Foreign relations of Rwanda

Rwanda has diplomatic relations with most members of the United Nations and with the Holy See.

Accepting refugees

Rwanda has accepted tens of thousands of refugees from neighboring African countries like Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Somalia and South Sudan.^[1] It has also accepted hundreds of African refugees from Israel and Afghan schoolgirls.^[1]

As of 2015, Rwanda hosted 75,000 Burundian refugees according to UNHCR. When credible reports surfaced that Rwanda recruited and trained Burundi refugees including children to remove Burundian President Nkurunziza, Rwanda announced to relocate Burundian refugees to third countries.^[2]

Since September 2019, Rwanda has also taken in Libyan refugees and asylum-seekers, operating a refugee center at Gashora, Rwanda, which houses up to 700 refugees from eight African countries (Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon) and is financed by UNHCR until 31 December 2023.^[3]

In 2021 Denmark signed a deal to establish an asylum center in Kigali, and since April 2022, the UK has sought to shift its asylum responsibilities, considering Rwanda a safe third country by offering 120 million pounds in economic development programs in return for accepting refugees.^[1]

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Rwanda maintains diplomatic relations with:

#	Country	Date[4]
1	France	1 July 1962[5]
2	Israel	1 July 1962[6]
3	Japan	1 July 1962[7]
4	United Kingdom	1 July 1962[8]
5	United States	1 July 1962[9]
—	Belgium (suspended)[10]	18 July 1962[11]
6	Pakistan	July 1962[12]
7	Uganda	18 December 1962[13]
8	Germany	13 February 1963[14]
9	South Korea	21 March 1963[15]
10	Denmark	2 April 1963[16]
11	Russia	17 October 1963[17]
12	Switzerland	12 November 1963[18]
—	Holy See	6 June 1964[19]
13	Netherlands	1 October 1964[20]
14	Luxembourg	27 October 1964[21]
15	Sweden	1964[22]
16	Tanzania	7 January 1965[23]
17	Colombia	22 February 1965[24]
18	Italy	5 May 1965[25]
19	Kenya	11 June 1965[26]
20	Poland	10 July 1965[27]
21	Romania	15 July 1965[28]
22	Czech Republic	24 July 1965[29]
23	Austria	14 September 1965[30][31]
24	Canada	23 November 1965[32]
25	Ghana	1965[33]
—	Democratic Republic of the Congo (suspended)[34]	August 1966[35]
26	Ethiopia	26 October 1966[36]
27	Spain	16 June 1967[37]
28	Guinea	28 June 1967[38]
29	India	1967[39]
30	Burundi	April 1969[40]
31	Norway	30 January 1971[41]
32	Senegal	9 February 1971[42]
33	Egypt	10 February 1971[43]
34	Syria	10 February 1971[43]
35	Serbia	15 June 1971[44]
36	China	12 November 1971[45]
37	Tunisia	1971[46]
38	North Korea	22 April 1972[47]
39	Nigeria	10 June 1972[48][49]
40	Hungary	31 July 1972[50]
41	Chad	9 December 1972[51]
42	Zambia	January 1973[52]
43	Greece	1 February 1973[53]
44	Cameroon	11 March 1974[54]
45	Ivory Coast	15 March 1974[55]
46	Libya	10 May 1974[56]
47	Argentina	8 January 1975[57]
48	Burkina Faso	26 November 1975[58]
49	Vietnam	30 September 1975[59]
50	Algeria	25 November 1975[60]
51	Niger	1975[61]
52	Mexico	21 January 1976[62]
53	Portugal	12 February 1976[63]
54	Mozambique	17 April 1976[64]
55	Gabon	1976[65]
56	Cuba	6 September 1979[66]
57	Bulgaria	20 December 1979[67]
58	Turkey	18 February 1980[68]
59	Djibouti	3 April 1980[69]
60	Brazil	20 January 1981[70]
61	Venezuela	18 August 1981[71]
62	Republic of the Congo	17 August 1982[72]
63	Philippines	15 December 1982[73]
64	Finland	1 June 1983[74]
65	Lesotho	1983[75]
