Kagame Still To Decide On Third Term

Kagame of Rwanda (Image credits: AFP)

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has said he is yet to decide whether to run for a third term at the end of his reign in 2017, Reuters news agency reports.  The United States has urged the Rwandan leader, who has been in power since the end of the country's genocide in 1994, to respect the constitution and leave at the end of his current term.

BBC Africa Live report continues: 

Mr Kagame told senior officials of the governing Rwanda Patriotic Front that he is still "listening" to the arguments and will make a decision after a referendum on whether the constitution should be changed so that he can seek re-election, Reuters reports.

"Whatever you want from me will be based on the decision of the referendum and thus my answer will come after the referendum," he said.

Rwanda's parliament has backed constitutional changes to allow Mr Kagame to run for another seven-year term in 2017 plus two more five-year terms after that. 

If the changes are approved by voters, he could potentially stay in power until 2034.

Neighboring Burundi has been in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term in April.