Since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda ended, the defeated Ex-FAR and Interahamwe forces fled to what is now the DRC (formerly Zaire), where they were supported by local authorities aiming to use them to launch attacks on Rwanda.
Successive governments in the DRC have collaborated with the forces, and many former combatants have been integrated into the national army. The FDLR militia, established in the early 2000s, was given representation in the DRC government, and President Félix Tshisekedi has incorporated them into the army fighting alongside the M23 rebel group.
In recent peace agreements between Rwanda and the DRC, signed in Washington, the two countries committed to eradicating the FDLR, with Rwanda expected to lift its defensive measures thereafter.
Speaking in a recent interview, Senator Evode Uwizeyimana said the DRC cannot dismantle the FDLR because the militia effectively forms part of the country's national army.
'Even though the Congolese government has agreed to dismantle the FDLR, it knows that it will not be able to carry this out. I even wondered if they truly believe they can do it. Asking the DRC government to dismantle the FDLR is the same as asking it to dismantle the FARDC [the national army],' the senator said.
The FARDC is the principal security force in the DRC. Uwizeyimana asserted that many of its key leaders come from the FDLR.
'Telling the DRC government to dismantle the FARDC is like telling the President to remove the unit that protects him and replace it with DASSO [a paramilitary group]. The powerful branches of the FARDC are largely made up of former FDLR members, many of whom were trained in prestigious military schools in Belgium and at the Rwanda Military Academy (ESM)," he added.
"Many who started as lieutenants and second lieutenants are now generals. The Omega [Pacifique Ntawunguka] you hear about is a well-trained soldier; he is even a pilot.
Uwizeyimana confirmed that many FDLR members received advanced military training, and that President Tshisekedi has incorporated them into his army.
'Therefore, when you ask Tshisekedi to dismantle the FDLR, it is like asking him to cut off his own hands, to destroy himself. In other words, it is impossible.'
On July 4, 2025, during a media engagement, President Kagame affirmed that as long as the FDLR remains near Rwanda's borders, problems will persist, and Rwanda is prepared to take necessary action.
'Rwanda will always do what it has to do when FDLR is along our border. There is no magic word here to be used by anybody," President Kagame said in response to a journalist's question about what would happen if the DRC fails to honour its commitment to dismantle the militia group.
President Kagame further emphasised that Rwanda is committed to fulfilling its obligations.
'You will never find Rwanda at fault with implementing what we have agreed to do. You will never," he added.
IGIHE
