President Kagame Warns DRC for Continuing to Support FDLR

The President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has warned the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for continuing to collaborate with and protect the armed group FDLR.

After swearing in members of parliament on August 14, 2024, the Head of State reminded that the DRC government has repeatedly stated its desire to dismantle the FDLR, but has done nothing to achieve this. He highlighted that the continued existence of the group indicates that the government’s commitments were false and that there are underlying reasons for the group’s persistence.

He said, “Who here does not know about these Interahamwe, FDLR, or who here has not been harmed by them? But this issue has been ongoing for 30 years. What does it mean that it has lasted for 30 years? It means that people are lying to us, they are lying. They pretend to want to solve the problem, but behind the scenes, they want it to persist to serve their own interests.”

President Kagame stated that the DRC government’s interests in the FDLR cannot be realized by depriving Rwandans of their rights. He added, “But we tell them, prioritizing your interests is none of our business, and we are not against their interests. But your interests cannot be achieved where the rights of others are not respected.”

While various reports, including those from United Nations experts, confirm that the FDLR collaborates with the DRC army, the DRC government often claims that many FDLR fighters have returned to Rwanda, with some returning to the DRC to mine minerals.

President Kagame acknowledged that many Interahamwe (FDLR) were indeed repatriated to Rwanda by the UN, but the few that remain in the DRC are still a problem because terrorists do not need large numbers to carry out attacks.

He said, “Another claim is that they are few. How few can murderers be? Or how does that remove their crime? You know, in terrorism, how many terrorists are needed to carry out an attack? The world fights against five people who commit a terrorist act.”

The Head of State added that while the issue of the FDLR remains unresolved, there are those trying to downplay it by suggesting that other people were also killed in Rwanda, in an attempt to diminish the significance of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

He stated that while the world resolves other security issues, including terrorism, it is disappointing that the FDLR issue has persisted for so long, saying, “For them, it seems more significant than the fact that people who killed a million people are still there, with weapons, being armed and trained by the Congolese government. Regarding that, we should be careful and remain silent.”

130,000 Congolese Have Fled to Rwanda

President Kagame noted that there are over 130,000 Congolese refugees in Rwanda who fled persecution supported by the DRC government, including by the FDLR, and that more are arriving every week.

 

The Head of State clarified that these refugees are not Rwandans returning to Rwanda, but rather Congolese who have been stripped of their right to live in the DRC due to poor politics. He said, “What right do you have to do such things? Even powerful countries represented here, what right do they have to do such things, to say these people should stay here?”

He added that the international community knows well that those who fled to Rwanda are Congolese, but they have invented a new tactic of relocating a few of them, less than 10, to their own countries, instead of solving the issue and allowing them to return to the DRC.

The M23 armed group fighters claim to be fighting for the rights of their fellow Congolese who continue to face persecution, including those who have fled to neighboring countries. They call on the DRC government to negotiate with them to find a solution to this issue.

President Kagame reminded that the DRC government has stated that it will never negotiate with M23, but the international community should not support its obstinacy, which shows a lack of willingness to solve the Congolese people’s issues.

While the DRC government accuses Rwanda of supporting M23, President Kagame revealed that some have asked him to speak with M23 leaders to ask them to lay down their arms so that the Kinshasa government can negotiate with them.

Reflecting on the victory of the RPA-Inkotanyi Forces, he reminded that Rwandans do not fear confronting those who seek to disrupt Rwanda’s security.

He said, “No one in the world ever gave us anything as a gift. No one ever gave us that opportunity. Maybe others, there are those who cannot fight for their own things or are afraid of dying, but for us, who are not afraid of dying, anyone who tries to mess with us will surely fall. What you saw every day when they said they would attack Rwanda, yes, Rwanda is small, that’s known and we don’t argue about that, it’s true. But our rights are as big as those of big countries.”

President Kagame mentioned that sometimes he asks those accusing Rwanda what they want Rwanda to contribute to ensuring security in Eastern DRC, and they ask him to instruct M23, but he has no reason or means to give orders to Congolese people.

He said, “Why do you want me to speak with M23? If you acknowledge that they are Congolese, why doesn’t Congo resolve this M23 issue? If they have chosen to use weapons to fight them, that is their issue, not mine. But my issue is this FDLR that the Congolese government arms, that the Congolese government uses in the war with M23, but M23 are Congolese.”

The Head of State responded to the DRC government’s accusations against Rwanda of sending troops to Eastern DRC and the request to withdraw them if they are there, stating that if they indeed go there, people should question the reason that drives them to go there and address it.

He said, “If the RDF is really in Congo, what took them there? Why do you think they would be in Congo? How did they get there? If you know what took them there, if you believe they are there, solve that issue, then ask Rwanda, ‘Why are Rwandan soldiers who you send at night, who are there by day or remain there, going there, now that the issue is resolved?'”

 

He continued, “Another thing they should stop is making the Congolese issue ours, then saying, ‘Don’t do anything here, these other Congolese issues are ours, they concern us.’ If you acknowledge that they are Congolese, don’t use their presence in Congo to fight them, claiming that I am helping them.”

The Head of State emphasized that Rwanda wants to live peacefully with neighboring countries, but first and foremost, cooperation is needed to resolve the issue that threatens regional security.