Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for Rwanda
Newsline: Belgium’s ambassador says DR Congo should file complaint against Rwanda with ICJ
Democratic Republic of Congo should file a complaint with the International Court of Justice over Rwanda’s failure to respect its border, Belgium’s ambassador to Congo said at a meeting to assess the deepening crisis in eastern Congo. At a meeting of foreign envoys in the eastern city of Goma, Belgian ambassador Roxane de Bilderling said more should be done to hold Rwanda to account. “Another way of exerting pressure is for the Congo to lodge a complaint with the International Court of Justice for failure to respect international borders,” she said, referring to Rwanda. (https://neuters.de/world/africa/dr-congo-should-file-complaint-against-rwanda-with-icj-says-belgian-envoy-2024-04-19/) Congo has been struggling to push back M23 rebels since they launched a comeback offensive in the already restive east in 2022. The fighting has displaced 738,000 more people in the first three months of this year alone, according to the U.N. aid agency OCHA. The Congolese government, U.N. officials and Western powers including the United States and Belgium have accused Rwanda of providing support for M23 – including weapons and soldiers – which Rwanda has repeatedly denied. Rwanda’s army has previously accused Congo of arming and fighting alongside another rebel group, the Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The conflict is part of the long fallout from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The M23 group is ethnic Tutsi-led, while the FDLR is composed of ethnic Hutus.
Newsline: Top US diplomat urges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups in Congo
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Rwandan President Paul Kagame to halt support for armed groups in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including rebels who are accused of multiple rights violations, the State Department said on Monday. Blinken emphasized during his Sunday call with Kagame that “any external support to non-state armed groups in the DRC must end, including Rwanda’s assistance to M23,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. “Secretary Blinken also shared deep concern about the impact of the fighting on Congolese civilians who have been killed, injured and displaced from their homes,” added Price. (https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/top-us-diplomat-urges-rwanda-to-halt-support-for-armed-groups-in-congo-3656725) Blinken also condemned hate speech and public incitement against Rwandaphone communities – meaning the speakers of Kinyarwanda, including most ethic Tutsis – “recalling the real and horrible consequences of such rhetoric in the past,” the statement added, likely referring to the 1994 genocide. The Democratic Republic of the Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group, which some fear could capture Goma, the capital of North Kivu, Congo. While Rwanda denies the allegations, political and diplomatic tensions between the two countries continue.
Newsline: Rwanda criticized expulsion of its ambassador from Congo
Rwanda accused neighboring Congo of escalating tensions between the two countries after the Rwandan ambassador to Congo was given 48 hours to leave the country following rebel advances in the east. In a statement issued after Rwandan Ambassador Vincent Karega was order to leave Congo, the Rwandan government said its forces along the border “remain on alert.” “It is regrettable the government of the DRC continues to scapegoat Rwanda to cover up and distract from their own governance and security failures,” said the statement attributed to the Office of the Government Spokesperson. (https://news.yahoo.com/rwanda-criticizes-expulsion-ambassador-congo-172010084.html) Congo believes that Rwanda is supporting the M23 rebels, who have expanded their control over the past year. On Saturday, residents said the rebels gained control of two more towns, including Kiwanja.
Newsline: Congo police fire tear gas to disperse protest over Rwandan diplomat
Police in Congo’s capital Kinshasa fired tear gas on Friday to disperse around 100 protesters calling for the expulsion of the Rwandan ambassador they accuse of denying a massacre during the 1998-2003 Congo war. Two people were seriously injured, one of whom was in critical condition, after inhaling tear gas and being beaten by police, said Carbone Beni from the campaign group Filimbi, which organised the protest. Kinshasa’s police chief Sylvano Kasongo confirmed some protesters were hurt, but said injuries were not serious. The city’s governor had not authorised the demonstration, he said. The protest was broken up before the group reached the Rwandan embassy. In August, Ambassador Vincent Karega responded to a Twitter post that accused Rwandan troops of killing more than a thousand people in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo in August 1998. “Blatant incoherence between image and history… accusation without evidence is called slander,” Karega tweeted and later deleted. Karega told Reuters on Friday his comments had been misinterpreted and he did not deny that a massacre had taken place. (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-congo-protest-rwanda/congo-police-fire-tear-gas-to-disperse-protest-over-rwandan-diplomat-idUSKBN25V2M9) He said he was thankful for the level of organisation shown during Friday’s protest.
Newsline: Israel opened embassy in Rwanda
Israel opened a new embassy in the Rwandan capital Kigali, in a sign of strengthening relations between the two countries. The new mission was opened by the director of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Yuval Rotem, and Rwandan Foreign Minister Richard Sezibera, the Times of Israel reported. Addressing the ceremony, Rotem said he is “confident that the opening of the Israeli embassy in Rwanda will within a few years bring our relations with Rwanda and with the African continent to a whole new level.” (https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190402-israel-opens-embassy-in-rwanda/) Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement about the new mission, saying: “The opening of the embassy reflects the ongoing strengthening of relations between the two states and will enable expansion of the cooperation between them in many areas, such as education, academia, women empowerment, science and technology, innovation and agriculture.” The decision to open an embassy in Rwanda was first announced in February, when the new Israeli Ambassador Ron Adam presented his credentials to the Rwandan Foreign Ministry.
Newsline: Israel opens embassy in Rwanda
In a historic first, Israel on Feb. 22 opened an embassy in Rwanda as Jerusalem pushes for warmer ties with African nations. Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Richard Sezibera accepted the Israeli ambassador’s credentials night during a signing ceremony for a number of diplomats establishing new diplomatic missions in Kigali, according to several social media posts from both Israeli and Rwandan officials (https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/195792-190222-israel-opens-first-embassy-in-rwanda-as-pm-pushes-africa-ties). Israeli Ambassador Ron Adam’s new diplomatic post will be geared toward bilateral cooperation in the fields of health, technology, education, agriculture, and cyber-security.
Newsline: Israel to open first embassy in Rwanda as part of ‘expansion in Africa’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will open an embassy in Rwanda for the first time. Netanyahu said he apprised Rwandan President Paul Kagame of the decision at a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. The opening of the embassy “is part of the expansion of Israel’s presence in Africa and the deepening of cooperation between Israel and African countries,” Netanyahu said in a statement. His visit to Kenya is his third to Africa in a year and a half. Israel and Rwanda re-established ties in 1994 after they were broken in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War.
Newsline: Ethiopia to Open Embassy in Rwanda
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn who is on a three-day state visit to Rwanda will open his country’s embassy in Rwanda. The news was announced by Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo. Ethiopia has been carrying out its diplomatic relations with Rwanda through its embassy in Uganda. Rwanda opened its first embassy in Ethiopia in 1978.
Newsline: Morocco to open embassy in Rwanda
The Kingdom of Morocco has announced plan to open its embassy in Rwanda’s capital Kigali to boost diplomatic and economic ties with the country before end of this year. Mezouar Salaheddine, Moroccan foreign affairs Minister emphasized this addressing African journalists participating in a press trip in the run up to the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. “We shall be opening an Embassy beginning with Rwanda in the last quarter of this year and hopefully in Uganda the following year,” he said adding the King’s objective is to boost diplomatic and economic ties in East African Region.
Newsline: Rwanda Embassy in Congo Inaugurated
Rwanda and Congo Republic, also known as Congo Brazzaville, have entered high gears of cooperation, following the opening of Embassies in both countries. Rwanda opened its Embassy in Congo while Congo opened one in Kigali three months ago. The inaugurated Embassy in Brazzaville will cover six countries, member of Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC). The CEEAC members are Cameroun, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, and Central Africa Republic.
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