The Rwandan economic and military model fascinates African states


English

The major changes made in Rwanda for nearly thirty years, particularly on the economic, social, cultural and military levels, seem to captivate a certain number of African leaders. The feeling is openly expressed by some governments, and very recently by those of Benin, Guinea Conakry and Guinea-Bissau, three countries visited this month by the Rwandan president .

The key word that often came up in exchanges between the current Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, and his Guinean counterparts, Mamadi Doumbouya; Bissau-Guinean, Umaro Sissoco Embalo; and Beninese, Patrice Talon, is known: “The Rwandan model”. This is hardly surprising since in West Africa, as in other parts of the African continent, the rumors circulating about the progress made by Kigali in terms of security, but also in moving towards development, mean that all would like to follow this rare example.

The head of the Guinean junta, for example, said he wanted at all costs to be inspired by the “model” of Rwanda. “From the 1994 genocide to the reunification of the country, Rwanda has been able to recover, assume and rebuild itself before asserting itself as an African reference. This is why the Rwandan model fascinates Colonel President Mamadi Doumbouya,” the Guinean presidency said in a statement.

"To deeply rebuild Guinea while putting it on the path of national reconciliation, autonomy and emergence, such is the real challenge of President Mamadi Doumbouya", adds the same source, who would like to show that the visit of Paul Kagame will serve as a trigger for the economic and security aims of Conakry. To link business with pleasure, the two leaders have pledged to strengthen bilateral relations and "create a bridge" between the Rwandan and Guinean capitals. The Rwandan Head of State has expressed his willingness to work with Conakry within the framework of open cooperation. He also said he "wishes to welcome his Guinean counterpart to Rwanda very soon".

Besides Guinea, the Beninese government believes that bilateral cooperation with Rwanda will be beneficial to both parties. Among the fields of action of this partnership are the security issues that dominated the exchanges between the Rwandan and Beninese delegations. The Rwandan number one promised military support to Benin against the jihadists overflowing on its northern border, from Burkina Faso.

Paul Kagame honored with the highest distinction in Guinea-Bissau

Still on the subject of relations between Kigali and Porto-Novo, the Beninese government announced last year that it was in talks about military and logistical cooperation with Rwanda, whose troops have already been deployed by this country to fight insurgencies in Mozambique and the Central African Republic.

Rwanda’s military support could not be more assured. “We are ready to work with Benin to prevent anything that may happen in the area around its borders,” reaffirmed the Rwandan president. "There will be no limit" in what "will be accomplished together for the necessary security challenges", he repeated, during a press conference with his Beninese counterpart, Patrice Talon.

For his part, the Beninese Head of State indicated that bilateral cooperation in the field of security would focus in particular on "supervision, coaching, training and joint deployment" of troops. Believing that "the Rwandan army has experience and is seasoned" to have intervened in several countries, Patrice Talon declared: "We will go as far as possible if necessary because Benin is confronted with insecurity coming down from the Sahel". "The threat is real in northern Benin," he acknowledged.

In Guinea-Bissau, the rapprochement between Bissau and Kigali is welcomed by both the people and the government. President Umaro Sissoco Embalo welcomed this, recalling that during his visit to Rwanda in March 2022, the two countries had signed several agreements, notably on tourism, trade and education.

Paul Kagame’s recent West African tour was an opportunity for Rwandan and Bissau-Guinean leaders to reaffirm their desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation by signing a new agreement on the abolition of visas between their countries. And to top off their desire to strengthen the Kigali-Bissau axis, the Amilcar Cabral medal, the country’s highest distinction, was awarded to Paul Kagame by his Bissau-Guinean counterpart.

Source: Agence d’Information d’Afrique Centrale



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