Rwanda's Kagame Sworn in for Fourth Term

By Al Mayadeen English

11 Aug 2024 23:09

Kagame has ruled the nation since 1994 and won the July 15 election.

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame was sworn in for a fourth term on Sunday, declaring regional peace a "priority" in the face of continuous bloodshed in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kagame won elections last month with 99.18% of the vote, extending his term in government for another five years.

Several dozen African heads of state and dignitaries attended the inauguration event in Kigali.

Kagame has ruled the nation since 1994 and won the July 15 election against two other candidates.

During his inauguration address, Kagame stated that peace in the region was a "priority" for Rwanda, "yet it has been lacking, particularly in eastern DRC."

In an apparent jab at Kinshasa, he cited peace cannot be "delivered by anyone or from anywhere no matter how powerful if the party most concerned does not do what is needed."

Angola's President Joao Lourenco, who attended the event on Sunday, was scheduled to meet with Kagame privately to discuss a DRC ceasefire agreement reached last month, according to the Angolan administration.

Luanda facilitated the agreement following discussions between the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda. However, on August 4, the day the ceasefire was set to begin, M23 rebels—who have taken control of areas in the east since their renewed offensive at the end of 2021—captured a town near the Uganda border.

Kagame has won every presidential election he has run in, each with more than 93% of the vote.

In 2015, Kagame managed contentious constitutional reforms that reduced presidential mandates from seven to five years but reset the clock for Rwanda's president, potentially allowing him to govern until 2034.