KIGALI, Feb 19 (NNN-KBC) — Rwanda has announced the suspension of the remainder of its 2024-2029 bilateral aid program with Belgium, citing Belgium’s role in undermining its access to development finance.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Rwandan government accused Belgium of leading an aggressive campaign, in collaboration with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to sabotage Rwanda’s access to development funding, including from multilateral institutions.
The move, Rwanda argues, threatens regional stability and undermines ongoing African-led mediation efforts to resolve the crisis in eastern DRC.
“Belgium has made a political decision to choose a side in this conflict, which is its right, but politicizing development is wrong,” the statement read.
“No country in the region should have its development finance jeopardized as a tool of leverage. Punitive, one-sided measures can only be construed as unwarranted external interference that undermines the African-led mediation process, and thereby risks delaying the peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
Rwanda further emphasized that these actions demonstrate an absence of a sound basis for continued development cooperation with Belgium.
Consequently, the Rwandan government has decided to suspend all remaining aid programs under the current bilateral framework.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to national security, stating that Rwanda “will not be bullied or blackmailed into compromising national security.”
The statement underscored that Rwanda’s primary objective remains to secure its borders and achieve a lasting solution to the issue of violent ethnic extremism in the region.
“Rwanda needs peace and a durable 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 added.
Rwanda reiterated that development partnerships must be built on mutual respect and accountability, principles it has consistently upheld.
The government urged full support for the African Union (AU), East African Community (EAC), and Southern African Development Community (SADC) mediation process as the only viable path toward a lasting resolution in the region. — NNN-KBC
