By Kwanta Douglas –
Rwandan President Paul Kagame arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday to attend a symposium on women’s violence.
According to the African Union website, the Men’s Conference on Positive Masculinity intends to “involve men in leadership to engage other men and boys in efforts to end violence against women and girls.”
Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, Macky Sall of Senegal, Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo, and Faure Gnassingbé of Togo are among the other African heads of state in Kinshasa for the summit.
Sexual assault, early marriage and pregnancy, female genital mutilation and other harmful cultural practices, limited access to land and other resources, and women’s participation in decision-making are all addressed at the conference.
On arrival, President Kagame and DRC Head of State Felix Tshisekedi held a closed-door meeting. They, however, did not divulge details about the talks with Kagame only saying that they touched on “relationship and cooperation between our two countries.”
After the closed-door meeting, Kagame congratulated Tshisekedi on the initiative meant to fight gender violence.
