FDLR based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is associated with developments in genocide ideology

Sen. Jean Pierre Dusingizemungu was taken aback when he discovered a case of Genocide ideology involving a 12-year-old student who claimed to be able to distinguish between Hutu and Tutsi coworkers by simply glancing at their hands during the Senate’s tour of 15 regions, which included 11 districts along international boundaries.

In a related case, a 26-year-old man publicly ate a snake and declared, “That’s how we will eat Tutsis.” During a consultative meeting that brought together government officials, representatives of political parties, and members of civil society to reflect on the state of genocide ideology in the region and develop strategies to effectively combat it, the Anti-Genocide Parliamentary Forum (AGPF) presented some of its findings in Parliament on March 5.

The international community’s decision to ignore Rwanda’s security challenges and the growth of the Genocide ideology in neighboring DR Congo prompted the session.

According to Dusingizemungu, there were instances of harassment against Genocide survivors in nine separate places between August and December 2024, which frequently led to their deaths. “There are 16 pieces of evidence of Genocide ideology, with 12 found among people aged 30 and above, two among young adults under 30, and three among children aged 12 to 16,” the senator said, referring to the Anti-Genocide Parliamentary Forum’s finding of a connection between the killings of Genocide survivors and the events occurring across the border in eastern DR Congo.

There are locations where women cross the border solely to become pregnant by FDLR members, according to Dusingizemungu.

The FDLR, a DR Congo-based militia connected to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, has been in existence for three decades thanks to support from the international community, including powerful nations that continue to view it as a threat to Rwanda’s progress, according to James Kabarebe, Minister of State for Regional Cooperation, who made this claim during the same parliamentary meeting.

Joining the Congolese national army, FARDC, the genocidal militia joined other forces loyal to the Kinshasa regime, such as Burundian armed forces, South African-led SADC forces, hundreds of European mercenaries, a coalition of Congolese militia groups known as Wazalendo, and UN peacekeepers.

After the AFC/M23 rebels took over Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, which borders Rwanda, the DR Congo army coalition’s plan to strike Rwanda was foiled. The murderous militia, which has been sanctioned by the UN, has slaughtered individuals in various parts of the country on multiple times.

Additionally, the AGPF findings showed that efforts are being made to instill Genocide ideology in young people, particularly those who continue to interact with FDLR members and other anti-government individuals.

For example, he claimed that many people in the Gicumbi District’s Bwisige Sector, the birthplace of former FAR member Gen. Emmanuel Habyarimana, are being misled by his teachings.

Although the results should not be ignored, Dusingizemungu pointed out that a larger segment of the populace supports national growth and unity, such as the young people in Burundi’s surrounding regions who reject and refute their Burundian counterparts’ perilous genocide worldview.

He said that additional work should be focused on the Ndi Umunyarwanda program, which aims to enhance Rwandan unity and provide historical knowledge to young people, among other things.

“As we have been informed, the growing genocide ideology in our region should not discourage us, but rather enable us to strengthen the defense and strategies we put in place as a country determined not to tolerate evil, since no one knows better than we do where the effects of genocide have led our country,” stated Gertrude Kazarwa, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.

“There has been little or no will of implementation despite the indictments and international arrest warrants sent to countries all over the world seeking the arrest of Genocide suspects in different countries,” said Philbert Gakwenzire, chairperson of Ibuka, an association of Genocide survivors.

He pointed out that many perpetrators of genocide have escaped to other African countries, including Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have been unwilling to try them or return them to Rwanda for trial.

According to James Kabarebe, Minister of State for Regional Cooperation, the genocidal militia in neighboring DR Congo has been able to survive for three decades thanks to the support of the international community, including strong nations that continue to view it as a threat to Rwanda’s progress.

As of 2023, 1,094 of the 1,148 indictments and international arrest orders issued had not yet been carried out, according to the National Public Prosecution Authority.

The most international arrest warrants and indictments against Genocide suspects have been sent from the Democratic Republic of Congo. More than one-third of the more than 1,000 Genocide suspects in question are in its custody, as evidenced by the 408 indictments it got.