Macron Arrives in South Africa For a Two-Day Visit

Emmanuel Macron, President of France

President of France, Emmanuel Macron on Friday landed in South Africa just a day after his historic visit to Rwanda.

The French President was received by his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, at Union Buildings in Pretoria.

The meeting between the two leaders has been expected to revolve around the coronavirus pandemic and improving access to COVID-19 vaccines in Africa.

Macron said on Thursday that it was a “moral duty” to help African countries vaccinate their populations against COVID-19.

Earlier this month, Macron welcomed the US call to remove patent protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help poorer countries obtain shots.

But, Macron insisted that a waiver would not solve the problem of access to vaccines.

He said that manufacturers in places like Africa are currently not equipped to make COVID-19 vaccines, so donations of shots from wealthier countries should be given priority instead.

South Africa has been the country hardest hit by the pandemic in Africa with more than 1.6 million confirmed infections and more than 55,000 reported deaths.

Meanwhile, at the historic visit to Rwanda on Thursday, Macron conceded guilt and admitted the French government must bear a heavy responsibility in the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed the lives of many people.

Macron admitted that France which colonized the Eastern country failed the victims of the genocide. He however did not apologize for the role in the genocide

The 100 days of the genocide claimed as high as 1,071,107 casualties.

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