NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 19 – Rwanda has announced the suspension of its development cooperation with Belgium, accusing the European nation of leading efforts to block Kigali’s access to international development financing.
The move comes a few days after the European Parliament urged the European Union to freeze direct budget support for Rwanda until it breaks links with the Tutsi-led M23 rebels and allows humanitarian access to rebel-controlled areas.
In a strongly worded statement, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Belgium’s alleged role in what it described as an “aggressive campaign” alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to prevent Rwanda from securing development funds, including from multilateral institutions.
Kigali criticized Belgium for taking a political stance in the ongoing conflict in the eastern DRC where the Congolese forces and allied troops are battling the M23 rebels, arguing that politicizing development finance is unjustifiable.
“Belgium has made a political decision to choose a side in this conflict, which is its right, but politicizing development is plainly wrong,” the statement read.
“No country in the region should have its development finance jeopardized as a tool of leverage.”
The Rwandan government warned that such punitive and unilateral measures amounted to external interference, undermining the African Union (AU)-led mediation process alongside efforts by the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Kigali asserted that these actions could delay a peaceful resolution to the long-standing instability in eastern DRC.
“These efforts demonstrate that there is no longer a sound basis for development cooperation with Belgium,” the statement continued, announcing the immediate suspension of the remainder of the 2024-2029 bilateral aid program between the two countries.
Rwanda reaffirmed its commitment to securing its borders and combating ethnic extremism in the region.
It stressed that the root cause of instability in eastern DRC lies in the failure of Kinshasa and the international community to dismantle the UN-sanctioned Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR) militia, which Kigali accuses of harboring genocidal elements.
“Rwanda will not be bullied or blackmailed into compromising national security,” the statement declared.
“Our only aim is a secure border and an irreversible end to the politics of violent ethnic extremism in our region.”
Kigali also urged the international community to support the African-led mediation process spearheaded by the AU, EAC, and SADC, arguing that previous external interventions had failed to resolve the conflict and instead perpetuated cycles of violence.
Rwanda emphasized that its approach to international cooperation has always been rooted in accountability and mutual respect, principles that it expects from all its development partners.
“Development partnerships must be based on mutual respect, and Rwanda has made it a point to ensure maximum accountability for all the funding we receive, a fact that no partner has questioned,” the statement asserted.
