Kagame: Collaboration with mercenaries and support for FDLR cannot continue as normal

The FDLR, an armed militia established by those responsible for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, collaborates with the DR Congo army (FARDC) and other armed groups, including European mercenaries, in eastern DR Congo. According to President Paul Kagame, the situation there cannot be considered “business as usual.”

On Monday, February 3, he made the remarks in an interview with CNN.

He stated, “They cannot have the FDLR in Congo, armed, backed by the DRC government, backed by mercenaries, backed by an army from Burundi, and then business goes on as usual.”

Additionally, he chastised President Felix Tshisekedi of the Congo for failing to address the underlying reasons of his nation’s protracted conflict.

He said, “You have to look for the cause when you have a problem, so the man has the problem and he doesn’t even show up for discussion to find a solution.”

Tshisekedi did not attend a virtual summit that Kenyan President William Ruto, who leads the EAC, called last week. 

Following fresh combat between the FARDC and the M23 that resulted in the rebels’ takeover of the eastern city of Goma, the meeting was convened to discuss the ongoing situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The meeting’s main topic was the region’s worsening security situation.

In the interview, Kagame was also questioned on the ongoing initiatives by DR Congolese citizens who have petitioned football teams such as Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich to sever their ties with Rwanda, pointing to Rwanda’s purported backing of the M23 rebels.

He emphasized that the goal of such initiatives should be to address the internal political problems in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“They are wasting their time and energy going to Arsenal, whichever organization we are working with, and so on and so forth to make an appeal. I believe they ought to focus their efforts on effectively handling their own issues and politics,” he said.