Trump Administration Blocked Kagame From Re-Entering the US

Rwandan President Paul Kagame was reportedly unable to return to the United States following what Africa Intelligence describes as a refusal by the Trump administration to grant him an A-1 diplomatic visa, in a development that could signal growing tensions between Washington and Kigali.

According to the publication, Kagame had submitted a visa application in late April with hopes of potentially attending an event linked to Harvard University in the United States. However, the trip never materialized, and multiple sources cited by Africa Intelligence suggest the visa request may not have been approved by US authorities.

Neither the US State Department nor Harvard University officially commented on the matter when contacted by the publication. Rwanda’s government spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, also reportedly did not respond to requests for comment.

The reported visa issue comes at a sensitive moment in US-Rwanda relations, particularly over the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Washington has increasingly pressured Kigali over allegations of support for the M23 rebel movement operating in eastern Congo. In March, the United States imposed sanctions on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and senior Rwandan military officials accused of backing the rebel group, allegations that Rwanda continues to deny.

The Trump administration has also reportedly criticized Kigali for failing to remove what Rwanda describes as “defensive measures” in eastern DRC, where the AFC-M23 coalition still controls significant territory.

The diplomatic tension appears to have affected the Washington peace process launched after the December peace agreement signed between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Following the alleged visa refusal, Rwanda reportedly informed the United States that it would not send an official delegation to a scheduled meeting of the Joint Oversight Committee responsible for monitoring implementation of the Washington Accords.

The meeting, initially planned for April 22 in Washington, was eventually held a day later via videoconference after discussions between both sides.

The committee is co-chaired on the Rwandan side by Jean-Paul Nyirubutama, Kagame’s deputy senior adviser on defense and security, and on the Congolese side by Patrick Luabeya, special envoy to President Félix Tshisekedi.

In a recent interview with Jeune Afrique, Kagame defended Rwanda’s position regarding eastern Congo, once again citing the presence of the FDLR, a militia originally linked to perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, as an “unresolved” security threat.

Despite ongoing mediation efforts involving the United States and regional actors, fighting and instability continue across eastern Congo, while diplomatic friction between Kigali and Washington appears to be deepening behind the scenes.