Regional
Rwanda gains nothing from insecure DRC
In
June 2022, Tshisekedi suspended all prior agreements with Rwanda, and accused
the latter of supporting the M23 rebels. Kigali has denied the allegations but
Kinshasa, being in denial about what ails it, refuses to look inward and
confront its demons – endemic bad leadership, corruption, and more.
Rwanda’s
foreign policy has, for long, been clear on the need for good relations with other
countries, especially neighboring ones.
The
country engages other sovereign states with mutual respect, equality and
complementarity, good neighborliness, respect of territorial integrity of other
states, noninterference in internal affairs of other countries, promotion and
protection of mutual national interests, among other considerations.
Unfortunately,
one neighboring country, the Democratic
Republic of Congo – marked by political instability for almost three decades –
has continuously opted to blame Rwanda for its own failures.
From the
presidency of Mobutu Sese Seko, Laurent-Désiré Kabila, Joseph Kabila, to the
incumbent Félix Tshisekedi, bilateral relations between Kinshasa and Kigali have
always been bad or on and off.
Does Rwanda
gain from an insecure DRC? No! Insecurity in eastern DRC has affected Rwanda in
various ways. First, insecurity there created a safe haven for the FDLR
genocidal militia which aims at destabilizing Rwanda. From there, the FDLR
plotted and applied attacks on Rwandan soil on different occasions, killing
civilians and damaging properties.
The
FDLR uses its base in eastern DRC to spread genocide ideology in the great
lakes region. This has fueled hate speech and resulted in the persecution of
the Congolese Tutsi. The FDLR is a security threat to both countries and the
region in general.
Rwanda
wants a safe and secure eastern DRC, without the threat of the genocide
ideology.
The
existence of FDLR and more than 260 other armed groups in eastern DRC has led
to continuing influxes of Congolese refugees to Rwanda. Over 80,000 Congolese
refugees live in Rwanda. Some have spent more than 20 years in Rwandan refugee
camps. Rwanda would be happy to see these refugees returning to their homeland,
but they cannot go back while their security concerns remain unsolved.
Rwanda
and neighboring DRC have lots of common interests including trans-border trade
and investment, among others. The 2022 World Bank report observed that the DRC
was a growing trade opportunity for Rwanda; DRC is Rwanda’s biggest regional
trading partner.
By
2019, Rwanda had exported more goods to DRC than to other East African Community
countries. The main exports to DRC included livestock and food crops, but cross-border
trade in services, such as finance, transportation, and wholesale trading, were
also important according the report.
Insecurity
has been a serious hindrance to this growing trade opportunity, ruining interests
of the populations from both countries.
Rwanda
gains nothing from an insecure DRC and has reaffirmed its steadfast support for
regional mechanisms.
Before
the current conflict in eastern DRC erupted, the two neighboring countries had
a bilateral air service agreement in the aviation sector, facilitating RwandAir
flights to Kinshasa. Kigali and Kinshasa had also started discussions focused
on extending aviation services and a standard gauge railway project.
The
Rwandan government fully understands the peace dividend, having worked so hard
to develop the country after suffering the loss and destruction caused by the
1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Kigali craves for peace and security in the region so that it can consolidate its development gains, and make faster progress.