Findings

For years, credible international bodies have documented the Rwandan government's direct involvement in the violence devastating eastern Congo — killings of civilians, widespread rape, mass displacement and a climate of terror imposed on entire communities. These are not allegations from one side of a conflict; they are the conclusions of United Nations investigators and leading human-rights organisations.

What the evidence shows

Where the condemnation stops

Many governments, the African Union and the United Nations have now condemned Rwanda's role in eastern Congo, and the European Union has sanctioned senior army officers and M23 commanders. But the strongest words have come with the weakest consequences — and nowhere is that clearer than in Paris and Brussels. A few major players with far more influence over Kigali than most are still playing hide-and-seek with their responsibility.

• France publicly condemned the M23 offensive and Rwanda's role in it, and pushed for a UN Security Council resolution naming Kigali as the group's backer. It did not impose sanctions of its own. Months later it hosted President Kagame in Paris and expanded a development and economic partnership with his government.
• Belgium suspended new aid and broke off diplomatic relations after Rwanda accused it of taking sides — a rupture that costs Kigali very little — while its companies, development interests and long-standing ties to Rwanda continue as before.
• Neither has used the leverage that matters here. Neither has attached human-rights conditions to trade, investment, or the tourism and sports partnerships that polish Rwanda's international image — the very partnerships this campaign is asking businesses to reconsider.

Condemnation that costs nothing is not a policy. When the governments with the deepest historical, economic and cultural ties to Kigali stop short of real consequences, they hand the Rwandan government room to continue — and cover for the businesses that keep promoting it. That silence is why public pressure from ordinary people, and from the companies they use every day, has to carry the weight instead.

This section reflects public statements and reporting on French and Belgian positions up to mid-2025. Diplomatic positions change quickly; we will update it as they do.

Why businesses must act

Through sponsorships such as "Visit Rwanda", major clubs, sporting events and global brands help present a polished image of the Rwandan government to the world. That image stands in stark contrast to the suffering of Congolese civilians.

• Influence: large companies and sports bodies have access and leverage that ordinary citizens do not. A clear public message from them carries real weight.
• Responsibility: under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, companies are expected to avoid contributing to human-rights abuses through their business relationships.
• Integrity: partnerships that lend prestige to a government credibly linked to grave abuses contradict the values these organisations publicly proclaim.
• Urgency: every month of delay means more lives lost, more women and girls abused, and more families forced from their homes.

We call on influential businesses to use their voice and their partnerships to demand that the Rwandan government immediately end its support for armed violence in eastern Congo, withdraw its forces, and allow peace, justice and accountability to take hold.

Sources: UN Group of Experts reports to the Security Council (S/2024/432 and 2025 report), UN Security Council Resolution 2773, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, OCHA, UNHCR, IOM, US Treasury and Council of the European Union sanctions announcements; French and Belgian government statements and parliamentary answers, and reporting on France-Rwanda and Belgium-Rwanda relations (The Guardian, POLITICO, DW, The Conversation, EastAfrican).