Rwanda suspends Belgian aid programme over DRC war comments

Rwanda has stopped its aid cooperation with Belgium, following Brussels' criticism of Kigali's involvement in the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Belgium accuses Rwanda of undermining the DRC's territorial integrity by supporting the M23 rebels, who have seized two major cities in the east of the country in recent weeks.

Angered by this message, Rwanda announced on Tuesday that it was suspending its 2024-2029 bilateral aid programme with Belgium.

The Rwandan authorities released a statement on Tuesday claiming that Brussels was sabotaging its access to "development finance, including in multilateral institutions".

Rwanda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation added that Belgium had the right to choose a side in the DRC conflict but should stop "politicising development".

Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot said on X that the Belgian government had noted Rwanda's decision.

"We are committed to a professional suspension process that preserves the gains of our longstanding cooperation for the benefit of the Rwandan people," he wrote.

"We are determined to continue our efforts to raise awareness and mobilise the international community to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in the east of the DRC, based on international law," he added.

The fighting in the eastern DRC is part of a decades-long conflict which has its roots in ethnic tension.

The Rwanda-backed M23 fighters say they are protecting the rights of the region's Tutsi ethnic group.

However, the DRC's government accuses Rwanda of supporting the rebels in a bid to take control of the mineral-rich region.

M23 fighters took Goma, the region's largest city, in late January, before seizing Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, over the weekend.

The UN has called on the M23 and its Rwandan backers “to immediately halt violations of human rights”.

Meanwhile, the EU is considering whether to freeze a mineral resources deal with Rwanda over its involvement in the DRC.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced as a result the fighting, according to the UN.