Rwandan authorities, in a carefully deliberated detachment from Belgium, have given Belgian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country.
The announcement of Rwanda’s break from Belgium follows a press conference held a day earlier, during which President Paul Kagame struck a defiant tone, declaring that the East African nation would defend its interests against foreign interference.
Kagame singled out Belgium, which ruled Rwanda as a colony until 1962, accusing it of committing atrocities against Rwandans and vowing to resist what he termed “neo-colonial interference.”
The news of the severed ties between the two countries was announced in a statement posted on the official X page of Rwanda’s Foreign Ministry. The ministry attributed the decision to “several factors,” all linked to “Belgium’s pitiful attempts to sustain its neocolonial delusions.”
Rwanda accused Belgium of being involved in a conflict involving Rwanda and the DRC. “Belgium has consistently undermined Rwanda, both well before and during the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in which Belgium has a deep and violent historical role, especially in acting against Rwanda,” part of the statement read.
The statement further noted that Belgium’s involvement in the conflict posed a threat to Rwanda’s national interest and dignity.
Belgian diplomats, who have been given a 48-hour ultimatum, are expected to leave the country. The Foreign Ministry assured that the premises, property, and archives of the Belgian diplomatic mission in Kigali would be protected.