66	Bangladesh	13 January 1984[76]
67	Indonesia	16 January 1984[77]
68	Benin	8 March 1985[78]
69	Mauritania	27 April 1985[79]
70	Iran	October 1985[80]
71	Mali	6 January 1987[81]
72	Thailand	30 October 1987[82]
73	Angola	20 December 1988[83]
74	Cyprus	31 March 1990[84]
75	Namibia	21 December 1990[85]
76	Chile	20 September 1991[86]
77	Slovakia	1 January 1993[87]
78	Ukraine	8 September 1993[88]
79	South Africa	6 May 1995[89]
80	United Arab Emirates	1995[90]
81	North Macedonia	18 April 1996[91]
82	Ireland	April 1997[92][93]
83	Bahrain	2 March 1998[94]
84	Oman	March 1998[95]
85	Jamaica	6 November 1998
86	Zimbabwe	7 October 1999[96]
87	Costa Rica	8 March 2001
88	Mauritius	16 March 2001
89	Malawi	26 June 2001[97]
90	Belarus	25 February 2002
91	Sudan	15 October 2003[98]
92	Armenia	29 March 2004
93	Iceland	12 May 2004
94	Azerbaijan	28 May 2004
95	Botswana	September 2004[99]
96	Singapore	18 March 2005[100]
97	Malaysia	1 August 2005[101][102]
98	Cambodia	29 September 2005[103]
99	Estonia	14 March 2006[104]
100	Slovenia	8 December 2006
101	Seychelles	2006[105]
102	Latvia	10 April 2007[106]
103	Australia	9 May 2007[107]
104	Morocco	21 June 2007[108]
105	Uruguay	16 June 2009
106	Laos	31 August 2009[109]
107	Equatorial Guinea	29 July 2010[110]
108	Georgia	23 March 2011
109	Sri Lanka	20 April 2011[111]
110	New Zealand	17 April 2012[112]
111	Kazakhstan	10 May 2012[113]
112	Somalia	18 October 2012[114]
113	Lithuania	27 March 2013
114	Montenegro	12 April 2013
115	Kuwait	19 September 2013[115]
116	Bosnia and Herzegovina	17 October 2013
117	South Sudan	21 October 2013[116]
118	Mongolia	25 November 2013
119	Sierra Leone	29 November 2013[117]
120	Monaco	10 April 2014[118]
121	Gambia	15 July 2014[119]
122	Eswatini	30 August 2014[120]
123	Barbados	28 July 2015[121]
124	Central African Republic	8 July 2016[122]
125	Liechtenstein	11 November 2016[123]
126	São Tomé and Príncipe	11 January 2017[124]
127	Togo	17 January 2017[125]
128	Eritrea	18 April 2017[126]
129	Lebanon	21 April 2017[127][128]
130	Cape Verde	4 May 2017[129]
131	Qatar	4 May 2017
132	Liberia	16 May 2017[130]
133	Jordan	4 June 2017[131]
134	Peru	7 December 2017[132]
135	Madagascar	17 January 2018[133]
136	Croatia	15 February 2018
137	Saudi Arabia	29 March 2018
138	Malta	12 July 2018
139	Nepal	20 July 2018
140	Tajikistan	30 July 2018
141	Haiti	15 August 2018
142	Vanuatu	3 October 2018[134]
143	Andorra	14 November 2018
144	Saint Kitts and Nevis	15 February 2019[135]
145	Saint Lucia	28 August 2019
146	Maldives	6 September 2019
147	Suriname	14 October 2019
148	Ecuador	17 October 2019
149	Nicaragua	8 November 2019[136]
150	Antigua and Barbuda	10 December 2019
151	Belize	22 January 2020
152	Brunei	9 December 2020
153	Grenada	3 March 2021
154	Dominica	15 April 2021
155	Guinea-Bissau	27 April 2021[137]
156	Bolivia	22 September 2021[138]
157	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	9 November 2021
158	Trinidad and Tobago	26 May 2022
159	Bahamas	16 June 2022
160	Guyana	24 August 2022
161	Dominican Republic	23 September 2022
162	Kyrgyzstan	13 December 2022
163	Tonga	21 March 2023
164	Paraguay	18 April 2023
165	El Salvador	18 September 2023
166	Panama	18 September 2023
167	Moldova	25 January 2024
168	Solomon Islands	23 September 2024
169	Guatemala	24 September 2024
170	Marshall Islands	25 September 2024
171	Samoa	23 October 2024
172	Comoros	5 July 2025[139]
173	Turkmenistan	14 July 2025
—	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic	Unknown

