanda since 1994, at the end of the horrendous genocide that killed over a million people. He has been in power for the last 30 years.

In his speech, President Kagame thanked Rwandans for renewing his mandate and privilege to lead the country once again, as well as for the progress they have made in the past 30 years of rebuilding.

He further touched on the need for peace and expressed his concerns about what is happening in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, saying that no matter the intentions of those who wish to bring about peace, nothing can be achieved if those involved are not interested.

“Peace in our region is the priority for Rwanda, yet it has been lacking, particularly in the Eastern DRC. But peace cannily be delivered by anyone from anywhere, no matter how powerful, if the party most directly concerned does not do what is needed. Without that, the sincere mediation efforts by the mandated leaders cannot work as intended,” he said.

He thanked SADC’s efforts, particularly its outgoing chairman, the President of Angola, Lourenco, and the President of Kenya, Ruto. The president also spoke about the need to respect each other’s choices, as they will not necessarily agree on everything.

“There is no room for the powerful to impose their vision about how others aught to live or to create narratives that falsify the truth. This must always be resisted, even when under pressure. There is also no excuse for injustice wherever it occurs, whether committed against us as Africans or inflicted by ourselves.

“We must learn to adapt our political governance systems to our specific conditions and expectations of our citizens,” he said.
President Kagame came to the fore in the 1990s when he led his Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), which fought and emerged as winners and the war ended in 1994.

During his previous terms, President Kagame served as Chair of the African Union from 2018 to 2019 and Chair of the East African Community from 2018 to 2021. He also served as the AU Champion for Domestic Health Financing. He is the current Chairman of the Commonwealth.

The hallmarks of President Kagame’s administration are peace and reconciliation, women’s empowerment, promotion of investment and entrepreneurship, and access to information technology, a cause he also champions as Co-Chair of the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.
Kagame was declared the winner of the election with 8 822 794 votes (99.18 per cent). His closest challenger, Habineza Frank, garnered a paltry 44 479 votes, while the third candidate, Mpayimana Philippe, had only 28 466 votes.

In the election, he smashed his own record by winning with more than 99 per cent.This result saw him improve his 2017 election outcomes of 98.63 per cent of the vote, higher than the 93 per cent he got in 2010 and the 95 per cent in 2003.

The two-hour event at the national stadium was to be followed by a State Banquet in the evening.His Majesty the King was also accompanied to the event by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Pholile Shakantu, King’s Private Secretary Mbongeni Simelane and Head of Protocol Khandlela Mdluli, among others.

ESWATINI-RWANDA RELATIONS GROWING

KIGALI, RWANDA: The Kingdom of Eswatini and the Republic of Rwanda have come a long way in shared bilateral cooperation and are showing positive signs of growth.

Rwanda is also one of the countries export markets. OEC trade statistics show that over the past five years the exports of Eswatini to Rwanda have increased at an annualized rate of 51.3%, from $2.95m in 2017 to $23.3m in 2022. In 2022, the country exported $23.3m to Rwanda, with the main products being raw sugar ($22.9 m),Stone Processing Machines ($86.8k) and Electric Motors ($79k).

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the two countries have several agreements, such as the bilateral air service agreement signed in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Rwanda also invites various Eswatini Ministries to attend meetings hosted in Rwanda, such as technical and vocational education and training (TVET) symposiums to enhance hands-on skills and international exchange of technical expertise in the field of TVET.

In 2019, Rwanda also hosted Eswatini officials for a benchmarking exercise to learn more about human capital development through the sharing of experiences and best practices, as well as drawing lessons from what has worked for Rwanda.

In 2022, the two countries signed a General Cooperation Agreement, which established a Joint Permanent Commission between the two countries. The agreement allows the countries to share knowledge on economic, scientific, technical, environmental, educational and cultural matters.

The then Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Thuli Dladla, described this agreement as a precursor to a formal relationship that serves as a basis for the deepening of fraternal ties between the two nations aimed at bettering the lives of the people.

“This can give rise to sector-specific agreements that will lead to formal relations in the economy and finance, trade, mining, tourism, culture, health, social welfare and justice, agriculture, parks and wildlife, among others,” said the minister.

She expressed hope that this interaction will not only be at the level of governments ‘but shall also devolve down to our peoples as we continue to break down the differences that only serve to divide us and embrace our oneness as Africans.’

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda. Subsequent to this, there have been several visits by Eswatini politicians, government officials, and the private sectos to Rwanda. There have been about 40 missions from here to Rwanda, while Rwandans living in Eswatini have continued to strengthen the relations between the two countries.

KING EMPHASISES BILATERAL COOPERATION

His Majesty the King has emphasised the importance of relations between the two countries during the 29th Liberation Day on July 14th, 2023. He congratulated President Paul Kagame for the remarkable development achieved in the past 29 years of liberation, highlighting Rwanda’s homegrown solutions in justice, reconciliation, social development, and economic growth. The King also emphasised the importance of bilateral cooperation and the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area for business partnerships. He praised Rwanda’s contribution to peace and security, deploying peacekeepers to protect civilians and combat terrorism. The King also emphasised the importance of strengthening the warm and cordial relationship between the two countries.

Ambassador Claude Nikobisanzwe, High Commissioner of Rwanda to the Kingdom of Eswatini, expressed gratitude to guests and dignitaries for celebrating 29th Liberation Day. He praised Rwandan leaders, led by President Paul Kagame, for their selfless efforts in liberating the country and stopping the genocide. Nikobisanzwe also recalled recent high-level visits, including His Majesty King Mswati III’s visit to the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government Meeting in Rwanda in June 2022.

PARLIAMENT ESTABLISHES TIES

The President of the Senate of the Kingdom of Eswatini, Pastor Lindiwe Dlamini, visited Rwanda in March 2023 to enhance bilateral parliamentary relations. The visit was welcomed by Rwanda Senate President Kalinda François Xavier. Dlamini praised Rwanda for its resilience, highlighting the importance of solidarity between the two countries. The visit aimed to strengthen the friendship between the two parliaments and encourage collaboration in tackling challenges.

MILITARY EXPERIENCE SHARED

In August 2023, Prince Sicalo, the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of National Defence and Security, as well as Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force Commander General Mashikilisana Fakudze, visited Rwanda. They were welcomed by Chief of Defence Staff, Lt General Mubarakh Muganga and received presentations on the Rwanda Defence Force’s transformation journey and regional security dynamics. The visit aimed to strengthen relations between the two militaries and pay homage to the victims of the 1994 Tutsi Genocide at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Site.

ESWATINI A SECOND HOME

In his outgoing remarks, Rwandan High Commissioner to Eswatini, Claude Nikobisanzwe, described Eswatini as a second home for numerous Rwandans.

This was during a farewell meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Pholile Shakantu. He said the substantial presence of Rwandans working in Eswatini embodied the existing cordial relations and reflected the collaborative spirit defining the diplomatic engagement between the two nations.

Minister Shakantu commended the bilateral cooperation across various spheres, which set the stage for continued cooperation and shared growth in the years ahead.

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