Relationship dossier
Rwanda
South Africa
Relationship assessment
Bilateral cooperation alongside serious diplomatic tensions
Rwanda toward South Africa
-15Rwanda signed bilateral cooperation agreements with South Africa during President Paul Kagame’s 2011 visit. In 2014, Rwanda retaliated against South Africa’s expulsion of Rwandan diplomats by expelling South African diplomats.
South Africa toward Rwanda
-15South Africa signed bilateral cooperation agreements with Rwanda during President Paul Kagame’s 2011 visit. In 2014, South Africa expelled Rwandan diplomats following attacks on Rwandan exiles in the country, straining relations.
Overall relationship
-10The relationship has included bilateral cooperation agreements, but the 2014 reciprocal diplomatic expulsions marked a substantial episode of confrontation. These features support a mixed assessment rather than a consistently close partnership or sustained hostility.
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
Rwanda and South Africa have pursued bilateral cooperation, including agreements signed during President Paul Kagame’s 2011 visit to South Africa. Relations have also faced serious strain: in 2014, South Africa expelled Rwandan diplomats after attacks on Rwandan exiles, and Rwanda retaliated by expelling South African diplomats. The relationship therefore combines practical cooperation with episodes of significant diplomatic confrontation.
Areas of tension
- The 2014 expulsions of diplomats by both governments following attacks on Rwandan exiles in South Africa.
Key developments
President Paul Kagame visited South Africa, where the governments signed bilateral cooperation agreements.
South Africa expelled Rwandan diplomats following attacks on Rwandan exiles; Rwanda responded by expelling South African diplomats.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral agreements are unclear.
- The extent of government cooperation since the 2014 diplomatic expulsions is unclear.