Rwanda hails President’s exceptional Sadc leadership

Ivan Zhakata

Herald Correspondent

RWANDA has praised President Mnangagwa for providing exceptional leadership as chair of SADC, particularly in efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Olivier Nduhungirehe, made the remarks on Wednesday during a Ministerial Session of the Third Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation (JPCC) between Rwanda and Zimbabwe, where the two nations signed five new agreements covering health, youth affairs, police cooperation, energy and customs information exchange.

“Rwanda remains ready to support any efforts aimed at genuinely bringing peace in our region,” he said.

“We share the belief that African-led processes can contribute meaningfully to a long-term solution.”

The commendation follows last week’s meeting in Nairobi, where President Mnangagwa, in his capacity as SADC Chair, joined Kenya’s President William Ruto, East African Community (EAC) leaders and the African Union panel of facilitators to push for a lasting solution to the DRC crisis.

Mr Nduhungirehe also reiterated Rwanda’s support for Zimbabwe on international platforms, including its calls for the unconditional lifting of Western-imposed sanctions and Harare’s re-admission to the Commonwealth.

“Rwanda has consistently called for the lifting of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by some Western countries,” he said.

“We also support the return of Zimbabwe to the Commonwealth family, which we believe is long overdue and a matter of principle.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Professor Amon Murwira, described relations between the two nations as strong and excellent and called for greater trade cooperation.

“Zimbabwe is ready to export more products to Rwanda, including agricultural products such as sugar and blueberries and other fast-moving and strategic goods,” Prof Murwira said.

“We are ready to establish warehouses in both countries to enable trade because trade needs infrastructure.”

During his visit, Prof Murwira toured the Kigali Genocide Memorial, laying a wreath and paying tribute to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

“Humanity should never, ever divide to use an excuse to perpetrate genocide against one another,” Prof Murwira wrote in the condolence book.

He praised Rwanda’s post-genocide recovery as a demonstration to the world of how to restore human dignity through progress and unity.

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