Kagame on Western silence over the FDLR, which is supported by Kinshasa

President Paul Kagame claimed that the genocidal FDLR is still active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo because the militia is supported by the same individuals who helped its founders carry out the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and who currently provide them with protection and encouragement.

He blasted hypocrite Western nations who purposefully omit to mention that the Kinshasa government supports the FDLR while advancing the myth that Rwanda supports the AFC/M23 rebels.

He spoke during the Presidential Citizen Outreach event, which drew over 8,000 people, mostly from Kigali City, to BK Arena.

He emphasized that the international world has consistently blamed Rwanda for DR Congo’s issues while ignoring the security concerns Kigali has voiced for years.

He added that the UN-sanctioned terrorist organization’s attacks on Rwanda are diminished because of its underestimating. “We told the whole world about the concern of these Interahamwe and attacks committed against us, but they continually dismiss it saying that they (FDLR) are only few,” he stated.

He did, however, assert that the newly returned FDLR commander “Gen” Ezechiel Gakwerere and the other 13 individuals taken prisoner by the M23 rebels are not only individuals engaged in combat in the Congolese bush, but rather are a symbol of the threat of genocidal ideology to Rwanda as a whole.

Former members of the Rwandan army and the Interahamwe militia, who carried out the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, created the FDLR, a terrorist organization operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to him, the group has reorganized and received backing to launch multiple attacks against Rwanda in an effort to “overthrow” the government.

Alongside the Wazalendo militia, 10,000 Burundian troops, South African-led SADC forces, European mercenaries, and UN peacekeepers, the FDLR joined the Congolese army coalition in the three-year conflict against M23 rebels, who had taken control of the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu.

Kagame stated, “We never stopped warning people that this would cause problems, the security threats it poses to us, and that we will not accept it but do everything possible to fight it.” This was true both before and after the war.

It’s easier for them to claim that Rwanda supports AFC/M23 than to state that the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo supports Interahamwe. This is something they intentionally do. They want to assign blame to Rwanda and impose any sanctions they see fit.

The rebels have since joined the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a broader rebel group established in December 2023. They defend the Tutsi community in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo from prejudice, violence, and injustice.

According to Kagame, the M23 insurrection has been going on for a long time and involves a number of agreements that were signed over a decade ago but were broken by the Kinshasa government.

Kinshasa should heed M23’s concerns because it signed a pact with them, he said.

The head of state also pointed out that the international community has continued to disregard Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi’s clear declarations of willingness to attack and topple the Rwandan government.

Rwanda has reaffirmed that as long as there is a threat, it will continue to take defensive measures at the border.

Given that any security threat will be treated seriously, Kagame advised Rwandans to keep up the country’s progress and keep the peace with its neighbors.