Relationship dossier
Rwanda
Tanzania
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation on transport and bilateral ties alongside occasional political and security-related friction
Rwanda toward Tanzania
+15Rwanda has participated in bilateral cooperation with Tanzania, including agreements and coordination related to transport links. Rwanda also strongly opposed Tanzania’s 2013 proposal that it negotiate with the FDLR, reflecting a significant disagreement over security policy.
Tanzania toward Rwanda
+25Tanzania has supported transport connections serving Rwanda through its ports and pursued bilateral cooperation. In 2013, President Jakaya Kikwete urged Rwanda to negotiate with the FDLR, a proposal that provoked strong Rwandan objections.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship combines practical bilateral cooperation, particularly around transport access and bilateral agreements, with episodic political tension over regional security policy. Neither feature appears to define the relationship exclusively.
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 Tanzania have pursued practical cooperation, including bilateral agreements and transport links connecting Rwanda to Tanzania’s ports. Their relationship has also experienced political friction: in 2013, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete urged Rwanda to negotiate with the FDLR, a proposal Rwanda strongly opposed. The balance is one of pragmatic cooperation alongside occasional security-related tensions.
Areas of tension
- Rwanda opposed Tanzania’s 2013 call for negotiations between Rwanda and the FDLR.
Key developments
President Jakaya Kikwete urged Rwanda to negotiate with the FDLR, prompting strong objections from the Rwandan government.
Tanzania and Rwanda signed bilateral cooperation agreements during President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s visit to Rwanda.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral agreements reached during Tanzania–Rwanda cooperation meetings are unclear.
- The extent of current security and transport coordination is uncertain.