Relationship dossier
Eritrea
Rwanda
Relationship assessment
High-level visits and bilateral agreements have supported closer Eritrea–Rwanda ties.
Eritrea toward Rwanda
+25Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki visited Rwanda in 2018, advancing high-level bilateral engagement. Eritrea also pursued bilateral cooperation through agreements announced during the countries’ 2018 diplomatic outreach.
Rwanda toward Eritrea
+25Rwandan President Paul Kagame visited Eritrea in 2018, advancing high-level bilateral engagement. Rwanda pursued bilateral cooperation through agreements announced during the countries’ 2018 diplomatic outreach.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship has included reciprocal presidential visits and bilateral agreements, indicating active efforts to strengthen government ties. The known cooperation is principally diplomatic; its breadth and durability beyond that engagement are unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Eritrea and Rwanda have pursued closer government ties through high-level visits and bilateral agreements. Kagame visited Eritrea in 2018, and Isaias Afwerki made a reciprocal visit to Rwanda that year. The relationship shows concrete diplomatic engagement, though its broader scope and the implementation of announced cooperation are unclear.
Key developments
Rwandan President Paul Kagame visited Eritrea as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral relations.
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki visited Rwanda, continuing high-level engagement between the governments.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of agreements announced during the 2018 visits are unclear.
- The extent of sustained cooperation beyond high-level diplomacy is uncertain.