Rwanda-DRC: Kigali identifies Kinshasa as the only enemy in the sub-region

On Thursday, the Rwandan minister for diplomacy was in parliament to “brief” the people’s elected representatives on the current state of Rwandan diplomacy. Dr. Vincent Biruta said that in the sub-region, Rwanda has only one enemy which is the DRC. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The legislators of the two chambers of the Rwandan parliament were there to listen to the minister-delegate of the government. Dr Vincent Biruta came with the deputy government spokesperson and the former Rwandan ambassador to Congo, expelled by the Congolese authorities late in October 2022.

Mr. Biruta does not mince words.

“We have agreed with Burundi on the principles for restoring our relations and things are going well after several meetings. In the north with Uganda, relations are good, as well as in the east with Tanzania. But in the West, nothing is going well. It’s a dialogue of the deaf,” he said.

“In the north (Uganda) and in the south (Burundi), the borders were at one time closed, but for the moment they are pen and the citizens pass through them without worries”.

He indicated that “moreover, relations are good with the countries of the entire East African community, except for a single enemy, recently admitted to the EAC”.

The head of Rwandan diplomacy insisted that “this enemy” can change its mentality and “face the real problems to become a friend again”.

Node…

For the head of the Rwandan diplomacy, the crux of the problem is the resurgence of fighting between the rebel movement M23 and the Congolese army.

“For the simple fact that some members of this movement speak Kiyarwanda, that their cause is to protect the Rwandophone populations and demand the recognition of their rights as well as the return of the refugees, (…), the DRC accuses us of supporting them, which is by no means not true,” he insisted.

He added “then Rwanda, like any other country, even the DRC if it wants to, finds these reasons grounded. But we are not fighting on their side. Never! »

Solutions…

“Leaving Rwanda aside, considering us as a partner in conflict resolution, implementing the recommendations and agreements that Kinshasa has signed, it’s very simple,” suggests Mr. Biruta.

Kigali goes further. “The DRC wants to scapegoat Rwanda to avoid implementing these agreements, to show the world that we are putting a spoke in their wheels, which is not true” launched the minister in charge diplomacy before emphasizing that “it is this same country that will pay dearly”.

“And then the DRC wants to hide its collaboration with the Rwandan genocidaires FDLR which is visible even without investigating too much because it provides them with uniforms, ammunition and weapons”, he accuses.

Kigali “ready”

The deputy government spokesperson provided “explanations” on recent incidents, including the one in which the Rwandan army fired on a Congolese fighter plane this week.

“We are proud of it. This pride is to defend the territoriality of Rwanda. Our forces know this well, they are ready to prove it at any time. We had abstained so much[….] the borders of Rwanda, land or air, are jealously guarded”, underlined Alain Mukuralinda.

Rwanda says it is open to any form of dialogue and has pledged to be in line with any effort for a regional resolution of the Congolese conflict.

Relations between the two countries of the Great Lakes of Africa have continued to deteriorate since the resurgence of the March 23 movement, the M23.

The former Tutsi rebellion which took up arms again at the end of 2021 accusing the Congolese authorities of not having respected its commitments on the reintegration of its fighters is made up of Congolese Tutsis.

The Congolese authorities remain convinced that it benefits the support of Rwanda, which the Rwandan government continues to rule out.
Rwanda, for its part, has always accused the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) of “collaborating with the genocidal FDLR” with the aim of “destabilizing its territory”.

But Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, who on several occasions has instructed his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame to “support the rebels”, believes that “the FDLR no longer represent a threat to Rwanda”, designating them as “a residual force reduced to banditry”.