UN report will not derail DRC talks – Museminali

The government of Rwanda will not be discouraged from normalizing diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) despite the recent controversial report by a United Nations group of experts. The report alleged that Rwanda was assisting the DRC rebels of the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), allegations that Rwanda has denounced in the strongest terms. In a telephone interview yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rosemary Museminali said that Rwanda would not be disrupted by the report from discussions with DRC regarding resuming diplomatic relations between the two neighbours after ten years of a diplomatic standoff. Recently, Museminali and her DRC counterpart agreed to reestablish diplomatic missions and work together to disarm rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) operating in eastern DRC. The FDLR is made up of remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda. Talks between Rwanda and the DRC intensified mid last month and concluded with the signing of an agreement that will see both countries work together to disarm the FDLR. The FDLR which is a combination of the Interahamwe and EX-Far militias have camps in Eastern Congo and are reported to be fighting alongside DRC government troops (FARDC) against the CNDP. Museminali said that as part of the talks, the DRC promised to appoint an Ambassador to Kigali before the end of April next year. She revealed that Rwanda had appointed its Ambassador but the deployment awaits formal agreements between the two countries. Ends