Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). She has a connection to Kigali because she worked there from 2009 to 2011 with the German International Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ). She has also been a prominent figure in diplomatic relations and negotiations between the DRC and Rwanda, which are often centered on resolving the conflict in the eastern DRC.
Afterwards, Wagner continued to climb the ranks in diplomacy and international project leadership until 2024, when she was appointed as Congo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
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Since joining the Congolese government, she has positioned herself among the most vocal critics of Rwanda, repeatedly accusing Kigali of involvement in the security crisis in eastern DRC. In recent months, she has appeared in international forums and media, openly calling for Rwanda to face international sanctions, which she describes as a way to pressure Kigali over issues of war and security.
Her stance has sparked questions among observers on how someone who once worked and lived in Rwanda now stands among the top Congolese politicians pushing for sanctions and strongly criticizing Kigali.
