The shock move, announced Monday, comes amid growing tensions over the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Rwanda stands accused of backing the M23 rebel group.
Rwanda has severed diplomatic relations with Belgium, giving Belgian diplomats just 48 hours to leave the country.
The shock move, announced Monday, comes amid growing tensions over the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Rwanda stands accused of backing the M23 rebel group.
In a statement, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Belgium of “consistently undermining” Kigali during the crisis in eastern DRC.
“The Government of Rwanda today notified the Government of Belgium of its decision to sever diplomatic relations, effective immediately,” the statement read.
Brussels swiftly hit back, with Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot denouncing Rwanda’s decision as “disproportionate.”
“Belgium regrets the decision of Rwanda to cut off diplomatic relations with Belgium and to declare Belgium’s diplomats persona non grata,” Prevot wrote on X.
He added: “This shows that when we disagree with Rwanda, they prefer not to engage in dialogue.”
Belgium responded in kind, expelling Rwandan diplomats and scrapping government cooperation agreements.
Rwanda’s drastic move comes just a day after President Paul Kagame accused Belgium of pushing for international sanctions against his government over Rwanda’s alleged role in the DRC war.
The M23 rebel group, widely believed to be backed by Kigali, has launched a sweeping offensive in eastern DRC, seizing two major cities in recent months.
A UN report claims Rwanda has deployed around 4,000 troops in the region, effectively controlling M23’s operations — an allegation Kagame’s government denies. Rwanda insists it is defending itself from ethnic Hutu militants based in the DRC.
Meanwhile, the Congolese government says at least 7000 people have been killed in the latest fighting and has urged the international community to take action.
The diplomatic standoff comes as Kinshasa and the M23 rebels prepare to send delegations to Angola for peace talks on Tuesday.
But with Rwanda and Belgium now locked in their own political battle, the crisis in Congo risks spiralling further out of control.