Belgium and Rwanda have restored diplomatic relations 18 months after severing ties amid a dispute over the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot and Rwanda’s foreign ministry announced the move on Tuesday, sharing photographs on X of Prevot meeting his Rwandan counterpart Olivier Nduhungirehe in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The two countries expelled each other’s diplomats in March 2025 as relations deteriorated over the war in eastern Congo.
AFC/M23 rebels now control large areas of North and South Kivu after a major offensive in early 2025 in which they captured Goma and Bukavu, the two largest cities in eastern Congo.
The United Nations and Western governments have accused Rwanda of backing the rebels, an allegation Kigali denies.
Rwanda says its actions are driven by security concerns over a Hutu militia operating in eastern Congo, which Kigali accuses of fighting alongside the Congolese military.
Belgium and Rwanda said in a joint statement that their foreign ministers had held a series of meetings and informal contacts in recent months aimed at addressing differences and misunderstandings “in a constructive spirit”.
They also thanked Qatar for facilitating an initial meeting between the two sides in June 2025 and said both countries planned to reopen their embassies soon.
Prevot described the restoration of ties as an important step at a time of rising international tensions, while stressing that Belgium’s position on the Congo conflict had not changed.
“Restoring diplomatic relations between states does not mean abandoning our position, but having structured channels for dialogue, and I will continue to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRC,” he wrote on X.
Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo are both former Belgian colonies.
