The agreement was signed in Lomé, Togo, on January 16, 2026, by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe and his Togolese counterpart, Professor Robert Dussey.
The development was confirmed through a statement released by Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The signing advances commitments made during the official visit of Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé to Rwanda from January 18 to 19, 2025.
The visit focused on accelerating the implementation of previously agreed commitments and identifying new areas of cooperation.
President Faure was accompanied by a high-level delegation of senior Togolese officials, who held discussions with their Rwandan counterparts on ways to fast-track development across various sectors.
At the time, President Paul Kagame and President Faure commended the strong and friendly relations between Rwanda and Togo and pledged to further expand cooperation in areas including political consultations and economic cooperation.
The two leaders also urged relevant institutions to speed up the implementation of agreed commitments, including the establishment of a joint commission, the removal of visa requirements and the elimination of double taxation between the two countries.
“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” Trump said at a White House event, without giving more details.
Greenland has a self-governing government within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining authority over its defense and foreign policies. The United States maintains a military base on the island. Since returning to the White House in 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed a strong desire to “obtain” Greenland by any means.
A “fundamental disagreement” persists over the future of Greenland following a meeting of high-ranking officials from the United States, Denmark and Greenland on Wednesday.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt at the White House.
Besides wide-ranging tariff measures announced in 2025, the Trump administration has expanded the use or threatened to use tariff tools to curb the entry of fentanyl, in sanctions on Iran, a dispute over water rights with Mexico, and other non-traditional areas.
Miguel Perez Pirela was appointed minister of communication and information, replacing Freddy Nanez, who will head the Ministry of Ecosocialism, Rodriguez said on Telegram.
In his new role, Nanez will be responsible for “continuing to promote public policies for the protection of our Pachamama (Mother Earth) and all matters related to environmental protection,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez also appointed Anibal Coronado as minister of transport.
Local authorities said Saturday that about 20,000 pigs raised at the farm will be culled in accordance with quarantine regulations.
The report said local animal health authorities began testing after the farm owner reported pig deaths on Friday. The results, confirmed at around 1 a.m. local time Saturday, showed the pigs had tested positive for ASF. This marks the first ASF case reported in Gangwon province in about 14 months, following the previous outbreak detected in November 2024.
To prevent the spread of the disease, quarantine authorities have dispatched an initial response team and an epidemiological investigation team to the farm. Access to the premises has been restricted, while disinfection and epidemiological investigations are underway.
African swine fever is an acute, highly contagious viral disease affecting pigs, characterized by high fever, severe internal bleeding and a high mortality rate. The disease is not transmissible to humans, but contaminated food, footwear, tools and vehicles can facilitate the spread of the virus.
President Kagame was received on arrival by Guinea’s Prime Minister, Amadou Oury Bah, the Office of the President said.
The visit follows his recent message congratulating Doumbouya on his election victory. On Monday, January 5, 2026, Kagame welcomed the outcome of the election, expressing optimism about the future of relations between Rwanda and Guinea.
“Congratulations to my brother, President Mamadi Doumbouya, on his election as President of the Republic of Guinea. We look forward to deepening our strong bilateral relations and working closely together to advance our shared priorities and the prosperity of our nations,” Kagame said in a post on X.
Doumbouya’s victory was formally confirmed by Guinea’s Supreme Court on Sunday, January 4, marking his transition from interim junta leader to democratically elected president.
The court validated provisional results that credited the 41-year-old leader with 86.72 percent of the vote. His closest challenger, Abdoulaye Yero Baldé, received 6.59 percent, with the court noting that Baldé later withdrew his legal challenge to the results.
The election was Guinea’s first presidential vote since the September 2021 coup that removed former president Alpha Condé. It was conducted under a new constitution that lifted restrictions on military leaders contesting elections and extended the presidential term from five to seven years.
Rwanda and Guinea maintain cordial and steadily strengthening relations, supported by high-level visits and expanding cooperation across multiple sectors.
