Rwanda Joins British Commonwealth

Rwandan President Paul Kagame with his chief of protocol, Rose Kabuye. She was arrested in Germany and has been extradited to France in connection with the 1994 civil war.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

November 29, 2009

Rwanda Joins British Commonwealth

By JOSH KRON
New York Times

The republic of Rwanda was admitted to the British Commonwealth on Saturday, becoming the 54th nation to join the post-colonial group.

The Commonwealth members’ summit meeting, held in the Caribbean island-state of Trinidad & Tobago, admitted the Central African country after it applied for membership in 2008.

“The government sees this accession as recognition of the tremendous progress this country has made in the last 15 years,” Rwanda’s government spokesperson, Louise Mushikiwabo, said in the capital, Kigali.

Diplomats also see the country’s accession as a promising step in its political development under President Paul Kagame after the 1994 genocide.

Rwanda’s application, which made it, along with Mozambique, the second nation without any formal historical ties to Great Britain to join the group, initially came under scrutiny because of criticism of its human rights record.

Rwanda was first colonized by Germany in the late 19th century and then by the Belgians. The country later held close ties to France, which were severed after the 1994 Rwandan genocide.