DR Congo crisis: Amb Urujeni informs the UN that resolving the conflict’s underlying roots is the only way to rebuild trust

The Human Rights Council can only start to rebuild credibility and trust in an area where the international community has far too frequently failed by tackling the underlying causes of conflict in eastern DR Congo.

Ambassador Urujeni Bakuramutsa, Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, reaffirmed this at the 59th session of the Human Rights Council, which met in Geneva on Tuesday, June 17, for a more in-depth interactive discussion on the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Ambassador Bakuramutsa stressed that since late 2021, Rwanda has seen an alarming increase in anti-DR Congo hostile activities, including the strengthened cooperation between the Congolese army and FDLR, a UN-designated armed group.

The FDLR, which was founded by former members of the Rwandan Genocide Against the Tutsi in 1994, is still propagating the idea of genocide across the Great Lakes region.

“The multiple attacks by the Democratic Republic of the Congo against Rwanda, such as cross-border shelling, Congolese jet fighters repeatedly violating our airspace, enforced disappearances of Rwandan nationals in the crisis country, and a coordinated campaign of hate speech and incitement against Congolese Rwandophone communities, are also concerning,” Bakuramutsa stated.

“The most alarming developments are probably the open calls for a regime change in Rwanda made by President Felix Tshisekedi and the President of Burundi, which is an unheard-of escalation that cannot be disregarded.”

She also emphasized the predicament of the M23 uprising, a Congolese citizens’ liberation movement founded by Rwandophone groups who have long faced structural exclusion, human rights abuses, and marginalization.

M23 is currently a member of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a broader and rapidly growing rebel group that was established in December 2023.

After driving out the large Congolese army coalition, the rebels have been advancing across North and South Kivu provinces since January, capturing large areas of land. On January 27, the rebels took control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, and restored order after intense combat sparked by persistent violations of an earlier ceasefire by the Congolese army coalition. The rebels made another move as the security situation in South Kivu worsened due to reports of atrocities, bloodshed, and looting spread by the Congolese army coalition. On February 15, they moved south to seize the regional capital, Bukavu, after first seizing the vital Kavumu airport.

Kigali has denied the Congolese government’s allegation that Rwanda is aiding M23 rebels. The majority of the rebels were originally members of the Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese population, which has been persecuted by its own government for decades, despite having Rwandese ancestry or culture. The rebel movement is working for governance that protects all Congolese residents, upholds fundamental human rights, and tackles the underlying causes of war. Among other evils, it has pledged to eradicate the genocide mindset, corruption, nepotism, and tribalism that are pervasive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Their complaints are based on persecution, hate speech, and structural exclusion rather than being sponsored by a foreign entity, as is frequently stated and stated in the oral update. The Congolese government needs to solve these governance shortcomings, she said.

Amb Bakuramutsa reiterated Rwanda’s dedication to peace processes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, citing Rwanda’s strong involvement in African-led programs like the East African Community and other supplementary initiatives like the negotiations organized by Doha and Washington.

“The creation of humanitarian corridors is a legitimate component of the framework of this peace process. Rwanda requests that the international community give this African-led initiative top priority and provide both political and humanitarian support. 

“We can only effectively address the pressing needs of impacted populations and address the underlying causes of instability by empowering regional solutions,” she stated.

“Rwanda is prepared to participate in productive discourse, as long as the fact-finding mission’s work is objective and devoid of political bias.”