Kigali, 11 August 2022 (TDI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame met at the President’s Office in Kigali. This is US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s last stop on his three-nation tour of Africa.
This morning, President Kagame received U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken @SecBlinken, for discussions on strengthening the bilateral partnership as well as security in the region. pic.twitter.com/QeujUA8lKn
— Presidency | Rwanda (@UrugwiroVillage) August 11, 2022
Agenda of the Meeting
The meeting agenda is to discuss the ongoing tensions between Rwanda and Congo. The small central African nation is at odds with its neighbor Congo. Both governments accuse one another of supporting rebels in opposition to each other.
US State Secretary Antony Blinken will ease the tensions between neighboring nations. Recently United Nations accused Rwanda’s armed forces of conducting operations in eastern Congo in support of M23 rebel groups.
Antony Blinken said that the reports of Rwanda’s support for M23 seem credible. However, Rwanda’s authority rejects all such accusations. While Rwanda accuses Congo of giving refuge to ethnic Hutu fighters who played a prominent role in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.
US State Secretary Antony Blinken also highlighted democracy and human rights concerns, including the transnational repression, in the meeting.
Ahead of Antony Blinken’s visit to Rwanda, Rwanda’s government said, “ it looks forward to a robust exchange of views on governance and human rights, as has always been the case in the Rwanda-US bilateral relationship.”
US-Rwanda Relations
The diplomatic relations between US and Rwanda were established in 1962. The United States assists Rwanda in various healthcare, economic expansion, agricultural production, and food security programs.
US humanitarian assistance supports over 127,000 refugees hosted in Rwanda. According to an estimate, the US provided over $147 million in bilateral assistance to Rwanda in FY 2021.
However, following the current situation Senator Robert Menendez has called for a comprehensive review of US policy towards Rwanda.
