Senate President François Xavier Kalinda has said that the FDLR, a militia linked to the Genocide against the Tutsi, remains a threat to Rwanda’s security and the region. Kalinda raised the issue of the DR Congo-based militia on Monday, November 11, during a meeting with Adama Dieng, the African Union’s Special Envoy on Genocide Prevention and Mass Atrocities, who was in Kigali. The FDLR constitutes a persistent threat to both Rwanda and regional security. Addressing the challenges posed by the FDLR requires coordinated regional cooperation,” Kalinda said. ALSO READ: How Tshisekedi scuttled FDLR neutralisation plan at last minute The United Nations has issued warning about the risk factors for genocide in eastern DR Congo, where members of the Tutsi community are persecuted, with FDLR being the driver of the genocidal ideology. In the meeting, the Senate President commended the AU's concern over conflicts and its commitment to peace and security. “Your role is vital in ensuring that the African continent remains vigilant and proactive in preventing the horrors of genocide and mass atrocities,” Kalinda told Dieng, adding that Rwanda and the AU shared the commitment to strengthening efforts towards peace and security. ALSO READ: UN official echoes warning over risk factors for genocide, crimes against humanity in DR Congo “We hope that your position as the Special Envoy on the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities for Africa will play a crucial role in preventing and addressing the risks of genocide in the eastern DRC,” he said. Dieng, who was the first to be appointed in the AU genocide prevention position in April this year, is on a tour in Eastern and Central Africa. He also met President Paul Kagame on Monday at Village Urugwiro. The FDLR, which is under UN sanctions as a terrorist group, has launched attacks on Rwanda since its founding in 2000. It is also at the heart of diplomatic tensions between Rwanda and DR Congo. The FDLR has been integrated into the Congolese armed forces. ALSO READ: Rwanda raises concerns over DR Congo arming FDLR, indigenous armed groups The Rwandan government has raised concerns about the integration of the genocidal militia into the Congolese armed forces (FARDC). The group’s combatants fight alongside the FARDC in its war with M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo, according to UN reports on the security situation in North Kivu province. ALSO READ: New UN report exposes DR Congo’s continued use of FDLR as proxy Various attempts to neutralise the FDLR have failed to take hold. The latest such attempt was derailed by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi at the last minute at a September 14 meeting in the Angolan capital Luanda, where the Rwandan and Congolese foreign ministers met to sign a plan for the FDLR neutralisation. The FDLR is one of the armed groups that have destabilised eastern DR Congo for more than two decades. It is accused of fomenting hate against the Tutsi community in the country and creating other militias aligned with its ideology.
