Rwanda government announced Tuesday, it had suspended the 2024-2029 bilateral aid program with Belgium.
Kigali accuses Belgium of jointly ganging up with Kinshasa to hinder Rwanda from accessing to development financing.
“No country in the region should see its development funding compromised for political pressure purposes,” the Rwanda government said.
Meanwhile, Brussels said it was reassessing its cooperation with Rwanda which it accuses of violating the territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Maxime Prévot, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation, stressed that his country was already reviewing its commitments with Rwanda before this unilateral suspension.
“Following the violation of the territorial integrity of the DRC by Rwanda, we were reviewing our cooperation with a view to taking decisive measures in response to this situation,” said the head of Belgian diplomacy.
The Rwandan government assures that it will not be intimidated and justifies its military engagement by saying it wants to guarantee the security of its borders and fight against the FDLR, a militia from the former Rwandan Armed Forces involved in the 1994 genocide, which Kigali considers a permanent threat.
He added that Brussels intended to conduct a professional suspension process, aimed at preserving the achievements of cooperation for the benefit of the Rwandan people.
Belgium also says it is continuing its diplomatic efforts to mobilise the international community for a peaceful solution to the conflict in eastern DRC, based on international law.
