Renson Mwakandana
Presidents and prime ministers from all over the world continued to arrive in Rwanda on Thursday for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali.
The recent Migration and Economic Development Partnership was discussed at a meeting between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Paul Kagame on Thursday, according to a tweet from the Rwandan government.
The agreement on migrant resettlement, which aims to relocate asylum seekers, has come under fire, including in the court of public opinion.
For the culmination of the Commonwealth meeting, which began on Monday, leaders of the 54 members—most of which are former British colonies—are anticipated in Kigali on Thursday and Friday. Formerly a colony of Germany and Belgium, Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in 2009.
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, and more than 25 other heads of state and government are already present in Kigali.
Tuesday saw the arrival of Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, who were traveling in the name of his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
The royal pair paid a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, lay a tribute there, and visited a church. They also met survivors of the 1994 slaughter in an Eastern Province town of reconciliation, where they coexist with some of the criminals.
Additionally, they met with President Kagame.
Through the newly opened Gatuna/Katuna border, President Museveni entered the only other regional state hosting the event. Following a freeze in ties between Uganda and Rwanda, the shared land borders had been shut for over three years.
The leaders will participate in panels and provide keynote presentations. PM Trudeau will also inaugurate the Canadian embassy in Kigali.
“Today is our first day at CHOGM2022, and we’re already hard at work. Today I have a number of meetings and activities, all of which I will report on here. Watch this space for updates on the work we’re doing for you, Canadians, and Commonwealth citizens,” he tweeted.
“We can’t be naive,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said in reference to the impact of China and Russia on the continent.
She told reporters in Kigali shortly after her PM arrived: “We need to make sure that we have the diplomats on the ground with eyes and ears listening to what’s going on, to make sure that we can play a good role with Rwanda and the entire region.”
