In a post shared on X, Nduhungirehe described as 'unbelievable and unacceptable' the DRC's ongoing efforts to rally accusations and sanctions against Rwanda in various regional and international fora, even as both countries are engaged in US-facilitated peace negotiations.
'It's unbelievable and unacceptable to note that… Rwanda and DRC are actively engaged, over the past month, into promising US-facilitated negotiations for a historic peace agreement, [yet] the DRC, nonetheless, is still whining around in all regional and international organisations accusing Rwanda for its own turpitudes,' he wrote.
The minister's remarks came moments after Rwanda announced its exit from ECCAS, citing a pattern of exclusion and deliberate obstruction led by the DRC, particularly during the 26th Ordinary Summit held on June 7 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
According to Nduhungirehe, despite recent progress in diplomatic engagementâ€"including a March 18 meeting between Presidents Paul Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi in Doha, and the signing of a Declaration of Principles between both countries in Washington on April 25â€"the DRC continues to undermine trust-building efforts by pursuing parallel campaigns against Rwanda.
'Rwanda is engaged in all current peace processes (AU/EAC-SADC, Washington and Doha) in good faith and with a sense of responsibility,' he stated, but warned that Kigali 'will never accept the manipulation, by a reckless and hopeless DRC, of regional economic communities such as ECCAS.'
He further argued that ECCAS has no legitimate mandate to mediate the crisis in eastern DRC, a role already entrusted to the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), under the African Union's designated mediator, President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo.
The ECCAS dispute centres on what Rwanda has described as a violation of its rights under the organisation's founding treaty.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kigali denounced the bloc's failure to grant it the rotating chairmanship, as provided for under Article 6 of the ECCAS Treaty.
Instead, the position was retained by the DRC with the support of certain member states, an act Rwanda views as a politically motivated breach of protocol.
This latest fallout adds to already strained ties between Rwanda and the DRC, whose relationship has been marred by mistrust. While Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the M23 rebel movement operating in eastern Congo, Rwanda has repeatedly rejected the claims and has instead called out the DRC for its continued collaboration with the FDLR, a militia group linked to the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
With Rwanda now formally out of ECCAS, attention shifts back to ongoing diplomatic efforts in Washington, Doha, and under AU-mandated mediation. However, Minister Nduhungirehe's remarks suggest that Kigali is growing increasingly impatient with what it sees as duplicity from its counterpart in Kinshasa.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
