In his first address to the Security Council, Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ernest Rwamucyo on Monday, December 11, said DR Congo’s refusal to renew the mandate of the East African Community (EAC) regional force “undermines” efforts to bring peace to the country’s troubled east. The EAC regional force began withdrawing from its positions in eastern DR Congo on December 3, just over one year since it was deployed to support regional peace efforts, and especially to observe a ceasefire between the Congolese army and the M23 rebels in North Kivu province. ALSO READ: DR Congo: EAC army chiefs approve regional force’s exit plan despite continued clashes “Unfortunately, Kinshasa has also terminated the EAC Regional Force, which is currently withdrawing from this ongoing volatile situation,” said Rwamucyo. “The premature departure of this force undermines all the regional efforts to bring peace to Eastern DR Congo.” He said DR Congo’s actions were aggravating the already dire humanitarian crisis in the region. “The government of [DR Congo] and its coalition of illegal armed militia groups, the FDLR genocidal force and foreign mercenaries have violated the ceasefire brokered and mandated by the regional peace process, including EAC Nairobi and Luanda processes which led to the withdrawal of M23,” he said. ALSO READ: DR Congo: Exiting EAC regional force says to hand over to SADC troops The regional force’s mandate expired on December 8. On Sunday, more than 900 Burundian troops left eastern DR Congo, following Kenya and South Sudan, which had earlier withdrawn 300 and 250 troops respectively. The force, which also has troops from Uganda, will complete its withdrawal on January 7. The regional force said it would hand its positions over to troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which are expected in eastern DR Congo by the end of December. Call to end hate speech Rwanda urges DR Congo to recommit to regional agreements, “which offer the best chance for peace,” noted Rwamucyo, who spoke after the presentation of a report by the head of MONUSCO, the UN mission in DR Congo, Bintou Keita. He said the report was silent on human right violations and impunity of the Congolese army, including the routine murder of civilians, and state-enabled persecution and violence against Tutsi communities in DR Congo. ALSO READ: Rwandan envoy condemns Kinshasa’s arming of militias He mentioned the disturbing viral images of a Congolese soldier, Captain Gisore Rukatura, who was burnt alive in November. “Heinous crimes like this are a direct consequence of the prevalence of hate speech, discrimination and genocide ideology against Congolese Tutsi in eastern DRC,” he said. Quoting from UN Advisor on Genocide Prevention Alice Wairumu Nderitu warning against the use of discrimination, misinformation and disinformation and hate speech for personal and political gains, Rwamucyo said the UN needed to take action against the Congolese government. “Rwanda implores this Council to hold the [Congolese] government accountable for encouraging discrimination, disinformation and allowing hate speech and ethnic violence to reach unprecedented levels. These actions warrant a commission of inquiry,” he said. ALSO READ: DR Congo elections: US congressmen demand fairness, transparency from Tshisekedi Another critical component characterizing the current period in DR Congo, Rwamucyo noted, is the violent anti-Rwandan rhetoric led by Congolese officials, especially in the leadup to general elections on December 20. “Several candidates, including the incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi, continue to threaten Rwanda with invasion, mass murder and annexation,” he said. The incident of October 21, when heavily armed men including the FDLR mobilized on DR Congo’s border with Rwanda singing war songs in Kinyarwanda and making crude threats was brought to the attention of the Security Council. “Rwanda takes this [incident] seriously, especially given the integration of FDLR into FARDC. We urge the DRC to seize its provocations,” he said. He reiterated Rwanda’s position that solutions to DR Congo’s security challenges “cannot be found in blame games” or externalising the country’s problems. “The solutions lie in inclusive and constructive dialogue, regional cooperation, cessations of hostilities and prioritizing the well-being of civilians,” he said, adding that Rwanda remains committed to the ongoing regional efforts to stabilize the eastern DR Congo.
