Rwanda and Belgium have agreed to restore diplomatic relations and reopen their respective embassies, ending an 18-month diplomatic rupture between Kigali and Brussels.
The decision was announced on September 22, 2026, in a joint statement signed by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe, and Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation, Maxime Prévot.
The two countries said their diplomatic missions will be reopened in the near future. Initially, each embassy will be headed by a chargé d’affaires ad interim, supported by a diplomat or consular officer and a small technical team.
They will later submit requests for the accreditation of ambassadors. Under the new arrangement, Rwanda’s ambassador to Belgium will also be accredited to the European Union.
The agreement marks a major change after Rwanda severed diplomatic relations with Belgium on March 17, 2025, amid disagreements over Belgium’s position on the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Belgium subsequently expelled Rwandan diplomats and ended bilateral government cooperation agreements.
Rather than presenting the restoration as the resolution of all outstanding disagreements, the joint statement acknowledges that differences remain.
Rwanda and Belgium said that they had held a series of meetings and informal contacts over recent months in which “differences and misunderstandings” were addressed in a constructive manner. Both governments also expressed appreciation to Qatar for facilitating the first meeting between Amb. Nduhungirehe and Prévot in Doha in June 2025.
The diplomatic reopening comes as Belgium and Rwanda seek a new framework for managing their disagreements, including differing positions on international issues and the situation in eastern DRC. Belgian Foreign Minister Prévot said the restoration followed a process of frank talks and mutual respect, while stressing that disagreements remain.
The joint statement places emphasis on dialogue as the basis for the renewed relationship.m“Belgium and Rwanda reaffirm their commitment to maintaining an open, candid and transparent dialogue,” the statement said, stressing that such dialogue would be used to address bilateral differences and discuss divergent positions and outstanding disagreements on international issues.
The two countries also agreed that non-interference, mutual respect and constructive engagement would guide their future bilateral relations.
The restoration of diplomatic ties also reopens formal channels for consular, political and bilateral engagement after more than a year of interruption. The reopening of the embassies will initially be limited in scale, before the two governments move toward the appointment of ambassadors.
The agreement was reached on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the foreign ministers were engaged in diplomatic contacts.
For Rwanda and Belgium, the next stage will be to translate the renewed diplomatic contact into regular engagement while managing the issues that previously caused the relationship to deteriorate.
The agreement therefore represents not an end to all disagreements, but a formal return to diplomatic engagement between Kigali and Brussels.
