President Paul Kagame has said Rwanda’s problem with DR Congo is the FDLR, a militia founded by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which is armed by the Congolese government.
Kagame said this on Wednesday, August 14, following the swearing in of Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente and the new Members of Parliament.
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He said that efforts that sought to neutralise the FDLR over the past 30 years only ended up sustaining it.
The President reiterated that Rwanda would not be blamed for the insecurity in eastern DR Congo.
"My problem is the one of FDLR that the [Congolese] government has armed, that the government uses in the fight against the so-called M23, but who are Congolese,” Kagame said.
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He dismissed anyone who would want to associate Rwanda with the insecurity in eastern DR Congo, by blaming it for supporting the M23 rebels.
"Why do you want me to get involved at all with M23 if you admit these are Congolese? Why doesn’t Congo solve this problem of M23.
If they have chosen to use military means against them to solve the problem, that is their problem. It’s not my problem.”
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Speaking of the threats of war with Rwanda by Congolese leaders, Kagame said, "I can’t stop them from thinking the way they think, but my job is to make sure it doesn’t materialise.”
He said any attempts to attack Rwanda due to its small size would be stopped, adding "our rights are as huge as those of these big countries.”
He said accusing Rwanda of involvement in the conflict in eastern DR Congo would not help more than solving the problem of FDLR, the UN-sanctioned terrorist group, which has launched attacks on Rwanda since its founding in 2000, is at the heart of diplomatic tensions between Rwanda and DR Congo.
"That problem for us is a serious matter, a long-term security issue we have to address. We want good neighbourliness, but the problem is, how do we achieve this good neighbourliness?
"It doesn’t come at my expense and not at the other person’s expense. It is a give and take issue. We work together; we address your problem but also address my problem.”
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Kagame said the international community should find a permanent solution for the tens of thousands of Congolese refugees who have lived in Rwandan camps for years, instead of resettling dozens of them in third countries.
"They should be resettled in their own country, and not elsewhere.”
Kagame noted the problem in eastern DR Congo is exacerbated by Congolese leaders would be comfortable speaking in public that they would never sit down and talk with the Congolese people who are purged, killed and arrested.