Flags fly at half-mast at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kimihurura.
President Paul Kagame has ordered that flags fly at half-mast following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, announced by the British Royal Family on Thursday, September 8. A statement issued by the Prime Minister, Dr. Edouard Ngirente, on behalf of the Head of State, said flags will start flying at half-mast this Friday, September 9.
“Upon the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul Kagame has directed that the National Flag and the Flag or the East African Community, on Rwandan territory, be flown at half-mast from today, 9 September 2022, unti the conclusion of the State Funeral Service for Her Majesty.” the announcement reads.
Following the passing of the Queen, President Kagame joined global leaders to pay tribute to the monarch, who passed on at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, at the age of 96. Queen Elizabeth II was UK’s longest serving monarch, having been in office for 70 years.
A statement from the royal family, said that Queen Ellizabeth died peacefully on Thursday afternoon at her Scottish estate, where she had spent much of the summer.
“In this moment of sorrow at the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we recall her 70 years of stewardship of the Commonwealth of Nations.” President Kagame tweeted.
“The modern Commonwealth is her legacy. I extend my deepest condolences to His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen Consort, and the entire Royal Family, as well as the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”- President Kagame, who is also the current chairperson of the Commonwealth, added.
Queen Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952 and ushered in enormous social change. Her son King Charles III said the death of his beloved mother was a “moment of great sadness” for him and his family and that her loss will be “deeply felt” around the world.
He said: “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother.
“I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
During the coming period of mourning, he said he and his family would be “comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held”.
At the closing of the African Green Revolution Summit- 2022 on Friday in Kigali, participants observed a moment of silence for the Queen. A state funeral for the Queen is expected in the next two weeks.
A moment of silence was observed at the closing of the AGRF 2022.
