Rwanda’s representative to the Nordic nations says that disregarding M23 issues would not result in peace in Congo

Rwanda’s ambassador to Sweden and other Nordic nations, Dr. Diane Gashumba, has stated that blaming Rwanda for the security problem in DR Congo while disregarding the suffering of Congolese people and the complaints of the M23 movement will not bring peace to the nation.

Given that their position on the DR Congo conflict presents significant concerns, Gashumba questioned in a post on X if Nordic leaders would adhere to their own principles of justice, fairness, and diplomacy.

She said that the battle, which has already lasted more than 30 years and involved more than 150 armed factions, is being dangerously condensed into a story that wrongly assigns all the responsibility to Rwanda and the M23 movement.

Goma and Bukavu, the provincial capitals of North Kivu and South Kivu, respectively, have been overrun by the M23, a rebel group that has been fighting for the protection and recognition of Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese Tutsis who have long been persecuted, subjected to hate speech, and ignored by the Congolese government.

President Felix Tshisekedi has been urging nations to impose sanctions on Rwanda, which the Congolese government claims is aiding the rebels. Rwanda rejects the charges, citing Tshisekedi’s threats to overthrow the current government and its security worries over DR Congo’s cooperation with the FDLR, a group connected to the Genocide against the Tutsi.

According to the Rwandan government, the M23 uprising was brought on by the decades-long persecution of the Congolese Tutsi population and the administration shortcomings of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to Gashumba, “it is concerning to see countries renowned for their careful diplomacy accept a version of events that ignores the complex historical and political realities of the region.”

“True intervention necessitates more than just reaching convenient conclusions; it calls for hearing all viewpoints, encouraging candid discussion, and developing policies grounded in reality rather than political expediency.”

She urged Nordic leaders to speak with one voice in favor of measures that tackle the crisis’s underlying causes, including the observance of African-led efforts like the resolutions from the most recent EAC-SADC summit.

Among the resolutions of the summit were the following: cessation of hostilities, implementation of a previously approved harmonized plan for the neutralization of the FDLR, peaceful negotiations to be held under the now-merged Luanda and Nairobi processes, and a mandate that the Kinshasa government hold direct talks with M23 and other armed groups.

“The Nordics’ commitment to justice would be reaffirmed and their foreign policy credibility would be enhanced by a balanced and objective stance—free from external interference,” Gashumba said.

She underlined that where justice is involved, neutrality is not an option and that double standards damage faith in diplomacy.

Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will not be achieved by scapegoating Rwanda while disregarding the pain and justifiable complaints of M23. The Nordics must act honorably and put justice ahead of geopolitical considerations if they genuinely want stability in the Great Lakes area.

In 2021, a Congolese government army coalition of the FDLR, more than 10,000 Burundian troops, Congolese militia groups known as Wazalendo, and South Africa-led SADC forces began an increasingly intense conflict with M23 insurgents.

The Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a broader alliance formed in December 2023, now includes M23, a rebel force that is fighting for the rights of a persecuted Congolese group in the country’s eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Under the leadership of Corneille Nangaa, the former director of the electoral commission in DR Congo, the AFC claims to be working for government that upholds fundamental human rights, protects all Congolese residents, and tackles the underlying causes of the ongoing violence. Among other evils that are pervasive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nangaa pledged to eradicate nepotism, tribalism, corruption, and the mentality of genocide.