Rwanda has decided to suspend its development cooperation programme with Belgium, the Rwandan Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.
The Rwandan government is accusing Brussels of taking sides in the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Belgium has repeatedly called in recent weeks for the territorial integrity of the DRC to be respected and for sanctions against Rwanda to be tightened. The African country has been accused of backing the M23 rebel group, which is gaining ground in eastern DRC. Just this weekend, the rebels entered the city of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.
Rwanda, which denies supporting the M23, says Belgium is waging an "aggressive campaign" to block access to development funding, including from multilateral institutions. According to Rwanda, the Belgian stance is also undermining ongoing mediation efforts.
As a result, Rwanda has decided to suspend the 2024-2029 bilateral aid programme between the two countries. In Tuesday's statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that development partnerships must be based on mutual respect, and that it considers Belgium's stance as unwarranted interference in regional affairs.
Reacting to the news on social media, Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Prévot said Belgium "takes note" of Rwanda's decision.
Belgium takes note of Rwanda's decision to suspend our bilateral cooperation program . Following Rwanda's violation of the territorial integrity of the DRC, we were in the process of reviewing our cooperation with a view to taking decisive measures in response to this situation.…
— Maxime PREVOT (@prevotmaxime) February 18, 2025
"Following Rwanda's violation of the territorial integrity of the DRC, we were in the process of reviewing our cooperation with a view to taking decisive measures in response to this situation," Prévot stated in the X post.
The minister stressed that Belgium will handle the suspension process professionally, to preserve the gains of the programme for the Rwandan people. Prévot also said Belgium will continue to search for a peaceful solution to the conflict, based on international law.
Belgium is not the only country to call for sanctions against Rwanda. Earlier this month, a resolution in the European Parliament called for the suspension of the controversial agreement on rare minerals, and an end to European aid to the country.
