The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, responded to those who claim that he sympathizes with the M23 movement, which is fighting against a coalition of forces allied with the government of Kinshasa. He stated that the real issue lies with those who do not sympathize with M23.
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The M23 movement has been engaged in combat in eastern DRC for three years, claiming to fight for Congolese citizens who speak Kinyarwanda and who are persecuted by the Congolese government because of their ethnicity.
Rwanda, however, believes that M23 is fighting for a just cause, as it defends marginalized people.
In a recent interview with “Jeune Afrique”, President Kagame addressed various security issues in the region, particularly in eastern DRC.
Speaking about M23, he said: “This is a group speaking on behalf of many people who are persecuted, killed, and displaced. Rwanda hosts many refugees who fled due to these problems. This is not the first time they have had to fight. Why have these problems resurfaced after ten years? Secondly, they are persecuted in this way because they are associated with Rwandans. Some say that M23 members are Tutsis, so they should go to Rwanda. But Rwanda did not send them to the DRC.”
Kagame continued: “So, for those questioning why I sympathize with M23, I, in turn, ask why no one else should sympathize with them. Do you want me to sympathize with the Kinshasa government when it is the one causing all these problems? No. Should I sympathize with the FDLR and Wazalendo forces that the Congolese government brought into this war to target people based on their ethnicity? Do you expect me to sympathize with Burundi, which has entered this ethnically motivated war and is collaborating with Kinshasa to persecute and kill these people?”
The Rwandan president reminded that M23 had laid down its arms for the second time, as it had also fought against the Congolese government in 2012, even capturing the city of Goma before later withdrawing.
He said: “This issue arose more than ten years ago. Why has it returned? Why wasn’t it resolved back then? I believe these are the real questions we should be asking.”
When the journalist asked Kagame whether the DRC should be left to handle the M23 issue on its own since it concerns Congolese citizens, Kagame replied that it is Congo that should address this issue and explain why it has failed to manage its own challenges.
He said: “That is a good question, but they should be the ones to answer it.”
Kagame also stated that if the FDLR remained in the Congolese forests and did not pose a threat to Rwanda’s security, there would be no problem.
He said: “The DRC has the right to coexist with these people who committed atrocities in our country, but I will not accept that Congo continues to use them while the United Nations looks on. As Rwandans, we have the right to defend ourselves because we have warned them enough.”
