KIGALI - The government of France has pledged to help Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo deal with their common threat; militia of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) operating in eastern DRC.
This was revealed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Louise Mushikiwabo, in an interview with The New Times yesterday.

She said that the assurances came from French Foreign Affairs Minister, Bernard Kouchner, during high-level talks that took place in Kigali last week.

"What we agreed is that France will support any Rwandan or Congolese government decision to do with curtailing the FDLR and bringing security to the region,” Mushikiwabo said on phone.

"We agreed that France should take the lead in the Security Council to bring sanctions on the group”.

The FDLR are remnants of former ex-Far/Interahamwe militia who master-minded the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and later fled into eastern DRC, where they have since then continued to wreck havoc – killing, raping and pillaging, with impunity.

The group has been branded by the United Nations as a terrorist organisation and its leaders are on a wanted list.

Ends