Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Vincent Biruta, on Thursday, January 26, told parliament that the country is ready to defend its territorial integrity against any invasion.
Biruta’s remarks came two days after a warplane from DR Congo violated Rwanda’s airspace – for the third time in three months – forcing the Rwanda Defence Force to shoot at it. He also said that DR Congo had, for months, tried to drag Rwanda into the ongoing conflict, pitting Congolese armed forces against M23 rebels in North Kivu province.
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"When the most recent incident happened, the Rwandan armed forces did something about that. They opened fire at that fighter jet. It was damaged but managed to go back to Congo. I am telling you all this, showing you how Congo has been provoking us, trying to bring Rwanda into that war,” Biruta said.
"We have the will to do something, but we also have to be ready. We don't know [what] the others are planning. If necessary, our security or sovereignty will be protected as it should be.”
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"When they talk about Congo's sovereignty, and say that its land should not be violated, it sounds like it's the only country that has a territory that needs to be sovereign. When you want your territory to be respected, you ought to respect others too,” Biruta said.
"Rwanda's sovereignty, the inviolability of its territory, has to be respected by everyone. And at the same time, we need to be ready, should it be necessary.”
Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels – allegations Kigali dismisses. Biruta said Congolese leaders have peddled lies, for months, trying to drag Rwanda into their war with M23 rebels.
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The M23 was defeated in 2013 and its combatants fled to Rwanda and Uganda., The rebels resurfaced in late 2021 and launched an offensive on the Congolese army.
"We kept telling the Congolese officials that those people (M23) did not attack from Rwanda. Those who fled to Rwanda are still here; we can show them where they are. But they didn't want to listen,” Biruta said.
Kinshasa’s allegation that Rwanda supports M23 keeps going, even though Kigali gave them evidence that it has nothing to do with that war, he said.
The Minister noted that Kinshasa continues to arm the FDLR.
"They give them weapons and ammunition up to today.”
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The FDLR is a terrorist group whose founders carried out the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
It remains a threat to Rwanda’s, and regional security. A 2019 attack by RUD Urunana, a faction of the FDLR, killed 15 people in northern Rwanda.
Biruta said that Kinshasa continued to collaborate with the FDLR, even after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi committed to disarm the militia at the Luanda agreement signed in November 2022.