Finally, Rwanda cuts ties with Belgium, seeks détente with DRC

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Rwanda officially severed diplomatic relations with their long-time coloniser, Belgium, accusing it of interference in the sovereign country’s affairs.

‘PITIFUL NEOCOLONIAL DELUSIONS‘

In a statement released by their Foreign Ministry on Monday 17 March, Rwanda’s authorities announced the closure of Belgium’s diplomatic mission in Kigali, and gave Belgian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country.

“Rwanda’s decision has been taken after careful consideration of several factors, all linked with Belgium’s pitiful attempts to sustain its neocolonial delusions“, the statement read.

The Kigali government accused Brussels of neo-colonial interference in the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by systematically undermining bilateral relations that exacerbated the conflict.

Belgium, they said, has continued its “pitiful attempts” at influence, stoking ethnic divisions dating back to its colonial legacy that fueled the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. They also said, “Belgium has a deep and violent historical role in acting against Rwanda.”

The Ministry also accused Brussels of using aid as a political weapon and spinning “lies and manipulation” to stir up hostility against Rwanda, in an attempt to destabilise the country and the region.

Brussels called Rwanda’s move “disproportionate” and has taken mirror retaliatory measures, they responded by expelling all Rwandan diplomats declaring them “Persona Non Grata.”

PREEMPTED BY PRESIDENT KAGAME’S SPEECH

Belgium’s eviction was preempted the day before, Sunday 16 March in a speech by Rwandan President (and former RPF military commander) Paul Kagame.

During a Presidential Citizen Outreach event, Kagame addressed a vibrant supportive crowd of more than 8,000 citizens at the BK Arena in Kigali City.

In his speech, President Kagame criticised Belgium for its colonial legacy and its recent actions regarding the DRC. He accused Belgium of mobilising the international community to impose “baseless sanctions” on Rwanda, despite its own historical role in the region’s conflicts.

“Belgians destroyed Rwanda, killed Rwandans and this goes beyond just the past 30 years,” Kagame boomed to the stadium. “It is ironic that those responsible for the problem are the same ones calling for sanctions against Rwanda,” he noted.

“If Rwanda is to be blamed for problems created by countries unwilling to care for their people, we have no choice but to fight“, Kagame said.

The President then called on the people of Rwanda to unify and be “resilient in the face of external challenges.”

He further warned that any European nation that undermines Rwanda’s sovereignty will follow Belgium.

THE COLONIAL YEARS UNDER GERMANY AND BELGIUM

Like practically every other country in Africa (the only two exceptions being Liberia and Ethiopia), Rwanda has seen more than its sickening share of colonial rule and subjugation from European powers. The country never experienced massacres between its inhabitants before being colonised by first Germany, then Belgium.

Between 1885 and 1916, as part of the colonial “Scramble for Africa”, the Treaty of Berlin assigned Rwanda a protectorate under German East Africa.

The German colonizers established a system of forced labour (surprise-surprise), where Rwandans were brutally exploited on plantations and infrastructure projects, leading to many of them dying from harsh working conditions and mistreatment.

One of the more devastating legacies of Germany’s rule was the system of ethnic classification they introduced that placed Rwandans into three ethnic groups: Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa – based on physical characteristics.

After Germany’s defeat in World War I, the League of Nations mandated Rwanda to Belgium in 1916.

The Belgians took the German ethnic classification model one step further, introducing a system which emphasised the differences between the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa populations. The Belgians also promoted the Tutsi minority as the ruling class, creating resentment among the Hutu majority.

This system would (also) later contribute to the ethnic tensions that led to the 1994 genocide.

ETHNIC CONFLICT BEGINS (LATE 1950s)

In the late 1950’s during the great wave of decolonisation, tensions increased in Rwanda. The Hutu political movement, which stood to gain from majority rule, was gaining momentum.

In November 1959, a violent incident sparked a Hutu uprising in which hundreds of Tutsi were killed and thousands displaced and forced to flee to neighbouring countries. This kicked off the so-called “Hutu Peasant Revolution” (also called the “Social Revolution” or “Wind of Destruction”), which lasted from 1959 to 1961.

It marked the end of Tutsi domination and the sharpening of ethnic tensions.

INDEPENDENCE AND POST-COLONIAL ERA (1960s)

Rwanda gained independence from Belgium on 1 July 1 1962. By then, 120,000 people, primarily Tutsis, had taken refuge in neighbouring states to escape the violence that came with the growing power of the Hutu community.

After the Hutu majority took power they began to clash again with the Tutsi minority and a new cycle of ethnic conflict and violence continued after independence.

