President Paul Kagame (left) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu inspecting a guard of honour shortly after he arrived in
Rwanda on July 6, 2016. PHOTO | URUGWIRO VILLAGE
By JOINT REPORT, THE EASTAFRICAN
In Summary
- Adjoining roads to the main road which link to the main administrative and commercial parts of the city were closed off as stranded motorists parked in wait.
- The Israeli Premier is in Rwanda for few hours during which he has visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre at Gisozi and is expected to hold talks with President Kagame at Village Urugwiro.
Major roads linking Rwanda's capital Kigali to the 10km main
road from the airport have been blocked off as Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the country for a one day visit.
The Israeli Premier is in Rwanda for few hours during which he
has visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre at Gisozi and is
expected to hold talks with President Paul Kagame at Village Urugwiro.
Upon arrival, he was welcomed by Mr Kagame at the airport where
he inspected a Guard of Honour before proceeding to the memorial centre
where he was taken around the museum which contains records of the 1994
genocide against the Tutsi.
The two leaders will address the press before concluding the visit.
The road from Kigali International Airport (KIA) to Kigali
Genocide Memorial Centre remained sealed off as motorists and
pedestrians were asked to use alternative routes.
Adjoining roads to the main road which link to the main
administrative and commercial parts of the city were closed off as
stranded motorists parked in wait.
“We don’t know when we will be released to go. We are just waiting. It is a huge inconvenience,” a motorist who spoke to The EastAfrican said.
Rwanda National Police Traffic Department spokesperson, Jean
Marie Vianney Ndushabandi, however said only one road was closed off to
allow safe passage for the visiting leader.
“The other roads are open. There are alternative roads people
can use,” he said briefly on phone. However, motorists and pedestrians
said that alternative roads were not communicated.
The two countries share a similar history with regard to the Tutsi Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust.
Ties between the two countries have been strengthened in recent
years, with Rwanda opening a diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv in March
2015.
They also have in place trade and investment partnership
agreements with the Israel pledging to support Rwanda in sectors such as
ICT, agriculture and defence among others.
Last year, Rwanda appointed Col Joseph Rutabana as the country’s Ambassador to Israel.
Controversial deals
However, some of Rwanda’s dealings with Israel are not without controversy.
Last year, it emerged that Rwanda had signed a pact with Israel
to take some unwanted immigrants from different African countries in
return for favourable deals. Uganda is also involved in the deal and has
come under scrutiny.
The agreement, which has come under scrutiny by human rights
organisations, allows Israel to deport hundreds of Eritrean and Sudanese
asylum-seekers to both Rwanda and Uganda in return for favourable deals
that include millions of dollars in grants.
Israeli policemen and immigration officers arrest an African asylum
seeker. Israel wants to resettle African refugees in Africa. PHOTO | AFP
Addressing a press conference in Kigali last year, President
Kagame acknowledged that discussions between Rwanda and Israel were
ongoing.
“On Rwanda and Israel, yes, I know there has been this
discussion and it has been a debate in Israel about these Africans who
have migrated to Israel as they do to other European countries. Some of
them are either there illegally or with different status,” President
Kagame said at the time.
Earlier this year, it emerged that Israel had sold arms to
Rwanda during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, but the Israeli
government said it would keep the details of the arms deal confidential.
From Rwanda, Netanyahu will head to Ethiopia as he concludes an eastern Africa tour which also covered Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.
No comments :
Post a Comment