Germany said on Tuesday it had halted new development aid to Rwanda and was reviewing its existing commitments in response to the African nation's role in the conflict in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
The German development ministry said Berlin had informed Rwanda in advance of the move and urged it to withdraw support for the M23 rebel group, which has made advances in eastern Congo.
Congo, U.N. experts and Western powers accuse Rwanda of backing the group. Rwanda denies this and says it is defending itself against ethnic Hutu-led militias bent on slaughtering Tutsis in Congo and threatening Rwanda.
Rwanda's foreign ministry called Germany's action "wrong and counterproductive".
"Countries like Germany that bear a historical responsibility for the recurring instability in this region should know better than to apply one-sided, coercive measures," Rwanda's foreign ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday.
The German ministry said Berlin last pledged aid of 93.6 million euros ($98 million) to Rwanda in October 2022 for the period 2022 to 2024.
The M23 group has captured swathes of eastern Congo and valuable mineral deposits since January.
The ongoing onslaught is the gravest escalation of a long-running conflict rooted in the spillover into Congo of Rwanda's 1994 genocide and the struggle for control of Congo's vast mineral resources.
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have initialed a draft peace agreement, marking a significant step toward ending years of conflict in eastern Congo.
Rwanda has officially withdrawn from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), citing political bias and obstruction by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Following high-level talks in Astana, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Rwanda Paul Kagame adopted a joint statement and oversaw the exchange of nine cooperation documents between their countries.
The DRC and Rwanda have pledged to draft a peace deal by May 2 and stop backing armed groups, as part of new efforts to end conflict in eastern Congo.
UFC Fight Night in Baku is underway at Baku Crystal Hall, with the main card scheduled to begin at 11:00 PM.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg in Minsk on Saturday to discuss Belarus–U.S. ties and regional security.
Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov and China Eximbank Chairman Chen Huaiyu signed a $500 million loan agreement for the telecom sector on June 21.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has outlined an ambitious vision for human settlements in space by 2040, with autonomous “space oases” on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The world is facing a health financing emergency as global health investment risks falling to its lowest level in a decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
Peace is no longer a dream. It is a discussion. On the streets of Baku and Yerevan, it is also a question, of trust, of foreign interests, and of who truly wants it.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
The 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit was held June 15–17 in Kananaskis, Alberta, under Canada’s presidency. Prime Minister Mark Carney framed the meeting around priorities of protecting communities, energy and climate security, the digital transition, and future partnerships.
The USS Nimitz is heading to the Middle East amid tensions between Israel and Iran. The U.S. aircraft carrier has a decades-long history in the region, from the 1979 hostage crisis to modern deployments, often serving as a key asset during periods of rising friction with Iran.
UFC Fight Night in Baku is underway at Baku Crystal Hall, with the main card scheduled to begin at 11:00 PM.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg in Minsk on Saturday to discuss Belarus–U.S. ties and regional security.
Orkhan Nazarli, Head of Azerbaijan’s State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, held separate meetings with senior tax officials from Latvia and Montenegro during the 29th General Assembly of the Intra-European Organization of Tax Administrations (IOTA) in Baku.
The OIC's 51st ministerial session convenes in Istanbul to tackle pressing global and regional issues.
Japan has reportedly cancelled a planned high-level security meeting with the United States after Washington pressed Tokyo to increase its defense spending, according to the Financial Times.
UFC Fight Night in Baku is underway at Baku Crystal Hall, with the main card scheduled to begin at 11:00 PM.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg in Minsk on Saturday to discuss Belarus–U.S. ties and regional security.
Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov and China Eximbank Chairman Chen Huaiyu signed a $500 million loan agreement for the telecom sector on June 21.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has outlined an ambitious vision for human settlements in space by 2040, with autonomous “space oases” on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The world is facing a health financing emergency as global health investment risks falling to its lowest level in a decade, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
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