President Paul Kagame, on June 3, arrived in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, for a two-day official visit at the invitation of his counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune. ALSO READ: Kagame, Algeria president discuss infrastructure, agric partnerships According to the Office of the President, the two Heads of State will hold a one-on-one meeting at El Mouradia Palace, followed by bilateral talks between their respective delegations. The leaders will also address members of the press during a joint press conference, and several bilateral agreements between Rwanda and Algeria are expected to be signed during the visit. ALSO READ: Rwanda, Algeria move to strengthen defence ties While in Algiers, Kagame will lay a wreath at the Maqam Echahid (Martyrs’ Memorial) in honour of those who lost their lives during the Algerian War of Independence. He will also visit the National School of Artificial Intelligence (ENSIA), where five Rwandan students are currently enrolled in programs specialising in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, according to Village Urugwiro. Tebboune is expected to host a state dinner in honour of President Kagame. In December 2024, Kagame and Tebboune met on the sidelines of the Continental Forum on Education and Youth Employability and deliberated on ways of improving the already fruitful bilateral ties, particularly in the areas of education, defence and security as well as opportunities for new partnerships in agriculture and infrastructure. Earlier that year, in January, the Algerian envoy to Rwanda, Amb. Mohamed Mellah, hinted at the prospect of signing a couple of agreements between the two countries, including visa waiver programmes and trade and military cooperation agreements. The envoy’s visit was followed by that of the Chief of Staff of the People’s National Army of Algeria (ANPA), General Saïd Chanegriha, who maintained that Rwanda and Algeria resolved to strengthen the existing defence cooperation to deal with different security issues facing the African continent. During his visit, Gen Chanegriha visited Kigali Genocide Memorial and the Campaign Against Genocide Museum at Parliament. He also held bilateral talks with the Minister of Defence, Juvénal Marizamunda, and Gen Mubarakh Muganga, the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) Chief of Defence Staff. Kagame last visited Algeria in 2015.
