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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Alice Peacock

Prince Harry meets Rwandan president and pays tribute to genocide victims on surprise trip

Prince Harry has met the president of Rwanda during a visit to Africa, on which he has been carrying out conservation work ahead of his return to the UK.

The official Twitter account of the office of the president said Harry visited Rwanda as part of his work as president of African Parks.

A picture posted by the president's office shows Harry, dressed casually in a green shirt and beige trousers, standing next to President Paul Kagame.

The tweet said: "President Kagame received Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, who visited Rwanda as part of his work as President of African Parks.

"The Government of Rwanda has agreements with African Parks to manage Akagera and Nyungwe National Parks."

The Twitter account of the Kigali Genocide Memorial also posted pictures of Harry paying respects to victims of the genocide against the Tutsi which killed hundreds of thousands of people in 1994.

Prince Harry paid his respects to victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi at the Kigali Genocide Memorial (@Kigali_Memorial/Twitter)

A photo shared with the tweet showed Harry with a wreath, which he reportedly lay on the mass graves. Prince Charles visited the memorial just two months before,

African Parks is one of the few private patronages Harry retained when he stepped down as a senior working royal in 2020.

Harry has worked with the charity since 2016 when he helped the organisation, which manages 20 national parks and protected areas in Africa, complete their relocation of 500 elephants in Malawi.

The Prince’s appearance in Rwanda comes just days after pictures emerged on social media showing Harry in the African country of Mozambique without Meghan or his children.

The duke’s spokesperson said last week that Harry was welcoming and co-hosting a group of US officials, conservationists and philanthropists as they toured protected wildlife and nature areas.

One of the images from the visit showed Harry chatting with Yassin Amuji, the president of the Vilankulo tourist board.

Prince Harry also visited Kigali Genocide Memorial, which Prince Charles visited just two months before (@Kigali_Memorial/Twitter)

Yassin told the Mirror that Harry had been there for two nights - Monday and Tuesday - and that he had welcomed him to the coastal town.

Harry's love of Africa has been well documented and in a speech at the UN just last month, he talked about his love of the continent.

He said: "Since I first visited Africa at 13 years old, I've always found hope on the continent.

"In fact, for most of my life, it has been my lifeline... It's where I've felt closest to my mother and sought solace after she died, and where I knew I had found a soulmate in my wife."

His flying visit to Mozambique also comes just weeks before he and wife Meghan are due back in the UK once again.

The Sussexes announced earlier this week that they would be coming to Britain next month for the first time since returning for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The couple will head to Manchester for the One Young World Summit, an event which brings together young leaders from more than 190 countries, on September 5.

The Sussexes will then head to Germany for the Invictus Games Dusseldorf 2023 One Year to Go event on September 6, before returning to the UK for the WellChild Awards in London on September 8 where Harry will deliver a speech.

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