Rwanda and Belgium have agreed to restore diplomatic relations, more than a year and a half after their ties were severed.
The decision was announced on Tuesday, September 22, in a joint statement by Olivier Nduhungirehe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Maxime Prévot, Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation.
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Rwanda severed diplomatic ties with Belgium on March 17, 2025, ordering all Belgian diplomats to leave the country.
The decision followed Rwanda’s suspension of development cooperation with Belgium in February 2025, after Kigali accused Brussels of taking sides in the conflict in eastern DR Congo and of undermining Rwanda’s access to development finance.
According to the statement, Rwandan and Belgian embassies "will be reopened in the near future." Initially, each mission will be headed by a chargé d’affaires ad interim, supported by a diplomat or consular officer and a small technical support team.
The two countries will later submit requests for the accreditation of ambassadors. Rwanda’s ambassador to Belgium will also be accredited to the European Union.
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"This decision follows a series of meetings and informal contacts held between the two Ministers of Foreign Affairs over recent months, during which a number of differences and misunderstandings were addressed in a constructive spirit,” the statement reads.
The foreign ministers also thanked the authorities of Qatar for facilitating the first meeting between Nduhungirehe and Prévot in Doha in June 2025.
"Belgium and Rwanda reaffirm their commitment to maintaining an open, candid and transparent dialogue, recognizing it as essential for addressing bilateral differences and discussing divergent positions and outstanding disagreements on international issues,” the statement adds.
They also agreed to base their future relations on principles including non-interference, mutual respect and constructive engagement.