The Heads of State began arriving in the country on the evening of Saturday, August 10, 2024, while others jetted in on Sunday morning to witness the momentous occasion.
The leaders were accorded a guard of honour by the Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF) and a warm welcome by senior government officials at the Kigali International Airport.
And on Sunday afternoon, the presidents were escorted to the state-of-the-art Amahoro Stadium, where they joined thousands of ecstatic citizens gathered at the newly refurbished facility to witness the swearing-in of their Head of State.
It was a spectacular scene at the stadium as the leaders were welcomed to the venue with traditional songs, dances, and cheers from the crowd.
The Presidents who attended the event included Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar, João Lourenco (Angola), William Ruto (Kenya), Samia Suluhu (Tanzania), Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somalia), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia), Emmerson Mnangagwa (Malawi), Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé (Togo), Faustin-Archange Touadéra (Central Africa Republic), Denis Sassou Nguesso (Republic of the Congo) and Ismail Omar Guelleh (Djibouti).
Others were Nana Akufo-Addo (Ghana), Wavel Ramkalawan (Seychelles), Mamady Doumbouya (Interim President of Guinea), Mokgweetsi Masisi (Botswana), Emmerson Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe), Umaro Sissoco Embaló (Guinea-Bissau), Salva Kiir (South Sudan) and Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique.
King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan, and Brice Oligui Nguema, President of the Transition of the Gabonese Republic, also attended the ceremony.
Malawi, Ivory Coast, and Uganda were represented at the inauguration by Vice Presidents Dr. Michael Usi, Tiemoko Meyliet Koné, and Jessica Alupo, respectively.
The event was also graced by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Boughali, the Assembly President of Algeria, and Patrice Trovoada, the Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe.
Ousmane Sonko, the leader of Senegal's opposition, and Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda's Army Chief, also attended, underscoring the broad international representation at this momentous occasion.
Kagame, the flagbearer of the RPF-Inkotanyi, secured 99.18% of the votes cast in the elections conducted in July. His challengers, Dr. Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, came in second with 44,479 votes (0.50%), while Philippe Mpayimana finished third with 28,466 votes (0.32%).
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/over-20-heads-of-state-attend-kagame-s-inauguration
