Rwanda has reiterated its deep concerns about the evolving security situation in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces of eastern DR Congo which remains a serious threat to the hard-earned peace and security of the region.

The observation was made by Amb. Clever Gatete, Rwanda’s permanent representative to the United Nations on Thursday, January 26, during an open debate of the Security Council on the theme: "Investment in people to enhance resilience against complex challenges" under the agenda item: peacebuilding and sustaining peace.

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It has been 30 years since the concept of peacebuilding was first put on the table in "An agenda for peace".

Three decades later, member States have before them the proposal for "A new agenda for peace" by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, which should include investing in conflict prevention and peacebuilding as one of its core subjects.

During the debate, Gatete pointed out that sustaining peace in the Great Lakes region is a desire of all regional countries, including Rwanda.

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"It is in this regard that Rwanda reiterates deep concern about the evolving security situation in North and South Kivu, which remains a serious threat to the hard-earned peace and security of the region,” he said.

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The endemic cycle of violence in eastern DR Congo, specifically against Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese, results from structural failures with the absence of state authority to guarantee safety and security for its people and spillover effects to neighboring countries,” he said.

The envoy added that persecution, discrimination, insecurity, consistent threats and violence against a section of Congolese citizens have forced approximately 80,000 Congolese to seek refuge in Rwanda and many others in neighboring countries including Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.

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Gatete’s remarks followed a series of petitions filed to different embassies in Kigali by representatives of over 70,000 Congolese refugees who live in Rwanda, calling on the international community to help stop the killings and persecution of the Tutsi community in eastern DR Congo.

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"In order to resolve the refugee crisis and achieve sustainable peace, root causes must be addressed without delay. Disregarding the root causes of the refugee crisis further exacerbates instability which threatens peacebuilding and peacekeeping efforts. The plight of these Congolese, facing perpetual internal displacement and indefinite exile without a viable prospect to return home, must be categorically and structurally addressed,” Gatete told the UN.

DR Congo is home to more than 130 armed groups, including Rwanda’s genocidal militia, FDLR. The latter is a UN-sanctioned armed terror group that committed the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and still possesses a strong authority in eastern DR Congo where it continues to spread its genocide ideology, with impunity.

When the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) took charge in Kigali and stopped the Genocide against the Tutsi, in July 1994, the ousted genocidal regime’s army (ex-FAR), politicians as well as Interahamwe militia who committed the Genocide – escaped, en masse, to eastern DR Congo, then known as Zaire.

Ever since then, the Congolese army, FARDC, continues to cooperate with the FDLR.

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As a consequence, FDLR and its splinter groups continue to pose a serious threat not only to the Congolese people but to Rwanda’s peace sustainability, as Gatete indicated.

"Rwanda cannot sustain its hard-earned peace with this looming threat at its doorstep in DR Congo. In this regard, the UN Security Council must genuinely assist the region in bringing about lasting peace in DR Congo by tackling the root causes and the drivers of conflicts.

"The UNSC should stop highlighting the symptoms of insecurity in DR Congo while evading the root causes. Double standards and scapegoating only embolden those who should be responsible for peacebuilding.”

With regards to the debate, Gatete noted that Rwanda believes a holistic and coordinated approach to promoting peace is grounded in effective national ownership, cooperation, and partnerships.