President Paul Kagame reiterated the need to address the issue of integration of the genocidal FDLR militia into the Congolese army, FARDC during a mini-summit to address root causes of the ongoing insecurity in DR Congo.

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This is according to Stephanie Nyombayire, Press Secretary in the Office of the President.

The mini-summit was hosted by President João Lourenço of Angola at the African Union Headquarters, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, late Friday, February 16, to address the insecurity in eastern DR Congo, including bad governance, ethnic discrimination and violence.

The FDLR is part of a Congolese government coalition fighting the M23 rebels. The FDLR is accused of spreading violence and genocide ideology targeting Congolese Tutsi communities in eastern DR Congo.

Rwanda has, for years, called on the Congolese government to end the collaboration with the FDLR, which has launched attacks on Rwandan territory over the past two decades.

In his remarks, Kagame emphasized that Rwanda will never hesitate or apologize for protecting the security of its people, nor will it seek permission to do so.

"We lost over one million people during the Genocide against the Tutsi.

Nothing and no one will be allowed to take us back,” he said, underscoring that Rwanda remains committed to peace, through the established regional processes and mechanisms.

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"FDLR and their integration into FARDC must be addressed...there is no use arguing with those who have repeated their lies long enough, they have come to believe them.”

Despite denial of the cooperation with the FDLR, the Congolese armed forces in November 2023 ordered its soldiers to end ties with members of the terrorist group. But reports say the group has been integrated into the Congolese army.

Kigali has often urged regional leaders, and other parties interested in helping end the DR Congo crisis, to pay attention to the root causes instead of the symptoms. Eastern DR Congo has been volatile for nearly 30 years. The provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri are home to more than 130 armed groups that are accused of atrocities and human rights violations.