FDLR at crux of regional insecurity – Minister Biruta

The international community needs to work with the DR Congo government to address the issue of FDLR and other armed groups that are destabilising the region, Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs minister has said. According to Dr Vincent Biruta, armed groups like the FDLR – which was founded and is largely composed of perpetrators of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda – constitute a major concern for Rwanda. He made the remarks during an interview with Radio France International (RFI), during which he pointed out that the intention of the various splinter genocidal militias originating from Rwanda was to continue with their agenda of ethnic cleansing. The minister noted that until the issue of FDLR and its splinter groups is addressed, relations between Rwanda and DR Congo will remain rocky. Asked about claims in a recently leaked UN Group of Experts (UNGoE) report that Rwanda was supporting the M23 rebels, Biruta said Kigali will only comment once the report has been published and after officially receiving a copy. He said the report was leaked by the UN experts for reasons best known to them and it would be dangerous to venture into speculations that would not contribute toward addressing the issue of insecurity in eastern DR Congo. ‘A tactical distraction’ In an earlier statement, the Government Spokesperson Yolande Makolo branded the allegations as a tactical distraction from the real issues. The UN experts alleged they obtained drone footage of soldiers who were in organised movement, claiming they were Rwandan troops. But Biruta said: “I hope the experts were able to base (their) report on facts, and if they only saw the Rwandan soldiers and could not see the FDLR members, and could not report on the collaboration of the FDLR and the armed forces of DR Congo; “If the drones they used saw Rwandan soldiers and could not identify the artillery pieces that bombarded Rwandan territory from DR Congo on March 19, May 23 and June 10; “And, if the experts could not report on the hate speech (by Congolese) government leaders, members of civil society, and by Congolese individuals, then there would be a problem.” The shelling of the Rwandan territory targeted civilian areas in Musanze and Burera districts, resulting in casualties and property damage. Hate speech targeting Kinyarwanda speaking Congolese is not a new phenomenon, having developed over several decades against the backdrop of complex socio-political struggles, particularly in the North and South Kivu provinces. The situation was exacerbated by the arrival into the Congo of génocidaires in 1994 following the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. ‘More than 130 armed groups’ in the Congo A July 6 Luanda summit between Presidents Paul Kagame, his DR Congo counterpart Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi and their host, João Lourenço of Angola, condemned the hate speech and calls for violence. Equally, the third East African Community Heads of State conclave held on June 20 in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi also expressed concerns over increasing proliferation of hate speech and violence against Rwandans and Congolese Tutsi in eastern DR Congo. Biruta added, “I imagine that the experts were also able to investigate the FDLR, which is the cause of all the problems you see.” The M23, he said, is “a consequence of the problems of the export of the genocidal ideology by the FDLR, who attacked the Congolese populations, by targeting particular communities; this is what led to successive groups being created…to defend against the FDLR.” “In eastern DR Congo, there are more than 130 armed groups but the Group of Experts is particularly interested in one, they are making enormous efforts to link them to Rwanda and they think they have discovered something huge,” the foreign minister said. “There it is serious, the enormous thing which could have been discovered, which is visible is the presence of the FDLR, with its genocidal ideology. Its like a doctor going to treat symptoms without worrying about the cause of illness,” he added.

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FDLR at crux of regional insecurity – Minister Biruta