The progress has put the incumbent Minister Louise Mushikiwabo among the most 50 influential women in Africa.
The fame has also made her stand a chance to head General Secretariat of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), generally known as La Francophonie.
Mushikiwabo has gathered support from France and 29 African countries, making her likely to win the top OIF position as the French speaking countries’ organisation counts 54 members.
She is now campaigning against the Canadian OIF incumbent Secretary General, Michaëlle Jean, for the elections slated for October 12 in Armenia.
If Mushikiwabo wins at OIF, she will have put end on her 10-year dockets in Rwanda’s Government. The 57-year was appointed Minister of Information in 2008 and took up the foreign affairs docket in December 2009.
However, seven other foreign ministers preceded Mushikiwabo in the docket. IGIHE has looked back and compiled the contribution of each into the country’s foreign affairs over the last 24 years.
The compilation starts July 19, 1994 when the Government of Unity was instituted.
{{1994: Jean Marie Vianney Ndagijimana
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Jean Marie Vianney Ndagijimana was the first Foreign Minister in the interim government. He served for four months, running from July to October, before resigning and going into self-imposed exile.
President Paul Kagame once said part of the funds raised for liberation struggle was used to help leaders of the country to fulfil their duties after stopping the genocide.
The Head of State said Ndagijimana stole $200,000 that he had to use for opening embassies in different countries.
{{1994–1999: Anastase Gasana
}}
Dr Anastase Gasana was a lecturer of the University of Rwanda, served as Foreign Minister in 1993 and played role in Arusha Peace Accord between then Rwanda’s Government and Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF).
Dr Gasana was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs in November 1994.
At the time, Rwanda was struggling to step out of the genocide lens through which the world was looking at it. Building a working and firm system looked a dream at the time.
It was a very hard time for Rwanda’s diplomats. Regional and international media had all attention on what was going on in the country. Some were trying to shed light on the genocide while those with interest in genocide denial were trying to hide the truth.
For instance, Radio Agatashya that was broadcasting from then Zaire (now DRC), and then Human Right Watch Chief, Alison Des Forges, were fighting to have double genocide approved.
Minister Gasana served for four months at the time Rwanda was trying to bring back home over 3,000,000 refugees from Zaire. The tough diplomacy times continued to the time of the second Congo War.
{{1999-2008: Amri Sued, Dr Iyamuremye, André Bumaya and Dr Charles Muligande
}}
Amri Sued Ismail followed in the docket. Nothing much was said about the man who had first served as Ambassador to Egypt during the rule of President Pasteur Bizimungu.
He was succeeded by Agustin Iyamuremye who was Minister for Information before moving to foreign affairs.
In 2000, Iyamuremye was succeeded by André Bumaya who lasted longer than his predecessors. He led the country’s diplomacy until November 2002 when President Kagame appointed Dr Charles Murigande in the docket.
The three served during the second Congo War which spanned from 1998 to 2003 in which Rwanda was fighting rebels in the Eastern DRC.
During Dr Muligande tenure, media was probing if Rwandan troops were fighting in DRC. He was succeeded by Rosemary Museminari in March 2008.
{{2008-2009: Rosemary Museminari
}}
Museminari was in the docket when Rwanda got admission to Commonwealth in October 2008. The membership awoke France that was for long indifferent on Rwanda’s affairs.
Museminari was succeeded by Mushikiwabo on October 4, 2009.
{{2009-: Louise Mushikiwabo
}}
The hard times that Rwanda has faced in the time of Mushikiwabo has earned her with enormous fame for having dealt with the issues successfully.
She often faced tough questions about the war in DRC and the arrest of Gen. Laurent Nkunda in Rwanda.
She got into the docket after four years of frozen relations between Rwanda and France. The tensions started when French Judge Jean Louis Bourguière issued warrant for Rwanda’s top leaders.
In 2008, the relations seemed re-emerging when the Secretary in the French presidency, Claude Guéant, visited Rwanda.
In January 2009, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also visited Rwanda. Rwanda’s diplomacy kept growing until then French President Nicolas Sarkozy came to Rwanda on February 25, 2010.
President Kagame was later received by Sarkozy in Champs Elysée, France’s presidency, on September 12, 2011.
{{Eastern DRC, a thorny problem in Rwanda’s diplomacy
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At the time the rebel group M23 was fighting DRC forces, Rwanda was accused of being behind the rebels.
On December 2012, the parliament summoned Mushikiwabo to explain the stand of Rwanda on what was going on in Eastern DRC. The accusations against Rwanda had made various foreign donors stop the aid.
Mushikiwabo said Rwanda wasn’t involved in the war but had decided to guard its boundaries with DRC to prevent the fighting from spreading to Rwanda.
In November 2014, Mushikiwabo expressed fury over the remarks of then French President François Hollande who used ‘father-to-children’ approach while addressing African countries’ Heads of State. Hollande was speaking at OIF meeting in Dakar, Senegal.
After the meeting, Mushikiwabo told France 24 that Paris is not entitled to dictate African politics.
She said French President would only give suggestions as African countries’ leaders but telling Africans what to do was outdated. She reminded that it was in 2014, meaning the colonial time was no more.
Over the years, Rwanda’s diplomacy has significantly grown up, earning the country with a good image on the continent and beyond. The step is reflected in the dockets Rwanda has been taking up in the international arena.
There are now 30 countries having their embassies in Kigali, nine are represented by consulate while 39 have non-resident representation.
Rwanda also has 33 embassies representing it in 147 countries and international organisations. There are more 37 representatives of Rwanda in 17 countries.
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