Prince Charles of the United Kingdom speaks with guests at the Commonwealth Summit hosted by him and the Duchess of Cornwall on June 24, 2022, beside the Commonwealth Summit (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda. .. (REUTERS / Jean Vizimana)
Rwanda, Kigali: African countries Gabon and Togo have joined the Commonwealth Group. “We welcome them,” Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, who hosted the federal leaders’ summit this week, told reporters Saturday.
Gabon and Togo are Francophone countries that have actively sought to participate in the block of 54 countries. The prestigious head of the Commonwealth is Queen Elizabeth II of England. Prince Charles represented his mother at a summit in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
Joining the two new members was a highlight of the summit. The conference, which closes late Saturday, has also raised more than $ 4 billion in pledges to combat malaria and other tropical diseases.
The summit was held during an uncertain period between the British monarchy and the Commonwealth, but its link is sometimes questioned.
The Commonwealth appears to be attractive to future Member States, but some existing Member States are discussing whether to remove the Queen from the Head of State.
Elizabeth is the head of state of the 14 Commonwealth Kingdoms, but Barbados broke off his relationship with the monarchy in November. Several other Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, say they plan to follow suit.
Charles said at a summit meeting on Friday that “free” countries could make such a decision “calmly and without accusation.”
