Rwanda has demanded respect from Western nations, accusing them of treating the country like a child, in response to further cuts in funding to the African country.

Addressing a Kenyan business club, Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said,

"This child-to-parent relationship has to end ... there has to be a minimum respect”

"As long as countries wave cheque books over our heads, we can never be equal."

Her comments come as the Netherlands announced they were suspending aid worth approximately 5 million Euros a year, in light of allegations that rebel group M23 was receiving direct aid from top Rwandan officials, including weapons, ammunition and recruits.

The allegations were made in a UN Group of Experts report, published at the end of June, which has been dismissed as containing “flimsy evidence” by Mushikiwabo. Labelling the cutting of aid as “hasty”, she brushed the moves off, commenting,

"We have been in much worse situations than dollars being withheld from us,"

Germany also suspended 21 million Euros worth of payments to Rwanda with their Development Minister Dirk Niebel stating,

"Rwanda did not use this time to rebut these serious allegations... suspending budget aid is a clear sign to the Rwandan government."

Britain, Rwanda’s largest multilateral donor, and the United States have also cut or withheld funding to the country.

See our earlier posts:

Rwandan aid frozen by Britain (27 July 2012)

US cuts aid to Rwanda (22 July 2012)