Rwanda’s request to UN Security Council amidst deteriorating situation in eastern DRC

The Government of Rwanda has drawn the attention of the United Nations Security Council to the escalation of conflict in eastern DRC, with the potential to derail the gains in Rwanda-DRC bilateral relations and affect the stability of the entire Great Lakes region.

In a clear-cut overview of bilateral relations with the DRC, the Government of Rwanda has noted that in the past 28 years, its relationship with the DRC has gone through turbulent periods, mainly as a result of the presence in the eastern DRC of FDLR-FOCA genocidal forces and its affiliates, whose intention remains to overthrow the Government of Rwanda, and its intermittent collaboration with DRC government forces.

This, as noted, has been in violation of various bilateral, regional and international agreements and resolutions calling for their eradication.

“This problem has over time been compounded by the stigmatization of Kinyarwanda- speaking Congolese, who are deliberately labelled as Rwandans by a section of Congolese politicians,” reads Rwanda’s brief.

“This has subsequently created a situation whereby thousands of Congolese refugees in Rwanda have practically been denied the right to return home and whenever there is a rebellion of Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese, it is conveniently blamed on Rwanda for political gains.”

In January 2019, following the election of President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, the diplomatic relations between Rwanda and DRC improved remarkably, building on the mutual political will by the Heads of State of the two countries to promote peace, security and development in the two countries.

Consequently, the two countries undertook various initiatives to revive bilateral relations, which had deteriorated during the previous administration. In this context, several bilateral agreements and MoUs were signed, which led to booming cross-border trade between the two countries.

To promote peace and security, DRC and Rwanda agreed on bilateral initiatives, which include: DRC-Rwanda Joint Intelligence Teams (JIT);

-         FARDC-RDF cooperation in the fight against armed groups;

-         2019 Agreement between the Government of the DRC and the ex-M23/Runiga faction living in Rwanda regarding their voluntary repatriation, including a roadmap to that effect, under Rwanda’s facilitation;

-         Rwanda’s facilitation of a meeting in 2019 of the DRC delegation and representatives of Congolese refugees living in Rwanda;

-         Rwanda’s support for a regional approach on eradication of armed groups.

On the economic development front, three agreements were signed on investment, double taxation avoidance and mining. Rwandan carrier, RwandAir, was also granted a license to operate direct flights between Kigali and Kinshasa, Goma and Lubumbashi.

The improved diplomatic relations between Rwanda and DRC over the last few years also led to improved people-to-people relations and solidarity. When Mount Nyiragongo in the outskirts of Goma, eastern DRC, erupted on May 2, 2021, thousands of Congolese fled to Rwanda and were warmly received by Rwandan people. The Government of Rwanda promptly offered them the necessary humanitarian support, including shelter, food, and transportation, among others. The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, also visited Goma, where he pledged to build a model village for affected families.

While Rwanda honoured most of the commitments, implementation on the DRC side encountered several impediments and delays, arising from both internal governance challenges and hostility by spoilers within the DRC government, opposition and civil society organizations, who are opposed to improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries.

“The Government of Rwanda wishes to remind that, contrary to the DRC allegations, Rwanda played its part in solving the issue of M23 by disarming those who fled to Rwanda (Runiga faction), handing over their weapons to DRC and cantoning the ex- combatants in transit camps far from the DRC border, where they are still under control.”

“Rwanda also facilitated various engagements between the ex-M23 representatives and their government. The process culminated in an agreement and voluntary repatriation roadmap signed by the parties in 2019. Despite the existence of the repatriation roadmap and the ex-M23/Runiga faction readiness to return home, the DRC Government has shown no enthusiasm to receive them.”

Agreements towards peace and security in the region

The resumption of hostilities in eastern DRC follows a pattern of failure by the DRC Government to honor its commitments in signed agreements due to lack of political will to effectively implement signed agreements.

The following are examples of agreements signed in the past towards peace and security in the eastern DRC, but were not fully implemented, hence leading to reoccurrence of conflicts:

-         Agreement between the DRC Government and the Congrès National Pour la Défense du Peuple (CNDP) signed on March 23, 2009;

-         Nairobi Declarations between the Government of DRC and ex-M23 in 2013;

-         Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the Region signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2013;

-         Agreement between the DRC Government and Ex-M23 living in Rwanda and the joint implementation roadmap on their voluntary repatriation, facilitated by the Government of Rwanda on October 28, 2019;

-         Agreement between the DRC Government and M23/Makenga faction on ceasefire, facilitated by the Government of Uganda on April 20, 2022;

-         Various agreements between the Government of DRC and local armed groups;

-         Second Heads of State Conclave on DRC of April 21, 2022 led by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and President Tshisekedi, which had generated a lot of hope for ending all armed groups. The DRC Government has instead started arming some armed groups (FDLR-FOCA, CMC-Nyatura, APCLS, Mai Mai Yakutumba and Mai Mai Ebuela Mtetezi) to fight other local armed groups (M23 and Twirwaneho), hence escalating further the situation.

The lack of political will was evidenced by the fact that the DRC Government undermined the outcomes of the second Heads of State Conclave in Nairobi by excluding M23 from the Nairobi dialogue process.

