Addressing the 20th National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano) at the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC), Kagame dismissed the claims as baseless and used a sharp hypothetical to make his point clear.
'By the way, if we were really in Congo for minerals we would be 100 times richer than we are now,' he said.
President Kagame also challenged the logic behind the repeated questions about Rwanda's alleged presence in Congo, often centered on minerals.
He explained his standard response to such inquiries: 'If you ask whether we are in Congo, do you first ask yourself why would Rwanda be in Congo? Then you would get the answer without asking me.'
He made clear that any discussion of Rwanda's posture toward eastern Congo must start with long-standing security threats.
'We have told you for the last 30 years about the threats coming from Congo to do with our security and those threats have materialized several times. You just don't want to see or hear it.'
The Head of State was referring to a threat posed by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a terrorist group formed by remnants of those responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which continues to spread genocidal ideology.
The group has, at various times, launched attacks on Rwandan territory and has collaborated with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government to shell Rwanda during confrontations with the AFC/M23 rebel coalition. This situation has compelled Rwanda to put in place defensive measures to protect its citizens.
President Kagame also recalled being asked by ambassadors accredited to Rwanda, as well as representatives of other governments, including ministers, whose inquiries appeared to downplay the seriousness of the threat posed by the FDLR.
Reports indicate that as of June 2025, the FDLR was estimated to have between 7,000 and 10,000 fighters, most of whom, including senior leaders, were based in the Walikale and Masisi territories of North Kivu Province.
As he addressed participants of the meeting, Kagame argued that the mineral narrative serves to obscure these defensive necessities and shift blame.
He highlighted that acknowledging Rwanda's presence, even hypothetically, would conveniently let others 'load the problems of Congo on your shoulder,' while ignoring the root causes , persistent threats that have forced Rwanda to take protective measures over decades.
Kagame also recalled a past exchange with a CNN journalist who asked directly about Rwanda's involvement. His reply at the time was 'I don't know,' which he described as technically safe.
'Simply, that is really technically an answer that I should not have given, but also technically it is an answer that would not take me to court… How would you prosecute an ignorant man who doesn't even know what you are talking about?'
He stressed that this back-and-forth has trivialized the real issue, security threats originating from eastern Congo, while accusations of mineral motives serve to shift blame away from the actual sources of the problem.
Kagame concluded by reaffirming Rwanda's position: 'We are not responsible for Congo.' He insisted that protecting Rwandans remains non-negotiable: 'For protecting our people, that one we shall. There is no question about it.'
Théophile Niyitegeka
