Rwanda has decided to freeze bank accounts belonging to the Belgian embassy in Kigali after seeing its own accounts in Brussels frozen last month over a business dispute.

The row between the central African country and its former colonial ruler centres on a Rwandan businessman living in Belgium, Gaspard Gatera. He successfully applied to a Belgian court to freeze the Rwandan accounts because he said the Rwandan government owes him money.

Rwanda has since urged the Belgian authorities to lift the freeze, saying it violated international laws.

"Principle of reciprocity"
Rwandan officials say Gatera's company had done consultancy work at Kigali's agriculture ministry failed to deliver on its contractual obligations and the contract was terminated.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said that Rwanda froze the Belgian embassy accounts on the "principle of reciprocity".

In Brussels, Michael Malherbe, spokesman for the Belgian Foreign Ministry, confirmed the mutual freezing of accounts. "We don't give this case any political meaning. It started as an issue between random parties," he said.

Defrosting due
Lawyers acting on behalf of Rwanda were seeking to have its accounts unfrozen and a Brussels court is to rule next week.

"We hope that will solve the commercial dispute and this will lead to the accounts both in Belgium and Kigali being unfrozen very quickly," said Malherbe.

Rwanda and Belgium are development partners, with Belgian development aid to Rwanda rising from 32.5 million euros to 50.5 million euros from 2007 to 2010.

Source: Reuters