“Our task is coordinated and effective work to stabilize the situation in the energy system as soon as possible, in particular, in the city of Kiev,” Shmyhal said on Telegram.
Under the emergency measure, residents will be allowed to access emergency heating shelters at night despite the curfew, Shmyhal said.
The government has also instructed relevant agencies to streamline procedures for connecting backup power equipment to the electricity grid and to redistribute such equipment across regions based on critical need.
State-run companies, including Ukrainian Railways and gas operator Naftogaz, have been ordered to increase electricity imports to at least 50 percent of their total consumption.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the energy situation is most difficult in Kiev, Odesa and the central Dnipropetrovsk region.
The report shows that total formal external trade in goods amounted to $1.93 billion in Q3 2025, representing a 25.7 percent decline compared to the same quarter in 2024, reflecting a general slowdown in trade activity during the period.
Within this overall contraction, imports stood at $1.37 billion in Q3 2025, down from $1.75 billion in Q3 2024, marking a 21.85 percent year-on-year decrease. The sharp fall in imports played a key role in easing Rwanda’s trade deficit, even as external trade volumes declined.
Despite the annual drop, imports rose on a quarterly basis, increasing by 9.74 percent compared to the second quarter of 2025, when imports were valued at $1.25 billion, pointing to a modest rebound in import demand.
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China remained Rwanda’s largest source of imports in Q3 2025, supplying goods worth $311.41 million. Other major import partners included Tanzania ($156.85 million), India ($118.47 million), Kenya ($102.24 million) and the United Arab Emirates ($98.87 million). Together, these five countries accounted for 57.55 percent of Rwanda’s total imports during the quarter.
At the regional level, imports from East African Community (EAC) partner states totaled $325.88 million, marking a 40 percent decline compared to the same quarter in 2024. Tanzania and Kenya continued to dominate Rwanda’s imports from the bloc, jointly accounting for nearly three-quarters of EAC-sourced imports.
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In terms of commodities, food and live animals remained Rwanda’s largest import category, valued at $248 million in Q3 2025. This was followed by machinery and transport equipment ($244.48 million), manufactured goods classified chiefly by material ($227.72 million), mineral fuels and lubricants ($179.71 million), and chemicals and related products ($173.89 million).
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While imports fell sharply, Rwanda’s export performance showed mixed results during the quarter. Domestic exports were valued at $389.99 million in Q3 2025, reflecting a 12.7 percent increase compared to the previous quarter, but a 41.53 percent decline compared to Q3 2024.
Exports remained concentrated in key markets, led by the United Arab Emirates and the Democratic Republic of Congo, followed by China and regional EAC partners. Exports to the EAC recorded strong year-on-year growth, driven mainly by increased shipments to Uganda.
Rwanda’s export sector was largely driven by mineral and agricultural commodities. The report shows that gold, coltan, cassiterite and wolfram remained Rwanda’s leading export products in Q3 2025, alongside traditional agricultural exports such as coffee and tea.
Overall, imports accounted for 70.83 percent of Rwanda’s total trade in goods during the quarter, while domestic exports and re-exports contributed 20.18 percent and 8.99 percent, respectively.
In a statement issued on January 15, 2026, the group’s spokesperson, Col Kamasa Ndakize Welcome, alleged that FARDC troops, supported by Burundian forces, FDLR rebels, and Wazalendo militias, launched coordinated ground and aerial attacks in the Point-Zéro area, approximately 10 km from Minembwe Commune.
Col Ndakize claimed the assaults deliberately targeted civilian areas, including Rwitsankuku and surrounding villages, destroying infrastructure, forcing residents to flee, and endangering innocent lives.
In response, he said Twirwaneho fighters repelled the ground offensive, shot down one enemy drone that was striking populated areas, dismantled opposing positions, and seized strategic heights, including Mount Baruta, a position long used, according to the group, to shell civilian zones.
