Rwanda has strongly criticized Canada’s recent decision to suspend trade and business engagements with Kigali over the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), calling the move “shameful” and ineffective in resolving the crisis.
Canada announced on Monday that it would halt the issuance of export permits for controlled goods and technology to Rwanda, pause government-to-government trade missions, and suspend support for private-sector business development activities involving the country. Additionally, Ottawa stated that it would review its participation in international events hosted by Rwanda.
The decision aligns Canada with other Western nations such as the European Union and the United Kingdom, which have also suspended bilateral aid to Rwanda in response to its alleged role in the escalating violence in eastern Congo. The United States has gone a step further by imposing sanctions on James Kabarebe, Rwanda’s state minister for foreign affairs.
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The conflict, which reignited in late December, has seen the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group make significant territorial gains, even reaching the outskirts of Goma in January. The group’s advance has heightened tensions, as it operates in a region rich in valuable minerals.
Congo, United Nations experts, and several Western nations have repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23, an allegation Kigali denies. Rwanda argues that its actions are defensive, aimed at countering ethnic Hutu-led militias in Congo that it claims pose a direct threat to its security.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs, International Development, and Trade ministries reiterated these accusations in their announcement on Monday, maintaining that Rwanda’s involvement in the conflict warranted the new economic restrictions.
While Ottawa positions its actions as a measure to address regional instability, Rwanda maintains that punitive measures from Western nations do little to resolve the root causes of the crisis. Instead, Kigali insists that a lasting solution requires addressing the historical and security concerns that continue to fuel tensions in the region.
