Kigali stresses that “recognizing genocide goes hand in hand with the responsibility to prevent it from happening”
March 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of Rwanda has warned of the existence of “plans” by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to commit genocide against the Tutsi population in the east of the country and has criticized the “doubts” between some countries, after the fighting in recent months in the area between the Congolese Army and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group.
“Recognizing genocide goes hand in hand with the responsibility to prevent it from happening. The reason why some international actors are hesitant to acknowledge that genocide is being planned in the DRC is because it carries a responsibility to intervene and stop it,” the minister said. Rwandan Foreign Minister, Vincent Biruta.
“They are dodging this responsibility, but we keep reminding them of it,” he pointed out, before arguing that “in order to avoid the responsibility to protect and stop the genocide in the DRC, international actors use ambiguous language in their statements when they show their concerns about the discourse of hate”, according to the Rwandan newspaper ‘The New Times’.
Thus, he has emphasized that “with regard to genocide, everyone should be concerned.” “Rwanda is very concerned,” said Biruta, who also pointed to a “lack of political will” when it comes to acting to consolidate efforts for peace in the region.
“As much as we want the situation to be addressed, the DRC has the advantage and the responsibility and obligation to address its internal affairs,” he said, while stressing that Kinshasa “never applied” the agreements signed since 2009 to try to consolidate the peace and stability in the east of the country, including the conflict with the M23.
For this reason, he has argued that “it is necessary for the DRC to be more serious and apply all these agreements, including those recently signed within the framework of the East African Community (EAC) and the African Union (AU)”. “These agreements contain all the solutions to solve the problem, but we will not achieve anything without political will,” stressed the Rwandan Foreign Minister.
The M23 is a rebel group made up mainly of Congolese Tutsis and operating mainly in the North Kivu province. Following a conflict between 2012 and 2013, the RDC and the group signed a peace agreement in December. In these combats, the DRC Army had the support of United Nations troops.
The group launched a new offensive in October 2022, intensified as of November, which has caused a diplomatic crisis between the DRC and Rwanda over their role in the conflict. UN experts pointed out in December to the existence of “substantial evidence” of “direct intervention” by the Rwandan Army in the conflict.
They also highlighted a collusion between the Congolese Army and various armed groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the Mai-Mai, to combat the M23. Kigali has repeatedly accused Kinshasa of supporting the FDLR, a rebel armed group founded and comprised mainly of Hutus responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
