(3 minutes read)
· Congolese strong man Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met last Saturday (June 26, 2021) at Goma (North Kivu) and witnessed the signing of a number of agreements linking the economies of two countries
· The two countries were at loggerheads since 1994 after the genocide in Rwanda
· Discussions were held on the security situation in the DRC and improving economic relations.
Congolese strong man Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met last Saturday (June 26, 2021) at Goma (North Kivu) and witnessed the signing of a number of agreements linking the economies of two countries. The two countries were at loggerheads since 1994 after the genocide in Rwanda. Later, both leaders addressed a joint press conference.
Tshisekedi was received by Kagame at La Corniche One-Stop Border Post in Rubavu before the two leaders toured Rubavu to assess the damage caused by the recent earthquakes because of the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo volcano in eastern DRC. Discussions were held on the security situation in the DRC and improving economic relations.
Despite the history of continuing tensions, the relationship between Congo and Rwanda has been showing signs of improvement. The two countries are making efforts to reach out to each other. Rwanda has sent its troops to Congo thrice 1996, 1998 and 2004 under the plea that it was protecting its own security. The genocide in Rwanda carried out by Hutu led government against Tutsi is well marked in history. Rwanda even now feels that remnants of the defeated government army are still at large in Congo, where some of the defeated government army fled. However, the version of the Congolese government is that Rwanda is wanting to seek control of its mineral wealth and that is why their army’s presence in their country.
DR Congo is a major destination for Rwanda’s informal exports. Since 2012, until the Covid-19 pandemic, bilateral trade between Rwanda and DR Congo had been recording a double-digit growth rate, annually.
In line with President Kagame’s vision to strengthen Intra-African trade after the launch of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) both countries have been exploring opportunities for joint investment projects and strengthening bilateral trade. The launch of a commercial flight to DR Congo’s Kinshasa’s Ndjili International Airport by RwandAir in April 2019 had given a boost to business and commercial ties between the two countries. During the discussions, both the leaders agreed to cooperate and resolve issues of insecurity and instability.