MRDP-Twirwaneho emphasized that it will not tolerate alleged abuses by government-aligned forces and reiterated its commitment to protecting Banyamulenge civilians and their property.
The interest was voiced during interactions with Rwanda’s High Commissioner to India, Jacqueline Mukangira, on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference held in Rajkot on 11-12 January 2026 where Rwanda was invited as a partner country.
“On the sideline of the Vibrant Gujarat, the High Commissioner had the opportunity to exchange with business industrialists, company CEOs and education leaders. Many expressed interest to visit Rwanda and explore investment possibilities,” reads a statement from Rwanda’s High Commission in India.
The Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, focused on promoting regional industrial development, attracting investments, and strengthening global partnerships, with particular emphasis on ceramics, engineering, and renewable energy.
The event brought together industry leaders, entrepreneurs, government officials, and international delegates to showcase Gujarat’s progressive industrial policies and its potential as a global manufacturing hub.
In her remarks High Commissioner Mukangira highlighted the robust bilateral ties between Rwanda and India. She thanked the Chief Minister of Gujarat for extending the invitation and praised Rwanda’s impressive economic trajectory, noting an 11.8% growth rate in the third quarter of 2025.
She underscored that India is Rwanda’s second-largest foreign investor and trading partner and extended a warm invitation for increased Indian investment in priority sectors including manufacturing, infrastructure, ICT, agriculture, mining, tourism and healthcare.
The High Commissioner also recalled Prime Minister Modi’s historic visit to Rwanda in 2018, which significantly deepened cooperation between the two nations.
She expressed gratitude for PM Modi’s gesture of gifting 200 cows to villagers in Bugesera District.
During the conference, Prime Minister Modi himself referenced this initiative, highlighting the unique rule attached to the gift: each new calf born from the gifted cows must be passed on to another family in need, thereby multiplying the benefit and positively impacting local household economies in Rweru Village.
Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conferences are preliminary to Vibrant Gujarat Summit which is also held in Gujarat biannually.
The event was held on Thursday at the Caribbean Military Academy Headquarters in Kingston and was presided over by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith.
Addressing the contingent, Smith expressed appreciation to the Government of Rwanda, President Paul Kagame and the people of Rwanda for the deployment of RDF engineers, noting that their expertise will contribute meaningfully to Jamaica’s post-disaster recovery and resilience-building efforts.
Speaking on behalf of the leadership of the Rwanda Defence Force, Col Claudien Bizimungu expressed Rwanda’s solidarity with the government and the people of Jamaica.
He delivered a message from the RDF leadership, reaffirming Rwanda’s commitment to stand with Jamaica during its recovery and rebuilding process.
Col Bizimungu emphasized that the deployment reflects Rwanda’s broader commitment to international cooperation and humanitarian support, highlighting the RDF’s experience in engineering, reconstruction, and community-focused interventions.
Col Moses Kayigamba, the RDF Engineer Contingent Commander, also highlighted that Rwandan engineers will work closely with the Jamaican Defence Forces and other national institutions in rehabilitation initiatives, as part of the agreed framework between the two countries.
The RDF engineer contingent was deployed to the Caribbean island nation on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, to support the country’s recovery efforts by rehabilitating infrastructure destroyed by a powerful cyclone (Hurricane Melissa) in October last year.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the deployment was conducted in accordance with a bilateral agreement between Rwanda and Jamaica aimed at assisting in the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure destroyed by disasters.
Prior to their departure for Jamaica, the RDF engineers received a briefing from Brigadier General Faustin Tinka, Commander of the Mechanized Division on behalf of the RDF Chief of Defence Staff, who urged the deployed personnel to apply their full expertise, professionalism, and technical skills in order to successfully accomplish the mission entrusted to them by RDF leadership.
He emphasised that the beneficiaries of their support should clearly feel the positive impact of their work.
The deployment is in line with President Paul Kagame’s pledge to support the Republic of Jamaica in the post-disaster recovery process during his visit in April 2022.
