Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe and Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot announced the agreement on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Both countries plan to reopen embassies under chargés d’affaires before appointing full ambassadors.
Rwanda and Belgium expelled each other’s diplomats in March 2025 as tensions intensified over Rwanda’s alleged involvement in the eastern DRC conflict. Rwanda has denied supporting armed groups in the DRC.
Rwanda-based Political Analyst Gonzaga Muganwa, speaking to Channel Africa on Friday, said mediation by Qatar and shared diplomatic and economic interests helped create conditions for reconciliation. “There are other interests that the two countries share, where they knew they could not remain in conflict or not talking,” Muganwa said.
The absence of diplomatic representation complicated travel and visa applications for Rwandans seeking to enter Belgium and other European countries, according to Muganwa.
Belgium previously supported development programmes in Rwanda, particularly within agriculture, while disagreements also affected European Union financing connected to Rwanda’s military deployment in Mozambique.
Muganwa said restoring relations could eventually allow development cooperation to resume. “Belgium was one of the main supporters of local organisations that participate in development, especially in areas of agriculture,” Muganwa said.
Belgium has maintained support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC. Rwanda has committed to regional diplomatic processes, including agreements intended to address the conflict.
Muganwa said relations would probably continue carrying “a degree of suspicion” because fighting in eastern DRC remained unresolved and Rwandan government opponents were based in Belgium.
Muganwa said stronger communication between Brussels and Kigali could support wider peace efforts because Belgium maintained diplomatic contacts with governments across the Great Lakes region. “It could help mediate and improve or support the peace process that is there,” Muganwa said.
However, Muganwa cautioned that multiple countries continued pursuing geopolitical interests in the region, limiting the influence of any single government. “As long as the conflict in eastern DRC is not yet fully resolved, which will take a long time, it could delay” the improvement in relations, Muganwa said.
Despite the remaining challenges, Muganwa said both countries stood to benefit from renewed diplomatic, economic and development cooperation.
–ChannelAfrica–
