President Kagame was warmly welcomed by his counterpart, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, and the country’s soldiers performed morale songs of the Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) in Kinyarwanda and Swahili to thank him for the skills acquired through training offered by Rwandan soldiers.
According to Jeune Afrique, President Kagame and Umaro Sissoco Embaló agreed to continue the training for presidential guards in Guinea Bissau following agreements signed between both countries in the areas of education and health.
So far, 50 presidential guards from Guinea-Bissau and allies to the president have been trained by RDF, the Magazine has reported.
During the visit, President Kagame was bestowed with the Amílcar Cabral Medal, the highest distinction in Guinea-Bissau, which is given to the heads of state of countries that are friends of Guinea-Bissau.
Apart from Guinea-Bissau, security remained the main focus during President Kagame’s stay in Benin where both countries signed various cooperation agreements in the areas of ICT, tourism, investment, trade, agriculture, local government, and security cooperation.
The development came at a time when Benin has been faced with terrorism in the northern part of the country. At the occasion, President Talon and President Kagame affirmed the possible deployment of Rwandan soldiers to Benin to fight terrorism.
Benin faces attacks plotted by terrorist groups from Burkina Faso that continue to threaten security in Sahel. President Patrice Talon also disclosed that security cooperation between Rwanda and Benin might benefit Burkina Faso.
During his visit to Benin, Kagame emphasized the need for African countries to collaborate and work together to address the security challenges they face. He cited examples of Rwanda’s cooperation with other countries, including Mozambique and the Central African Republic.
“We are ready to work with Benin to prevent anything that may happen around its borders. There will be no limit in what will be accomplished together for security challenges” Kagame said during a joint press conference.
Kagame concluded his tour to West Africa with a two-day visit to the Republic of Guinea.
While in Guinea, the Head of State highlighted that cooperation between both countries is paramount because ’no country has everything needed to succeed alone’.
The President made the disclosure during a joint press conference with his counterpart of Guinea Conakry, the Transitional President, Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya.
During his visit to Guinea Conakry, Kagame also met with Doumbouya for a discussion exploring ways to collaborate in areas of mutual interest and witnessed the signing of a joint cooperation agreement.
The visits were highly regarded as a great step towards establishing strong relations built on mutual trust.
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