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Paul Kagame

Paul Kagame

President of Rwanda

Appears in 4 stories

Born: October 23, 1957 (age 68 years), Ruanda-Urundi
Children: Ange Kagame, Ivan Cyomoro Kagame, Ian Kagame, and more
Previous offices: Commonwealth Chair-in-Office (2022–2024), Chairperson of the African Union (2018–2019), Acting President of Rwanda (2000–2000), and more
Education: Makerere University and Ntare Secondary School
Party: Rwandan Patriotic Front

Notable Quotes

At the June signing, Nduhungirehe, speaking for Kagame’s government, emphasized the "great deal of uncertainty" but said that with U.S. support, a turning point had been reached.([wsls.com](https://www.wsls.com/news/world/2025/06/27/congo-and-rwanda-to-sign-us-mediated-peace-deal-to-end-conflict-in-eastern-congo/?utm_source=openai))

Rwandan officials say the health compact 'underscores Rwanda’s ambition to build a self‑reliant, adaptive, and technology‑enabled health system.'([investing.com](https://www.investing.com/news/world-news/us-signs-228-million-deal-with-rwanda-for-health-under-new-aid-model-4394625?utm_source=openai))

Stories

Eastern Congo's cycle of rebel seizure, atrocity, and fragile peace talks

Force in Play

Co-signatory of Washington Accords; accused of backing M23 with troops and arms

Congolese authorities have uncovered at least 171 bodies in two mass graves on the outskirts of Uvira, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that the M23 rebel group withdrew from in January after the United States requested the pullback as a trust-building gesture. Local officials and civil society groups say the victims were killed by M23 fighters who suspected them of ties to the Congolese army or pro-government militias. M23 denies involvement.

Updated Feb 27

Trump–brokered DRC–Rwanda peace deal tested by renewed fighting

Force in Play

Party to Washington Accord; faces looming U.S. sanctions over alleged M23 backing as fighting persists.

In early 2025, a massive offensive by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion and its allies seized Goma and Bukavu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, displacing millions and triggering urgent diplomacy. The United States mediated the June 27 Washington Accord between Kinshasa and Kigali, ratified by Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame with Donald Trump on December 4, 2025, at the Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace. The deal promises Rwandan troop withdrawals, an end to Congolese support for anti-Rwanda militias, and a U.S.-linked economic framework centered on critical minerals.

Updated Feb 5

Congo's conflict mineral crisis

Force in Play

Denies backing M23 while UN reports estimate 4,000-12,000 Rwandan troops in DRC

A landslide at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed more than 400 people on January 29, 2026—miners, children, and market workers buried when rain-soaked tunnels collapsed. The mine, controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group since May 2024, supplies roughly 15% of the world's coltan, which becomes tantalum capacitors in smartphones and aircraft engines worldwide. M23 extracts an estimated $800,000 monthly by taxing every gram of ore.

Updated Feb 5

America first global health compacts: rewiring U.S. health aid

Rule Changes

Signatory of Washington Accord and beneficiary of U.S. health compact

In 2025 the United States began dismantling its post-Cold War global health architecture: withdrawing from the World Health Organization, freezing most foreign aid, and abolishing USAID’s development role. On this foundation, the Trump administration unveiled an 'America First Global Health Strategy' that replaces large multilateral and NGO-run programs with tightly negotiated bilateral health compacts requiring partner governments to co-finance HIV, TB, malaria and outbreak response programs and gradually assume full responsibility. Kenya signed the first such deal on December 4, 2025, followed by Rwanda on December 5–6 with a $228 million compact; by early 2026, 15 nations had signed agreements committing over $16 billion, with the U.S. covering 100% of commodity costs in FY2026 before tapering support.

Updated Feb 5