New Tanzanian, Libyan envoys present credentials to Kagame

President Paul Kagame on Wednesday April 6, received letters of credence from the new High Commissioner of Tanzania, Major General Richard Mutayoba Makanzo and the Ambassador of Libya to Rwanda, Ibrahim Sidy Ibrahim Matar. Both envoys will be resident in Kigali. Addressing the media after presenting his credentials at Village Urugwiro, Makanzo said that his task is to strengthen the existing cooperation between the two ‘brotherly countries’ for the benefit of the people. Apart from people-to-people interactions, he said that Rwanda is a business partner with Tanzania because the latter links the former to the sea. “Our role is to make sure we smoothen the business between these two countries and minimize the challenges that are facing the business community,” he said. The Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam handles more than 85 per cent of the cargo destined or transiting through Rwanda. Maj. Gen. Richard Mutayoba Makanzo, High Commissioner of the United Republic of Tanzania Referring to the long journey taken by trucks from the Tanzanian port to Kigali, he said that they are looking at how to simplify the movement in the near future and one of the ways is to establish a railway line which he said is cheaper and faster. The Isaka-Kigali Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) construction project has been in discussion for some time now and there were talks on weighing options of extending it to Rubavu at the border with DR Congo. Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan met with President Kagame in Kigali in August 2021, and the two leaders gave a way forward of enhancing ties through four bilateral agreements that were signed. Meanwhile, while addressing the media, the new Libyan envoy, Ibrahim Matar said he is going to focus on all possible things that can contribute to strengthening bilateral cooperation between Rwanda and Libya. Amb Ibrahim Sidy Ibrahim Matar, the new Ambassador the State of Libya. “There is a lot that our people can learn from Rwanda and vice-versa,” he said. In 2019, Rwanda signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UNHCR and the African Union to host asylum seekers from Libya, mainly African immigrants who found themselves stuck on the Mediterranean coast after botched attempts to cross into Europe. The established Emergency Transit Mechanism (EMT) was, in 2021, extended for another two years. Located in Gashora, Bugesera District, the EMT will continue operating until December 31, 2023, and increase its current capacity of hosting 500 people to 700 at a time. In Rwanda, they have the right to access medical care, school and work.

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New Tanzanian, Libyan envoys present credentials to Kagame