Africa-Press – Rwanda. President Paul Kagame can now be described as a frequent at palais de l’Élysée and the French media have described this fast growing relationship as l’axe Paris-Kigali a pris un nouvel élan basically meaning that the Paris-Kigali axis has gained new momentum.
President Kagame was received Monday at the Élysée Palace by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. The Rwandan Presidency did not reveal much about this visit except a short 1minute video clip and saying, “President Kagame welcomed to Palais de l’Élysée for a working lunch to discuss various bilateral relations topics.”
It should be recalled that a 1,000-strong Rwandan joint force successfully dislodged Islamist militants in Mozambique’s gas-rich Cabo Delgado province and secured a $20 billion gas field investment by French energy giant Total.
In late September, President Kagame flew to Mozambique and thanked Rwandan troops for a job well-done in uprooting insurgents in a short period an assignment that had failed foreign mercenaries and government forces Since 2017.
“You have done great work alongside Mozambican troops. You sacrificed and endured days and nights in the scorching sun, heavy rains,” President Kagame told the troops.
“The work done so far cannot stop here. We now have another task which is to continue rebuilding and protecting this country.” Analysts append Rwanda’s presence in Mozambique to France despite Kigali stating that the deployment was mostly made in a pan African spirit.
President Kagame’s visit at palais de l’Élysée may not be very distant from the Mozambique assignment which of course benefits both countries. President Macron canceled a visit to Mali on Monday and Tuesday to discuss regional security issues with President Kagame, particularly in Mozambique, where jihadist groups are active, and in the Central African Republic, where rebel groups confront the army.
However, the leaders are also preparing for the upcoming European Union (EU)-African Union (AU) summit on February 17 and 18 in Brussels. The Senegalese and Rwandan leaders are, for Paris, “two key interlocutors in the preparation of this summit” because Senegal will assume the rotating presidency of the AU for 2022-2023, while Paul Kagame “has long chaired the NEPAD agency (New partnership for the development of Africa) ”, explained the Élysée.
They both participated Sunday in Brussels in a preparatory meeting for this summit, which aims to “deeply renew the partnership between the two continents in favor of stability and prosperity”, according to the French presidency.
Speed up vaccination in Africa
With Paul Kagame, received for lunch at the Élysée, and Macky Sall, reached by phone, Emmanuel Macron spoke about the Covid-19 crisis. Returning to “the intensification of vaccine dose donations by France” to Africa, “which has enabled the delivery of 485,000 doses to Senegal and 960,000 to Rwanda”.
“After having already shared 75.6 million doses this year, France has committed to giving 120 million by mid-2022”, recalls the Elysee, stressing the urgency of “an acceleration of campaigns of vaccination in each of the African countries.”
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