 While local armed groups were to be dealt with in the political process, the DRC Government has opted for a military solution to the M23 issue, while at the same time externalizing the problem to falsely implicate Rwanda.

Recent acts of provocation by DRC.

The following are recent acts of provocation by the DRC:

-         On May 23, 2022, between 0959Hrs – 1020Hrs, DRC Military (FARDC) fired multiple rocket shells in Musanze and Burera Districts, targeting civilians and tourism infrastructure. Several people were injured and property damaged. This incident followed a similar one on March 19, 2022, where two rocket shells also landed in the Kinigi Sector, Musanze District.

-         On May 28, 2022, a joint FARDC – FDLR force kidnapped two RDF soldiers while on patrol along the Rwanda – DRC border.

- On May 30, 2022, the DRC Government undertook the following actions, which are meant to portray Rwanda as directly involved in the eastern DRC crisis:

(i) Suspension of RwandAir flights to DRC;

(ii) Summoning of Rwanda's Ambassador to DRC;

(iii) Labeling Rwanda as enemy and inciting the population to arm themselves with machetes and hunt the supposed enemy, leading to harassment of Rwandans and Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese especially in North and South Kivu Provinces.

Following these actions “reported in mainstream and social media,” the Government of Rwanda is “witnessing disturbing trends” of public incitement and calls to Genocide.

These include: proliferation of hate speech spreading double genocide theory and advocating for attack and annexation of Rwanda to the DRC by political leaders, members of civil society, and religious leaders; stigmatization of Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese calling on them to return to Rwanda; demonstrations at common borders and Rwandan Embassy in Kinshasa; and a popular call for expulsion of the Rwandan Ambassador.

Rwanda’s concerns pertaining to crisis in eastern DRC

The Government of Rwanda has express the following:

The pattern of DRC to externalize the conflict for domestic political gains is dangerous and should be denounced;

The military cooperation between FARDC and FDLR genocidal forces, is a major hindrance to the stability of the eastern DRC and the region and should be strongly condemned;

The provocations by the DRC through shelling on Rwanda’s territory and kidnapping of RDF soldiers under the pretext of responding to Rwanda’s alleged support for M23 must stop;

The proliferation of hate speech and incendiary statements by some officials and politicians in the DRC has resuscitated anti-Rwanda hate speech and public incitement to genocide.

 On June 18, 2019, the UN Secretary-General launched the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech.

At the time, the Secretary-General noted that: “Hate speech is in itself an attack on tolerance, inclusion, diversity and the very essence of our human rights norms and principles. More broadly, it undermines social cohesion, erodes shared values, and can lay the foundation for violence, setting back the cause of peace, stability, sustainable development, and the fulfillment of human rights for all.”

Rwanda unequivocally rejects the dubious claims indicated by the DRC Minister of Foreign Affairs in his May 25, 2022 letter to the UN Security Council that on Tuesday, May 24, and Wednesday, May 25, the Rwanda Defence Force dropped more than 20 shells and bombs on the Congolese territory of Katale, and that “on Wednesday morning, May 25, M23 endorsed by RDF,” attacked the FARDC positions in the areas of Kibumba and Jomba.

“Rwanda neither endorsed M23 nor responded to the shelling on Rwandan territory by the FARDC in both March and May of 2022. Any allegations of assault on DRC by the Republic of Rwanda should be directed to the EJVM for verification.”

Given the above provocations by the DRC Government, the Government of Rwanda emphasized that it “deserves the right to retaliate in self-defence, protect her territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

“Rwanda has no strategic interests to destabilize DRC and believes in having a good neighbourliness DRC problems have been in existence well before M23 and are related to a number of factors including governance shortcomings since independence, exploitation of ethnic identities and conflicts in eastern DRC for political gains that led to stigmatization of Rwandophones, failed DDR programs, ungoverned spaces among others.”

 As a result, it is noted, the number of armed groups in eastern DRC keeps increasing.

Request to the UNSC

To achieve peace and security in DRC, the Government of Rwanda observes, there is a need for the DRC Government to implement prior commitments signed and hold accountable violators of these agreements.

To this effect, Rwanda calls on the UNSC:

-         To urge the DRC Government to take concrete action and actively implement the existing bilateral, regional and international agreements for the stability of the Great Lakes Region, especially the second Nairobi Heads of State Conclave on DRC;

-         To strongly condemn any alliance and cooperation between FARDC, FDLR, and other armed groups;

-         MONUSCO to fight all armed groups, including FDLR. Support to FARDC fighting along FDLR is a violation of UN mandate and international law and should be stopped;

-         To actively and systematically address and neutralize the hate speech currently unfolding in the eastern DRC targeting innocent people, before it is too late;

-         To hold accountable DRC officials for public incitement to genocide and hate speech;

-         To request DRC to stop all provocative acts seeking to suck Rwanda in the conflict in eastern DRC;

-         Support the regional efforts of President João Lourenço of Angola in his capacity as Chairperson of ICGLR; and President Uhuru Kenyatta, Chairperson of the East African Community.