| Ambassador of the United States to Rwanda | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the United States Department of State | |
 IncumbentEric W. Kneedler since October 18, 2023 | |
| Nominator | The President of the United States |
| Inaugural holder | Charles D. Withers as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary |
| Formation | March 9, 1963 |
| Website | U.S. Embassy – Kigali |
The United States ambassador to Rwanda is the official representative of the president of the United States to the head of state of Rwanda.
Until 1962 Rwanda had been a part of the United Nations Trust Territory of Ruanda-Urundi under the trusteeship of Belgium. In June 1962 the UN General Assembly terminated the Belgian trusteeship and granted full independence to Rwanda and Burundi. The United States immediately recognized the Rwandan government on its independence day, July 1, 1962, and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The U.S. Embassy in the capital Kigali was established on July 1, 1962, with David J.S. Manbey as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. Charles D. Withers was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Rwanda on March 9, 1963.
Ambassadors and chiefs of mission
| Name | Title | Appointed | Presented credentials | Terminated mission | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles D. Withers – Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | March 9, 1963 | April 19, 1963 | September 15, 1966 | |
| Leo G. Cyr – Career FSO | September 19, 1966 | November 4, 1966 | September 29, 1971 | ||
| Robert Foster Corrigan – Career FSO | December 9, 1971 | March 24, 1972 | August 3, 1973 | ||
| Robert E. Fritts – Career FSO | February 28, 1974 | April 18, 1974 | June 18, 1976 | ||
| T. Frank Crigler – Career FSO | September 16, 1976 | October 29, 1976 | May 12, 1979 | ||
| Harry R. Melone, Jr. – Career FSO | November 6, 1979 | December 28, 1979 | August 17, 1982 | ||
| John Blane – Career FSO | September 30, 1982 | November 9, 1982 | July 16, 1985 | ||
| John Edwin Upston – Political appointee | December 17, 1985 | February 13, 1986 | July 14, 1987 | ||
| Leonard H. O. Spearman – Political appointee | February 5, 1988 | April 27, 1988 | November 10, 1990 | ||
| Robert A. Flaten – Career FSO | October 30, 1990 | December 17, 1990 | November 23, 1993 | ||
| David P. Rawson – Career FSO | November 22, 1993 | January 8, 1994 | January 6, 1996 | ||
| Robert E. Gribbin III – Career FSO | December 19, 1995 | January 10, 1996 | January 5, 1999 | ||
| George McDade Staples – Career FSO | October 26, 1998 | January 27, 1999 | September 22, 2001 | ||
| Margaret K. McMillion – Career FSO | November 5, 2001 | December 13, 2001 | July 10, 2004 | ||
| Michael R. Arietti – Career FSO | November 2, 2005 | December 5, 2005 | November 2, 2008 | ||
| W. Stuart Symington – Career FSO | August 4, 2008 | November 3, 2008 | July 5, 2011 | ||
| Donald W. Koran – Career FSO | July 5, 2011 | October 10, 2011 | January 7, 2015 | ||
| Erica Barks-Ruggles – Career FSO | December 15, 2014 | January 26, 2015 | March 15, 2018 | ||
| Peter H. Vrooman – Career FSO | February 15, 2018 | April 7, 2018 | January 24, 2022 | ||
| Deb MacLean - Career FSO | Chargé d'Affairs ad interim | January 24, 2022 | September 13, 2023 | ||
| Eric W. Kneedler - Career FSO | Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | July 27, 2023 | October 18, 2023 |
Notes
- "Background Note: Rwanda". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- "Rwanda". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
- "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR ROBERT CORRIGAN" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 21 January 1988. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR JOHN EDWIN UPSTON" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 26 May 1988. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR LEONARD SPEARMAN" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 22 September 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- United States Embassy in Kigali: Ambassador
See also
References
- United States Department of State: Background notes on Rwanda
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.
External links
- United States Department of State: Chiefs of Mission for Rwanda
- United States Department of State: Rwanda
- United States Embassy in Kigali
