The revised requirements stated that : Rwanda became the 54th nation to join the Commonwealth at the 2009 CHOGM . It became the second country ( after Mozambique ) not to have any historical ties with the United Kingdom . Rwanda had been a colony of Germany in the 19th century and of Belgium for the first half of the 20th century . Later ties with France were severed during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide . President Paul Kagame also accused it of supporting the killings and expelled a number of French organisations from the country . In recent years , English has replaced French as the official language in parts of Rwanda . Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Tun Razak stated that Rwanda 's application " was boosted by its commitment towards democracy as well as the values espoused by the Commonwealth " . Consideration for its admission was also seen as an " exceptional circumstance " by the Commonwealth Secretariat
2009 CHOGM
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2009
Commonwealth of Nations membership criteria