Rwanda cuts ties with Belgium, orders diplomats to leave country in 48 hours

Rwanda has announced the severing of diplomatic relations with Belgium, accusing the country of destabilising the region and undermining Rwanda's interests.

In a statement from the East African nation's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation today, Rwanda further directed that Belgian diplomats leave the country within 48 hours.

"The Government of Rwanda today notified the Government of Belgium of its decision to sever diplomatic relations, effective immediately. All Belgian diplomats in Rwanda are required to leave the country within 48 hours," read the statement in part.

Rwanda's decision follows what it described as 'Belgium's pitiful attempts' to sustain its neocolonial delusions. In this regard, the East African State accused Belgium of continuous interference in regional matters, citing the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where Rwanda is accused of sponsoring the M23 rebels.

"Belgium has consistently undermined Rwanda, both well before and during the ongoing conflict in the DRC," the statement read.

Kigali further accused Belgium of playing a partisan role in the conflict, siding against Rwanda and using various international platforms to mobilise hostility against the Rwandan government.

"Today, Belgium continues to systematically mobilise against Rwanda in different forums, using lies and manipulation to secure an unjustified hostile opinion of Rwanda, in an attempt to destabilise both Rwanda and the region," the statement added.

Regarding historical injustices, Rwanda accused Belgium of failing to acknowledge its role therein, pointing to Belgium's colonial history and its past actions in fueling ethnic extremism in the 1994 Genocide.

"Beyond Belgium's destructive historical role in fueling the ethnic extremism that ultimately resulted in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, it has also allowed Belgian territory to be used by groups that propagate genocide denial and sustain genocidal ideology," noted the statement

Meanwhile, Belgium has retaliated, expelling Rwanda's diplomats from Brussels with immediate effect.

In the tit-for-tat action, there wasn't an ambassador to send packing—Brussels had already iced out Vincent Karega in 2023—but a chargé d'affaires had been holding the fort.

Rwanda had also 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 meant that Kigali was not diplomatically represented at the highest level in Brussels, a post that traditionally covers Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU institutions.

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