President Paul Kagame has said the security crisis in eastern DR Congo poses a threat to Rwanda due to the continued collaboration between the Congolese army and the FDLR, a UN-sanctioned militia linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Kagame said this in an interview with French television France 24, which was aired on Thursday, June 20.

The wide-ranging interview touched on the war between a coalition led by the Congolese army against the M23 rebels, DR Congo’s allegation that Rwanda supports the rebel group, and the upcoming elections due in Rwanda in July, among other things.

ALSO READ: FDLR integration into DR Congo army must be addressed – Kagame

Asked whether Rwanda would take any measures to defend itself against a security threat from DR Congo, Kagame said, "We have said that publicly. There is no secret about it.”

"It is a threat in as far as Congo is running away from the problems of its citizens whom it deprives of all their rights and kills them and persecutes them,” he said.

"And there is hate speech; there is actually genocidal ideology operating in eastern Congo and this can't be happening on its own.

"So, there's that persecution of these people being called Tutsis and therefore they must suffer like those in Rwanda in 1994 suffered. Then there is the support for FDLR. These are genocidal forces that have been in Congo for 30 years now.”

ALSO READ: New UN report exposes DR Congo’s continued use of FDLR as proxy

ALSO READ: Kagame, regional leaders meet in Addis to address root causes of DR Congo

The FDLR is part of the government coalition which also includes Burundian forces, local armed youth groups called Wazalendo, troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and European mercenaries.

Kagame said that DR Congo’s collaboration with the FDLR and threats by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi to wage a war on Rwanda and cause regime change would not be taken lightly.

"Is this situation a threat to us? Absolutely. And shall we react to that in a manner we think fit to resolve that? No question about it,” he said.

The Rwandan leader said that his Congolese counterpart had frustrated all regional initiatives meant to address the root causes of the conflict in eastern DR Congo, including the persecution of Congolese Tutsi communities.

ALSO READ: Rwanda raises concerns over DR Congo arming FDLR, indigenous armed groups

He indicated that Tshisekedi had downplayed regional efforts to normalise DR Congo-Rwanda relations, including a presidential meeting which would be mediated by Angola.

Asked if there was a real possibility of a war with DR Congo, Kagame said Rwanda was "ready” to defend its territory against any threat.

"Whether [it’s] this eastern Congo situation and what comes out or flows over to our territory or anything else, we are ready to fight because we are there as a result of having fought for our own rights and existence. There's no question about it,” he said.

"The way we have been shaped by these hardships and injustices – and it doesn't matter by who – we are not afraid of anything.”

Eastern DR Congo has been volatile for about 30 years. The region is home to more than 130 foreign and local armed groups responsible for various abuses.