President Paul Kagame has given all European diplomats in Rwanda 48 hours to leave the country, citing allegations that they have been “consistently” undermining Rwanda and implicating it in the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo.
“The government of Rwanda today notified the government of Belgium of its decision to sever diplomatic relations, effective immediately,” the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced on Monday.
The decision came a day after Kagame accused Belgium and other European nations of seeking international sanctions against Rwanda, claiming they were falsely linking Rwanda to the war in Congo.
“Now, what you see happening every day, the accusations they throw at us, in Kinyarwanda, we call it ‘gukoronga,’ constant insults and attacks. They talk about the war in Congo, first making it Rwanda’s war, and then claiming that Rwanda supports it,” Kagame said.
He further criticized Belgium’s role in the situation, stating, “Belgians go to Kinshasa and point a finger towards Rwanda and say they will impose sanctions on us and also mobilise the world against Rwanda. They are shameless. Mobilising the world against Rwanda, with our small size? They should leave us alone.”
Belgium’s foreign minister, Maxime Prevot, responded to the expulsion order, calling it an overreaction that demonstrates Kagame’s reluctance to engage in diplomatic dialogue.
“Belgium regrets the decision of Rwanda to cut off diplomatic relations with Belgium and to declare Belgium’s diplomats persona non grata,” Prevot wrote on X.
“This is disproportionate and shows that when we disagree with Rwanda, they prefer not to engage in dialogue.”
The diplomatic fallout follows Germany’s decision on March 4 to suspend financial aid to Rwanda after a UN report alleged that thousands of Rwandan troops were actively supporting the M23 rebels in the conflict in eastern Congo.
Prior to this, the U.S. and the UK had also halted aid to Rwanda.
However, Kagame’s administration has rejected these claims, maintaining that Rwanda has no involvement in the ongoing unrest in eastern Congo.
