Rwanda has expressed solidarity with Zimbabwe as the southern African country grapples with a devastating El Nino induced drought which resulted in an estimated six million of its population becoming food insecure during the 2024-2025 season.
The Global Hunger Index, a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at global, regional and national levels, classified Zimbabwe's situation as serious.
Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared the drought a state of disaster and appealed to the United Nations, aid agencies and individuals for financial support to avert food insecurity caused by the El Nino-induced drought.
Speaking during the two-day Zimbabwe-Rwanda midterm review meeting of the Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation, that started on Monday, May 27, in Harare, Rwanda's ambassador to Zimbabwe James Musoni expressed Rwanda's solidarity with Zimbabwe in light of the devastating El Nino-induced drought.
"May I also take this opportunity to express our solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe during this challenging period of severe drought caused by the El Nino-induced effects," said Musoni.
"Our thoughts are with you in these difficult times. As climate change worsens globally and in Southern Africa particularly, urgent actions on the climate emergency are imperative."
Reports indicate that Zimbabwe raised its aid appeal to US$3.3 billion on Monday, May 27, up from the initial US$2.2 billion announced last month to cater to 60 percent of the country's population that will be food insecure until March next year due to drought.
According to Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe, the number of food insecure people is now estimated at 9 million, up from the initial 7.7 million, constituting 60 percent of the country's population.
'Blossoming relationship'
Musoni said the midterm review meeting is a significant milestone in continued Rwanda-Zimbabwe efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation, and Rwanda is pleased with the achievements made so far.
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"Today, as we review our achievements and challenges, I am pleased to report that our joint endeavours have yielded remarkable results in various key sectors; for example, in the political and diplomatic sector, our relations have grown to a remarkable level where both countries support each other in regional, continental and international matters of common interest," Musoni said.
He said the mid-term review provided a platform for the two countries to take stock of the progress made in actioning various agreements.
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"I would like to emphasise that as implementers, we are duty-bound to translate the wishes and aspirations of our leaders into practicable solutions," Musoni said.
"His Excellency President Paul Kagame and His Excellency President Mnangagwa have set clear goals for us to achieve without failure."
Added Musoni: "Both our sisterly nations are common members of several regional, continental and international organisations such as COMESA, African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN), among other organisations. I cannot over-emphasise the need to use the JPCC as a stepping stone to further collaborate at the regional and global levels."
The two countries have a shared desire to strengthen and deepen their relations. Zimbabwe's Chief Director Political Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Pearson Chigiji, said relations between the two countries continued to grow in leaps and bounds.
"I am pleased to say that since we embarked on the journey of our Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation in 2020, our relationship continues to grow from strength to strength," Chigiji said.
"In addition, the continued engagements by our two Presidents at various fora and the continued exchange of high-level visits, testify to our blossoming relationship."
Chigiji said Zimbabwe and Rwanda are engaging at all levels right from Heads of State level.
"One of the many recent engagements by our two Heads of State relates to the visit to Zimbabwe by His Excellency President Paul Kagame in April 2023. President Kagame participated at the Transform Africa Summit, which took place in Victoria Falls from April 26 to 28, 2023. This summit was attended by several Heads of State and various key stakeholders, where fruitful discussions on how the continent could harness the power of digital information communication technologies towards sustainable economic development were discussed," Chigiji said.
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"President Paul Kagame's visit to Zimbabwe was preceded by His Excellency President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa's visit to Rwanda in September 2022, where he participated in the African Green Revolution Forum, at the invitation of his counterpart."
He added: "In July 2022, Honourable Dr Vincent Biruta [Rwanda's foreign affairs minister] held a memorable two-day Official Visit to Zimbabwe, at the invitation of his counterpart, Honourable Frederick Shava, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade."
Chigiji said the visit resulted in the signing of three important agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in the fields of air transportation, extradition and immigration.
"In addition, our Deputy Minister, Sheilla Chikomo, was in Rwanda to attend the Rwanda-Zimbabwe business forum, which took place in March 2024," Chigiji said.
