Abstract

The article aims to analyze the reasons behind Rwanda’s decision to join the Commonwealth of Nations in 2009. Rwanda was former Belgian colony and has historic links with Francophone countries, but decided to cut ties with the former colonial and neo-colonial powers after the 1994 genocide. Using recently declassified British sources, the article argues that this shift was caused by the new domestic political situation (and new ethnic and social politics), the economic condition and the international context in the post-genocide era, paying particular attention to the UK’s role in aiding Rwanda’s state-building in the aftermath of the genocide.