The resurgence of the M23 rebellion has overshadowed the presence of more than 130 armed groups in eastern DR Congo, including the FDLR, which was founded by the former government forces and militia that committed the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
The observation was made by Claver Gatete, Rwanda’s permanent representative to the United Nations, during a briefing to the Security Council, on Wednesday, June 29.
The briefing was focused on the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo.
Gatete’s remarks came soon after Bintou Keita, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and other diplomats spoke at length about the deteriorating conflict in the east of the neighbouring country. Keita and other envoys expressed concerns over growing hostility targeting Rwandans and Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese in the DR Congo.
Amb. Gatete reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to the outcomes of the third EAC Heads of State conclave on the DR Congo held in Nairobi on June 20, during which East African leaders agreed to deploy a joint EAC force to help stabilize eastern DR Congo by neutralizing all the negative forces.
He reiterated Kigali’s call to the UN Security Council to support ongoing regional efforts which complement the existing peace and security framework, with a view to building sustainable peace in the Great Lakes region.
‘FARDC fighting alongside FDLR’
Gatete noted that Rwanda is aware that the Congolese army, FARDC, is fighting the M23 alongside FDLR, which was sanctioned by the Security Council in 2013. The militia was earlier designated as a terrorist group by the United States.
"FARDC should avoid the tendency of forging alliances with hostile and sanctioned armed groups to fight other armed groups. It is counterproductive and undermines the commitment of the region and the United Nations to stabilise eastern DRC,” Gatete said.
He added: "This alliance also puts MONUSCO in a very difficult position, because supporting FARDC while it fights alongside FDLR is tantamount to supporting a genocidal armed group.
"We call on the Security Council to condemn this alliance and urge MONUSCO through their due diligence, to avoid any military cooperation with FARDC, as long as they are allied with negative forces.”
Following the deployment of the UN Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) in 2013, Gatete noted, the M23 was the only armed group that was targeted and defeated.
The FIB was a special brigade under MONUSCO, authorised by the Security Council on March 28, 2013 through Resolution 2098. At the time, the FIB targeted and used force against M23 rebels but remained silent on FDLR, a genocidal militia, even though the resolution mandated it to neutralise all armed groups.
Gatete reiterated Rwanda’s concerns about a selective and double-standard approach to fighting armed groups in DR Congo.
On her part, Keita said: "Should the M23 continue its well-coordinated attacks against FARDC and MONUSCO with increasing conventional capabilities, the Mission may find itself confronted by a threat that goes beyond its current capabilities.
"Ongoing M23 and armed group activities in eastern DRC threaten to reverse hard-won progress in security and stability in Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region.”
Amb. Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, the Congolese envoy to the UN, denied that Kinshasa was behind the recent proliferation of hate speech targeting Congolese Tutsi in particular, and Rwandans in general.
But Amb. Gatete warned that, "targeting and killing innocent civilians perceived to be Tutsi may have a negative effect as the targeted civilians may seek protection by joining local armed groups leading to further insecurity.”