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Decision of the ULB Academic Council on collaborations with the University of Rwanda
Published on July 25, 2025
– Updated on July 25, 2025
The ULB Academic Council decided at its 26 March 2025 session not to sign a new institutional partnership with the University of Rwanda. This decision does not affect individual academic relationships with colleagues at the university in question.
The Respect for International Law and Dual Use Committee was asked to examine a plan to sign an institutional agreement between ULB and the University of Rwanda with the aim of developing a project in collaboration with the Rwanda Military Hospital in Kigali.
At its 26 March 2025 session, the ULB Academic Council decided not to sign a new institutional partnership with the University of Rwanda. This decision was based on the recommendations of the Respect for International Law and Dual Use Committee, which examined the risks associated with such a partnership.
The main arguments on which the Academic Council's decision was based were the close structural ties between the university and the government and, in the project submitted, the close links with the Rwandan armed forces. These links are problematic in view of the many breaches of international law and fundamental rights committed by these forces, including military actions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), extraterritorial repression, torture and arbitrary detention. The current emergency situation in the eastern DRC, including repeated attacks and serious breaches of human rights, underline the necessity of this decision, which is consistent with the commitment by the Belgian Rectors' Council (CRef) to examine the consequences of this conflict for cooperation with Rwandan institutions.
If you are involved in a partnership with this university, please approach our contact person for the Respect for International Law and Dual Use Committee.
At its 26 March 2025 session, the ULB Academic Council decided not to sign a new institutional partnership with the University of Rwanda. This decision was based on the recommendations of the Respect for International Law and Dual Use Committee, which examined the risks associated with such a partnership.
The main arguments on which the Academic Council's decision was based were the close structural ties between the university and the government and, in the project submitted, the close links with the Rwandan armed forces. These links are problematic in view of the many breaches of international law and fundamental rights committed by these forces, including military actions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), extraterritorial repression, torture and arbitrary detention. The current emergency situation in the eastern DRC, including repeated attacks and serious breaches of human rights, underline the necessity of this decision, which is consistent with the commitment by the Belgian Rectors' Council (CRef) to examine the consequences of this conflict for cooperation with Rwandan institutions.
If you are involved in a partnership with this university, please approach our contact person for the Respect for International Law and Dual Use Committee.