Rwanda is deeply concerned about the conflict that is taking place across the Western Province border, of which spillover effects continue to endanger the lives of Rwandan civilians residing in the area, Yolande Makolo, the government spokesperson, has said.
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Makolo was reacting to Monday’s incident in which a Rwandan citizen in Rubavu district sustained injuries after he was injured by a stray bullet originating from clashes among the coalition of Kinshasa-backed illegal armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), close to the Rwandan border.
Speaking at the sidelines of the just-concluded United Nations (UN) preparatory conference for the 2023 peacekeeping ministerial on the protection of civilians and strategic communications, Makolo maintained that DR Congo, regrettably, fails to commit to both Nairobi and Luanda protocols.
"The DRC government has failed to do its part to uphold these agreements that they signed. As a result, the conflict is prolonged and it puts people's lives in danger. And it continues the instability in this region that nobody wants. It is unnecessary.”
She added; "Our call is for everyone to commit to what was agreed on with Nairobi and Luanda Protocol so we can move towards peace and stability.”
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'Conflict is a DR Congo problem'
The eastern DR Congo conflict keeps flaring up, and according to Makolo, it is a problem that should be solved from the root causes.
"The region has come together, the leaders of this region are working hard, mostly committed to ensuring that peace is restored to that part of DR Congo,” she added. "So it's a DRC problem. Where we come in as Rwanda is the fact that nothing should threaten our territorial integrity.”
"We do not want any spillover of the conflict in DR Congo into Rwanda. And we have put in place measures to ensure that it doesn't spill over.”
Shedding light on Monday’s incident, Makolo explained that two of the illegal armed groups supported by the DRC government clashed among themselves, citing that no official reasons had been announced.
"But we saw the consequences because it's right at our border and this is what we constantly tell the region and the international community that what is happening in the eastern DRC is a threat to our security because it is close to our border and we want peace.”
"There was one injury yesterday from a stray bullet from clashes across the border and the man (civilian) who was injured is being treated, at the health center in Rubavu District. We are grateful that we did not have any (fatality).”
Eastern DR Congo is home to more than 120 militia groups, many of which are allies of the Kinshasa goverment, including the genocidal FDLR, a blacklisted terrorist organisation set up by individuals and groups linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. More than a million people were killed in the Genocide, which was brought to a halt when the former RPA forces took control of the capital Kigali.
Proliferation of hate speech
Meanwhile, Makolo said that, despite ongoing regional efforts to bring about peace in eastern DRC Congo, there are aspects of the conflict that are not being talked about yet they are important because they affect the lives of civilians, both in the DR Congo and, indirectly, Rwanda.
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"These have to be talked about as well. I'm talking specifically about the proliferation of hate speech that is followed by attacks on people. We've seen that people have been attacked, people have died, homes have been burnt, and property has been looted all as the result of the hateful rhetoric that is propagated at the highest level of government, including by the security organs in the DRC.”
"This is something that the United Nations (UN) itself needs to take seriously because it's coming from within. Some of the statements issued to warn about the proliferation of hate speech and the attacks on these targeted communities in the DR Congo were basically ignored by mainstream media.”
"They are not taken into consideration by other parts of the UN system, but this information has to be used to ensure the protection of all civilians, including Rwandans.”
Rwanda 'prepared to protect its territory'
Rwanda continues to ensure that its borders are protected, she said.
"This is why our armed forces are at the border. We've said this very openly and we will not hesitate to protect and to defend our borders and also protect our people. We have said this very clearly. What we will not allow is, for any kind of conflict to come across the border and we are prepared for that.”