Between 1962 and 1967, Tutsi refugees in Tanzania and Zaire began staging attacks on Hutu government targets, leading to retaliatory killings of large numbers of Tutsi civilians in Rwanda and creating new waves of refugees.

PRELUDE TO CIVIL WAR (1980s)

By the end of the 1980s, some 480,000 Rwandans had become refugees, primarily in Burundi, Uganda, Zaire and Tanzania. They continued to call for their legal right to return to Rwanda.

However, then president of Rwanda Juvenal Habyarimana denied them blaming economic and population pressures.

In 1988, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), composed mainly of Tutsi exiles, was founded in Kampala, Uganda as a political and military movement committed to repatriating Rwandans in exile and reforming the Rwandan government.

In the years leading up to the early 90s, tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi populations escalated.

CIVIL WAR (1990s)

On 1 October 1990, the RPF launched a major attack from Uganda on Rwanda and President Habyarimana’s government, with a force of 7,000 fighters.

After the RPF attacks, the Rwandan government labelled all Tutsis inside the country as RPF accomplices and Hutu opposition party members as traitors. This confrontation led to a raging guerrilla war between RPF and the Rwandan military throughout 1991 and 1992.

In August 1993, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) mediated the signing of the Arusha peace agreements between the Hutu government and the RPF.

In October 1993, the Security Council established the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) with a mandate to support the peace process.

However, peace was subverted and delayed by some political parties, leading to further clashes and fighting.

PRELUDE TO GENOCIDE

In March 1994 the Rwandan government and RPF signed another ceasefire agreement.

On 3 April 1994, the Rwandan government and the RPF began peace talks in Arusha, Tanzania, and on 4 April, they signed a power-sharing deal.

And then, two days later, a well-timed tragedy occurred that led to a perfect storm of genocide.

On 6 April 1994, President Juvénal Habyarimana’s plane was shot down, killing him and the President of Burundi.

The next day Hutu extremists took control of the capital city, Kigali, attacking Tutsi civilians and moderate Hutus.

THE 1994 GENOCIDE

Between 8-10 April, the Rwandan army and Interahamwe militia begin a systematic campaign of violence against Tutsi civilians, including massacres, rapes, and forced displacement.

On 21 April 1994, the UN voted to reduce the size of the peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, despite warnings of an impending genocide.

The genocide reached its peak over May-June with tens of thousands of people being killed each day.

On 4 July 1994, the RPF captured the capital city of Kigali and declared a unilateral ceasefire, marking a turning point in the conflict.

In August 1994, the RPF launched a final assault on the last remaining Hutu stronghold, and the genocide, which resulted in the deaths of over 800,000 people, mostly Tutsi, came to an end.

The Belgian government, which had maintained close ties with Rwanda since independence, was criticised for its failure to intervene and prevent the genocide. So was France.

AFTERMATH AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS (1994-PRESENT)

In the aftermath of the genocide, the RPF established a new government in Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame, which has since made significant progress in rebuilding the country and promoting reconciliation.

Since at least 2000, Rwanda has continued to assert its independence from Belgium. In 2020, Rwanda’s President Kagame announced that his country would no longer tolerate Belgium’s continued attempts to exert influence over Rwanda’s politics and economy.

This all culminated in Rwanda’s dramatic move this week of evicting Belgium – a rare but emphatic rejection of Western meddling in Africa’s affairs.

In his Kigali speech at the BK Arena last Sunday, Kagane also told his people that the ongoing war in eastern DRC is not Rwanda’s responsibility but stems from historical issues dating back to colonial times. “Rwanda and DRC share deep-rooted issues stemming from colonial rule”, he said.

He added, “There is nothing that can happen to us that is worse than the tragedy we survived. That is why we should not be afraid to speak out, to fight for ourselves, and resist those who seek to annihilate us.”

COLONIAL POWER DOMINANCE IS OVER

In an interview with Sputnik Africa, geopolitical researcher Dr. Charles Tolit Atiya stated that there is a shift happening in relations between African countries and their colonisers. He pointed out that with the emergence of new economic powers like BRICS, African nations have more options, reducing Africa’s dependence on its historical ties with Europe.

“Former colonial powers must recognize that the era of unilateral dominance is over“, Atiya said. “The former colonizer needs to know it’s not business as usual, and that he’s no longer welcome in the old times.”

RWANDA AND DRC REACH FOR PEACE

Two days after Rwanda kicked their interfering former colonisers out of the country, President Kagame met with DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi in Qatar on Wednesday to discuss a ceasefire and possible peace treaty.