Rwanda last month severed relations with Belgium following criticism of its actions in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — a move that is already having unexpected consequences.
Rwanda’s support for the M23 armed group, which has seized large areas of the mineral-rich eastern DRC, has attracted international condemnation and sanctions.
In March, Kigali cut diplomatic ties with its former colonial ruler Belgium, which has been among the most vocal critics of the African Great Lake nation’s involvement in the DRC.
It later issued a directive banning all organisations in Rwanda from having ties with Belgian institutions.
One group affected was the Health Development Initiative, a Rwandan NGO working on sensitive sexual issues, including the distribution of condoms in schools and support for sex workers.
It had to return the equivalent of $120,000 earmarked for a health awareness programme to its Belgian donor.
“Maybe the government has tangible reasons for doing this… but we need to find a sustainable solution to funding,” said Aflodis Kagaba, the NGO’s executive director.
The timing was terrible, coming just after the United States announced massive cuts to its foreign aid programmes, which had already hit HIV prevention programmes among the LGBTQ and sex worker communities.
School effectively closed
Rwanda and Belgium vowed residents and businesses would not face serious consequences from the diplomatic breakdown.
But some unexpected sectors have been affected.
This month the government ordered the Ecole Belge, a well-regarded international school, to suspend its Belgian curriculum because it was funded by the embassy.
The government is effectively “telling the school to pack up and close”, an official at the education ministry told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“It is unfathomable that such a reputable and historical international school will adopt a Rwandan curriculum,” the official said.
Some analysts say the wider damage may be limited, however, since Belgium provides less than 20 million euros ($23 million) a year in development assistance.
Cuts to healthcare and education projects will have an impact, but the government will likely find alternative funding, said Phil Clark, international politics professor at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.
“Paradoxically, this may incentivise the Rwandan state to seek greater mineral wealth from eastern Congo to cover any shortfall in foreign donor assistance,” said Clark.
Rwanda is accused of using the M23 to siphon off the eastern DRC’s vast natural resources, including rich veins of gold and other valuable minerals, for its own profit.
The biggest impact, Clark added, would be Rwanda’s loss of lobbying power in the European Union, which is headquartered in Belgium.
‘Shouldn’t be bullied’
Rwandans have mixed reactions to the brouhaha.
Louis Gitinywa, a lawyer and political analyst, said Rwanda was “not as clean as wool” in the dispute, but he agreed with the government’s tough stance.
“Rwanda is a small country, but it is a state and it shouldn’t be bullied,” he told AFP.
“For many decades Belgium has been (the) fuelling fire for its strategic interests in the region.”
He said many countries were taking advantage of the chaos in the DRC.
“Why should Rwanda be punished for it when it has legitimate security justifications to be in DRC,” he said.
Kigali argues it is threatened by DRC-based armed groups founded by ethnic Hutu leaders who carried out the 1994 genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda.
Nonetheless, Gitinywa said Kigali must engage constructively with its critics.
“Rwanda needs to do more than call Belgians names. We need a long-term plan to soften the effects of the sanctions,” he said.
