{"id":3910,"date":"2026-09-23T11:26:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T11:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=3910"},"modified":"2026-09-23T11:26:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T11:26:52","slug":"rwanda-belgium-restore-diplomatic-ties-but-differences-over-drc-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/23\/rwanda-belgium-restore-diplomatic-ties-but-differences-over-drc-remain\/politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda, Belgium restore diplomatic ties but differences over DRC remain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/chatgpt_image_sep_23_2026_12_16_01_pm-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3911\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/chatgpt_image_sep_23_2026_12_16_01_pm-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/chatgpt_image_sep_23_2026_12_16_01_pm-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/chatgpt_image_sep_23_2026_12_16_01_pm-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/chatgpt_image_sep_23_2026_12_16_01_pm.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rwanda and Belgium have restored diplomatic relations after an 18-month rupture, reopening a channel for direct engagement even as differences over the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two countries announced the decision on Sept. 22 following months of meetings and informal contacts between their foreign ministers, during which they discussed their differences and disagreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the agreement, the two countries will reopen their respective embassies in the near future. The missions will initially be headed by charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires ad interim, supported by a diplomat or consular official and a small technical team. The appointment of ambassadors will follow once both sides grant the required approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The restoration of ties does not, however, signal agreement on all issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Pr\u00e9vot said Belgium would continue to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of Congo, while stressing the importance of continued dialogue with Rwanda, including on areas where the two countries disagree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rwanda\u2019s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, meanwhile, said the restored relationship could open a new period of constructive dialogue based on mutual respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He reiterated Rwanda\u2019s position that lasting regional security requires respect for the sovereignty of countries in the region, the dismantling of the FDLR and addressing what Rwanda describes as the root causes of the conflict between the Congolese government and the AFC\/M23 alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two governments said their future relations would be guided by non-interference, mutual respect and constructive engagement, while committing to open and transparent dialogue on bilateral and international disagreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Qatar played a role in bringing the two sides back to the negotiating table, with the first meeting between Nduhungirehe and Pr\u00e9vot taking place in Doha in June 2025. Rwanda and Belgium thanked Qatar for facilitating that meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The restoration marks a shift from diplomatic confrontation to direct engagement, but the positions of the two countries on the conflict in eastern DRC remain different.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rwanda and Belgium have restored diplomatic relations after an 18-month rupture, reopening a channel for direct engagement even as differences over the conflict in eastern [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,53,41,36,5,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current_affairs","category-featured-stories","category-hot_topics","category-international","category-politics","category-top_stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3910"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3912,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3910\/revisions\/3912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}