Rwandan President Paul Kagame. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)
- Paul Kagame is irritated by accusations that Rwanda is supporting the Democratic Republic of Congo's M23 rebel group.
- If you understand the history and context, he argues, the question is irrelevant.
- Kagame said there are more than 100,000 Democratic Republic of Congo refugees who have fled illegal activities in the country.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame is tired of being asked questions about his government's alleged support for the M23 rebels. It's so bad that he's starting to wonder why the questioners aren't M23 supporters.
“Well, we ask those who criticize us why they themselves don't support M23. As journalists, why don't you support M23? Or why the question is 'Do you support M23? Do you support M23? Or do you not support M23? ” Kagame shot back this week when asked by reporters about his ties to the group.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo considers the M23 to be something of a proxy for Rwanda, which is a source of tension between the two countries and has at times hinted at the possibility of war. Other countries, including the United States, have no doubt that M23 is supported by Rwanda.
But Kagame says the situation is more complicated than people overseas think.
“M23 is an organization born inside and outside the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said.
“That's number one. Number two, they're Congolese. And I hear even Congolese admit that.”
Kagame said the rebels are “called the Tutsis of Rwanda” and that the group exists and has been fighting because they are “denied their rights as citizens” of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kagame said that in places such as North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, borders drawn on maps do not always reflect reality.
Rwanda's Kagame continues to use the FDLR as a pretext for a war of aggression against the DRC through the M23, which is occupying Congolese territory, killing and terrorizing civilians. The UN statement on FDLR 15 years ago is incredibly revealing. https://t.co/xiHxzrqfSK
— Congo Friends (@congofriends) April 11, 2024
“In our Congo, we have a community of Rwandans who are Congolese. By the way, these are the same social structures in our country that are also in the Congo, not just the Tutsis. Similarly, there are other communities where they are 'But they are nationals of those countries,' he added.
Kagame said more than 100,000 people remain as refugees in Rwandan territory because these people are being treated unfairly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, “uprooted from their ancestral homes, persecuted and forcibly repatriated.” He said that
In the 1960s, ethnic tensions in Rwanda forced more than 300,000 ethnic Tutsis to migrate to neighboring countries, primarily the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When Rwanda gained independence from Belgium in 1962, some of the exiles regrouped and attempted to seize power in Rwanda. Uganda is also home to many Tutsis who fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1960s.
“It can't be worse than what we have already experienced. This country is made up of 14 million people who are ready to stand up to any attempt to set us back.” President Kagame | #Kwibuka30 pic.twitter.com/6Exc9f4bdK
— President | Rwanda (@UrugwiroVillage) April 8, 2024
Mr. Kagame said therein lies the M23 link between the two countries.
“So M23 was born out of that situation. That's why I asked the question and said: 'Why is Rwanda accused of supporting M23?' And what I'm saying is, 'Why is Rwanda accused of supporting M23?' It's like even those who are condemning us are actually buying into the injustices that are being perpetrated against this community and condemn themselves for not supporting M23. “Should,” he said, “and that would actually raise questions.”
wrong question
Kagame added that the world is asking the wrong questions about M23. Instead of asking about Rwanda's funding, other countries should be asking why there are 100,000 refugees in Rwanda.
“Rather than start by asking Rwanda whether they support M23 or not, we should start there.
he added:
Because you're asking the wrong question. The question is not whether someone will support her M23. The question is, what is actually the problem with the M23? That's actually the question you should be asking.
Whether M23 receives Rwandan support is “actually unimportant and irrelevant,” he said.
Kagame himself is a former rebel leader.
In October 1990, the Tutsi rebel group Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), which he commanded, invaded the country from Uganda and, with the protection of strongman Yoweri Museveni, civil war broke out.
The Security Council reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States. #DRC It demands the unconditional withdrawal of the M23, which was agreed through the African Union-endorsed Luanda Process. pic.twitter.com/BwPvdJYo1w
— United States Mission to the United Nations (@USUN) April 5, 2024
In April 1994, extremist Hutu militias attacked ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus, killing approximately 800,000 to 1 million people over 100 days.
On July 4, the RPF marched into Kigali as Hutu massacrers, military, and former government leaders fled to the DRC.
Most of them have formed the rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which is fighting alongside the DRC against M23.
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