# 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. It has also accepted hundreds of African refugees from Israel and Afghan schoolgirls.
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.
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.
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.

## Diplomatic relations

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

## Bilateral relations

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.
| Country | Notes |
| Australia | Both countries established diplomatic relations in 2007 Rwanda is accredited to Australia through its High Commission in Singapore, Rwanda also has an Honorary Consul based in Melbourne. 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 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. |
| 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. Belgium has an embassy in Kigali. Rwanda has an embassy in Brussels. |
| 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. 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. It was the first presidential meeting between the two countries for 13 years. The presidents "reviewed all issues of common interest", with Kabila referred to it as "the first giant step forward" in an "all new era". One month previous to the meeting both countries had appointed ambassadors to each other's capitals. 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), 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. 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. The move angered administration in Ghana. The National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG) issued the names of French military 22 officers 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 |
| India | See India–Rwanda relations India is represented in Rwanda through its High Commission in Kigali. Rwanda has its embassy in New Delhi. |
| 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 Rwasat launched by Japanese Space Agency |
| Kenya | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 11 June 1965 See Kenya-Rwanda Relations Kenya has a High Commission in Kigali Rwanda has a High Commission in Nairobi |
| Mexico | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 January 1976 Mexico is accredited to Rwanda from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya and maintains an honorary consulate in Kigali. Rwanda is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States. |
| 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 |
| North Korea | See North Korea–Rwanda relations |
| Singapore | The High Commission of the Republic of Rwanda in Singapore was officially opened in 2008 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 Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Republic of Rwanda is 21 March 1963. |
| 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 |
| Turkey | See Rwanda–Turkey relations Rwanda has an embassy in Ankara. Turkey has an embassy in Kigali. Trade volume between the two countries was 32.4 million USD in 2019 (Rwandan exports/imports: 0.2/32.2 million USD). |
| United Arab Emirates | UAE Embassy in Kigali opened its temporary premises in March 2018 and was relocated to its current premises in April 2019 Rwanda has an embassy in the UAE Trade volume stood at $434.8 million in 2018 |
| United Kingdom | See Rwanda–United Kingdom relations Rwanda established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 1 July 1962. Rwanda maintains a high commission in London. The United Kingdom is accredited to Rwanda through its high commission in Kigali. Both countries share common membership of the Commonwealth, and the World Trade Organization. |
| United States | See Rwanda–United States relations |