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Rwanda shifts its EU diplomacy to Berlin amid tensions with Belgium

President of Rwanda Paul Kagame delivers his speech during the commemorations of the 30th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide at the BK Arena in Kigali on April 7, 2024. (AFP)

By Mwangi Maina | 23 Apr 2024

Belgium's refusal to accredit Kagame-appointed envoy Vincent Karega technically means that Kigali is not diplomatically represented at the highest level in Brussels.

Rwanda has opted to relocate oversight of its European affairs to its embassy in Berlin, Germany, a move made amid ongoing diplomatic tensions with Belgian authorities in Brussels.

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of Europe because it hosts the European Union Headquarters.

Belgium's refusal to accredit Kagame-appointed envoy Vincent Karega technically means that Kigali is not diplomatically represented at the highest level in Brussels, a post that traditionally covers Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU institutions.

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The new station in Berlin is situated approximately 653 kilometres away from the European Union's capital.

Karega was selected by President Paul Kagame in March last year to replace Dieudonné Sebashongore in Brussels.

Four months since the appointment, Belgium's decision seems to have taken the Rwandan government by surprise and has further deteriorated relations between Brussels and Kigali.

"No other name will be fronted"

According to Africa Intelligence, President Kagame stated publicly in January this year that no other name will be fronted.

In April last year, Belgian human rights organisations expressed their concerns to Brussels over the appointment of Karega as ambassador, citing serious misconduct during his time as Ambassador to South Africa and then in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

It was during Karega's time as ambassador in Pretoria that former Rwandan Army chief Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa was the victim of an assassination attempt, and the former Rwandan external intelligence chief, Patrick Karegeya, who had been granted political asylum in South Africa, was assassinated. In response, South Africa expelled three Rwandan diplomats in 2014, including Karega himself.

Until recently, Karega served as Rwanda's envoy to Kinshasa before his expulsion.

Last week, Belgium's ambassador to the DRC suggested that Kinshasa file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding Rwanda's alleged disregard for its borders.

This recommendation was made during a meeting on Friday to evaluate the escalating crisis in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Rwanda accused of fueling tensions and backing the M23 rebels.

Such a move could further strain the tense relationship between Kigali and Brussels, especially considering Belgium's rejection of Vincent Karega as Rwanda's ambassador-designate nine months earlier.