Rwanda

Political relations

Rwanda severed diplomatic relations with France in 2006 following the issue by Judge Bruguière of nine arrest warrants against Rwandan officials in the case of the attack on the aircraft of President Juvénal Habyarimana in April 1994. The Rwandan authorities decided to restore diplomatic relations with France on 29 November 2009 during a phase between 2008 and 2011 of closer ties. That involved a visit by President Sarkozy to Kigali in 2010, and a return visit by the Rwandan President in 2011. However, there was no visit between 2012 and 2018. The Rwandan President has made several visits to France since 2018, in a context of a strengthened bilateral relationship. France has, however, not had an accredited ambassador in Kigali since October 2015.

Economic relations

France’s exports to Rwanda have picked up since 2010. In 2016, France was the country’s third-largest supplier, thanks to the sale of two Airbus aircraft to RwandAir. Aviation equipment represents approximately 9% of imports, at around €223 million. In addition to these contracts, France’s market share in Rwanda’s list of suppliers is growing more generally. In 2010, France was ranked 18th, with €16.7 million of exports to the country, while it reached 11th in 2017, with €48.6 million.

France’s imports from Rwanda are also growing, with a rise in imports of 16.6% in 2017 (€2.7 million in 2016 and €3.1 million in 2017). Agricultural products make up around 95% of France’s imports from Rwanda. These imports have been generally stable since 2009.