"We reached an agreement in Washington, D.C., but it is not up to Washington to implement it. It's those who reached the agreement who must actually implement what we agreed," President Kagame stated during a conversation with the media on Rwanda's Liberation Day on Friday, July 4.
Expressing his optimism about the deal succeeding, he explained that resolving such complex issues requires Cooperation and flexibility.
"You don't get 100% of what you want because there are many parties concerned with the problem. Each one may get a piece of what they wanted, another gets a piece of what they wanted, and together, stability comes out of it. So, for me, I think there is a chance that we may get somewhere with that," the president noted.
The Washington-mediated agreement was signed on June 27 to address tensions in eastern DRC. It focuses on joint security measures to neutralise the FDLR militia, which Rwanda has identified as a persistent threat along its border.
During the interview, the head of state affirmed Rwanda's commitment to its end of the bargain and insisted that the DRC do the same by eliminating the threat along the border with Rwanda.
'If FDLR is not removed, the problem continues to be there, and Rwanda will always do what it has to do,' Kagame warned.
"You will never find Rwanda at fault when it comes to implementing what we have agreed to do. Never,' he added.
President Kagame highlighted that the deal with President Felix Tshisekedi's administration rests on three interconnected pillars: political, economic, and security, stressing that focusing solely on one aspect, such as the region's mineral wealth, oversimplifies the conflict.
He criticised past approaches that reduced the crisis to economic motives, noting, 'They talk about minerals as the centre of the whole problem. They should also blame themselves.'
He argued that the Trump administration's holistic approach, unlike previous efforts, acknowledges the complexity of the conflict, including political issues like the denial of citizenship to Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese and the internal dynamics within the DRC.
The president also pointed to a parallel Qatar-mediated process involving the DRC government and the M23 rebel group, describing it as addressing the 'internal matters' of Congo, which he said are often wrongly framed as solely a Rwanda-DRC issue.
'Congo has always tried to make this problem only a problem between Rwanda and DRC, but there is a bigger component that is DRC's problem,' Kagame said, citing the need to resolve issues like the marginalisation of Kinyarwanda-speaking communities within Congo.
Kagame expressed gratitude to the Trump administration for prioritising the region's challenges, contrasting their engagement with the indifference of previous Western powers.
'I thank them that they even paid attention to the problem at all,' he said, noting that global focus often centres on conflicts in the Middle East or Ukraine.
Addressing criticisms that the Trump administration's approach is exploitative, Kagame challenged detractors to reflect on their own inaction.
'You were here all these years, doing nothing except doing the wrong thing,' he said, questioning the effectiveness of past sanctions and UN missions in Congo, which he accused of perpetuating biased narratives.
He specifically criticised the UN's Group of Experts for focusing blame on Rwanda and M23 while ignoring the FDLR's role in spreading 'genocide ideology' and destabilising the region.
'You will never find them writing anything comprehensively about FDLR. You'll never find them writing anything comprehensively about how government institutions are connected with FDLR in spreading hate ideology, genocide ideologyâ€"things that are being done in broad daylight for everybody to see,' Kagame said. 'So you wonder, how can experts not see that?'
President Kagame was also adamant about his stance on Rwanda's broader journey toward self-reliance.
'We don't owe our living to anyone,' he declared, emphasising that Rwanda's progress over the last three decades reflects a commitment to never again be 'sheep to be slaughtered.'
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/rwanda-drc-peace-deal-success-depends-on-mutual-good-faith-kagame
