Rwanda has not cut diplomatic ties with the United States. A statement claiming it had is fake, fact-checking group Africa Check reported on Thursday. AllAfrica republished the report.
The document has been circulating on Facebook. It carries the letterhead of the Office of the Government Spokesperson and is dated November 29, 2026. It says the break takes effect immediately and orders all US diplomatic staff to leave Rwanda within 48 hours. It also accuses Washington of double standards over the conflict in eastern DR Congo. It argues that Rwanda has been unfairly targeted while the DRC has faced no similar sanctions.
Africa Check found no such announcement on Rwanda's official government channels or on the foreign affairs ministry's X account. Nor did it find any credible media reports of the decision. The group also noted that the document bears a date still in the future.
Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo shared the document on X on October 29, stamped with the word "FAKE". "This fake news is circulating, should be disregarded," she wrote.
The fake statement surfaced as tensions rise between Kigali and Washington over the M23 rebels. The group is fighting government forces in eastern DR Congo. On October 28, the US sanctioned Rwanda's Ministry of Defence and the Zigama Credit and Savings Society, a financial institution serving the country's security services.
Washington accuses Rwanda's military of supplying M23 with weapons, training and logistics, and of deploying troops alongside the rebels. Rwanda has repeatedly denied any role in the conflict. According to Africa Check, the October sanctions followed earlier US measures in March against Rwanda's military and senior officials over alleged support for M23.