Rwanda has announced the suspension of its development cooperation with Belgium, citing Belgium's campaign to sabotage Rwanda's access to development finance including in multilateral institutions. The decision was revealed in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on February 18, 2025. According to the statement, Belgium, in collaboration with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has been leading an "aggressive campaign" to block Rwanda’s access to development finance. "Belgium has made a political decision to choose a side in this conflict, whi

Rwanda has announced the suspension of its development cooperation with Belgium, citing Belgium's campaign to sabotage Rwanda's access to development finance including in multilateral institutions. The decision was revealed in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on February 18, 2025. According to the statement, Belgium, in collaboration with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has been leading an "aggressive campaign" to block Rwanda’s access to development finance. "Belgium has made a political decision to choose a side in this conflict, which is its right, but politicizing development is plainly wrong. No country in the region should have its development finance jeopardized as a tool of leverage," the statement read. The crisis in eastern DRC has been a persistent challenge, with the African Union (AU), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) working to mediate a resolution. Rwanda argues that Belgium’s actions risk derailing these efforts and prolonging instability in the region. "Punitive, one-sided measures can only be constructed as unwarranted external interference that undermines the African-led mediation process, and thereby risks delaying the peaceful resolution of the conflict. Indeed, such measures have repeatedly failed to provide a solution in the past, only adding to the problems and deferring them to the future," the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued. As a result, Rwanda has declared that it is suspending the remainder of the 2024-2029 bilateral aid program with Belgium. "These efforts demonstrate that there is no longer a sound basis for development cooperation with Belgium," the statement affirms. Rwanda remains firm on its position regarding regional security, stating that it "will not be bullied or blackmailed into compromising national security." "Our only aim is a secure border, and an irreversible end to the politics of violent ethnic extremism in our region. Rwanda needs peace and a lasting solution, and no one should continue to tolerate the cycles of conflict which continually recur because of the failure of the DRC Government and the international community, decade after decade, to fulfil their commitments to dismantle the UN-sanctioned genocidal FDLR militia, and protect minority rights," the statement continued. The Rwandan government has also emphasized the importance of mutual respect in development partnerships. "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. Maintaining mutual respect, and fully supporting the AU/EAC/SADC mediation, is essential during these difficult moments for our region," the statement concluded.

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