International
A statement submitted by permanent representative Ambassador Claver Gatete during the security council briefing on situation on DRC
Mr. President,
Thank
you for giving me the floor.
I
thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General Madam Bintou Keita
for her briefing and also thank Members of the Security Council for their
remarks.
We
take note of the Secretary-General's report and appreciate that it identified
all the main armed groups operating in the Eastern Democratic Republic of
Congo. However, the resurgence of M23 has overshadowed the presence of more
than 130 armed groups in EDRC including FDLR which was founded by the former
government forces and militia that committed the 1994 Genocide against the
Tutsi in Rwanda.
In
this regard, we welcome the outcome of the third Heads of state conclave on the
Democratic Republic of Congo held in Nairobi on 20th June 2022, where East
African Heads of State agreed to a Joint Regional Force that will work in
cooperation with the military and administrative forces of the DRC, to
stabilize the region by neutralizing all the negative forces.
Rwanda’s
commitment to the Protection of Civilians is informed by the tragic history of
the United Nations’ failure to prevent and stop the 1994 Genocide against the
Tutsi.
We
call for a swift and lasting solution to the conflict in the Democratic
Republic of Congo to ensure that this tragic history never happens again in the
Great Lakes Region.
Mr President,
I
would like to draw the attention of the Security Council to DRC’s false
allegations against Rwanda and the resulting consequences including hate speech
targeting a section of the Congolese population.
As
you know, DRC Political and military leaders have falsely accused Rwanda of
backing M23. This is an unfounded accusation. Any allegations in this regard
should be reported to the Joint Verification Mechanism for an independent
investigation, which the DRC has not done to date.
The
grievances and concerns of DRC's domestic armed groups must be resolved through
the implementation of prior agreements and political negotiations. Mr. President,
Rwanda also rejects the ongoing DRC propaganda narrative that countries of the
region want to "balkanize Eastern DRC." These are absurd statements
without basis and intended to divert attention from complex internal issues.
This
is yet another attempt by the DRC government to externalize its internal
weakness and problems to its neighbouring countries.
Mr. President,
In
the last few weeks, we have observed hate speech on social and mainstream media
and witnessed calls for killing and extermination, intimidation and
stigmatization, xenophobic and inflammatory rhetoric, genocide ideology as well
as political manipulation targeting Congolese Tutsi in particular, and Rwandans
in general.
Targeting
and killing innocent civilians perceived to be Tutsi may have a negative effect
as the targeted civilians may seek protection by joining local armed groups
leading to further insecurity.
Mr. President,
If
the hate speech and calls for violence continue, it will exacerbate the
problems in Eastern DRC and further divide the country by deepening hatred and
mistrust among Congolese communities.
This
will in turn lead to deterioration of the security situation which means that
MONUSCO may not successfully fulfil its mandate anytime soon.
In this regard, Rwanda once again welcomes the
outcome of the Third Heads of State Conclave on the DRC during which the EAC
Heads of State emphasized that all offensive language, hate speech, threats of
genocide and other politically inciting language must cease and must be
discouraged, and called for the people of the DRC to work together towards a
solution.
Mr President,
Rwanda
is aware that FARDC fights M23 alongside FDLR which was sanctioned by UNSC in
2013. FARDC should avoid the tendency of forging alliances with hostile and
sanctioned armed groups to fight other armed groups. It is counterproductive
and undermines the commitment of the region and the United Nations to stabilize
Eastern DRC.
This
alliance also puts MONUSCO in a very difficult position, because supporting
FARDC while it fights alongside FDLR is tantamount to supporting a genocidal
armed group. We call on the Security Council to condemn this alliance and urge
MONUSCO through their due diligence, to avoid any military cooperation with
FARDC, as long as they are allied with negative forces.
Following
the deployment of the UN Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) in 2013, M23 was the
only armed group that happened to be defeated. Rwanda remains concerned about a
selective and double[1]standard
approach to fighting armed groups in DRC.
Mr President,
Rwanda
believes that the regional approach recommended by the Second Heads of State
Conclave on DRC on 21 April 2022, is essential and complements other regional
and sub-regional agreements to deal with the situation in Eastern DRC in a
sustainable manner.
In
this regard, the government of the DRC should acknowledge its obligation under
regional agreements and incorporate fully all armed groups under agreed peace
arrangements.
To
conclude, Rwanda remains committed to existing bilateral, regional, and
international efforts to stabilize the Eastern DRC and the region.
I thank you for your attention