Senators support the government’s move to cut off relations with Belgium

In addition to immediately closing Rwanda’s embassy in Belgium and returning diplomats from Brussels, the government declared on March 17 that it was ending diplomatic relations with Belgium and ordering all Belgian diplomats to leave Rwanda within 48 hours.

Following an aggressive campaign by the European nation against Rwanda in the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda suspended its development collaboration with Belgium.

According to Rwandan senators who spoke to The New Times, Belgium’s stance on the DR Congo crisis and its attempts to isolate Rwanda left little choice but to sever relations.

Belgium has come under fire from Senator Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu for aiding the Democratic Republic of Congo while providing sanctuary to prominent members of the FDLR militia and Rwandan genocide offenders. He maintained that Belgium, Rwanda’s previous colonial overlord, still meddles in the internal affairs of the nation.

According to Dusingizemungu, Rwanda has nothing to lose by severing its connections with Belgium other than the relief of no longer having to submit to a former colonial overlord who still seeks to control how we govern our nation. He underlined that economic concerns and diplomatic relations should be subordinated to Rwanda’s unity and dignity.

Belgium must respect Rwanda’s sovereignty, admit their part in the current issue, stop advocating for sanctions against Rwanda in favor of Congo, and stop backing the FDLR, which endangers Rwanda’s peace and security, if they want to establish diplomatic ties with Rwanda.

Compared to commercial concerns, national integrity is significantly more valuable.

Senator Epiphanie Kanziza reaffirmed Rwanda’s commitment to independence, emphasizing that the nation would choose to endure hardships alone rather than give in to outside pressure from countries attempting to impose neocolonial influence.

Rwanda, like Belgium, is a sovereign state. Their business, not ours, is to support Congo. They ought to let Rwanda run its affairs and cease aiding those who seek to undermine our nation, Kanziza stated. She restated Rwanda’s goal of a unified country devoid of ethnic differences where rapprochement is still given first priority.

Senator Alex Mugisha emphasized that Rwanda cannot depend on Belgium for economic cooperation or security, as history has demonstrated. He pointed to Rwanda’s problems, such as the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, as a result of Belgium’s colonial heritage and its part in previous administration blunders.

In addition to Rwanda, Belgium colonized Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, making it a contributing factor in the region’s current state of chaos.

Even before the most recent Congo issue, Belgium had shown that their relationship was not one of true collaboration. On the shaky pretext that he had not lived in “good conditions” with Congo, they turned away Rwanda’s ambassador. According to Mugisha, this brought into doubt Belgium’s role in Congolese affairs.

Belgium’s actions indicate that it still considers Rwanda to be a subordinate country, he continued. Belgium needs to acknowledge that Rwanda is an independent country with its own government, constitution, and people. It is colonial to expect Rwanda to comply with their demands; this is not appropriate in the modern world.

By supporting DR Congo’s aggression, Senator John-Bonds Bideri contended that Belgium’s actions had deliberately hampered Rwanda’s progress and security.

It was clear that, with Belgium and its allies watching, the Democratic Republic of the Congo was getting ready to strike Rwanda. Belgian neutrality would have been appropriate given its historical involvement in the instability of the region. Rather, they decided to support Congo in order to forward their own agendas,” he stated.

Belgian economic and political interests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could still be pursued without meddling in Rwanda’s internal affairs, Bideri added.

Their interests in Congo are free to continue, but they shouldn’t do so at the expense of Rwanda’s stability. Unfortunately, they have decided to uncritically adopt Congo’s position, which means that a stable relationship with Rwanda is currently unachievable. He emphasized that future ties between Rwanda and Belgium are still possible, but only if both parties treat one another with respect.

In an interactive session with Kigali locals on Sunday, March 16, President Paul Kagame vehemently denounced Belgium’s past and present animosity toward Rwanda.

Thirty years after killing Rwandans, they now aim to hurt the surviving. “We have already warned them, and we are warning them once more,” Kagame stated.

Declaring that “we are Rwandans, not Belgians,” he urged Rwandans to preserve their national identity and independence.

The president underlined that Rwanda has made the decision to uphold its territorial integrity and pursue peaceful relations with other countries.