Nyombayire asserts that Kinshasa must be held responsible for its deed

“The Congolese government should be held accountable for the internal governance failures and threats against Rwandan leaders that led to the crisis in eastern DR Congo, which Rwanda is unfairly blamed for,” said Stephanie Nyombayire, press secretary for Village Urugwiro.

“Taking control of our own future is Rwanda’s true crime. How dare we safeguard our security without requesting consent? How could we believe that we deserve a peaceful, honorable nation? A post was made on X by Nyombayire on Sunday, February 2.

Her comments coincide with rising tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Rwanda has denied supporting M23 rebels who recently took control of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu.

Rwanda cites Kinshasa’s cooperation with armed organizations, such as the FDLR, a group composed of individuals who were left over after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Not a single demand for accountability from the DR Congo

Despite Kinshasa’s reliance on foreign mercenaries and armed organizations implicated of crimes, Nyombayire questioned why international actors had said nothing about its conduct.

“An unpaid army, hundreds of mercenaries (rebranded as paramilitaries), genocidaires, and soldiers from four different countries killing DRC citizens, a president who openly calls for the overthrow of Rwanda’s government, ministers calling for ethnic cleansing, unprecedented levels of national resource looting… and somehow not a single call for DRC’s accountability,” she said.

President Félix Tshisekedi has stepped up his rhetoric against Rwanda and threatened to overthrow the current government. With appeals directed against Congolese Tutsi populations, his ministers have also been charged with inciting ethnic conflict.

Nyombayire stated, “As our quest for self-determination is unacceptable, Rwanda is blamed for DRC’s failure of governance, evident on the entire territory of the second largest country on the continent, not because it is true.”

In order to alleviate the suffering of the Congolese Tutsi population and disarm the FDLR, Rwanda has long demanded that the underlying causes of the violence in eastern DR Congo be addressed.

As a political solution to the ongoing war in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda has repeatedly stated its desire to participate in the Luanda peace process.

Through this framework, the nation promotes communication, highlighting a peaceful solution that upholds the sovereignty of all parties.

Despite increasing foreign pressure, Rwanda insists it will not compromise on its security interests as the situation worsens.