KIGALI – The Secretary-General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo, met with Belgium’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Prévot, with their discussions centering on the political “climate” within the member states.
The talks took place in Kigali on November 19, 2025, following the second day of the 46th Conference of Ministers of the OIF member states.
A message posted on the OIF’s official account stated that they “discussed the political climate in French-speaking countries, Belgium’s role within the OIF, and the promotion of multilingualism within international organizations.”
In her opening address at the conference, Louise Mushikiwabo noted that she leads the organization at a time when there is a “bad political climate” in some member countries. She cited examples such as populations contesting electoral results, leading to unrest and protests, as well as public dissatisfaction with various political issues across the Francophone world.
“The OIF’s role in resolving these various problems remains crucial because we focus on the quality of political and governmental processes in different states,” she said.
Minister Prévot, for his part, had previously stated that while his primary focus was the Francophonie meeting, he was open to any opportunity to discuss the state of relations between Rwanda and Belgium, should it arise productively. He emphasized that what is needed is to strive for ongoing dialogue and to keep its channels open.
A Relationship Forged in Trauma and Moving Toward a New Chapter
The bilateral meeting between a senior Belgian official and Rwanda’s former Foreign Minister, who now leads the Francophonie, carries significant weight, given the complex and often painful history between the two nations.
Belgium was the colonial power in Rwanda from 1916 to 1962, and its administration notably institutionalized and racialized the distinctions between Hutu and Tutsi, issuing ethnic identity cards—a policy that laid the groundwork for the divisions that culminated in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
During the genocide, Belgium’s peacekeeping contingent was part of the UN mission (UNAMIR). The brutal killing of ten Belgian soldiers, who were protecting the then-Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, led to Belgium’s immediate withdrawal of its troops, a move critics say created a security vacuum and accelerated the slaughter.
For decades afterwards, diplomatic relations were strained. Rwanda, under President Paul Kagame, increasingly looked beyond its traditional Francophone partners, strengthening ties with the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, which it joined in 2009.
The election of Louise Mushikiwabo, a respected Rwandan official, as OIF Secretary-General in 2018 was seen as a symbolic step in re-engaging with the Francophone world. More recently, both nations have shown a desire to turn the page. In 2024, Belgium made a formal apology for its role in the events leading to the genocide, acknowledging its “responsibility.”
Therefore, the meeting between Mushikiwabo and Prévot in Kigali is more than a diplomatic formality. It represents the ongoing, delicate effort to build a modern partnership, acknowledging a heavy past while navigating shared interests within the evolving framework of the Francophonie.
