Rwanda–South Africa relations are the

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. Both countries are members of the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...

and the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

History

Full diplomatic relations between the two countries was established in May 1995. Rwanda and South Africa relations have faced periods of strain since 2013 when the former chief of intelligence for Rwanda,

Patrick Karegeya Patrick Karegeya (1960 – December 31, 2013) was a head of intelligence in Rwanda. He was a member of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) group that took power in Rwanda following the genocide against Tutsi. After becoming a critic of RPF leader ...

, was assassinated whilst living in exile in South Africa. Relations were further strained in 2014 when the former Rwandan general

Kayumba Nyamwasa Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa (born 1958) is a Rwandan former Lieutenant general who formerly was the Chief of Staff of the Rwandan Army from 1998 to 2002. He was also head of Rwandan intelligence from 1998 to 2002 and served as Rwanda's ambassador to ...

was assassinated at a location near

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

, South Africa. In South Africa both assassinations are believed to have been orchestrated by the Rwandan government. Prior to the assassinations Rwandan president

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame ( ; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who has been the President of Rwanda since 2000. He was previously a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel armed force which invaded ...

had accused South Africa of hosting "terrorists" that sought to oust him from power. Since 2018 the two countries have sought to normalise relations. In a July 2021 report by

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

it was alleged that the Rwandan government had engaged in espionage activity against South Africa president

Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician serving as the 5th and current President of South Africa since 2018. A former Anti-Apartheid Movement, anti-apartheid activist and trade union leade ...

by illegally installing

Pegasus Pegasus (; ) is a winged horse in Greek mythology, usually depicted as a white stallion. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. Pegasus was the brother of Chrysaor, both born from Medusa's blood w ...

spyware on his mobile phone. In the same month Rwanda proposed coordinating operations with South Africa in efforts to combat the Islamist

insurgency in Cabo Delgado The insurgency in Cabo Delgado is an ongoing Islamism, Islamist insurgency in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique, mainly fought between militant Islamism, Islamists and Jihadism, jihadists attempting to establish an Islamic state in the region, a ...

. During the

2025 Goma offensive The 2025 Goma offensive was a military operation launched by the March 23 Movement (M23), a Congolese rebel group that is part of the Congo River Alliance () and is supported by Rwanda, against the regional capital of Goma in the Democratic Rep ...

13 South African peacekeepers lost their lives in clashes with the Rwandan backed M23. South Africa's defence minister,

Angie Motshekga Matsie Angelina "Angie" Motshekga (born 19 June 1955) is a South African politician and educator who is currently serving as the Minister of Defense and Military Veterans since 3 July 2024. She served as the acting president of the Republic of ...

, stated that the M23 offensive against South African positions was only alleviated after President Ramaphosa told the Rwandan government that continued attacks would be interpreted by South Africa as a "declaration of war" by Rwanda.

Resident diplomatic missions

* Rwanda has a high commission in

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

. * South Africa has a high commission in

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relativ ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rwanda-South Africa Relations