Rwanda has announced suspending diplomatic relations with former colonial power Belgium which in turn said Rwandan diplomats are no longer welcome in the European country.
The diplomatic rift follows accusation by President Paul Kagame that Belgium was baying for sanctions against his country over the conflict in DR Congo.
Rwanda has given Belgian diplomats in the country 48 hours to leave.
Belgium said it would respond in like manner to Kagame’s decision to cut ties and repeated accusations that Rwanda’s involvement in DR Congo was aggravating the crisis which has left thousands dead and millions displaced.
He said Brussels inspired by ”neo-colonial delusions” is using lies and manipulation while campaigning for international sanctions against Rwanda over its backing for the M23 rebels who have overran large swathes of eastern Congo and are in control Goma, the capital of North Kivu, and Bukavu.
”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 against those who want to annihilate us.” President Kagame told a rally on Sunday.
A combative Kagame accused Belgium of destroying Rwanda and killing its citizens during its colonial occupation of the country.
”This history goes beyond just the past 30 years. They say, ‘We do not allow you to do this or that,’ and we ask them, ‘But who are you? Who put you in charge of us?’ With the limited means we have, we will stand up to them. I am talking about those who spend their time persecuting us, insulting us. If we could overcome greater challenges, are these the ones that will defeat us?
The Rwandan leader enjoined his compatriots to stand firm in the quest for their true identity but warned that ”it is not easy, it is an arduous task, just like liberating this country. It required sacrifices, and some had to give up the most valuable thing a person has: life itself”.
With international sanctions in mind Mr Kagame urged Rwandans to ”not just tightening belts, we must fight for our rights. It is our duty to fight for our rights.”
WN/as/APA