Following accusations by the Democratic Republic of Congo that “Rwanda chose M23 over peace”, the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs speaks out in an exclusive interview with Africa 24. Following President Kagame’s absence from a peace summit in Luanda, Angola, on Sunday December 15, Olivier NDUHUNGIREHE insists that the summit was postponed, not cancelled.
A summit on security in the eastern DRC, billed as a peace summit, was scheduled for Sunday December 15 in Luanda, but was cancelled. Angolan President Joao Lourenço, mediator designated by the African Union, had invited the presidents of the DRC and Rwanda, the two protagonists. While the presence of the President of DR Congo demonstrated his commitment to dialogue, the absence of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda was criticized. The Rwandan government, through its Minister of Foreign Affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe, gave an exclusive explanation to Africa 24. For Rwanda, the prerequisites that were necessary before the arrival of President Paul Kagame were not taken into account.
“The only item on the agenda was the signing of an agreement between DRC and Rwanda. To prepare this agreement, a ministerial meeting was convened the previous day on the 14th of December to work on the text, on the remaining issues, on the paragraphs and articles of that agreement but unfortunately after almost nine hours of negotiations, the two countries couldn’t agree on the text. And since the only item on the agenda of the summit was not agreed on, the summit became irrelevant. This is why we requested to postpone the meeting and then we were surprised to see that in the morning president Tshisekedi travelled to Luanda while he knew very well that the summit was postponed”
Olivier NDUHUNGIREHE, Minister of Foreign Affairs – Rwanda
In rejecting Rwanda’s request for direct talks between the Congolese authorities and the M23 armed group, the Democratic Republic of Congo accuses Rwanda of “choosing the M23 over peace”. And of course, the Rwandan authorities deny this. At the heart of this conflict, which has claimed over 6 million victims and caused massive population displacements since the 1990s, the M23 has established itself as a major destabilizing factor through its military capacity and its brutal terrorist actions according to the Congolese authorities.
“The M23 question is a threat to Rwanda because DRC has been assimilating M23 and the congolese tutsi community that the M23 defends to Rwanda. So, we are always assimilated to M23 and because of that, the government of Congo built a large military coalition with European mercenaries, burundian forces, FDLR genocidaires, the Wazalendo and others in order to attack the M23 and by extension to attack Rwanda. And this is demonstrated by the hate speeches and the belligerent rhetoric of President Tshisekedi who stated on several occasions, even publicly, that his goal is to overthrow the government of Rwanda. So, the question of M23 is relevant and we believe that a lasting solution is the best way forward ”
Olivier NDUHUNGIREHE, Minister of Foreign Affairs – Rwanda
The March 23 Movement, also known as the M23, is an armed group active in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was created in May 2012 by officers of the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, FARDC, who had entered into rebellion against the Congolese government. Tensions have taken a more dramatic turn since 2022 with Rwanda, whose several reports, including those of the United Nations, indicate the movement’s overt, operational and material support. These accusations are contested by the Rwandan government, which believes that this is a problem between the Congolese and should be settled through an inclusive approach. According to Angola and all the protagonists of peace, only a genuine peace meeting between President Paul Kagame and his counterpart from DR Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, can bring a lasting solution to this crisis.