Rwanda suspended development cooperation with Belgium for trying to “sabotage” its access to financing amid disagreements over its role in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Rwanda’s Foreign Ministry said Belgium was choosing Congo’s side in the conflict and “politicizing development” in a statement Tuesday. Belgium accuses Kigali of supporting a rebel group that is occupying a large part of eastern Congo.
In the statement, Kigali accused Belgium of using development finance as a tool of political leverage and undermining African-led mediation efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC.
“Belgium has made a political decision to choose a side in this conflict, which is its right, but politicizing development is plainly wrong,” said Rwanda.
“No country in the region should have its development finance jeopardized as a tool of leverage,” the Rwandan government added.
Belgium, the former colonial ruler of both Rwanda and the DRC, has been at the forefront of international efforts to penalize Rwanda, particularly by pressing for EU sanctions and blocking military aid over Kigali’s support for M23 rebels.
Diplomatic sources indicate that Brussels is pushing for the suspension of the EU-Rwanda minerals agreement, a February 2024 deal that gave the European Union access to Rwanda’s critical raw materials for microchips and electric vehicles.
The deal, which was heavily criticized by DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, granted the EU access to tin, tungsten, gold, niobium, and potential lithium and rare earth elements.
Rwanda is also the world’s largest extractor of tantalum, a rare metal essential for chemical equipment and electronics.
Under the agreement, the EU committed €900 million (£750 million) to Rwanda’s infrastructure, raw materials extraction, health, and climate resilience, as part of its Global Gateway Initiative, a €300 billion rival to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
However, amid rising allegations that Rwanda uses M23 rebels to control and exploit DRC’s mineral wealth, Belgian Foreign Minister Bernard Quintin recently stated that mere diplomatic declarations were insufficient and that Europe must use its economic levers to pressure Kigali.
“The international community must consider how to respond because declarations have not been enough. We have the levers, and we have to decide how to use them,” Quintin said during a visit to Morocco.
Brussels’ push for action has gained traction within EU institutions, with Belgian MEP Hilde Vautmans, who chairs the European Parliament’s EU-Africa delegation, calling for urgent measures against Rwanda, including targeted sanctions against Rwandan leaders; a freeze on EU development aid to Rwanda and the immediate suspension of the EU-Rwanda minerals agreement.
“Given the overwhelming evidence that Rwanda is involved in supporting the M23 rebels in eastern Congo, it is imperative that the EU takes urgent action,” Vautmans said.
Tensions between Belgium and Rwanda had already been strained before the latest fallout.
In 2023, Belgium refused to accredit a new Rwandan ambassador due to his alleged past complicity in persecuting political opponents.
Kigali, in turn, refused to appoint a replacement and has kept the position vacant.
With relations now at an all-time low, Rwanda’s decision to sever its aid agreement with Belgium signals a further deterioration in diplomatic ties and raises questions over the future of European economic cooperation with Kigali.
In its statement, Rwanda rejected accusations that it is plundering DRC’s resources, maintaining that its primary interest in eastern Congo is to defend its security and neutralize the UN-sanctioned FDLR militia, which it holds responsible for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
“Rwanda 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,” the Rwandan government said.
Kigali also insisted that development partnerships must be based on mutual respect and that it remains fully accountable for all funding it receives.
However, with growing European pressure and Belgium leading calls for broader sanctions, Rwanda’s diplomatic and economic standing in Europe and beyond is increasingly under threat.
With EU foreign ministers already debating punitive actions, the fate of the EU-Rwanda minerals agreement remains uncertain. If Brussels moves ahead with suspending the deal, it would mark a significant economic blow to Rwanda, which has been positioning itself as a key player in Africa’s mineral supply chain.
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