President Paul Kagame will embark on a working visit to West Africa, first visiting Benin, then Guinea Starting this Friday. Some may question why he is visiting these countries, but the government and diplomatic officials have specific reasons for the timing and destinations of this trip.
Although Benin is more than 3,000 km away from Rwanda, Rwandair flights to Cotonou, the capital of Benin, operate at least once a week. Despite the distance, there are no known serious conflicts between the people of Rwanda and the people of Benin or Guinea.
Over the past five years, the relationship between the governments of Benin and Rwanda has strengthened, as they have cooperated on various projects in technology, construction, and the environment.
Guinea, with its potential to become one of the richest countries in Africa, according to its current leader, Col Mamadi Doumbouya, who came to power through a coup d’état in 2021, seeks to establish new allies.
During a visit to Rwanda in August 2016, President Patrice Talon of Benin expressed admiration for the achievements of Kagame’s regime and sought to emulate them in his own country. In September of that same year, Rwandair started flights to Cotonou and Abidjan.
Earlier this year, Patrice Talon appointed Rwandan Pascal Nyamulinda as the head of the Benin Identity Agency to establish an electronic identity card system. Nyamulinda had previously managed a similar institution in Rwanda.
According to the Jeune Afrique newspaper, Kagame’s visit to Benin will coincide with the launch of a new airline company, Benin Airlines, in which the Beninese government will have a 51% stake and Rwanda will have 49%.
Last year, Benin expressed interest in enlisting the help of the Rwandan army to combat insurgents who call themselves Islam and attack the north of the country from Burkina Faso. Although the two countries do not have a military cooperation agreement, some analysts speculate that this topic may be discussed during the visit.
The office of the Beninese president has announced that during Kagame’s visit, “various agreements” will be signed to discuss cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, the facilitation of the movement of people and goods, and the fight against terrorism. The details of these agreements will become clearer in the coming days.
While its neighbor Guinea-Bissau signed a cooperation agreement with Rwanda last year, Guinea (Conakry) also seeks to cooperate with Rwanda. Guinea has abundant natural resources, including bauxite, iron mines, gold, and diamonds, and has the potential to become one of the richest countries in Africa, according to the US Bureau of Investigation of Land.
Although it is a poor and corrupt country, analysts believe that Col. Doumbouya, who invited Kagame to visit, needs to build alliances while studying what will happen at the end of his transition period, which ends in December 2024.
According to the Guinean president’s office, during Kagame’s visit to Conakry from Sunday to Monday, April 17, the two countries will agree to cooperate in various fields, including the economy, security, agriculture, minerals, and culture.
Some wonder whether the interest in building relationships with other countries serves the interests of the people or the rulers themselves. Only time and production for the public will reveal the truth.
Source: BBC
