Alleged Rwandan statement condemning US strikes on Venezuela is fabricated
IN SHORT: A document circulating online claims that Rwanda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned US military strikes on Venezuela. The government has dismissed this as "fake news".
A document circulating on Facebook appears to be a statement from Rwanda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, condemning US military strikes on Venezuela.
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The letter, dated 3 January 2026 and attributed to the Rwandan government in Kigali, expresses "grave concern" over what it describes as a US attack on Venezuela.
It accuses the US of violating international law and the United Nations Charter, condemns the use of force outside a multilateral legal framework and calls for an immediate end to hostilities.
The document also reaffirms Rwanda's commitment to "international law, peaceful dispute resolution and multilateralism" and expresses solidarity with the Venezuelan people.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is a country in South America with a Caribbean coastline and some of the world's largest oil reserves.
In early January, the US carried out a military operation in Venezuela. US president Donald Trump announced that Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, the politician Cilia Flores, had been captured and taken out of the country, and that the US would "run Venezuela" until a "safe transition".
This followed months of US military activity in the region and has drawn international attention and criticism.
The Venezuelan government condemned the strikes as violations of sovereignty and international law, and regional reactions have included calls for de-escalation and respect for international norms.
This document apparently from Rwanda's foreign ministry has also been posted here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But is it legitimate? We checked.
Fake letter
The document does not appear on any official Rwandan government website or verified social media accounts. If this document were legitimate, it would also have been reported by major international media outlets. The absence of this is another red flag, raising doubts about the document's authenticity.
On 4 January, Rwanda's communications office officially dismissed the circulating document in a post on its verified X account, labelling the document "FAKE NEWS".
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This document has also been posted here, here, here, here and here.
