President Paul Kagame expressed condolences Tuesday to the family of former U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe, praising him as a staunch ally of Africa, particularly Rwanda.
Inhofe, the longest-serving U.S. senator from Oklahoma, died early Tuesday after suffering a stroke over the July 4 holiday, his family said in a statement. He was 89.
“From his initial visit to Africa more than 25 years ago, and the many that followed, Jim was a steadfast friend of our continent, and of Rwanda in particular,” Kagame wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Kagame added, “The relationships that Jim cultivated between Africa and the United States will remain central to his legacy as a statesman and public servant.”
Inhofe’s family noted that he passed away peacefully, surrounded by his wife Kay and their three surviving children, Molly, Jimmy, and Katy. His son Perry died several years ago in a private airplane accident in Tulsa.
Inhofe served in the U.S. Senate from 1994 until his retirement in 2023 as a member of the Republican Party. He chaired the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Armed Services Committee during his tenure.
Before his Senate career, Inhofe served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 1994. His political career began in Oklahoma, where he held various elected positions including in the state Senate, the state House of Representatives, and as the mayor of Tulsa.
Born in Des Moines, Iowa, on Nov. 17, 1934, Inhofe moved with his family to Oklahoma during his childhood. He served in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1958 and earned a degree in economics from the University of Tulsa.
Before entering politics, he worked in his father Perry Inhofe’s life insurance company.
