Rwanda has renewed its call on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to prioritize accountability and tackle the root causes of the ongoing crisis in DR Congo, including the presence of the Kinshasa-backed FDLR militia.
Ambassador Urujeni Bakuramutsa, Rwanda&039;s Permanent Representative to the UN office in Geneva, said this as she addressed the council's session that discussed a draft resolution on the human rights situation in eastern DR Congo on Tuesday, October 7.
Bakuramutsa emphasized that the persistence of conflict in the region stems largely from a long-standing failure to confront its underlying causes, including the presence of the FDLR, which was founded by remnants of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
"The Council must confront impunity by condemning the more than 260 armed groups operating in eastern DR Congo, as well as denouncing the support provided by the Congolese government to these militias, particularly the UN-sanctioned FDLR,” she said.
"This vicious militia, composed of remnants of the ex-FAR/Interahamwe responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, continues to spread hate, armed violence, and genocidal ideology throughout the region.”
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Bakuramutsa urged the Council to ensure that the resolution explicitly condemns the cooperation between DR Congo and the Wazalendo militia. She stressed that this collaboration is not limited to isolated actors, but involves the entire Wazalendo militia, which the Congolese government continues to support and equip both financially and militarily.
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She further underscored the need to strengthen the draft resolution with concrete provisions to protect children from recruitment by armed groups and to combat hate speech and incitement.
Such measures, she noted, would help curb "the rhetoric by Congolese officials and allied armed groups targeting specific communities, particularly the Congolese Tutsi and Banyamulenge.”
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"Today, the Council missed a critical opportunity to advance accountability and uphold human rights in DR Congo,” Bakuramutsa said, warning that repeating accusations that Rwanda is involved in the conflict without addressing root causes will only perpetuate the cycle of violence.
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Continuing to repeat the same accusatory narratives while ignoring the root causes of the conflict will not bring peace—neither to the people of DR Congo nor to our region,” she said.
The envoy said that Rwanda remains committed to constructive engagement aimed at ensuring that security, accountability, and the protection of civilians remain at the core of all initiatives designed to restore peace and dignity to the populations of the Great Lakes region.
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Bakuramutsa reaffirmed Rwanda’s alignment with Member States that defend "the integrity and impartiality of this Council against politicization,” stressing that lasting peace in eastern DR Congo will only be achieved through genuine accountability and by addressing the root causes of the conflict.