The President criticized the DRC government for continuing to blame Rwanda for the presence of these rebels, despite being well aware of their origins.
Speaking at a press briefing on January 9, 2025, President Kagame stated that the M23 fighters are Congolese, a fact acknowledged by the DRC government, and explained that they are fighting for the rights of their fellow countrymen who were persecuted and forced to flee.
'These are Congolese even to the admission of Congo's leaders, the past and the present. Now, why are they fighting? Why do we have over 100,000 refugees here in Rwanda originating from that region? Is it because Rwanda wants refugees and attracted them from Congo to come to Rwanda? Do they like fighting?' he wondered.
The President further questioned the narrative that labels the rebels as foreigners, pointing out that such accusations are unfounded.
'[They are involved] in the fighting that is happening in eastern Congo, and you call that violation of sovereignty, territorial integrity. How does it arise? On one hand these are Congolese, on the other hand, they are foreigners. How do they combine these two identities?'
President Kagame emphasized that those who call M23 fighters foreigners are either unaware of or are deliberately ignoring the complex history of the situation in eastern DRC.
He explained that the roots of this conflict go back to colonial times when borders were arbitrarily drawn, and that the M23 rebels did not originate from Rwanda when they resumed fighting in November 2021.
He reminded that when the rebels fled in 2013, most of them went to Uganda, where they regrouped and took up arms again to confront the DRC's forces in 2021.
This was due to the failure of the Congolese government to address the persecution of Rwandophones, particularly Tutsis.
President Kagame noted that one of the reasons Rwanda is blamed for the situation in eastern DRC is because M23 fighters speak Kinyarwanda, and speaking Kinyarwanda in the DRC has become a pretext for the persecution of Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese.
Additionally, President Kagame explained that Rwanda is also blamed due to the presence of the genocidal militia group FDLR in the DRC, which poses a security threat to Rwanda.
He recalled that United Nations peacekeepers deployed to eastern DRC had to handle issues including the dismantling of the FDLR, but despite spending significant resources, they have not made substantial progress.
The President also pointed out that some countries, including former colonial powers in Africa, have created groups of so-called experts to assess the security situation, but when they are in the region, they tend to conceal the truth.
'Those who were involved in the colonial times and who were blamed for it have the power to manipulate and always fall short of doing what is right.
'You find they have groups they create, they say 'Groups of Expert', expert in doing what? You find these experts are led by people who are supposed to come and really cover up the blame that should be leveled against those who are responsible for those crimes of colonial times,' Kagame stated.
He stressed that anyone wanting to understand the realities of the situation in eastern DRC, and to find solutions, does not need to rely on experts but rather seek peace and security for the Congolese people.
President Kagame reiterated that FDLR plays a major role in destabilizing eastern DRC, and that the problem of this group should not be ignored.
He explained that Rwanda approached the DRC government offering support to eliminate FDLR but they refused despite having allowed Burundi and Uganda to cross into the country to fight armed groups threatening their security.
IGIHE
