Congressional Research Service

Rwanda Congressional Research Service

Rwanda, a small landlocked country in central Africa's Great Lakes region, has become known for its rapid development gains in the wake of the 1994 genocide, in which some 800,000 people were killed. Since then, efforts by the Rwandan Patriotic Front-led government to improve health outcomes, boost agricultural output, promote investment, and increase women's participation in politics have been lauded internationally. Yet, analysts debate whether Rwanda's authoritarian political system-and its government's periodic support for rebel movements in neighboring countries-could jeopardize this progress in the future, or undermine the case for donor support. President Paul Kagame, in office since 2000, won reelection to a new seven-year term in August 2017 with nearly 99% of the vote, after a new constitution adopted in 2015 carved out an exception to term limits for him. His overwhelming margin of victory was interpreted by some observers as reflecting popular support for the president's efforts to stabilize and transform Rwandan society, while others viewed it as the product of a political system that involves tight constraints on opposition activity and close government scrutiny of citizen behavior. In response to external criticism of Rwanda's political system and human rights record, Rwandan officials, including Kagame, have often asserted that some restrictions on civil and political rights are needed to prevent the return of ethnic violence. The United States and Rwanda have cultivated close ties since the 1990s, underpinned by U. S. development aid and support for Rwanda's participation in international peacekeeping missions. Congress has helped shape U. S. engagement through the aid appropriations process, other legislative initiatives, oversight activities, and Member outreach to Rwandan officials. Over the past decade, U. S. officials, including some Members of Congress, have continued to hail Rwanda's development and peacekeeping record while voicing growing criticism of the government's human rights record and its role in regional conflicts. Congress has notably placed restrictions on certain types of U. S. military aid if Rwanda is found to be supporting rebel groups in neighboring countries. The Obama Administration periodically applied such restrictions, and others under separate child soldiers legislation, citing Rwandan support for rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi. Trump Administration officials have continued to pair support for U. S.-Rwanda partnership on shared objectives with statements of concern regarding political conditions within Rwanda. U. S. interest in partnering with Rwanda on Africa-wide initiatives may increase in 2018 as President Kagame assumes the yearlong rotating chairmanship of the African Union (AU). President Trump met with President Kagame at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2018, after which President Trump expressed appreciation for U. S.-Rwandan economic ties, Rwanda's contributions to peacekeeping, and Kagame's pursuit of AU institutional reforms. In line with its proposals to decrease foreign aid worldwide, the Administration's FY2018 aid budget request would lower annual U. S. bilateral aid to Rwanda from $159 million to $105 million (not including peacekeeping support). The Administration has also initiated an out-of-cycle review of Rwanda's eligibility for trade benefits it receives under the African Growth and Opportunity Act in response to alleged market barriers to U. S. exports resulting from policies in the East African Community, to which Rwanda belongs.