President Paul Kagame on Tuesday, January 13, received the United States Ambassador to Rwanda, Eric Kneedler, at Village Urugwiro for a farewell meeting as the diplomat concluded his tour of duty in Kigali.

Kneedler was nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden in August 2022 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in July 2023. He presented his credentials to President Kagame in October 2023, officially beginning his duties nearly a year after his nomination.

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He is among nearly 30 diplomats who were recalled from their missions in December amid a diplomatic reshuffle by President Donald Trump. 15 of these ambassadors were deployed in African countries, including Algeria, Burundi, Nigeria and Uganda,

During Kneedler's tenure, Rwanda and the United States continued cooperation in areas including development assistance, health, education, mining, trade, and regional security, through bilateral frameworks and programmes.

The period also saw continued engagement between the two governments on regional issues affecting the Great Lakes region.

Rwanda and the United States maintain long-standing diplomatic relations, with cooperation spanning development, people-to-people exchanges, and regional peace and security initiatives.

No details available on his successor.