The Deputy Spokesperson of the Government of Rwanda, Alain Mukuralinda, announced that Rwanda has decided to suspend its cooperation with Belgium. This decision was made because Belgium’s actions have undermined efforts to resolve the security crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mukuralinda made this statement in an interview with RBA on Tuesday, following an official announcement by the Rwandan government stating that it was halting development cooperation with Belgium. It was revealed that Belgium had chosen to support the DRC government’s campaign aimed at imposing sanctions on Rwanda and cutting off its development aid.
Mukuralinda stated: “Decisions and statements have been made by the African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the East African Community (EAC). These organizations have been working to resolve the crisis through dialogue and diplomacy.”
He added that some countries, instead of supporting these resolutions, were working behind the scenes to lobby for Rwanda to be sanctioned, thus complicating international relations. He said: “These actions have been taken and are well known. Rwanda has tolerated them for some time […]. But you cannot sign a cooperation agreement with a country and then work to impose sanctions on it.”
Mukuralinda emphasized that development issues should not be mixed with political interests or used as a tool to impose sanctions. For this reason, Rwanda has decided to completely suspend its development cooperation with Belgium for a period of five years (2024-2029).
