- The two ministers of foreign affairs of Rwanda and South Africa have initiated the formation of a technical committee a couple of weeks ago to come up with a roadmap to restore relations.
- Rwanda-South Africa technical committee, in a first bilateral meeting in Kigali, held closed-door consultations in Kigali to iron out the long-standing differences.
The two ministers of foreign affairs of Rwanda and South Africa have initiated the formation of a technical committee a couple of weeks ago to come up with a roadmap to restore relations.
Rwanda-South Africa technical committee, in a first bilateral meeting in Kigali, held closed-door consultations in Kigali to iron out the long-standing differences. The committee includes diplomats and intelligence chiefs from Rwanda and South Africa.
Both the countries have wish lists. Among the top demand of Rwanda is it wants South Africa to reinstate visa services for ordinary Rwandans that have been suspended since March 2014. Rwanda also wants assurance that Rwandans exiled in South Africa are banned from engaging in political and rebel activities against Rwanda. It is alleged that Kayumba Nyamwasa — a former ally of President Paul Kagame – was engaging in political and armed activity against Rwanda’s leadership. He is accused of recruiting fighters for his rebel outfit called P5, as well as getting ammunition from Burundi, Uganda and DR Congo. This demand is the basic bone of contention between the two countries. The demand was supported by a United Nations report in 2019.