Bilateral relations

Embassy of Rwanda in Washington, D.C.

Several west European and African nations, Canada, People's Republic of China, Egypt, Libya, Russia, the Holy See, and the European Union maintain diplomatic missions in Kigali.^[140]

Country	Notes
Australia	Both countries established diplomatic relations in 2007[141] Rwanda is accredited to Australia through its High Commission in Singapore, Rwanda also has an Honorary Consul based in Melbourne.[142] Australia is represented in Rwanda through its High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya.
Bangladesh	See Bangladesh-Rwanda relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 12 January 1984[143] In 1994 Bangladesh provided roughly 900 peace-keeping troops, including soldiers and medical personnel, to Rwanda to aid in keeping the peace during the Rwandan genocide, one of more than 40 countries to do so.[144]
Belgium	See Belgium-Rwanda relations Belgium was the colonial power, administering the League of Nations mandate in Ruanda Urundi from 1922 until their independence in 1962. See Ruanda-Urundi. During the 1994 Genocide, 10 Belgian Peacekeepers were murdered while trying to protect then-Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana.[145] Belgium has an embassy in Kigali.[146] Rwanda has an embassy in Brussels.[147]
Burundi	Main article: Burundi–Rwanda relations Burundi and Rwanda have always had diplomatic relations as the two were very closed linked kingdoms and their political relations can date back to the year 1091, when the Kingdom of Rwanda was founded, the two kingdoms always had close relationships and even political alliances between the two monarchies. In the modern era, the two states dispute sections of border on the Akanyaru and the Kagera/Nyabarongo rivers, which have changed course since the 1960s, when the boundary was delimited; cross-border conflicts among Tutsi, Hutu, other ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces persist in the Great Lakes region. Burundi has an embassy in Kigali. Rwanda has an embassy in Bujumbura.
China	See China–Rwanda relations China and Rwanda established diplomatic relations on 12 November 1971.[148] China has an embassy in Kigali. Rwanda has an embassy in Beijing.
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Main article: Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda relations In 1996, Rwandan forces invaded Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire), leading to the replacement of the Congolese president, Mobutu Sese Seko with Laurent-Désiré Kabila. In 1998, Rwanda, along with Uganda, invaded DRC to back rebels trying to overthrow Kabila. After the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement of 1999, Rwandan troops pulled back. On 6 August 2009, Rwandan President Paul Kagame met with the Democratic Republic of the Congo's President Joseph Kabila in Goma.[149] It was the first presidential meeting between the two countries for 13 years.[150][149] The presidents "reviewed all issues of common interest",[149] with Kabila referred to it as "the first giant step forward" in an "all new era".[150] One month previous to the meeting both countries had appointed ambassadors to each other's capitals.[149][150] Since the 2010s, the DRC has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 movement in the Kivu region, which Rwanda denies. In January 2025, the DRC severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda amidst the M23 campaign and ongoing Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda conflict.
France	See France–Rwanda relations As a result of French complicity before, during and after the genocide, with the genocidaires (that is, those who committed the genocide),[151] Rwanda cut off relations with France at the end of the war, and replaced French with English as an official language. Relations were resumed in November 2009. Nicolas Sarkozy visited Kigali in February 2010.[152] in 2016, A French court ordered the re-opening of the case investigating the fatal plane crash that killed Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana in 1994.[153] The move angered administration in Ghana. The National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG) issued the names of French military 22 officers[154] requested for depositions. The officers were station in France during the 1994 Turquoise safe zone operation.
Germany	See Germany–Rwanda relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 13 February 1963[155]
India	See India–Rwanda relations India is represented in Rwanda through its High Commission in Kigali.[156] Rwanda has its embassy in New Delhi.[157]
Israel	See Israel-Rwanda relations In 1962, Israel was the second country to recognize Rwanda's independence. In 1973 the relations were severed and restored in October 1994 after the Rwandan genocide. Israel has an embassy in Kigali from 2019. Rwanda has an embassy in Tel Aviv from 2015.
Japan	Embassy of Japan in Kigali established in 2010[158] Rwasat launched by Japanese Space Agency[159][160]
Kenya	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 11 June 1965[161] See Kenya-Rwanda Relations Kenya has a High Commission in Kigali[162] Rwanda has a High Commission in Nairobi[163]
Mexico	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 January 1976[164] Mexico is accredited to Rwanda from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya and maintains an honorary consulate in Kigali.[165] Rwanda is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States.[166]
Netherlands	The Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda was established in the Kingdom of the Netherlands in The Hague on the 1st of November 2006[167]
North Korea	See North Korea–Rwanda relations
Singapore	The High Commission of the Republic of Rwanda in Singapore was officially opened in 2008[168] Singapore is accredited to Rwanda through a non-resident high commissioner based in Singapore. Rwanda has a high commission in Singapore.
South Korea	22 August 1972 opened Embassy Republic of Korea in Rwanda, but closed 31 May 1975, reopened 11 September 1987, the embassy was closed again 30 November 1990 and reopened 30 December 2011. Rwanda opened its embassy in Seoul 30 March 2009[169] Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Republic of Rwanda is 21 March 1963.[170]
Spain	See Rwanda–Spain relations Rwanda is accredited to Spain from its embassy in Paris, France. Spain is accredited to Rwanda from its embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Tanzania	See Rwanda-Tanzania relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 7 January 1965 when accredited first Ambassador of Rwanda to Tanzania (resident in Kampala) Mr. Musabyimana Malachie[23]
Turkey	See Rwanda–Turkey relations Rwanda has an embassy in Ankara.[171] Turkey has an embassy in Kigali.[171] Trade volume between the two countries was 32.4 million USD in 2019 (Rwandan exports/imports: 0.2/32.2 million USD).[171]
United Arab Emirates	UAE Embassy in Kigali opened its temporary premises in March 2018 and was relocated to its current premises in April 2019[172] Rwanda has an embassy in the UAE Trade volume stood at $434.8 million in 2018[173]
United Kingdom	See Rwanda–United Kingdom relations Rwanda established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 1 July 1962.[8][failed verification] Rwanda maintains a high commission in London.[174] The United Kingdom is accredited to Rwanda through its high commission in Kigali.[175] Both countries share common membership of the Commonwealth, and the World Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have a Development Partnership.[176]
United States	See Rwanda–United States relations

See also

• Africa portal
• Politics portal

• List of diplomatic missions in Rwanda
• List of diplomatic missions of Rwanda